Bardney Woods & Wetlands Birdwatching

At Chambers Woods there are a number of walking routes and the site is probably best known for its nationally scarce butterflies with notable populations of species such as marsh fritillary, purple emperor, brown hairstreak and silver washed fritillary. A butterfly garden next to the car park is managed by volunteers from the charity Butterfly Conservation and is a good place to start any visit during the summer months. The site holds good populations of woodland birds year-round and species such as treecreeper, nuthatch, bullfinch and jay are all relatively easy to find. In the summer months, there are plenty of breeding warblers with blackcap, garden warbler, chiffchaff and willow warbler all prevalent. Woodcock are present and a visit on a summer evening may reward the lucky observer with the roding display of the males over the tops of the trees. The conifers on site may sometimes contain common crossbill.

At Fiskerton Fen wildfowl are present year-round but especially during the winter months when bittern may also be present. This time of year may also see thousands of starlings murmurating in an evening so it is worth timing a visit for late afternoon. The reedbeds are home to summer warblers such as reed, sedge and Cetti’s warblers and the scrub provides shelter for species such as yellowhammer, linnet and common whitethroat.