WILDLIFE SUNDAY

Wildlife Sunday

Lower Moor Farm Sunday 4th October 2020

A free morning today so it’s back to Lower Moor Farm nature reserve , this time with Graham Stewart for company in the hide. Not the best weather to be out and about , even with a hide to shelter in side. In fact even the hide was slightly damp ( the technical term ) but it provide some protection from the severe damp weather outside.

As I said earlier, not the best weather for wildlife photography , mix damp conditions with strong winds but we still notched up a decent list of species. Grey squirrel, heron, cormorant, a quick view of the kingfisher . Swans , moor hens , robin , bull finch , blue tit and tree creeper. Still no sign of the elusive otters but not a bad tally for a damp day on the lake.

Here’s the fully story of Lower moor farm

Lower Moor Farm is one of my favourite reserves to visit. Owned and managed by the Wiltshire Wildlife Trust the site includes Lower Moor Farm , Sandpool and Oaksey Moor Farm Meadow and Clattinger Farm and covers 126 hectares of land , including three Lakes.

The reserve is at the western edge of the Cotswold Water Park , easy to find and with good level parking and toilets. Most of the paths are easy to navigate but can get muddy after heavy rainfall.

Lower Moor Farm opened in 2007 and is the gateway to Clattinger Farm, Oaksey Moor Farm Meadow and Sandpool nature reserves. From LM you can walk into the other reserves and explore a landscape of fascinating contrasts. The reserve comprises three lakes, two brooks, ponds and wetland scrapes linked together by boardwalks, ancient hedges, woodland and meadows. The lakes were created by gravel extraction in the 1970s. Mallard Lake is a Site of Special Scientific Interest due to its distinctive aquatic plants, which include rare stoneworts. The visitor centre is a resource for education groups and volunteers and a replica Iron Age hut is a focus for our educational activities. Large populations of wildfowl swim in the lakes – great crested grebe, teal, shoveler duck and goosander to name a few. You can enjoy the birdlife from hides at Swallow Pool and Cottage Lake – the latter is accessible for wheelchairs and pushchairs. Water voles and otters use Flagham Brook. On sunny days see if you can spot the emperor, southern hawker and downy emerald dragonflies.

The reserve supports a wide range of birds and mammals, with Kingfisher , Otters and the Heron among the highlights .

Useful Information

Lower Moor Farm Nature Reserve

Cricklade SN16 9TW OS map 169 grid ref: SU007939
Wheelchair access to one bird hide and across the boardwalk to Mallard Lake. From this point, footpath can be muddy.
Dogs on leads welcome
Total complex 126.18 hectares
Toilets, including disabled, available for events

Directions

From Oaksey go in direction of Somerford Keynes for about one mile, crossing the railway line and round an S-bend. About 75 metres after S-bend the entrance is on right. From Cricklade drive northwards on A419, then turn left onto B4696 towards Somerford Keynes. Continue straight over crossroads and then for a further 2.5 miles until you see the entrance on left. There is parking at the visitor centre.

Wildlife sightings at Lower Mill Farm….

Otter, Fox , Brown Rat, Water vole, Pheasant, Magpie, Wood Pigeon, Robin , Blue Tit, Great Tit, Kingfisher, Marsh Tit, Wren, Galwall, Gideon, Mallard, Swan, Cormorant, Heron