Best Nature Reserves?

[kielder]

If anyone has a place that is special to them let us know why

[ChrisJB]

I have to say, given a choice, I prefer to stride out in wild places away from nature reserves, where it is usually a little quieter, but if I had to pick one, well, Strumpshaw Fen in Norfolk I am very taken with. I've ony been the once, but it was great, with swallowtails, hobbies, marsh harriers, cettis warblers, norfolk hawkers and marsh helleborines. Great place.
I shall give it some more thought to see if I can think of anywhere that rivals it in my affectons.

Regards, Chris

[rlchew]

Er .... can I have more than one please?

Essex .... Abberton Reservoir .... wildfowl and Nightingale
Essex .... Thrift Wood .... butterflies
Essex .... Stow Maries Halt .... butterflies
Kent .... Elmley .... wildfowl, Hen Harrier, Marsh Harrier, Short-eared Owl .... and wide open spaces
Kent .... Dungeness .... wildfowl, grebes, divers .... but not the scenery!
Suffolk .... Minsmere .... loads!
Suffolk .... Westleton Heath .... Dartford Warbler and Nightjar
Norfolk .... Titchwell .... loads!
Wales .... Skomer .... seabirds .... including close up Puffins!
Wales .... Ynys-hir .... woodland birds including Redstart, Pied Flycatcher and Wood Warbler
Scotland .... Handa .... seabirds
Scotland .... Loch Ruthven .... Slavonian Grebe
Scotland .... Loch Garten .... Osprey, Crested Tit and Red Squirrel
Shetland .... Noss .... awesome seabird colonies
Derbyshire .... Cromford Canal .... Water Voles
Any wild place anywhere with wildlife

There are plenty more but I had better stop .... I have already taken liberties .

Richard

[kielder]

Thankyou very much for the comprehensive list there!

[ChrisJB]

Though not strictly a nature reserve, my favourite British landscape is/are the Pennines, especially Swaledale and the dales further north. The Highlands and Islands of the west coast of Scotland are a bit special too, as are the Northumberland and Cornish coasts. Silverdale, adjacent to Morecambe Bay is another favourite. All places of local distinctiveness and character and impressive wildlife too.

Regards, Chris

[djackso]

A visit to Church Wood in Buckinghamshire (RSPB) was an almost magical experience for me - the place was very atmospheric.

[tufftie]

I have a new one to add to my list - The Knapp; which was an old paper mill. Woods, wildflower meadows and a river - very beautiful, quiet and great for all sorts of wildlife

[tigger]

Corfe Mullen Meadows (Dorset Wildlife Trust), Corfe Mullen, Dorset

Just one meadow but a host of things to see in it. It is a SSSI site of lowland, unimproved neutral grassland (getting very rare nowadays). In the spring there are green winged orchids and common orchids, corky-fruited water-dropwort, meadowsweet, bird’s-foot trefoil, meadow buttercup and ox-eye daisy. Later in the summer black knapweed, meadow vetchling, yellow bartsia and quaking grass. So lots of butterflies and insects!

Nearby is a large badger sett and you are pretty sure to see deer in the neighbouring meadow in the evenings. During the day you should see all sorts of birds, and during a small-mammal trapping day last year the DWT found loads of yellow-necked mice.

The great thing about this reserve is that it is one meadow in a very normal village. Not many people go there even though it is right on the edge of the Bournemouth/Poole conurbation. A little semi-urban oasis.

[Billy Wobble Dagger]

BBOWTs Chimney Meadows nature reserve for me. It's not my favorite for wildlife or the meadows as such, but it's were I did my first bit of volunteering. It's nice to be able to walk round and say I put up that fence, I built that hide, I dug those tables and benches in, and I helped with the board walk etc etc.

So Chimney for me.

BWD

[Ida]

If I had to choose only one, it would be Rye Harbour Nature Reserve, East Sussex - good variety of habitats, and a beautiful area for a walk.