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Season

  • Spring
  • Summer
  • Autumn
  • Winter

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Map of Blacktoft Sands

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53.69844,-0.72462
  • Grid ref: SE843232
  • Lat/long: 53.69844,-0.72462
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Avocet kneeling, allowing chicks to find shelter under wingSedge warbler in flightBoy looking for beasties!
Male marsh harrier over reedbedEmperor dragonfly in flightFlock of black-tailed godwits
Skein of pink-footed geese and the moonMale bearded tit hiding in reedbedWater rail wading
Hunting barn owlDrake teal bathingReeds blowing in the wind against a stormy sky, RSPB Otmoor reserve, Oxfordshire
Photo by Nigel Blake
Photo by Andy Hay
Photo by Graham Catley
Photo by Graham Catley
Photo by Graham Catley
Photo by Graham Catley
Photo by Graham Catley
Photo by Stuart Elsom
Photo by Nigel Blake
Photo by Steve Round
Photo by Ben Hall
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.

Top things to do in Spring

  1. See rare and beautiful avocets on the pools
  2. Watch marsh harriers perform their courtship displays
  3. Hear bitterns boom and up to eight species of warblers sing as the breeding season begins

Top things to do in Summer

  1. Look for the aerobatic marsh harriers hunting for food to feed their chicks
  2. Get close views of migrating waders on the lagoons, some still in stunning breeding plumage
  3. 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

  1. Get close views of migrating waders on the lagoons
  2. Watch out for water rails running around the lagoons and listen for the 'pinging' calls of flocking bearded tits
  3. Listen out for the sound of autumn as the geese fly overhead

Top things to do in Winter

  1. Be here at dusk to see birds of prey flying into their reedbed roosts
  2. See hundreds of teals and wigeons, calling and feeding in front of our hides
  3. Watch barn owls hunting in front of the hides, bringing a perfect end to a winter's day

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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

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