The cars you can see parked on the far left may belong to visitors looking for a signal for their mobiles but they are more likely to be bird watchers, who know that the Nevern River’s tidal estuary at Newport attracts a wonderful variety of birds. At low tide the salt marches extend into acres of grey mudflat that are rich in the molluscs, worms, insects and shrimps that make good feeding for ducks and waders.

The mud isn’t exactly pretty but some birds do their best to brighten it up

while the preditors prefer to blend in with their surroundings.