B and I paid a visit to Brandon Marsh Nature Reserve earlier this week. It is the headquarters of Warwickshire Wildlife Trust and the south part of the reserve covers 220 acres with 10 main pools and over 230 species of bird recorded. It is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) The range of habitats includes open water, streams, reedbeds, grassland, wetland and woodland.
Sir David Attenborough opened the Centre some years ago and D and E who were then little queued to get his autograph and he was so very kind to them.
Memorial Tree
We walked through Hope Wood onto the main part of the reserve.
We then took a path that wends its way round the back of Grebe Pool.
At regular intervals along the path were wood carvings which I haven't seen before.
We then took the path into New Hare Covert
A glimpse of Swallow Pool.
Many of the robins at Brandon Marsh are very tame and this one was no exception.
Coming out of the woodland the path continues with the reserve to one side and a golf course on the other.
Alban's Reedbed
We stopped a while in Wright Hide which overlooks East Marsh Pool. Here we saw Tufted Duck, Mallard, Mute Swan, Gadwall, Black-Headed Gull, Coot, Shelduck, Lapwing, Moorhen and Teal.
Ryton on Dunsmore church in the distance.
Leaving the hide we came across a larged mixed flock which included Goldfinches, Chaffinches and Lesser Redpoll feeding on alder cones. Other people who were watching them also spotted a Siskin and Greenfinch.
Mute Swans on Grebe Pool
As time was getting on we decided not to take the path which continues around East Marsh Pool where there are 4 hides but instead continued to walk by Goose Pool.
This area of the reserve is quite primeval and "swampy".
We then took the path through Horsetail glade. Many years ago at a similar time of year I once saw a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker - one of only three I have seen since my mid twenties. The other two were at Ladywalk NR and at a wood near Fillongley which ever since we have called "Woodpecker Wood".
We then made our way back to the visitor centre.
Alder Cones and Catkins - I also saw male and female flowers on Hazel but my photo was blurred :( B was hurrying me along and muttering about why I always had to take a camera with me and stopping constantly to take photos so I didn't have chance to try and take better pictures!
We did stop off in the tearoom for a cup of tea and cake! I had a piece of a raspberry crumble shortbread which really I shouldn't have (cholosterol!!!) but my excuse was they had stopped serving lunches and cake was all that was available!!!!!!
Map of Brandon Marsh
The reserve has now been massively extended on the other side of Brandon Lane to include Brandon Reach and Piles Coppice so I picked up a map of this area as Warwickshire Wildlife Trust is still developing paths. It looks a good place to explore in the future. It is a mosaic of grassland, scrub, early successional woodland and a mature ancient wood.
A total of 28 species of bird were seen including 13 new for the 2020 year list :)
Last time we visited in Autumn 2018 and we said then we must visit more regularly which sadly we failed to do. This year another resolution to try and go each month.
All photos taken by me with the Panasonic Lumix FZ330
22 comments:
What a lovely walk - and those carvings are amazing and add so much to the walk. Great things to point out to children, and tell them what is depicted.
I liked the brambly "wild" bits - such great habitats. Bits of our land are like that where we don't have horses grazing (just cattle occasionally) and we have no end of wildlife here.
P.S. The wet woodland is called "Alder Carr Woodland" in the archaeological record.
Bovey Belle - Thank you - the carvings are a great addition. My kids used to love it there when little and learnt so much about wildlife. It was always a great reserve to take them.
Good to hear about your brambly "wild" bits and wildlife :)
Thanks re: the information of Alder Carr Woodland - you are so right (I had had another CRAFT moment and forgotten the correct terminology!!!) :)
It looks like the kind of place there will always be something to see. The sculptures are super, and that lichen branch is something else, as the only spot of bright colour. I could not imagine Sir David being anything other than kind to anyone.
Great pics Caroline and love the carvings.
What a super reserve so many different habitats within it and the sculptures are lovely. Robins are always willing to pose for photgraphs aren't they? I think if there is nothing left for lunch then you have to eat cake:)Have a lovely weekend:)
Rustic Pumpkin - Thank you. We've been visiting for well over 30 years now and it is my favourite reserve. The orange coloured lichen is I think Xanthoria parietina. It was such an honour and privilege to meet Sir David.
Punk Birder - Thanks Dean - glad you enjoyed :)
Rosie - Thank you. It is a good reserve with such a super mix of habitats. The only problem with the robin was that he insisted on perching against the sky and in among twigs which created a few problems :) Have a lovely weekend too.
It looks like there's plenty to explore there over the year and plenty to see with all the habitats. I have never seen a LS Woodpecker unfortunately, there used to be some at Bolton Abbey but I don't think any have been seen in a long time.
Pam - Thank you and yes it is an excellent reserve. It is about 40 minutes from home. Very worrying about the decline of LSW and so many other species :( Ladywalk NR still have fairly regular sightings which is good news.
What a thrill it must have been, RR, for your family to meet Sir David Attenborough all those years ago. The reserve looks brilliant with a mix of vegetation, so good for biodiversity, and what lovely sculptures: the fox cub is particularly appealing!
lesser redpoll is a nice spot!
Caroline Gill - Thank you and yes it was - such a charming man. The children also met Chris Packham once at a geology and dinosaur organised by Rockwatch in Oxford. It is a good reserve - as mentioned will try and go more this year. Glad you liked the sculptures :)
The Quacks of Life - Thanks Pete. We usually get Lesser Redpoll in the garden in the winter as they love all the silver birch seeds but I haven't seen them for a few years.
I envy your children the autograph of David Attenborough, surely one of the great figures of the twentieth century (and the twenty-first too). If asked to name one person with whom I would like to have lunch it would be him. Jane Goodall would be right behind!
David M Gascoigne - Thank you. I agree he is the one person I would like to have lunch with. I have his autograph myself on a couple of books published many years ago when he did book signings locally.
This looks like a lovely place to go walking :-)
Cherry Pie - Thank you and it is. We go there to birdwatch but you see a lot of people without binoculars i.e. just walking :)
What a great post with plenty to see, love the photos of the carvings . There has been sightings of a LSW at Adel dam, not far from us but have never managed to see it. (will have to let Pam know) I would imagine it's not a easy bird to spot.
Amanda xx
Amanda Peters - Thanks so much. Good to hear you have a LSW not too far away - you are right they are hard to spot although this is a good time of year as there are no leaves. They are so tiny - about house sparrow size so easy to miss.
Had not relised that LSW were so small, understandable why they get missed.
Amanda Peters - yes they are tiny and much smaller than a GSW!
Those carvings are incredible. And I like those bird pics:) I love that it's always cloudy over there but it makes the photography tricky. Your Robin and Swans are lovely:)
Rohrerbot - Thank you. The carvings were a lovely surprise as I hadn't seen them before. Its been very cloudy (and wet and windy!!) this winter! Oh to have some cold frosty sunny days!
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