Ditchford Lakes and Meadows
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Idyllic waterside nature reserve with a rich array of wetland birds, dragonflies and wild flowers |
Part of the upper Nene valley floodplain, this complex of old gravel pits, grassland and scrub is very important for both breeding and wintering birds. The lakes are surrounded by mature scrub, mainly willow, and provide perfect shelter. Occasionally a breeding pair of Cetti’s warblers uses the scrub around the smaller lake.
In spring and summer the meadows have a rich collection of wet meadow plants including great burnet and the fragrant meadowsweet. The drainage ditches also support a surprising range of plants such as crosswort and spiked sedge. The old established gravel pits are rich in dragonflies and damselflies, including the uncommon hairy dragonfly.
Otters are frequent visitors to these lakes – look out for their distinctive footprints in the wet mud, or their droppings, known as “spraints”, along the edges of the lake. Grass snakes are often seen basking in the sun on the paths on warm mornings.
Birds: Common sandpiper, snipe, teal, wigeon, gadwall, tufted duck |
Insects: Hairy dragonfly Amphibians: Common frog, toad Reptiles: Grass snake Birds: Redshank, oystercatcher, Cetti’s warbler, little grebe, grey heron Mammals: Otter |
Plants: Marsh woundwort, dropwort, great burnet Insects: Dragonflies Amphibians: Common frog, toad Reptiles: Grass snake Birds: Reed warbler, sedge warbler, swift, house martin |
Birds: Snipe, great crested grebe, moorhen, coot, grey heron |