South Walney Nature Reserve

South Walney is one of two nature reserves on Walney Island, England. The nature reserve has an area of 130 ha leased from Holker estates. It has been managed by the Cumbria Wildlife Trust since 1963. The reserve is notable for being a colony for gulls and grey seals. The gull colony contains both lesser black-backed gulls and herring gulls. Numbers have declined considerably since the 1970s. Among the reasons for the decline has been predation. In 2021 Cumbria Wildlife Trust reported that a predator-proof fence had protected chicks at the reserve. The reserve is the only grey seal colony in Cumbria. Numbers have increased since the 1970s. Until recently South Walney was classed as a haul-out site rather than a breeding colony, but two pups were born in 2015, and 46 pups have been born since, with nine pups born in 2023 Other breeding bird species include common eider, Eurasian oystercatcher and common ringed plover. The reserve is the home of the Walney Bird Observatory which collates bird records from across the island. Around 300 species of bird have been recorded on Walney Island since the foundation of the bird observatory in 1964.