|
Walmsley Sanctuary...
The
sanctuary is situated about two km north of Wadebridge. It
includes over 20 hectares of reclaimed flood plain between
the farm of Lower Amble and the River Amble, and lies less
than one km inland from the Camel Estuary. Its highest point
is about four metres above the Ordnance Datum.
Contact the Walmsley Warden HERE
|
The reserve has developed from three fields of pasture on
land reclaimed from salt marsh and now protected from
flooding by a dam at the mouth of the River Amble. The
vegetation is predominantly Juncus effusus. The
reserve also includes hedges, ditches, a shallow pond left
over when the river was straightened and one bank of the
River Amble. The Environment Agency constructed
excellent new areas of water and essential new embankments
outside the new hide, whilst carrying out their Amble
Marshes Management Scheme in 1998.
Naturalist and broadcaster Bill Oddie officially opened the
fabulous tower hide in December 1999. With the hide being 4m
high, excellent views are possible over most of the reserve
and the surrounding countryside, in comparatively luxurious
comfort. |
|
Species to be seen include, in
winter, Teal, large flocks of Wigeon, Lapwing
and Golden Plover. Also Shoveler, Snipe, Greenshank, Green
Sandpiper, Ruff, Curlew, Black-tailed Godwit, White-fronted Gees
(low numbers), Little Egret and Barn Owl. In summer, breeding
birds include Mute Swan, Mallard, Shelduck, Reed Bunting, Sedge
Warbler and Reed Warbler. |
 |
|
 |
Passage migrants include waders, egrets, herons,
wildfowl and raptors. Almost anything can turn up!
Rarities include Black Stork, Black Duck, American
Bittern, Temmink's Stint, Marsh Harrier and Citrine
Wagtail. |
|
The sanctuary is nationally important
for wintering waders and wildfowl. During high tides,
many estuary birds use the reserve as a refuge.
|
 |
|
| The Tower hide is locked.
Keys may be obtained from the Membership
Secretary.
Leave Wadebridge on the B3314 Rock to Port Isaac road. Proceed to the
traffic light controlled bridge over the River Trewornan. Use the narrow
public footpath gate on the right hand side (Rock side of bridge) and follow
the footpath across the fields towards the hide. After the first stile keep
close to the hedge on your left. Do not cut across the
field. Please use the stiles and do
not climb the hedges.
To avoid disturbance to this statutory bird sanctuary, the hides are the
only area open to visitors.
|
Above photographs, all
taken at Walmsley Sanctuary,
courtesy of Adrian Langdon.
|
Walmsley Sanctuary 2009 Species List |
Species First Reported
1.Little Egret 01-Jan-09
2.Grey Heron 01-Jan-09
3.Mute Swan 01-Jan-09
4.Whooper Swan 01-Jan-09
5.Common Shelduck 01-Jan-09
6.Eurasian Wigeon 01-Jan-09
7.Gadwall 01-Jan-09
8.Eurasian Teal 01-Jan-09
9.Mallard 01-Jan-09
10.Northern Shoveler 01-Jan-09
11.Tufted Duck 01-Jan-09
12.Common Buzzard 01-Jan-09
13.Peregrine Falcon 01-Jan-09
14.Common Pheasant 01-Jan-09
15.Water Rail 01-Jan-09
16.Common Moorhen 01-Jan-09
17.Common Coot 01-Jan-09
18.European Golden Plover 01-Jan-09
19.Northern Lapwing 01-Jan-09
20.Common Snipe 01-Jan-09
21.Eurasian Curlew 01-Jan-09
22.Common Redshank 01-Jan-09
23.Herring Gull 01-Jan-09
24.Great Black-backed Gull 01-Jan-09
25.Stock Pigeon 01-Jan-09
26.Common Wood Pigeon 01-Jan-09
27.Common Kingfisher 01-Jan-09
