Top Birding Site in each English County

[Twitcheruth]

Originally Posted by Merlin

I was down there last week, they had strimmed the islands so the Snipe were showing well cos they had nowhere to hide . Also I'm sure you know the new Ramsdales hide is now open, from there keep an eye out for Kingfisher apparently they like the branches to the left close to the hide and the fallen small tree on the little island right in front both only about 10-15ft from the hide, so take the camera and good luck. I wasn't lucky enough to get the Kingfisher but got some pics of the Snipe.

Great Snipe shot Merlin!
We've not been to Pennington for ages,don't like to go at weekends when it's so busy so am looking forward to seeing the new hide.....I'll certainly look out for the Kingfisher there thanks for the tip off.......i'll let you know what I see!

[Merlin]

Originally Posted by Twitcheruth

Great Snipe shot Merlin!
We've not been to Pennington for ages,don't like to go at weekends when it's so busy so am looking forward to seeing the new hide.....I'll certainly look out for the Kingfisher there thanks for the tip off.......i'll let you know what I see!

The new hide is just past the Edmondson (what used to be the New Hide) Hide on the left heading from the car park, hope you have a great day looking forward to reading your post. There was a Goosander about but I didn't see it whichever hide I was in it was showing at another There are 5 listed for today.

[Twitcheruth]

Originally Posted by Merlin

The new hide is just past the Edmondson (what used to be the New Hide) Hide on the left heading from the car park, hope you have a great day looking forward to reading your post. There was a Goosander about but I didn't see it whichever hide I was in it was showing at another There are 5 listed for today.

Thanks for the info Merlin.

[Neil Rigby]

Here are the nominations for East of England.

Bedfordshire = The Lodge
Cambridgeshire = Wicken Fen
Essex = Rainham Marshes
Hertfordshire = Rye Meads
Norfolk = Titchwell
Suffolk = Minsmere

The South East is next.

[Neil Rigby]

Thanks enormously for the ideas so far!

I'm going to split things up a bit as I think this is too big for one thread – it will have to be regional.

[chaz g harrison]

Hope my contribution is not too late, but I'm a new member and have just found this topic and would like to offer my tuppenorth!

I live in Hampshire and am torn between three sites.....

1 Titchfield Haven - this is an NNR run by Hamshire CC. Arranged around the mouth of The River Meon it has estuary waters, reed beds, woodland fringes and meadows. It adjoins the bottom of Southampton Water where it meets the The Solent. The reserve centre includes a shop and an excellent cafe.
Birds seen there include lots of ducks and waders in the winter and I have such species as curlew sandpiper, little stints, spoonbills, avocet, etc. It was the first place in England to have breeding cetti's warblers.

2 Pennington Marsh - stretching from Lymington to Keyhaven this area of brakish lagoons separated from the Solent by a sea wall has open access. There is no reserve centre and no cafe but The Gun in Keyhaven makes a good lunchtime pause. Parking can be tricky in summer but in winter the marina in Lymington is freely available.
In winter there are large flocks of Brent Geese, and dunlin, godwits, grey and golden plovers, mergansers, goldeneye, slav' & great crested grebes, kingfishers and the occasional avocet, great northern diver, peregrine and merlin. There are usually a small number of dartford warblers in amongst the gorse growing on the sloping sides of the sea walls.

3 Blashford Lakes (nr Ringwood) - Large lakes which are the result of gravel extraction and areas of woodland and reedbeds. There is a reserve centre but no cafe. A summer speciality is little ringed plover and this year the area has had an osprey as a frequent visitor. Winter birds include siskins, redpoll, brambling in numbers. Ducks have included long tailed, goosanders goldeneye etc

If I had to choose one of the three it would be Pennington. A winter walk from Lymington with lunch at The Gun returning to Lymington with the chance of a hunting barn owl just as the light is starting to go is my favourite birding day.

Chaz
PS sorry if I've got on a bit but I do get carried away when describing my best birding places.

[astafjevs]

Originally Posted by chaz g harrison

Hope my contribution is not too late, but I'm a new member and have just found this topic and would like to offer my tuppenorth!

I live in Hampshire and am torn between three sites.....

1 Titchfield Haven - this is an NNR run by Hamshire CC. Arranged around the mouth of The River Meon it has estuary waters, reed beds, woodland fringes and meadows. It adjoins the bottom of Southampton Water where it meets the The Solent. The reserve centre includes a shop and an excellent cafe.
Birds seen there include lots of ducks and waders in the winter and I have such species as curlew sandpiper, little stints, spoonbills, avocet, etc. It was the first place in England to have breeding cetti's warblers.

