A guide to birding sites on the Gower Peninsula near Swansea. The beautiful Gower peninsula offers some of the best birding in Wales and was the first area to be awarded an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) in 1956.

The best birding sites are described on this website as well as some lesser known ones. 

Burry Inlet
To the north lies the Burry Inlet which forms the mouth of the River Loughor. This estuary is best known for its large concentrations of wading birds especially Oystercatchers, over 10,000 at times. It also attracts a wide variety of other species both in winter and on passage.

Worms Head
At the far west end of the peninsula lies the rocky promontory of Worms Head. It is separated from the mainland at high tide but is open for a few hours either side of low water .The cliffs are home to a few species of Auks and is a good place to watch for passing Shearwaters and Sea ducks.

Oxwich NNR
In the south of Gower lies Oxwich Bay N.N.R hemmed in by limestone hills. This bay has a dune-lined beach backed by reed beds and marshes with several mid-sized pools. This site is the only reliable place on Gower for Bitterns.

Blackpill Beach
On the western outskirts of Swansea, Blackpill has become quite famous for the finding in 1973 of Britain's first Ring billed Gull. Since then this site produces sightings annually of this and many more rare birds.