28.Sky Lark 01-Jan-09
29.Meadow Pipit 01-Jan-09
30.Winter Wren 01-Jan-09
31.European Robin 01-Jan-09
32.Stonechat 01-Jan-09
33.Common Blackbird 01-Jan-09
34.Redwing 01-Jan-09
35.Common Chiffchaff 01-Jan-09
36.Goldcrest 01-Jan-09
37.Great Tit 01-Jan-09
38.Black-billed Magpie 01-Jan-09
39.Eurasian Jackdaw 01-Jan-09
40.Rook 01-Jan-09
41.Carrion Crow 01-Jan-09
42.Common Starling 01-Jan-09
43.Chaffinch 01-Jan-09
44.European Greenfinch 01-Jan-09
45.Eurasian Siskin 01-Jan-09
46.Reed Bunting 01-Jan-09
47.Dunlin 02-Jan-09
48.Little Grebe 03-Jan-09
49.Great Cormorant 03-Jan-09
50.Great Bittern 03-Jan-09
51.Canada Goose 03-Jan-09
52.Northern Pintail 03-Jan-09
53.Hen Harrier 03-Jan-09
54.Eurasian Sparrowhawk 03-Jan-09
55.Common Kestrel 03-Jan-09
56.Black-tailed Godwit 03-Jan-09
57.Black-headed Gull 03-Jan-09
58.Water Pipit 03-Jan-09
59.Pied Wagtail 03-Jan-09
60.Song Thrush 03-Jan-09
61.Long-tailed Tit 03-Jan-09
62.Blue Tit 03-Jan-09
63.Eurasian Jay 03-Jan-09
64.Common Raven 03-Jan-09
65.Water Pipit 03-Jan-09
|
Species First Reported
66.Common Pochard 04-Jan-09
67.Lesser Black-backed Gull 04-Jan-09
68.European Goldfinch 05-Jan-09
69.Lesser Redpoll 05-Jan-09
70.Jack Snipe 06-Jan-09
71.Ruff 07-Jan-09
72.Firecrest 07-Jan-09
73.Merlin 09-Jan-09
74.Eurasian Oystercatcher 09-Jan-09
75.Hedge Accentor 09-Jan-09
76.Fieldfare 09-Jan-09
77.Common Bullfinch 09-Jan-09
78.Eurasian Collared Dove 10-Jan-09
79.Great Spotted Woodpecker 10-Jan-09
80.Common Linnet 10-Jan-09
81.Yellowhammer 10-Jan-09
82.Mew Gull 13-Jan-09
83.Coal Tit 17-Jan-09
84.Common Redpoll 17-Jan-09
85.Red-legged Partridge 01-Feb-09
86.Barn Owl 20-Feb-09
87.Red-legged Partridge 01-Mar-09
88.Sand Martin 01-Mar-09
89.Bar-tail Godwit 11-Mar-09
90.Common Sandpiper 11-Mar-09
91.Mistle Thrush 16-Mar-09
92.Blackcap 16-Mar-09
93.House Sparrow 16-Mar-09
94.Egyptian Goose 19-Mar-09
95.Comon Greenshank 19-Mar-09
96.Barn Swallow 20-Mar-09
97.Green Sandpiper 25-Mar-09
98.Housemartin 30-Mar-09
99.Willow Warbler 09-April-09
100.Garden Warbler 14-April-09
101.Sedge Warbler 19-April-09
102.Pectoral Sandpiper 26-April-09
103.Common Swift 26-April-09
104.Common Grasshopper Warbler 26-April-09
105.Eurasian Hobby 27-April-09
106.Little Stint 29-April-09
107. Temminck's Stint 29-Apr-09
108.Alpine Swift 29-April-09
109.Yellow Wagtail 29-April-09
110.Eurasian Reed Warbler 29-Apr-09
111.Greylag Goose 30-April-09
112.Common Cuckoo 30-Apr-09
113. Tawny Owl 30-Apr-09
114.Eurasian Marsh Harrier 02-May-09
115. Ringed Plover 03-May-09
116.Wood Sandpiper 11-May-09
117.Lesser Whitethroat 10-Aug-09
118.Common Whitethroat 16-Aug-09
119.Garganey 16-Aug-09
120.Spotted Crake 23-Aug-09
121.Red Knot 24-Aug-09
122.Spotted Redshank 24-Aug-09
123.Curlew Sandpiper? 24-Aug-09
124. Spotted Flycatcher 25-Aug-09
|
Colin Selway carried out a Wildfowl Count Walmsley
to the Dam 18 12 2009
2 adult Whooper Swan, 12 Mute Swan (including 2 1stW), 167 Canada
Geese. 2 Common Shelduck. 75 Mallard. 4 Gadwall. 2Northern Pintail.
34 Northern Shoveler. 226 Eurasian Wigeon. 180+ Eurasian Teal. 3
Tufted Duck. 8 Common Coot.
2 Little Grebe.10+ Moorhen. 3 Water Rail. 53 Eurasian Curlew. 200+
Common Snipe. 6 Dunlin. 85 Black-tailed Godwit.
14 Bar-tailed Godwit ! (between high tides) 2 Little Stint! 1 Green
Sandpiper. 6 Golden Plover. 9 Northern Lapwing. 1 Collared Dove.
