Northam Burrows Mud flats - Taw/ Torridge estuary

Over time estuaries fill with fine sediment which eventually settle and build up to become mudflats. As the tide recedes water drains from the marshes and cuts small channels which in turn become deep gullies. They are also increased by erosion of the gully sides which may be undercut and therefore collapse.

There are few visible plants here but mats of green algae carpet the surface of the mud on the lower mudflats. Further up the shore it is replaced by glasswort which grows nearer the high tide mark due to its inability to withstand submergence for long periods of time. Sea blite can also be found in this area. Once the plants are established they begin to slow the flow of water which causes more sediment to be deposited. As the mud becomes higher and drier, colonies of new species begin to form like red fescue which is grazed by sheep during the summer months. Large rocks covered in bladder wrack can also be found in the mudflats.
Exploring the mud can be a very messy business and necessitates a pair of good wellies and a keen eye for the incoming tide. The mud is rich in microscopic algae and organic matter, a mix which provides a rich food supply for lower spire shells and lug worms whose presence can be identified by the coiled casts left behind at the surface. The godwits probe for small specimens of the peppery-furrow shell, which lives up to 15cm below the mud. With luck and some searching shore crabs can also be found half buried in the mud as they await their next meal.

Looking towards the fishing Vaiilage of Appledore