2 Pennington Marsh - stretching from Lymington to Keyhaven this area of brakish lagoons separated from the Solent by a sea wall has open access. There is no reserve centre and no cafe but The Gun in Keyhaven makes a good lunchtime pause. Parking can be tricky in summer but in winter the marina in Lymington is freely available.
In winter there are large flocks of Brent Geese, and dunlin, godwits, grey and golden plovers, mergansers, goldeneye, slav' & great crested grebes, kingfishers and the occasional avocet, great northern diver, peregrine and merlin. There are usually a small number of dartford warblers in amongst the gorse growing on the sloping sides of the sea walls.

3 Blashford Lakes (nr Ringwood) - Large lakes which are the result of gravel extraction and areas of woodland and reedbeds. There is a reserve centre but no cafe. A summer speciality is little ringed plover and this year the area has had an osprey as a frequent visitor. Winter birds include siskins, redpoll, brambling in numbers. Ducks have included long tailed, goosanders goldeneye etc

If I had to choose one of the three it would be Pennington. A winter walk from Lymington with lunch at The Gun returning to Lymington with the chance of a hunting barn owl just as the light is starting to go is my favourite birding day.

Chaz
PS sorry if I've got on a bit but I do get carried away when describing my best birding places.

Chaz, thanks very much for this post, it pointed me towards a great couple of lifers (Ringed Plover and Dunlin) this weekend! Blog to follow.

[chaz g harrison]

Just seen your comment, Stuart. If you are in the area again, especially in spring, you might want to visit the Shatterford & Denny Wood area. Start at the Shatterford car park adjacent to Beaulieu Road railway station (4 or 5 miles S of Lyndhust). The pine trees that surround both car parks (there is one on either side of the railway) are a good place for coal tits and often crossbills. Walk SW and the gravel track will lead you across the Shatterford itself. This marshy dip has nesting curlews in season (not easy to find unless they take to the air when their calls will draw you attention). A little further on there is a bridge over a stream. Willow warblers, redstarts and occasionally hobbys. In winter the surrounding heath is supposed to be good for great grey shrike - although I've never seen one.
Carry on over the bridge into the woodland fringes - this is an excellent area for cuckoos - I have had seven sightings in one day - in the woods all three species of woodpecker can be seen, although lesser spotted are very hard to find. Garden warblers and wood warblers do occur occasionally and a nightjar is possible. Usually lots of stonechats and sometimes a wheatear on the heath. The heath has also been good for dartford warblers but I think they did very badly in the snow and ice as I haven't seen one there this year. Woodlarks are a scarce sighting in the woodland clearings, which also are sometimes the haunt of spotted flycatchers. If you turn right there is a path that leads you along the edge of the woods - redstarts, whitethroats and blackcaps - and eventually another track will lead you back over the heath to the car park.
Chaz

[astafjevs]

Thanks for that, Chaz. That does sound remarkably like the walk we've done a couple of times, but both times at the height of midsummer which might explain why its been a bit quiet. We shall visit again in Spring, I am sure.

We've also invested in an OS map of the area so we won't be limited to unguided circular walks in the vicinity of the car!!

[McBilly]

Originally Posted by chaz g harrison

Hope my contribution is not too late, but I'm a new member and have just found this topic and would like to offer my tuppenorth!

I live in Hampshire and am torn between three sites.....

1 Titchfield Haven - this is an NNR run by Hamshire CC. Arranged around the mouth of The River Meon it has estuary waters, reed beds, woodland fringes and meadows. It adjoins the bottom of Southampton Water where it meets the The Solent. The reserve centre includes a shop and an excellent cafe.
Birds seen there include lots of ducks and waders in the winter and I have such species as curlew sandpiper, little stints, spoonbills, avocet, etc. It was the first place in England to have breeding cetti's warblers.

2 Pennington Marsh - stretching from Lymington to Keyhaven this area of brakish lagoons separated from the Solent by a sea wall has open access. There is no reserve centre and no cafe but The Gun in Keyhaven makes a good lunchtime pause. Parking can be tricky in summer but in winter the marina in Lymington is freely available.
In winter there are large flocks of Brent Geese, and dunlin, godwits, grey and golden plovers, mergansers, goldeneye, slav' & great crested grebes, kingfishers and the occasional avocet, great northern diver, peregrine and merlin. There are usually a small number of dartford warblers in amongst the gorse growing on the sloping sides of the sea walls.

3 Blashford Lakes (nr Ringwood) - Large lakes which are the result of gravel extraction and areas of woodland and reedbeds. There is a reserve centre but no cafe. A summer speciality is little ringed plover and this year the area has had an osprey as a frequent visitor. Winter birds include siskins, redpoll, brambling in numbers. Ducks have included long tailed, goosanders goldeneye etc

If I had to choose one of the three it would be Pennington. A winter walk from Lymington with lunch at The Gun returning to Lymington with the chance of a hunting barn owl just as the light is starting to go is my favourite birding day.

Chaz
PS sorry if I've got on a bit but I do get carried away when describing my best birding places.

for me blashford is the best place ive been to in the uk thus far... brilliant birding, easy access, ability to hire a near silent buggy makes it on the top for me.