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Wildlife update – 1st December 2025

During the last few weeks, the reserve has taken on more of a wintery feel.  Duck numbers have continued to build up, lots of redwings are around and lots of siskin can be seen.

One feature of winter is the gathering of ducks on our lakes.  Sailing lake is particularly good for diving ducks like tufted duck and pochard.  The slough is always favoured by teal and here is one of our special birds, the green winged teal.  This bird turned up in the middle of November and seems quite a home on the slough.

The slough area viewed from Paul’s, Bernard’s or Double Decker viewpoints are also good for lapwing and snipe. These can often be seen settled on the islands in this area.  An otter has also been seen during the past week in this area and seems to make appearances during the middle part of the day so keep an eye out in this area.

On the trails, look out for redwings feeding on the berries and at the tops of the trees, siskin and the odd crossbill can be found.  Mixed flocks of tits, calling away is always a feature of winter at the reserve.  Look out for long-tailed tit, blue tit and great tit.  We have also noticed quite a few goldcrest around too.

Towards the end of a winters day, watch hundreds of jackdaws and rooks gathering around the lakes. They can often be seen sitting on the top of trees before flying off to roost making quite a bit of noise.  We have also seen over 100 cormorants arriving towards the end of the day and can be seen roosting in the trees at the back of the sailing lake just before darkness.