Description
Swithland Reservoir, adjacent to the Mountsorrel quarry is a hotspot for birdwatchers. With rarities such as Скальная ласточка, Крикливый зуёк and Малая морская чернеть, Swithland Reservoir is a great place to birdwatch all year round. In winter, you can expect ducks such as Гоголь, Свиязь, Чирок-свистунок, Морская чернеть and other wintering wildfowl. Then in spring, the arrival of Sandpipers and other waders such as Большой улит and Черныш can be viewed from the Kinchley Lane railings and the dam. Горная трясогузка and Жёлтая трясогузка can also be seen in low double figures, however the Белая трясогузка is the most frequent.
Малая белая цапля, Большая белая цапля and occasionally Египетская цапля can be seen from a distance and the very rare, but uncommon at Swithland, Каравайка 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 Малая крачка, Речная крачка and Пестроносая крачка, which dive and dart around the reservoir. More ducks such as Чирок-трескунок can also be seen in summer. Moving on to autumn and the autumn migration, another great season for birdwatching, much rarer waders such as Кулик-воробей and Белохвостый песочник, if you're lucky, can be seen and the much rarer Sandpipers such as Краснозобик and Морской песочник.
Чернозобик, Обыкновенный зимородок and Чибис 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 Сипуха and a Болотная сова, and occasionally a Ушастая сова 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.
