THE visitor centre at the Newport Wetlands is celebrating its 10th year anniversary this week.

The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) centre opened in March 6, 2008.

The reserve itself, at the mouth of the river Usk, was opened in 2000 to compensate for loss of extensive mudflats with the completion of the Cardiff Bay barrage and stretches from Goldcliff to Uskmouth.

It was once an ash covered wasteland for the neighbouring coal-fired Uskmouth power station.

The reserve covers 4.38 sq km and provides a variety of habitats including reedbeds, saltmarsh, saline lagoons and lowland wet grassland.

Visitor experience manager at the Newport Wetlands Helen Gottschalk said one of the key species is the ‘Bearded Tit’ – a schedule 1 specie, meaning it is a protected bird.

“They are quite rare,” she said. “They are very secretive and it is quite difficult to see them – even in places that have them.

“They are here all year round and, if the conditions are right, you have a good chance of seeing them.”

The manager said that to mark the anniversary they will be having a series of events throughout the year, including a formal event in June when they will invite people who were involved in the building and foundation of the centre. They are also planning on having a garden party.

Ms Gottschalk said they will also be holding a ‘BioBlitz’ - where they try to find out all the species there are in the reserve in 24 hours. The BioBlitz will be on July 21 and everyone is welcome.

“You create a snapshot of how many species there are in the reserve,” she said. “We did a small pilot last year, but we have not done one in the 10 years we have been here.”

The East Usk lighthouse will also be celebrating its 125th anniversary this year – it first lit up on June 22 1893 – and they are going to have a series of talks and walks about the lighthouse.

Ms Gottschalk said the visitor centre was also built as an environmental educational centre, with one of the key purposes being for children to be able to come and connect with nature while learning about wildlife. She said that up to 5,000 children visit the Wetlands every year.

She added: “The Wetlands are very accessible – the footpaths are well kept and wide, which means families can bring pushchairs.

"It is a special place and it is quite relaxing. You can connect with nature and it has wonderful views of the estuary.

“It changes all year round – there is always something different to see.”