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Grafham Water

Cambridgeshire  >  United Kingdom

Grafham Water is one of the prime bird watching sites in England, with rarer visitors such as Balbuzard pêcheur and the occasional Grèbe esclavon.

Ajouté* par LeicsBirder
Dernière actualisation 23 mai 2022

Description

Grafham Water is a reservoir that was created in 1965 to provide people with drinking water. It was immediately colonised by wildlife. The nature reserve surrounds the western side of the reservoir and contains ancient and plantation woodlands, grasslands and wetland habitats such as reedbeds, willow and open water.

Grafham Water is one of the prime bird watching sites in England. With nine miles of shoreline, and around 170 species of bird recorded each year, there is always something to see. There are several bird hides in the nature reserve, three of which offer views over the 18 hectare designated bird sanctuary. This provides a refuge for waterfowl by preventing boat and foot access within its margins. In winter, look out for vast mixed flocks of Foulque macroule, Sarcelle d'hiver, Canard souchet, Fuligule morillon and Grèbe huppé.

One of the hides overlooks the lagoons on the southern side of the reservoir. This habitat offers sheltered islands and insect-rich mudflats enjoyed by ground nesting birds and foraging waders such as Chevalier gambette, Bécassine des marais and Chevalier culblanc. Visit in early spring for a chance to see Avocette élégante, which has occasionally successfully bred here in recent years. Butor étoilé have made occasional visits in harsh winters as other water bodies freeze over. The lagoons also support several reed beds, which are used for nesting by many songbirds including: Bruant des roseaux, Phragmite des joncs, Rousserolle effarvatte and Bouscarle de Cetti.

Détails

Accès

Access points via entrances at Mander car park in the village of Perry and at the Hill Farm car park, Church Road, near the village of Grafham. Surfaced cycle track around reservoir. Surfaced paths to Mander Hide & Valley Creek Hide. Other paths more awkward. Reserve open at all times. Car parks 8am to dusk.

Terrain et Habitat

Forêt , Zone humide , Lac , Ville/village , Roselière , Rivière , Prairie , Arbres et buissons disséminés , Agriculture , Plage

Conditions

Plat , Vallonné , Niveau d'eau élevé probable , Paysage ouvert

Boucle

Oui

Avez-vous besoin d'une longue-vue?

Oui

Saison idéale pour observer

Toute l'année

Meilleure période pour une visite

Hiver , Migration printanière , Migration automnale

Itinéraire

Sentier large , Route pavée

Niveau de difficulté de l'itinéraire

Intense

Accessible via

A pied , Vélo , Bateau , Fauteuil roulant , Voiture

Observatoire/hutte d'observation

Oui

Liens

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Carte

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