Overview
Despite its heavy use for recreational purposes the 325ha Pitsford Reservoir is one of the best birding sites in the county of Northamptonshire with more than 220 species recorded.
The banks of this reservoir are of a natural appearance except for the dam itself and there are grassy and wooded areas as well as hawthorn and willow scrub. The surrounding land is used for arable and grazing and has a good network of hedgerows.
Birds
Notable Species
Ducks present in winter can reach several thousand with Mallard, Tufted Duck, Eurasian Wigeon and Common Teal the most numerous species but Northern Pintail, Common Goldeneye and Goosander also occurring. Gadwall and Northern Shoveler are all present throughout the year with the two species breeding in small numbers.
Rarer ducks recorded annually at Pitsford include Smew and Red-breasted Merganser, Common Scoter and Greater Scaup and there have been occasional records of rarities such as American Wigeon and Ring-necked Duck.
Canada Goose is resident in the area in some numbers but other geese are rare and Bewick's Swan regularly overfly the reservoir on passage on their way to and from Slimbridge. Great Crested Grebe is by far the most abundant grebe and resident at Pitsford as is Little Grebe but the three scarcer species are merely rare but annual visitors. Similarly, Great Northern Diver is annual with occasional visits made by Red-throated Diver and Black-throated Diver.
The gull roost here reaches 20,000 birds on a regular basis and includes all five of the commoner gulls with Glaucous Gull, Iceland Gull and especially Mediterranean Gull now seen annually in winter. Common Kestrel and Eurasian Sparrowhawk are both resident in the area and may be joined by Merlin in winter with Marsh Harrier and Osprey occurring on migration.
Passage periods bring a wider variety of birds to Pitsford including a range of waders when water levels are lower in late summer and early autumn. However, this may change now that the water level control facilities have been changed. Waders attracted here by the large expanses of mud exposed in past years have included nearly 40 waders species with 25 recorded regularly.
Rarities
All the commoner waders occur as well as scarcer species such as Little Stint, Curlew Sandpiper and Spotted Redshank and vagrants have included North American birds such as Long-billed Dowitcher, Wilson's Phalarope and Lesser Yellowlegs as well as Black-winged Pratincole and Sociable Plover from the east. Black Tern and Little Gull both appear in autumn and strong westerly winds sometimes bring more pelagic birds such as skuas, petrels, shearwaters and Northern Gannet to the reservoir.
Check-list
Birds you can see here include:
Great Northern Diver, Little Grebe, Great Crested Grebe, Red-necked Grebe, Slavonian Grebe, Black-necked Grebe, Great Cormorant, Grey Heron, Mute Swan, Bewick's Swan, Greater White-fronted Goose, Greylag Goose, Canada Goose, Eurasian Wigeon, Gadwall, Common Teal, Mallard, Northern Pintail, Garganey, Northern Shoveler, Red-crested Pochard, Common Pochard, Tufted Duck, Greater Scaup, Common Scoter, Common Goldeneye, Smew, Red-breasted Merganser, Goosander, Western Marsh Harrier, Eurasian Sparrowhawk, Osprey, Common Kestrel, Merlin, Northern Hobby, Common Pheasant, Water Rail, Common Moorhen, Eurasian Coot, Eurasian Oystercatcher, Little Ringed Plover, Ringed Plover, Northern Lapwing, Eurasian Golden Plover, Red Knot, Little Stint, Curlew Sandpiper, Dunlin, Ruff, Common Snipe, Black-tailed Godwit, Bar-tailed Godwit, Whimbrel, Eurasian Curlew, Spotted Redshank, Common Redshank, Common Greenshank, Green Sandpiper, Wood Sandpiper, Common Sandpiper, Ruddy Turnstone, Little Gull, Mediterranean Gull, Black-headed Gull, Common Gull, Iceland Gull, Herring Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Glaucous Gull, Great Black-backed Gull, Common Tern, Arctic Tern, Black Tern, Common Woodpigeon, Eurasian Collared Dove, Common Cuckoo, Tawny Owl, Common Swift, Green Woodpecker, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Eurasian Skylark, Sand Martin, Barn Swallow, Northern House Martin, Meadow Pipit, Rock Pipit, Yellow Wagtail, Pied Wagtail, White Wagtail, Grey Wagtail, Common Wren, Dunnock, Eurasian Robin, Common Redstart, Whinchat, European Stonechat, Northern Wheatear, Eurasian Blackbird, Fieldfare, Song Thrush, Redwing, Mistle Thrush, Sedge Warbler, Common Reed Warbler, Common Whitethroat, Blackcap, Common Chiffchaff, Willow Warbler, Goldcrest, Long-tailed Tit, Willow Tit, Coal Tit, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Common Jay, Common Magpie, Eurasian Jackdaw, Rook, Carrion Crow, Common Starling, House Sparrow, Eurasian Tree Sparrow, Chaffinch, European Greenfinch, European Goldfinch, Eurasian Siskin, Eurasian Linnet, Lesser Redpoll, Snow Bunting, Yellowhammer, Reed Bunting, Corn Bunting
Other Wildlife
Harvest Mouse, Badger and Brown Hare1
Common Blue and Emerald Damselflies1
Site Information
Winter and the passage periods are undoubtedly the best times to visit Pitsford with more birds and fewer people drawn to the reservoir. During the summer Great Crested Grebe and Little Grebe and a few ducks breed at the reservoir but there is more birding interest in the surrounding woodlands where a good selection of species nests.
History and Use
Pitsford Reservoir was built to supply Northampton with water in 1955.1
Access to most of the southern shore is open to all apart from the sailing club area.
This area is also a Site of Special Scientific Interest and designated as such for its importance to wintering waterfowl.
Areas of Interest
North of the causeway is a reserve of the Northamptonshire Wildlife Trust and a permit is required to enter this part.
Access and Facilities
Pitsford Reservoir lies about 10km north of Northampton and can be reached on the A508 road to Market Harborough between the villages of Pitsford and Brixworth. The dam can be reached from this road and there are car parks and toilets by the information centre at the Brixworth end.
The reserve end of the reservoir with six hides and the causeway can be reached from the A43 road from Northampton to Kettering turning left after Moulton and through Holcot village.
Car parking charges were introduced in 2011 for the causeway car park at £2.50 a day including blue badge holders and limited free parking is currently available opposite the car park entrance and further along the causeway.
Contact Details
Annual or daily permits to visit this part of the reservoir are available from the fishing lodge beside the causeway or from the Northamptonshire Wildlife Trust, Lings House, Billing Lings, Northampton, NN3 8BR
References
External Links
- The Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Northamptonshire and Peterborough
- Pitsford Water on Streetmap
Content and images originally posted by Steve
