western Lincolnshire birdwatching trail
Doddington Birdwatching
Doddington
Doddington Hall dates back to the late Elizabethan period and is set within an extensive estate of woodland, parkland and farmed land that is being given back to nature.
Cafe / Tea Room
Parking
Toilets- Gateway Site
what species and habitats can you find?
The owners recently took the decision to rewild the estate, letting nature recover and connecting people to the wildlife that will result from the changes.
Extensive wood pasture and scrub is beginning to establish along with rough grassland. Cattle, pigs, ponies and deer are all being used to create a mixed grazing system that will create different ecological niches, benefitting a range of species.
Nature, including the birdlife, is starting to respond and it is possible to see a wide range of species on a visit at any time of year. Peregrine is a regular visitor and they had attempted to breed a number of times in the local vicinity. Recent finds include short-eared owl and a long staying great grey shrike that took advantage of the extensive rough grassland to hunt for small mammals and insects.
Nightingale has recently been lost from the area but turtle dove are still present in the wider area and there is a strong possibility that both will find the new habitat to their liking as the site develops.
This is a site that will only get better with time and is worth visiting regularly to watch the development and changes that will undoubtedly occur.
Autumn & Winter species
buzzard, kestrel, nuthatch, coal tit, treecreeper, siskin, meadow pipit, skylark, stonechat, tawny owl.
Spring & Summer species
blackcap, garden warbler, chiffchaff, great spotted woodpecker, swift, house martin, reed bunting, peregrine, little grebe.
useful tips
A visit to Doddington can be easily combined with a trip to Whisby Nature Park, which is only a five-minute drive away.
Georgie Twigg Track runs north from Doddington to the cycle track and can be one of the best areas to look for a scarcity such as Short-eared Owl or maybe even Great Grey Shrike.
facilities
There is a large car park and Doddington has excellent facilities including toilets, café, restaurant and a farm shop that sells local produce, including meat from the estate and produce from the walled garden.
getting here
Doddington Hall and Estate is located to the West of Lincoln off the B1190. It is a short drive from the A57 to the north or A46 to the east.
There is a large car park accessed from the main road and the entrance to the Hall and Estate is over the road.
Various public and permissive rights of way crisscross the estate and it is possible to arrive by bike on the Sustrans national cycle way that runs from the centre of Lincoln to the village of Harby.
Main St, Doddington, Lincoln LN6 4RU
OS Map Reference: TF 902701
access
There is a charge to look around the House and Gardens but access to the estate and various shops and eateries is free – although donations towards the upkeep of the estate are welcome.
opening times
Open access year-round.
There is a regular events programme to showcase the wildlife and explain the work to rewild the estate.
HOuses & Castles
Doddington Hall
An Elizabethan manor house with Flemish tapestries and walled gardens displaying a pageant of colour all year round. A unique insight into 400 years of unbroken family ownership. Proceeds from visits go towards the upkeep of the Hall and estate.
