Places to see birds

Bedfont Lakes Country Park

The Country Park was opened in 1995 and is managed by the London Borough of Hounslow and its leisure partner CIP on Behalf of Bedfont Lakes Trust. It occupies 180 acres of land that was worked for sand and gravel and then used as a land fill site until 1973. It gained Local Nature reserve status in 2000. The Information Centre, Toilets and parking are accessed from Clockhouse Lane (B3003) with further parking off Bedfont Road. It is open every day (except Christmas Day) from 8am until dusk or 9pm whichever is earlier.
There are varied habitats including lakes, reedbeds, woodland and grassland. These give rise to some 150 bird species being recorded which is an impressive total given the sites recent industrial history.
In winter the lakes attract a good variety of wildfowl with occasional Smew and Goldeneye amongst the more plentiful Gadwall, Pochard, Shoveller and Teal. Resident water birds include Mallard, Tufted Duck, Great Crested grebe, Coot, Moorhen and Mute Swan. In summer Common Terns nest on rafts in the North Lake.
The reedbeds support breeding Reed Warblers and Reed Buntings. In winter the shy Water Rail and rare Bittern may be seen. The edges are worth checking for Common Snipe and Kingfishers may be seen perched on suitable waterside vantage points or darting across the open water. Grey Heron are regular hunters in the channels and Grey Wagtail may be encountered.
The only area of mature woodland is in the Nature Reserve area made up mostly of Willow with Hawthorn, Elder and Birch. Great Spotted and Green Woodpeckers nest in dead trees whilst various warblers nest in the thick scrub. This is also a good area for Goldcrest and over wintering Chiffchaff. The Ring-necked Parakeet is a noisy denizen of the woodland area particularly when gathering in the late afternoon for the winter pre-roost. There is also a sizeable winter roost of some 200 Jackdaws.
The grasslands are traditionally managed and provide excellent habit for Skylarks and Meadow pipits together with small rodents which are prey for hunting Kestrels. The scrub areas offer nesting sites for Whitethroat and Dunnock. Song and Mistle Thrush are joined in the winter by Fieldfare and Redwing. Finches can be found feeding on seed heads in autumn and winter, which in turn offer a source of prey for hungry Sparrowhawks.
Bedfont Lakes is a popular recreational area attracting a diverse range of activities throughout the year. This will influence the areas in which birds can be seen on any visit. Further details are available from the Information Centre or www.bedfontlakes.co.uk