Birding in the Cotswold Water Park cotswold The Cotswold Water Park is an area of 40 square miles of the upper Thames valley. For the past 50 years or more, sand and gravel extraction has been ongoing, resulting in new habitats such as water shallow wetlands, expanses of gravel, sandy cliffs, reed beds and willow carr, whilst the post- extraction restoration process produces lakes of varying sizes and shapes, ponds, reed beds, duck park marsh and wader scrapes. Who manages the Cotswold Water Park ? With more than 150 lakes, the CWP now has Many of the lakes are privately owned by gravel more than 20,000 wintering waterbirds and holds companies, developers, clubs and individuals but nationally important numbers of Great Crested an increasing number of lakes are open for public Grebe, Pochard, Tufted Duck, Gadwall, Coot, access and activities. birds Lesser Black-backed Gull, Smew and Shoveler. The Cotswold Water Park Trust was set up as a Breeding waterfowl are important here, with registered charity to make the Cotswold Water good numbers of Great Crested Grebe, Mallard, Park a better environment for wildlife and people. Tufted Duck, Coot and Mute Swan, and with With a team of staff and volunteers covering increasing numbers of Gadwall and Red-crested estates, biodiversity, membership, events, Pochard, plus the occasional Pochard, Teal and education and administration, the Trust manages Shoveler! the Gateway Centre, five Nature Reserves plus five car parks and many km of footpaths. But it’s not just about the ducks! The Trust also works with mineral companies, sport The CWP also supports locally and nationally and leisure providers, local businesses, councils important populations of breeding Little Ringed and communities to create a sustainable future for Plover, Sand Martin, Black-headed Gull, Common the Cotswold Water Park. Tern, and Nightingale. If you would like to find out more about the Cotswold Water Park, and the different ways you CWP Bird Blog can help the Cotswold Water Park Trust, please To find out what is around when you visit, visit the website at: www.waterpark.org check out the CWP Bird Blog, an excellent online resource kept up to date by volunteers. Where can I find out more….? Better still, why not send in your sightings to the Gateway Visitor Centre, Spine Rd, South Cerney GL7 5TL blog at: www.cotswoldwaterpark.wordpress.com Tel.01793 752413 Open 7 days a week Café / Visitor information / Toilets / Free parking or via the Trust’s website at: www.waterpark.org The CWPT are very grateful to The Co-operative for assisting with funding for the printing of this leaflet. Please keep to Public Rights of Way, especially near © Cotswold Water Park Trust 2013 autumn/winter quarry sites, and respect landowners’ privacy. Reg. charity no 1120518

SCARCE GULLS SHOVELER BITTERN Lakes 74, 16, The huge bill of the Shoveler Lakes 74, Check Thousands of Gulls roost in the A scarce winter visitor in CWP. 125, 114. 41 and 57 bird blog CWP. If you like a challenge try makes it fairly easy to identify; Check bird are Very well camouflaged; most for finding the likes of: Iceland, blog for particularly the females which amongst sightings involve birds in flight sightings. Glaucous, Mediterranean, sightings. otherwise look very similar to the best. over reedbeds and a lot of luck! Kumliens or Caspian. Not easy. Mallard. CETTI’S WARBLER LAPWING SISKIN These skulking birds are A few thousand spend the winter Pretty little Finches, often Try lakes Anywhere resident in areas of dense, in the CWP, feeding on Try lakes 74, associating with the Redpolls. 84, 85, or with 79 or 200. tangled vegetation near pit pit 68c/d. farmland & resting on bare areas Numbers vary each winter: with Alders. edges. Best located by their where water protects them from success of the Alder 'crop' distinctive 'outbursts' of song. predators. having the greatest influence. CURLEW LESSER REDPOLL SMEW Try lakes Every autumn a flock of about Lake 74 Best looked for in the Alders These nationally scarce birds 44, 28a or 30 Curlew appear in the CWP scrapes or which fringe many of the pits and Anywhere usually appear in small numbers 29. Check and stay through the winter, in fields at rivers. These Finches can also be with Alders. from December to late March. bird blog unless conditions become too Waterhay. located by their 'chee chee chee' The drakes make black and for sightings. harsh for them to feed. calls. white look very handsome!

FIELDFARE TEAL PEREGRINE Prefers Usually with Redwings, but are Easily the smallest duck to shallow If all of the birds take off in panic, Could larger and identifiable in flight Wide- spend winter in the CWP. When water. Try look out for a Peregrine. All those appear by wingbeats which are slow spread mingling with other species lakes 84, ducks and waders form a living anywhere. 85a, 85b enough to count (Redwing their size gives them away, even larder! or 74. wingbeats are a blur). when distant.

GOLDCREST TUFTED DUCK POCHARD This arboreal bird can be One of the commonest ducks in Any suit- Occasional pairs stay to breed; numerous in autumn; with a Widespread the CWP. Distant drakes appear Wide- able but, as with most ducks, they are but try lakes sprinkling remaining through the hedge or black and white, but closer spread a numerous winter visitor. Can 74, 41. winter. Often tag along with copse. views reveal a lovely purple dive for food, as well as dabbling. flocks of Tits. sheen to their heads.

RED-CRESTED POCHARD WATER RAIL Lakes 84, GOLDENEYE Wide- A CWP speciality. A sizeable, Marshy areas with plenty of 85a, 85b, A shy duck which usually keeps pit 68c/d spread but resident population breeds well; Lakes 44, 29, cover attract these secretive or well clear of humans. In flight try lakes making this the best place in the 41, 57. birds . Pig like squeals often the wings produce quite a strong 74, 57, Gateway 114, 125. country to watch these striking advertise their presence. Centre whistling sound. Dives to feed. birds. Occasional pairs stay to breed. feeders.

GOLDEN PLOVER REDWING WIGEON Wide- Often form mixed flocks with From October the hedgerows will Flocks of these birds will often spread but Lapwings, as they have similar Lakes 79, be alive with these birds as they come out of the water to graze try lakes Widespread habits. They migrate here after 74, 301. strip the berries. As the crop on grassy areas. Have a very 68a/b, 79, breeding on high ground dwindles they switch to fields, distinctive, and pleasant, 116 or Waterhay. further north. often amongst livestock. whistled 'wee-oo' call. GOOSANDER SNIPE Notes A large 'sawbill' duck which Use their long bills to feed in Lake/pit numbers: Please refer to the CWPT Leisure Map for locations. Wide- Recent sightings: Check the CWP Bird Blog via www.waterpark.org feeds by diving, with great spread but marshy fields, muddy pit fringes Widespread but try lakes Lake 74 scrapes: Best viewed from ‘Twitchers’ Gate on northern shore of Lake 74. try lake agility, for fish. Modest or ditches. If disturbed they 84, 85a, 85b. numbers spend the winter in the 44. Enormous thanks to the following for kindly donating these superb images: zigzag away giving harsh, grating Pete Blanchard, Dave Collins, Steve Davies, Dave Kilbey, Dave Soons & RSPB. Thanks CWP. calls. also to Bob Philpott and Gareth Harris for maintaining the CWP bird blog.