53.69844,-0.72462
- Grid ref: SE843232
- Lat/long: 53.69844,-0.72462
- More...
Reception will be open Thursday to Sundays during February and March from 10 am until 4 pm. Be sure to pop in for a hot drink and a warm by our wood-burning stove. The reserve will be open daily from 9 am until dusk.
Wildlife awards
Blacktoft Sands is one of the best places for wildlife in the UK.
Top things to do in Spring
- See rare and beautiful avocets on the pools
- Watch marsh harriers perform their courtship displays
- Hear bitterns boom and up to eight species of warblers sing as the breeding season begins
Top things to do in Summer
- Look for the aerobatic marsh harriers hunting for food to feed their chicks
- Get close views of migrating waders on the lagoons, some still in stunning breeding plumage
- It's a great time for seeing bearded tits around the lagoon edges, along with reed and sedge warblers feeding youngsters
Top things to do in Autumn
- Get close views of migrating waders on the lagoons
- Watch out for water rails running around the lagoons and listen for the 'pinging' calls of flocking bearded tits
- Listen out for the sound of autumn as the geese fly overhead
Top things to do in Winter
- Be here at dusk to see birds of prey flying into their reedbed roosts
- See hundreds of teals and wigeons, calling and feeding in front of our hides
- Watch barn owls hunting in front of the hides, bringing a perfect end to a winter's day
Visitor comments
My girlfriend and I went along for the day and saw birds we do not normally see, including marsh harriers and several waders. But what we didn't think we'd see was a bittern which neither of us had seen before! It was a brill visit and something everyone should do.
Steve Derby