Fal-Ruan Nature Reserve

Part of a larger Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), Fal-Ruan nature reserve is a 41-hectare site on the Roseland Peninsula, managed by the Cornwall Wildlife Trust.

This extensive wetland spans the wide, flat-bottomed estuary of the River Fal. Its mudflats contain deposits of white china clay waste, once carried downstream from the clay extraction areas around St Austell. The creeks and natural contours of the land, shaped at the end of the last Ice Age, create sheltered conditions ideal for wildlife. The reserve also includes areas of saltmarsh, dense scrub, and oak trees that grow right down to the tidal waters.

The mudflats support a rich variety of invertebrates such as molluscs, crustaceans, and worms, which in turn attract a wide variety of bird species. Black-tailed godwits arrive in large numbers between July and January, while selducks nest in burrows near the saltmarsh and surrounding farmland, and forage along the mudflats. Other wading birds seen in the estuary include curlews, golden plovers, dunlins, little stints, and redshanks. In winter, the site is also important for ducks such as wigeons, teals, and mallards.

Further out to sea, visitors may spot seabirds including razorbills, fulmars, shearwaters, petrels, divers, long-tailed ducks, and common scoters. The area is also considered one of the best places in the UK to see black-necked grebes.

Access to the reserve is very limited. There is no public access to the Trelonk section, as it is surrounded by private farmland and impassable mudflats. However, it can be viewed from lanes around Ruan Lanihorne. The Ardevora section is accessible only by boat. The exposed mudflats are potentially hazardous, and visitors are strongly advised not to attempt crossing them.

Please note, dogs are welcome on the reserve, but must be kept under effective control.