Hayle Estuary

We are working hard to make our nature reserves safe and ready for our staff, visitors and wildlife. Although most of our sites with visitor facilities are currently closed, we have started opening those where is it safe and practical to do so in England and Northern Ireland. Please see our COVID-19 updates page for the latest information (link below).

Address: RSPB Hayle Estuary, Carnsew Pool, Hayle TR27 6JF

Grid ref: SW551364

See our updates page to see which reserves are open.

Hayle Estuary, the most south westerly estuary in the UK, is home to a wide variety of wetland birds. Winter is easily the best time to visit, when you can see a vast flocks of teals and wigeons and maybe a vagrant ring-billed gull from North America.

Plan your visit

Open at all times.

Free entrance to RSPB members: Yes

Adults: Free, but donations are very welcome.

Children: Free, but donations are very welcome.

Facilities

No visitor centre
Car park off-site
Toilets off-site
Accessible toilets off-site
No Refreshments
Viewing point
Shop off-site

Accessibility

How to get here

By train

Most trains stop at St Erth station. (Not all trains stop at Hayle Station).

By bus

From St Erth railway station, take the First Kernow Bus Service No.18 to Foundry Square in the town of Hayle. Take the No.14 bus if you are travelling from St.Ives, Hayle or Lelant.

By bike

The reserve is on National Cycle Route number 3.

By road

From Foundry Square in Hayle, head in a westerly direction along the B3301 Carnsew Road under the railway viaduct, past Asda and Jewsons on the right. Turn left on Chenalls Road, signposted St Erth and Hayle Estuary Nature Reserve. The reserve entrance is in 200m.

Sat nav POI file: If you have a satellite navigation system that can accept POI files, please see our POI page for a download link and instructions.

Get directions from Google Maps

RSPB reserves on Google Earth

13 degrees, Sunny day

Downloads

Helping you find your way around. PDF, 1.2Mb

Hayle estuary guide

Contact Hayle Estuary

RSPB Hayle Estuary, Carnsew Pool, Hayle TR27 6JF
hayle.estuary@rspb.org.uk
01736 360624

What will you see?

Our star species

Curlew

Curlews are large, brown wading birds with very long, curved bills ideal for probing in the mud on the Hayle Estuary.

Little egret

These dainty little white herons can be seen throughout the year here.

Oystercatcher

You can see oystercatchers at the Hayle Estuary at any time of year.

Teal

Look for tiny teals among the wintering wildfowl on the lagoon in front of the hide and on the estuary.

Wigeon

During winter, flocks of wigeons are a daily sight.

In spring, the over-wintering wigeons, teals and waders start to return to their breeding grounds in March. Migrant waders are moving through the reserve, including oystercatchers, ringed plovers, sanderlings, dunlins and whimbrels. It’s always worth looking at Porth Kidney Sands nearby for migrant terns roosting on the beach.

The start of the summer is quiet as our wildfowl and waders are away breeding in the Arctic. Recently, a pair of oystercatchers have taken up residence and have bred at Ryan's Field. In recent years, ospreys have been regular visitors to the reserve later on in the summer but you would have to be very lucky to see one.

Autumn sees the main wader passage through the reserve. Vagrants often turn up here seeking refuge following gales around the coast.

Winter is the season when there are the most birds on the estuary. Enjoy the spectacle of the thousand or so teals and wigeons feeding on the algae-covered mudflats and flying back to the river. Hayle is one of the top British estuaries for the vagrant ring-billed gull from North America.

About Hayle Estuary

Habitat

The reserve comprises a mix of estuary, tidal pools and marsh in and around the Cornish town of Hayle.

Conservation

Up to 18,000 migrant and wintering waterfowl flock to the Hayle estuary – especially during severe weather, when conditions here may be milder than elsewhere in the UK. But the reserve is under severe pressure from urban development and recreational activities. The RSPB is helping to safeguard the site as a refuge for birds and for its wider biodiversity.

We're working to maintain the inter-tidal habitat as a feeding and roosting refuge for wintering waterfowl, gulls and waders - working with local authorities and liaising with developers.

We're managing Ryan's Field as a high-tide roost for water birds by reducing disturbance and controlling visitor access. We've created a saline lagoon and islands, some of which are covered in shingle to attract roosting and nesting birds.

We're conducting ongoing research into the effects of visitor disturbance and habitat management on birds and other wildlife.

Site information

In cold winters, as many as 18,000 birds have been seen here, because this most south westerly estuary in the UK never freezes. During spring and autumn, it is an ideal place to see migrant wading birds, gulls and terns. In summer, if you are lucky, you may catch sight of an osprey. The reserve is good for walking, with pushchair-friendly paths.

The site has SSSI status in order to protect wintering wildfowl and waders.

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