Description
Swithland Reservoir, adjacent to the Mountsorrel quarry is a hotspot for birdwatchers. With rarities such as (Ευρωπαϊκό) Βραχοχελίδονο, Killdeer and Lesser Scaup, Swithland Reservoir is a great place to birdwatch all year round. In winter, you can expect ducks such as (Ευρωπαϊκή) Βουκεφάλα, (Ευρωπαϊκό) Σφυριχτάρι, (Ευρωπαϊκό) Κιρκίρι, Σταχτόπαπια and other wintering wildfowl. Then in spring, the arrival of Sandpipers and other waders such as Πρασινοσκέλης and Δασότρυγγας can be viewed from the Kinchley Lane railings and the dam. Σταχτοσουσουράδα and Κιτρινοσουσουράδα can also be seen in low double figures, however the Λευκοσουσουράδα is the most frequent.
(Κοινός) Λευκοτσικνιάς, Αργυροτσικνιάς and occasionally Γελαδάρης can be seen from a distance and the very rare, but uncommon at Swithland, (Ευρασιατική) Χαλκόκοτα 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 (Ευρωπαϊκό) Νανογλάρονο, Ποταμογλάρονο and Χειμωνογλάρονο, which dive and dart around the reservoir. More ducks such as (Ευρωπαϊκή) Σαρσέλα can also be seen in summer. Moving on to autumn and the autumn migration, another great season for birdwatching, much rarer waders such as (Κοινή) Νανοσκαλίδρα and Σταχτιά Νανοσκαλίδρα, if you're lucky, can be seen and the much rarer Sandpipers such as Δρεπανοσκαλίδρα and Βραχοσκαλίδρα.
Λασποσκαλίδρα, (Ευρωπαϊκή) Αλκυόνη and (Ευρωπαϊκή) Καλημάνα 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 Ανθρωποπούλλι and a Βαλτόμπουφος, and occasionally a Νανόμπουφος 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.
