Print pageStar species
Our star species are some of the most interesting birds you may see on your visit to the reserve.
Listen for the wild calls of the skittish golden plover flocks as they wheel and flicker in the sky. In spring, birds passing through on the way to their northern nesting sites may have smart black-bellied breeding plumage, though they are duller in winter. If there's a commotion among the plovers (and there often is), it may be that a bird of prey is nearby. |  |
Watch the nesting lapwings here chasing predators that may come too close to their nests or show too much of an interest in their chicks. The protective parents regularly give chase to crows and do not stop their 'mobbing' attacks until the danger has passed. |  |
These cryptically-coloured waders can be seen probing their long beaks into the soft ground and around the edges of the water. |  |
Look for tiny teals among the wintering wildfowl. They gather here in large numbers to feed on seeds floating on the water. |  |
During winter, flocks of wigeons are a daily sight, with several thousand often on the reserve. Wintering birds arrive from early September and numbers build up to a peak, usually in January. |  |