birding...

For a county as far removed from the sea as Warwickshire, it may seem strange that the focus of birdwatching is around water. The main sites are found in the Tame, Avon and Leam valleys and have been shaped by mining subsidence, sand and gravel extractions and the need for drinking water. In the north, Alvecote Pools (Warwickshire Wildlife Trust reserve SK250040) is the first in a series of waters with other interesting sites such as Kingsbury Water Park (County Council) and Ladywalk Nature Reserve (West Midland Bird Club, noted for annual wintering Bitterns) ending with the relatively small but often very good Shustoke Reservoir (Severn Trent Water SP220910).

Near Coventry lies Brandon Marsh, headquarters of the Warwickshire Wildlife Trust and first breeding site in the region for Cetti's Warblers. Not far away is the largest heronry in the county (approx 60 pairs SP4079) at Coombe Abbey Country Park, here you can also find Lesser-spotted Woodpecker in some good mature woodland. The vast expanse of Draycote Reservoir near Rugby can be good for passage waders and terns and is excellent in winter for scarce gulls, grebes, divers and sea-duck. In the south of the county are a couple hills near the villages of Napton and Ilmington, which sometimes have small falls of migrants, with Icterine and Yellow-browed Warbler turning up in recent years.

The county of Warwickshire in the Midlands offers a limited range of habitats for birds being land-locked. There are numerous small nature reserves throughout the area, most of which are maintained by the Warwickshire Wildlife Trust (See website list below). The majority of these sites are woodland and hedgerow, which are home to a range of species typical to these habitats. The Headquarters of the Trust is at Brandon Marsh. This reserve is home to one of the UK strongholds of the Cetti's Warbler that can be easily heard and sometimes seen during the summer. There are a few sites, which are good for over-wintering water birds. Draycote Water regularly holds over 50,000 roosting gulls in the winter and both Draycote and Coton Lakes regularly feature various scarcer species of ducks, grebes and Divers including Smew, Scaup, Goosander, Goldeneye, Slavonian Grebe and Great Northern Diver.

The other main winter county highlight is Bitterns at Ladywalk Nature reserve. Passage migrants can be seen at any of the sites mentioned in Spring or Autumn and typically include Black Tern and Osprey. Warwickshire is an ideal base for twitching, as any part of the mainland UK is reachable by car in a day. Day trips to sites like North Norfolk, the South Coast etc., are also entirely feasible.

Eleventh consecutive year and fifth at Brandon Marsh Nature Reserve, The Birdwatchers Summer Fair 2005 and Wildlife Digital Photo Show is the place to be, Sat 4th and Sun 5th June 2005. Booking details from PO Box 1, Studley, Warwicks B80 7JG. 20% discount off space for registered charities.