Description
Swithland Reservoir, adjacent to the Mountsorrel quarry is a hotspot for birdwatchers. With rarities such as Kaya kırlangıcı, çayır cılıbıtı and Morbaş Patka, Swithland Reservoir is a great place to birdwatch all year round. In winter, you can expect ducks such as Altıngöz, Fiyu, Çamurcun, Karabaş patka and other wintering wildfowl. Then in spring, the arrival of Sandpipers and other waders such as Yeşilbacak and Yeşil düdükçün can be viewed from the Kinchley Lane railings and the dam. Dağ kuyruksallayanı and Sarý kuyruksallayan can also be seen in low double figures, however the Ak kuyruksallayan is the most frequent.
Küçük ak balýkçýl, Büyük ak balýkçýl and occasionally Sığır balıkçılı can be seen from a distance and the very rare, but uncommon at Swithland, Çeltikçi 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 Küçük sumru, Sumru and Karagagalı Sumru, which dive and dart around the reservoir. More ducks such as Çıkrıkçın can also be seen in summer. Moving on to autumn and the autumn migration, another great season for birdwatching, much rarer waders such as Küçük kumkuşu and Sarıbacaklı kumkuşu, if you're lucky, can be seen and the much rarer Sandpipers such as Kızıl kumkuşu and Mor Kumkuşu.
Karakarınlı kumkuşu, Yalıçapkını and Kızkuşu 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 Peçeli Baykuş and a Kır baykuşu, and occasionally a Kulaklı orman baykuşu 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.
