Ö÷²¥´óÐã

Cosmeston Lakes

Cosmeston Lakes

Half of this 100 hectare site near Penarth has been designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest, no surprise given its wide range of wildlife.

A disused quarry, Cosmeston is a great habitat for waterfowl including mute swans, great crested grebe and coots.

Britain's rarest breeding duck, the scaup, is a resident, as are pochards, wigeon and tufted ducks.

The amazing, and highly camouflaged, bittern has also wintered here recently, but you're more likely to hear than see this shy bird.

Lakeside plants such as reed mace, yellow flag iris and the rare greater spearwort support populations of dragonflies and damselflies.

Meanwhile, the extensive woodland is home to foxes and bats.


Bookmark this page:

Nature on your doorstep in south east Wales.

Nature reserves

Iolo Williams

Listen to this

Iolo Williams reveals his favourite wildlife hotspots.

Wild About Nature

Tick off what you've spotted with our handy wildlife spotter guides.

Breathing Places

Find breathing places near you:

Ö÷²¥´óÐã iD

Ö÷²¥´óÐã navigation

Ö÷²¥´óÐã © 2014 The Ö÷²¥´óÐã is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read more.

This page is best viewed in an up-to-date web browser with style sheets (CSS) enabled. While you will be able to view the content of this page in your current browser, you will not be able to get the full visual experience. Please consider upgrading your browser software or enabling style sheets (CSS) if you are able to do so.