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Attenborough Nature Reserve |  |
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Attenborough Nature Reserve | |
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A Guide to Birdwatching: What, Where and When( By Chris Mills )The Nature ReserveOne of the assets of the reserve is the condensed variety of habitats. The area consists of maybe eight or nine gravel pits, each at varying stages of maturity. The most well established areas, such as the Delta, have developed mature willow and alder, with fringes offering dense hawthorn scrub and thick aquatic vegetation. Both the Delta and Wetmarsh areas also boast a good area of phragmites which is expanding rapidly. The more recently worked gravel pits offer more open habitat with vegetated islands and lower lying spits. The fields to the south of the Trent offer rolling farmland with mature hedgerows attracting another range of species to the Reserve boundaries. The river Trent does not provide any special habitat but running from South West to North East the valley must be considered an important factor in attracting migrant birds to the Reserve. The general improvement in the river's water quality provides an additional and important food source for many of the water birds and is probably responsible for the increased success of Kingfishers. It is possible to see in excess of fifty species on the Reserve during a day's birding at any time of the year. During the spring passage 89 species have been recorded in a single day during May. Attenborough/Long Eaton New WorkingsThis is an additional and important area, which lies outside the Reserve boundaries but can easily be included during a visit. It is possible to walk from the reserve or alternatively drive and park at the area.The area consists of the most recently worked areas. They are easily watched from the public footpath. It is possible to walk around the perimeter but the area is private. Common sense and respect will enable the good understanding between the landowners and birders to continue. The area consists of the largest unbroken expanses of water. This attracts good numbers of migrant terns, gulls and waders in spring and autumn; more recently good numbers of Wigeon have been present during the winter months. Equally the fringes and surrounding grassland have proved attractive to some of the more sought after migrants such as Whinchat, Wheatear and 'Flava' Wagtails. SpeciesWinterDuring the winter months the main interest focuses on wildfowl and other water birds. However, winter Thrushes, Finches and Tit flocks are normally well represented. Typical wintering wildfowl include: Great Crested Grebe, Mallard, Tufted Duck, Pochard, Goldeneye, Ruddy Duck (flocks in excess of 50 are not uncommon), Shoveler and Cormorants which roost on the islands off Barton Lane with maximum counts in December exceeding 200. Pintail, Goosander, Wigeon, Gadwall and Shelduck all occur but in smaller numbers. Numbers are often dramatically increased during the hard weather spells; it is worth searching for Smew, Red Breasted Merganser and the rarer grebes. The most productive areas for wildfowl are generally Clifton and Coneries Pits. If the pits become frozen the river can be particlularly good, with the large concentrations of wildfowl taking advantage of the only free water. It is often on these occasions when rarities are found and movements of wild swans and geese are noted. During the winter months the Delta and Wetmarsh area normally play host to Teal and Water Rail, the latter can often be observed at close range for prolonged spells. In recent years these areas have occasionally held Bittern and increasing Phragmites beds have seen birds present throughout the winter period. During the winter Black Headed Gull and Common Gull are fairly numerous, Great Black Backed Gull, Lesser Black Backed Gull and Herring Gull are regular and all these gulls can be seen in better numbers late afternoon as birds gather before leaving to roost. At least one Yellow Legged Gull is normally present and tends to loaf on the silt around Works Pond. The woodland fringes and particularly the alders around the Delta, attract Siskin and Redpoll in small groups. Tit flocks are ever present in these areas with Long Tailed Tit and Willow Tit always evident. Sparrowhawks are resident but are most obvious in late winter, displaying above the Delta area. Woodpeckers are well represented, both Green and Great Spotted are regular. Lesser Spotted has been regular in winter but recently it has become rather scarce. The water treatment works off Barton Lane is always worth checking during the winter months; good numbers of Pied Wagtail normally contain Grey Wagtail and there is usually a profusion of Gulls and Starlings circling the area. During the winter period the New Workings at Long Eaton are of lesser interest but normally provide a few additional species with Corn Bunting, Tree Sparrow, Snipe, Green Sandpiper and Jack Snipe. The latter is seen by walking the reedy fringes. Stonechats have wintered regularly here and rarer winter species include Great Grey Shrike, Water Pipit, Merlin and Peregrine. SpringSpring usually sees a reasonable passage of waders, the more regular are Dunlin, Greenshank, Green Sandpiper, Common Sandpiper, Ruff, Bar Tailed Godwit, Curlew, Ringed Plover and Little Ringed Plover.Scarcer but recorded occasionally are Turnstone, Black Tailed Godwit, Whimbrel and Wood Sandpiper. There are generally three main areas in the spring where waders can be found. The New Workings are fairly consistent and have also supported breeding Ringed and Little Ringed Plover. The other two areas , the Delta and the River Flash are dependent upon water