A kingfisher viewing screen has been constructed at Pitsford Water, Northants by Trust staff and a team of three volunteers.
It overlooks a secluded area of Scaldwell Bay and gives great views of some of the more secretive birds such as kingfishers, water rails and egrets. Grebes and swans breed there through the summer and the nearby reeds have reed warblers breeding in them, with the potential for an otter to pass through also. It's a very peaceful, tranquil spot and the screen has been designed with birdwatchers and photographers in mind, so offers something for everyone.
Senior reserves officer Mischa Cross explains: “While the volunteers were removing an old wooden bridge over the Scaldwell stream, our volunteer Dave Jackson mentioned that it would be a good idea to have a kingfisher screen on site - and just as we were discussing it a kingfisher flew past. As a keen photographer, Dave suggested ways of making the design suitable to get great photos as well as for bird watchers wanting to see the birds. Several people were consulted over the location and kingfishers have been seen while construction was carried out and subsequently photographed there along with water rails, a difficult bird to see anywhere on the reserve. It was built by our team of three volunteers and tweaked as we went along, taking several weeks to finish and it will be further tweaked as it gets used and the water levels change so we can get the best out of it."
Many thanks to the volunteers and to Anglian Water who kindly funded materials.
Pitsford Water nature reserve is a permit only site: visitors must have a permit to visit, see below for how to get one.
