Magor Marsh

Magor Marsh is a 36-hectare wetland reserve on the Welsh side of the Severn Estuary. It is managed by the Gwent Wildlife Trust and contains damp hay meadows, sedge fen, reed bed, scrub and wet woodland. The site also has numerous reens and a large pond. The soil is mostly peat, about 4.6 metres deep, with alluvium beneath laid down by the Severn Estuary. Water levels are kept near the surface to preserve the peat. The reserve is the richest site in Wales for wetland beetles and soldier-flies. Its drainage patterns have remained unchanged since the 14th century. The Gwent Wildlife Trust offers a Digital Nature Reserves project with virtual reality and digital guides via QR codes. A live camera streams the marsh 24/7, with stills refreshed every five minutes. In March 2020 the reserve was featured in the BBC One programme Countryfile. Visitors find two hay meadows maintained by traditional methods, grazed in autumn and winter and mown in mid-summer. By late spring the fields are covered in flowers such as lady’s smock, ragged robin and yellow flag. The reeds support teasel, common reed and purple loosestrife, while the reens contain water horsetail, marsh marigold and azure damselfly. Wet woodland features osier, crack willow and sallow, home to great spotted woodpecker and musk beetle. Breeding birds include common redshank, snipe and grasshopper warbler, with kingfisher and otter also present.