Gravel pit Birdlife

[Ray]

The Surrey/Hants border is inundated with the leftovers of gravel extraction-sadly, much of it has been given over to recreation-much of which is not very bird friendly. :) Just 2 miles from my house-a new pit has been created, this is to be a nature reserve, purpose built hides included :). Birding at this over the past few days-can only suggest that great things are to come: Great-crested grebe, Canada geese, Mute swan, Moorhen, Heron, Black-headed gulls, Tufted duck, Mallard. And the landscaping has ttracted: Bullfnch, Chaffinch, Goldfinch, Siskin, Meadow pipit, Green woodpecker, Lesser-spotted woodpecker, Nuthatch, Treecreeper, pied and Grey wagtails, Carrion crow, magpie, Jay.
This will be my birding patch from now on-I feel a census coming on in 2010-stay tuned.

Ray

[Hevva]

I spent nearly all my working life in the aggregate industry and have been really impressed by all the conservation laws etc. put in place to restore these quarries once their working life was finished. I must say that most of them ended up being a much better environment for wildlife with lakes, ponds, trees, birdboxes etc. I ended my working career in a small office in a sand quarry and the wildlife was amazing. There was a large sand face with one of the biggest numbers of sand martins I've seen, together with little owls, foxes, geese and, with a large lake, lots of waders. It's definitely the place to go. Keep us informed. :):)

[chilternbirder]

The Lea Valley Regional Park have turned the old pits north of Waltham Abbey into a wonderful set of reserves. I have seen bittern, water rail, smew and slavonian grebe as well as (presumably escaped) black swan and once a mandarin duck.

I haven't done a serious birding trip over there since 2006 (http://chilternbirder.blogspot.com/2006/05/terns-and-nightingales.html), I really must get back again.