Favourite wildlife sites

[Fourwings]

I thought it would be really interesting to start a thread where everyone could post info about their favourite wildlife sites.
Everyone has a site that they consider special for whatever reason & this thread could help to reccomend sites to others further enhancing their wildlife watching, so here come my personal favourites.

Wicken fen - national trust - Possibly the best all round nature reserve in the UK, a fantastic reserve if you are into Dragonflies & insects in general.

Titchwell - rspb - Where else would you go for an excellent days birding, superb at anytime of year, if you've never been you don't know what you're missing!

and finally my local patch, Priory Water, a small private reserve in Leicestershire. Only 25 people have access to it purely for the purpose of wildlife recording, at little piece of heaven as far as I'm concerned, see the attached photos.

So whats your favourite?

fourwings

[Helen]

err..my "garden"

Can watch the buzzards sitting in the trees just outside the kitchen window, as well as the kites, can watch deer close up, with pheasants wandering around, with not a soul in sight

[jennyb]

Originally Posted by Helen

err..my "garden"

Can watch the buzzards sitting in the trees just outside the kitchen window, as well as the kites, can watch deer close up, with pheasants wandering around, with not a soul in sight

Ditto - don't need to go anywhere!

Jenny

[Pat]

Originally Posted by Helen

err..my "garden"

Can watch the buzzards sitting in the trees just outside the kitchen window, as well as the kites, can watch deer close up, with pheasants wandering around, with not a soul in sight

You are sooooo lucky Helen, I live in a ground floor flat without a garden on a main road, luckily I've got beautiful countryside, woods, fields and lovely views about 5 mins drive away but I'd give anything to have my own garden.

[glsammy]

Attenborough for a fantastic cafe (and the Herons, Bitterns and Owls.)
Titchwell I agree is brilliant.
Pensthorpe is an excellent day out with the stunning Millennium Garden well worth seeing, as well as the nature reserve.
Just had a great day at Potteric Carr near Doncaster, brilliant site, with excellent access for all including wheel chair users,with properly made paths all round. Plenty of Hides. At least 6 Bitterns reside there. Other amenities let it down though, the cafe is tiny and hardly ever open.
Whisby, in Lincolnshire is another of my favourite regular sites, good amenities again, with a cafe that does the best prawn salad I've ever had Just had one today. (You may have gathered by now where my main interest are, i.e. my stomach)
Rutland Water is again well laid out, good paths and hides. NO CAFE!!

[Boddie]

Originally Posted by glsammy

[u])
Rutland Water is again well laid out, good paths and hides. NO CAFE!!

No Cafe at Rutland Water? You sure? Empingham side has cafe I am sure.

Plenty of decent pubs with good cheap prices but I am sure there is a cafe at one of the sites.

[glsammy]

Sorry, I meant at the Nature Reserve. There is a cafe at the main visitor centre, but not at the nature reserve.

[Boddie]

Sounds like a profitable job opportunity - any spare cash?

[Fourwings]

Originally Posted by Helen

err..my "garden"

I would sell my soul for a garden like yours Helen, whilst my garden is very nice, its wildlife is no way near as exciting.

No raptors save for the occasional Sparrowhawk and the only mammals are the odd Grey Squirrel & the local "moggys" who are not at all welcome, cats n' birds just don't mix.

Getting back to the subject, two more places I meant to mention were the awesome Bempton cilffs - rspb - scenery & seabirds on the most dramatic scale!

Strumpshaw fen - rspb - a fantastic Norfolk reserve, brilliant for most things but it's specialitys have to be Swallowtail butterflies, Norfolk Hawker Dragonflies & an excellent array of Orchids & other marshland plants.

[Helen]

The down side to having a half way decent garden, is that one can become a little lazy for going other places, thinking "I'll just sit here, in the warmth, with a cup of coffee, and watch the aerial display of raptors outside"...