Visit to Lodmore RSPB : 25th June 2011
Just a short drive away along the A353 is the Lodmore RSPB reserve. We hadn’t been there before but a couple of people we met at Radipole Lake told us that it is often more productive than Radipole so we decided to go there. There is parking attached to Sea World which adjoins the site but we drove around to the other end of the site on Southdown Avenue which is a residential area with lots of free parking spaces. We parked just by the path that leads through the centre of the site then turned right at the end and walked all the way around to our starting point so we must have covered about three quarters of the site – perhaps a 2k walk. The weather was very hot which made it seem longer but it was well worth visiting for the colony of Common Terns.
We watched as the adults flew in with food for their young. As usual they were in the middle of a bunch of Black Headed Gulls. Also in the marshland were Grey Herons, a Little Egret, Oystercatchers, Shelduck etc. We also saw Reed Buntings, a Dunnock, Pied Wagtails and a small flock of Starlings. All in all it was well worth the visit – if only for the close views of the Common Terns. On our way back to the car we saw lots of House Sparrows flitting between the reserve and the front gardens of the houses where we had parked the car. On our way home we saw a Kestrel.
Bird List
| Species | Count |
|---|---|
| Blackbird | 6 |
| Black-headed Gull | 10 |
| Blue Tit | 1 |
| Canada Goose | 10 |
| Carrion Crow | 2 |
| Common Tern | 30 |
| Cormorant | 1 |
| Dunnock | 1 |
| Great Black-backed Gull | 1 |
| Grey Heron | 1 |
| House Sparrow | 30 |
| Kestrel | 1 |
| Little Egret | 1 |
| Magpie | 8 |
| Mallard | 12 |
| Mute Swan | 4 |
| Oystercatcher | 4 |
| Pied Wagtail | 1 |
| Reed Bunting | 2 |
| Shelduck | 6 |
| Starling | 30 |
Lodmore Site Location