Description
Swithland Reservoir, adjacent to the Mountsorrel quarry is a hotspot for birdwatchers. With rarities such as břehule skalní, kulík rezavoocasý and polák vlnkovaný, Swithland Reservoir is a great place to birdwatch all year round. In winter, you can expect ducks such as hohol severní, hvízdák eurasijský, čírka obecná, polák kaholka and other wintering wildfowl. Then in spring, the arrival of Sandpipers and other waders such as vodouš šedý and vodouš kropenatý can be viewed from the Kinchley Lane railings and the dam. konipas horský and konipas luční can also be seen in low double figures, however the konipas bílý is the most frequent.
volavka stříbřitá, volavka bílá and occasionally volavka rusohlavá can be seen from a distance and the very rare, but uncommon at Swithland, ibis hnědý can also be viewed. The dam and the Kinchley lane railings are the best spot for watching the birds. Summer announces the arrival of terns such as rybák malý, rybák obecný and rybák severní, which dive and dart around the reservoir. More ducks such as čírka modrá can also be seen in summer. Moving on to autumn and the autumn migration, another great season for birdwatching, much rarer waders such as jespák malý and jespák šedý, if you're lucky, can be seen and the much rarer Sandpipers such as jespák křivozobý and jespák mořský.
jespák obecný, ledňáček říční and čejka chocholatá can be seen all year round, but autumn and spring the best season for them. Finally back in to winter, on a late evening, you can be rewarded by the obvious figure of a Sova pálená and a kalous pustovka, and occasionally a kalous ušatý can be seen perched in a nearby tree.
Details
Access
You can drive around Kinchley Lane in Mountsorrel, which will eventually lead to the dam or you can view from Swithland Lane. Parking is available on Kinchley and Swithland Lane, as the roads are quite wide and the dam on Kinchley Lane is probably the best place to park.
