About

⚠Water levels on the reserve are currently very high. Large parts of the car park, the path from the car park, and the visitor trail to the reed bed viewing screens are flooded. All paths are currently passable, but wellies, rather than walking boots, are required. We are expecting the waters to continue to rise over the coming days. All visitors are reminded to please drive slowly through Beckley and along Otmoor Lane and consider car-sharing if possible. Please use the designated carpark and do not block gateways or entrances. If possible, come early in the week, avoiding weekends and Fridays.⚠ 

Otmoor is a haven for wildlife in the heart of Oxfordshire. The visitor trail leads you alongside an expansive floodplain grazing marsh, home to wading birds and wildfowl all year round. Elsewhere in the reserve, hedgerows bustle with warblers and other songbirds, while the rustling reedbed adds to the immersive experience of being on the moor.

The 485 hectares of this reserve are carefully managed to provide rich habitat to our Lapwings, Redshanks, Snipe and more. One of the largest inland wetland complexes in the country, Otmoor is home to a huge amount of wildlife, rare species and impressive wildlife spectacles.

For more information surrounding accessibility on our reserve, you can read our full accessibility statement here.

What to expect:

Spring: Look out for Lapwings performing their tumbling display over the fields. In the scrapes, Redshanks probe for food, while Snipe perform their mating call come dawn and dusk.

Summer: Grass Snakes and Common Lizards bask out in the early morning sun, while Black and Brown Hairstreak Butterflies can be found feeding and laying eggs along the blackthorn hedgerows.

Autumn: Watch the flocks of Golden Plovers and Lapwings as they perform aerial displays, evading a Peregrine or Marsh Harrier. Listen out for the Lapwings' 'peewit' calls, as thousands of them flock to feed at Otmoor.

Winter: Watch Redwings and Fieldfares feasting on the berries in the hedgerows and look out for Barn and Short-eared Owls hunting over the fields.

Top 5 species:

For latest sightings, see Oxon Birding Blog, Otmoor and Farmoor birding Facebook group or Otmoor Birding Blog.

At a glance

See what’s here

Contact Otmoor