About the reserve

Towards the end of April, the first rare Turtle Doves can be heard ‘turring’ in the dense shrubbery while into May the Nightingale’s beautiful serenading song can be heard loud and clear. Barn Owls and the occasional Short-eared Owl are often spotted soaring overhead, searching for prey amongst the short grass.

Jacques Bay is filled with overwintering wildfowl and waders during the colder winter months, with Black-tailed Godwit, Turnstones and Knot foraging in the invertebrate thick mud. On the grassland Wigeons can be heard whistling, and Brent Geese calling. Livestock occasionally graze the grassland areas, promoting the growth of wild flowers and pollen loving insects.

Did you know? The site has been the subject of numerous planning applications (including an application for a prison in 1968 and 1989).