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Description
Swithland Reservoir, adjacent to the Mountsorrel quarry is a hotspot for birdwatchers. With rarities such as Crag Martin, Killdeer and Lesser Scaup, Swithland Reservoir is a great place to birdwatch all year round. In winter, you can expect ducks such as Common Goldeneye, Eurasian Wigeon, Common Teal, Greater Scaup and other wintering wildfowl. Then in spring, the arrival of Sandpipers and other waders such as Common Greenshank and Green Sandpiper can be viewed from the Kinchley Lane railings and the dam. Grey Wagtail and Western Yellow Wagtail can also be seen in low double figures, however the White Wagtail is the most frequent.
Little Egret, Great Egret and occasionally Cattle Egret can be seen from a distance and the very rare, but uncommon at Swithland, Glossy Ibis 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 Little Tern, Common Tern and Sandwich Tern, which dive and dart around the reservoir. More ducks such as Garganey can also be seen in summer. Moving on to autumn and the autumn migration, another great season for birdwatching, much rarer waders such as Little Stint and Temminck's Stint, if you're lucky, can be seen and the much rarer Sandpipers such as Curlew Sandpiper and Purple Sandpiper.
Dunlin, Common Kingfisher and Northern Lapwing 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 Barn Owl and a Short-eared Owl, and occasionally a Long-eared Owl 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.