levels but usually the river flash holds water until May and is worth checking. The rough grassland areas around the New Workings and the fields South of the Trent normally attract passage Northern Wheatear, Yellow Wagtail, White Wagtail, Whinchat and Meadow Pipit during April. Freshly turned fields occasionally holding flocks of 10+ Wheatear. During April and May it is worth keeping an eye on the skies, Osprey and Marsh Harrier are virtually annual but only for a few minutes as they migrate through. Common Terns start to arrive mid-April and two artificial rafts now support a thriving breeding population. Black and Arctic Terns occur annually during April-May but the timing and numbers are usually dependent on favourable weather conditions. Main Pond is generally the best place to look as they tend to mix with the Common Terns. Kittiwake, Little Gull, Sandwich Tern, Garganey and Black-necked Grebe are scarce but all occur occasionally during April and May. Kingfisher are particularly noisy and noticeable during the spring period and the river outflow near the Bund is generally a guaranteed spot. SummerDuring the summer months the Reserve holds a good array of resident and summer migrant breeding species, Great Crested Grebe, Tufted Duck, Mute Swan, occasionally Ruddy Duck and Shelduck, Common Tern, Grey Heron from the nearby Heronry situated on the South of the Trent (70 pairs 1996), Little Ringed Plover (occasionally), Sparrowhawk, Cuckoo, Tawny Owl, Kingfisher, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Sand Martin, Sedge Warbler, Grasshopper Warbler (occasionally), Reed Warbler, Lesser Whitethroat, Whitethroat, Garden Warbler, Blackcap, Chiff-chaff, Willow Warbler, Long Tailed Tit, Willow Tit, Tree Sparrow, Bullfinch and Reed Bunting. The New Workings area provides additional breeding species; Little Grebe, Ringed Plover and Little Ringed Plover (in past years), Skylark, Meadow Pipit and Corn Bunting. The area usually has a small Sand Martin colony. These birds mix in the skies with good numbers of House Martin, Swallow and Swift. These groups occasionally attract hunting Hobby, particularly in the late summer. Common Terns are present throughout the summer months and can be seen in most areas, however, if you wish to observe the young being fed and taking their first flights there are Tern platforms situated on Main Pond and Church Pond, occasionally they also breed on the islands at Clifton Pond.The best areas for picking up the majority of the Warblers are situated along the footpaths surrounding the Delta. The thick hedgerows along Barton Lane normally hold Whitethroat, Lesser Whitethroat and Sedge Warbler. AutumnAutumn migration starts early and returning waders start to appear from mid-July. The first to occur are normally Common Sandpiper, Green Sandpiper, Dunlin and Redshank. The autumn wader passage normally exceeds the spring with birds lingering for several days. Favourable weather conditions normally see single and small numbers of Oystercatcher, Ruff. Black-tailed Godwit, Spotted Redshank, Wood Sandpiper and Redshank. The best areas for waders during the autumn are the Delta front, where water levels should be low providing there has been no excessive rain, and Clifton Pit, particularly in dry spells. Clifton Pit and the Wetmarsh area can be particularly attractive when food-rich mud becomes exposed.The New Workings area usually proves to be attractive to Waders during the autumn and is definitely worth working.  One of the notable occurrences during September and October is the build up of Shoveler and Mallard concentrations. Shoveler numbers have peaked at 250 with Mallard usually double this. Returning passage passerines are generally far less prominent than in spring but this is compensated for by large numbers of hirundines, Swift and Common Terns whose numbers are swollen by young passage birds. TimingThe main Reserve normally has something to offer throughout the year but is probably at it's most interesting during the passage periods in spring and autumn. The New Workings offer a few extra species during the winter but is again undoubtably more exciting during the spring and autumn. This area is best visited early morning or evening on weekdays; at weekends, Saturday afternoon and all day Sunday. These times will avoid the working times of the gravel Company.CalendarResidentGreat Crested Grebe, Cormorant, Grey Heron, Tufted Duck, Kingfisher, Sparrowhawk, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Tawny Owl, Pied Wagtail, Willow Tit, Long Tailed Tit, Tree Sparrow, Bullfinch, Chaffinch, Greenfinch, Reed Bunting and Corn Bunting.October-MarchLittle Grebe, Bittern (scarce), Gadwall, Teal, Shoveler, Geese and Wild Swans (rare), Sawbills, Goldeneye, Pochard, Ruddy Duck, Water Rail, Snipe, Lapwing (flocks), Yellow-legged Gull, Long Eared Owl, Green Woodpecker, Lesser Spotted Woodpecker (scarce), Fieldfare, Redwing, Goldcrest, Siskin, Redpoll and Corn Bunting.April-SeptemberBlack-necked Grebe (scarce), Garganey, Common Scoter (scarce), Osprey (regular but never lingering), Hobby, passage waders, Little Gull, Black Tern, Arctic Tern, Common Tern, Cuckoo, Yellow Wagtail, White Wagtail, Whinchat, Wheatear, Reed Warbler, Sedge Warbler, Garden Warbler, Whitethroat and Lesser Whitethroat.There is always a chance of a rarity, the past decade has produced Little Egret, Great White Egret, Bluethroat, Great Grey Shrike, Spotted Crake and Eider. Visitors wishing to submit bird sightings please check out the contacts page of this site for further information. The following list of species require supporting details:-
To view a systematic list of the birds of Attenborough Nature Reserve click here |
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