Name our favourite Reserves, and why?

It is a Wild Fowl and Wetlands Trust Reserve and is about 5 miles S.E. of Southport. It was featured on Autumn Watch in 2008.

Thank you MarJus and Brenda for the information

I will debate the areas with Dave and we will see what 2010 offers us {smile}

Regards

Kathy and Dave

 

Hi Blackbird,

I have a number of favourites and have fond memories of them all.

Loch Garten:

Osprey's first and foremost

The reserve also has some excellent walks, with the chance to see red squirrels, dragonflies and crested tits.

Bempton Cliffs:

Gannets, Skuas, Shearwaters and Puffins

More than 200,000 birds (from April to August) make the cliffs seem alive – with adults bringing food to their nests, or young chicks making their first faltering flights.

Loch of Lowes: (NoN RSPB)

Again Osprey's lead the way, Pine Martins come a close second with the Red Squirrels not far behind. Brilliant place to visit if you travel the west coast of Scotland.

Saltholme:

Marsh Harriers, Peregrines, Water Rails and Bitterns are just a few of my highlights.

My Local Reserve, Saltholme has taken years of planning. Buckets of sweat and tears have gone into turning into reality our dream of an awe-inspiring nature reserve in the industrial heartland of Tees Valley.

Minsmere:

Lots of memories. Avocets been just one.

Nature trails take you through a variety of habitats to excellent birdwatching hides. There is a visitor centre where you can find out more about the wildlife, browse in the shop or enjoy a meal in the tearoom.

Lochwinnoch:

It's the perfect spot to watch whooper swans, wigeons and a wide variety of ducks during the winter months. In spring, you won't want to miss the elaborate displays of the great crested grebes.

Blacktoft Sands:

The tidal reedbed is the largest in England and is important for its breeding bearded tits, bitterns and marsh harriers.

Hayle Estuary:

One of my favourite parts of the country, west coast of Devon & Cornwall.

In cold winters, as many as 18,000 birds have been seen here, because this most south westerly estuary in the UK never freezes. During spring and autumn, it is an ideal place to see migrant wading birds, gulls and terns.

South Stack Cliffs:

My first visit was twenty years ago, truely awesome scenery and the Choughs were amazing.

You'll be able to watch guillemots, razorbills and puffins all raising their young, while live television pictures give you an even closer view of the nests! Rare choughs can also be seen on the reserve.

I have been to a few more around the country and also local reserves by the bucket load.

Sorry for my long post, but I did say I had to many to choose just one.

Regards Buzzard

 

 

 

Brilliant to hear so many suggestions - thanks everyone who's posted so far!  My 'To Do' list is growing...

Birdmum, the RSPB reserve near Arundel is Pulborough Brooks, just up the Arun Valley.  It's a lovely reserve (used to be my 'local' when I lived Down South) and home to the best tearoom in Sussex.  Highly recommended for the cake!  Oh, and the wildlife of course...  Huge flocks of wintering wildfowl, unusual black fallow deer, and it's the best place I know for seeing and hearing nightingales.

The Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust also have a reserve on the outskirts of Arundel, I went once and had good views of a kingfisher, but I found all the birds with clipped wings a little disturbing so I didn't go back again.  I prefer to see wild birds in their natural habitat, where you know they're there of their own free will and thanks to the hard work of the landowners keeping the place great for wildlife - i.e. RSPB reserves!

Also Birdmum, when I didn't drive I got to lots of nice places on coach trips with my RSPB Local Group, if you're not already a member of one of these it's worth a try.  I've been in two different groups; both were full of nice people who were keen to help me learn about wildlife.  The details of all the groups are on the RSPB website.

Happy wildlife watching!

L.

Hi Buzzard

Now that is what I call a healthy list of favourite places.  Love all your stories attached to the areas {big smile}

As I am from Edinburgh, I have visited some of the Reserves in Scotland (did a lot of conservation work too mentioned on another thread on the RSPB).

The first one you mentioned is Loch Garten.  I have been there many times as a child to an adult.  I have seen the Ospreys numerous times and I have never been disappointed. I hope to visit one day once more in the future.

Love to visit Lochwinnoch yet.  One weekewnd I plan to stay in Glasgow for the weekend and do exactly that.  Dave said that the Reserve has been recommended to him too.  So now there are two positive thoughts from people who who have said great things about the area.

Would love to see Grebes courting as they are very impressive indeed.  Seen Grebes doing that at Paxton Pits a couple of years so far but that was a while ago now.

Not been to the others ones you have mentioned here so far but they are not far from my mind now.

A couple of places that stood out in my mind on the East Coast was Aberlady Bay for Advocets, and John Muir Country Park for the Tern colonies.  Worth a visit for nesting seabirds,

Regards

Kathy and Dave

 

My favourite is Wood Lane, Shropshire because it's my local reserve and there's always something to see. I also like Titchwell Marsh and Ynys-hir - a great variety of habitats there. Lake Vyrnwy is wonderful too.

Buzzard, thanks for mentioning Saltholme.  As a child I watched great crested grebes displaying there, long before the RSPB were involved and before it had that name - it was known as "those pools, you know, over near ICI".  It's great to see the site has been passed into such caring hands and is now being promoted for everybody to enjoy.  Can't wait to visit!

Excellent idea for a topic :o)

 

My own 'To Do' list is growing too!

 

I've been to a handful of reserves (I'm new to out of the garden bird watching!) and have enjoyed my experiences at all of them.  Although I'm not all that good at spotting the birds, I went to Old Moor on Sunday and where I only managed to spot a handful of birds one lady had seen 41!  I wondered if we were in the same place!

Old Moor is currently top of my favourites list as it gave me a few first times, I had never seen a Little Owl, Fieldfare or a Female Bullfinch until I went there.  Its just a pity its 2 hours away.

Lake Vyrnwy is absolutely  beautiful, don't know what else to say!  Its another not round the corner ones though so I never get to spend as much time as I would like to.

I have visited The Lodge once too and really must go back soon - and this time I must say hello to one of the staff, got so sidetracked the last time time was getting on and figured he'd be gone!  The Lodge was also where I saw my first Nuthatch.

 

I think I need birdwatching lessons mind, I'm either walking round with my eyes shut or not spending enough time in one place :o)

Nicki C said:

Hi there

Any one else have a favourite hotspot, and why

Regards

Kathy and Dave

 

Too many to pick from them, that's a bit like being asked to name your favourite child.

Living in Norfolk we are spoilt for choice especially along the coast, it's always great to go somewhere different such as Wales, Northumberland and Scotland, but we also have a great local patch, have recorded nearly 70 different species within a mile of home.