29 Wood Pigeon. 12 Red-legged Partridge. 4 Raven. 9 Carrion Crow. 2
Rook. 22 Jackdaw. 2 Black-billed Magpies. 11 Black-headed Gull. 28
Herring Gull. 2 Great Black-backed Gull. 2 Lesser Black-backed
Gull. 36 species
Walmsley to the Dam. Jan 15 2010
50 Mute Swan (including 7 1stW), 2 Adult Whooper
Swan, 1 Black Swan, 438 Canada Geese, 193 Eurasian Wigeon, 58
Eurasian Teal, 19 Northern Shoveler (including one badly injured
female dragging its wing), 1 Grey Heron, 63 Eurasian Curlew, 5
Black-tailed Godwit, 1 Jay, 1 Stock Pigeon, 2 Raven, 10 Jackdaw, 6
Carrion Crow, 7 Herring Gull.
Also Wadebridge to Padstow Jan 15 2010 by Derek
Julian
Little Grebe - 8, Great Crested Grebe - 2,
Slavonian Grebe - 1, Cormorant - 28, Shag - 5, Little Egret - 16,
Grey Heron - 7, Spoonbill - 3, Mute Swan - 7, Feral Goose - 1,
Canada Goose - 132, Shelduck - 128, Wigeon - 135, Gadwall - 6,
Mallard - 68, Mallard hybrid - 6, Shoveler - 14, Tufted Duck - 18,
Goldeneye - 1 male, Moorhen - 6, Oystercatcher - 260, Ringed Plover
- 14, Grey Plover - 61, Lapwing - 276, Knot - 55, Dunlin - 589,
Snipe - 18, Black-tailed Godwit - 60, Bar-tailed Godwit - 34, Curlew
- 167, Redshank - 187, Greenshank - 6, Common Sandpiper - 1,
Turnstone - 15, Buzzard - 2, Kestrel - 2, Black-headed Gull - 727,
Common Gull - 26, Lesser Black-backed Gull - 121, Herring Gull -
857, Great Black-backed Gull - 492, Kingfisher - 2
Walmsley to the Dam. Feb 21 2010 (Colin
Selway)
4 Eurasian Spoonbill, 5 Mute Swan, 59 Canada Geese,
1 Common Shelduck, 2 Tufted Duck, 66 Mallard, 2
Northern Pintail (pair), 1 Male Gadwall, 43 Northern
Shoveler, 219 Eurasian Wigeon, 80+ Eurasian Teal,
5 Common Coot, 6 Moorhen, 1 Water Rail, 4 Little
Egret, 4 Little Grebe, 3 Grey Heron, 150+ Common
Snipe, 81 Dunlin, 14 Black-tailed Godwit, 38 Wood
Pigeon, 2 Great Black-backed Gull, 1 Lesser
Black-backed Gull, 15 Herring Gull, 3 Black-headed
Gull, 2 Raven, 6 Carrion Crow, 5 Jackdaw, 1
Jay, 3 Magpie, 1 Great Cormorant (carbo).
Camel
Estuary Feb 22 2010 (Derek Julian)
7
Little
Grebe,
1 Great Crested Grebe, 16 Cormorant, 7 Shag, 7 Little
Egret, 13 Grey Heron, 4 Spoonbill (2 in Little
Petherick Creek and 2 on Dinham Flats), 16 Mute Swan, 1 Black
Swan, 1 Feral Goose, 157 Shelduck, 67 Wigeon,
16 Mallard, 6 Teal, Moorhen, 193 Oystercatcher,
31 Ringed Plover, 620 Golden Plover, 36 Grey Plover,
926 Lapwing, 56 Knot, 727 Dunlin, 7 Snipe,
114 Black-tailed Godwit, 5 Bar-tailed Godwit, 370 Curlew,
174 Redshank, 7 Greenshank, 16 Turnstone, 10 Buzzard,
1 Peregrine, 743 Black-headed Gull, 35 Common Gull,
61 Lesser Black-backed Gull, 225 Herring Gull, 62 Great
Black-backed Gull, 1 Kingfisher and 1 Razorbill.
Big Freeze at
Walmsley 2009
picture: Nigel Climpson
|
For a few days in the first week of January 2009 Walmsley Sanctuary was almost
completely frozen, apart from a small pool in the centre. The birds clustered
around the pool are largely Teal but among them were some Shoveller,
Pintail, Coot, Moorhen, Mallard and Mute Swan. There was also a hen
harrier present (pictures in Gallery 2009) and some excitement was caused by a party of Teal
flying in at a rate of knots with a peregrine close behind. But not close
enough!
For an interactive view from the tower hide click on the picture above. Use
your mouse to pan and tilt around the picture. Shift and Ctrl to zoom in and
out.
You
may need Apple Quicktime, which is a free download. (www.apple.com/quicktime/download/
)
Interactive picture: Nigel Climpson
|
|
