Pitsford Reservoir SSSI (Day Trip)

Tour Code: GBR105

A day exploring this pristine central England SSSI reserve, home to a diverse range of birds, dragonflies and butterflies.

1 days from
£60 (land only)
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Highlights

Summary

Summary

Join Neil McMahon on a circular birdwatching and wildlife walk of the reserve section of Pitsford Reservoir, just short of 7 miles in length. The reservoir is long recognised as being one of the best birdwatching sites in Northamptonshire. The walking is on a mowed path and flat as we circumnavigate this pristine central England SSSI reserve. The reserve is managed by the Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire to provide a home for the diverse wildlife on offer. We will walk at a slow pace to take in the birds and any other wildlife on offer which seasonally should include interesting insects and common mammals. We will stop for our refreshments and packed lunch at strategic spots. 

Prior to the walk (and dependent on the season and warden/moth availability) we hope to examine the contents of the reserve moth-traps which should attract typical species of moths which we can examine at close quarters.

Modern and large hides positioned around the reserve provide an opportunity to watch many of the avian highlights in comfort and of course respite from inclement conditions!

The reserve caters for good numbers of common wildfowl and with breeding colonies of Grey Heron, Great Cormorant, Rook and Common Tern. The scrub and woodland compartments are the breeding areas for tits, which include good numbers of Marsh Tits, woodpeckers and lots of common warblers, Goldcrests and Treecreepers.

Roaming raptors include Red Kite, Common Buzzard, Sparrowhawk and Kestrel and seasonally Osprey, Hobby and occasionally others. Easy-to-see waterbirds will include Grey Heron, Great Cormorant, gulls and Great Crested Grebe at any time of the year.

The Wildlife Trust has stipulated that all guests should pay £10 for parking, reserve permit and use of the facilities with the exception of Beds, Cambs & Northants Wildlife Trust members. 

  • Huge numbers of ducks including Gadwall and Tufted Ducks
  • Raptors including Hobby and possibly Osprey
  • Moth-trap
  • Modern and large hides positioned around the reserve

Spring

During the spring, bird song will be full on as we attempt to decipher the calls and songs of resident and passage birds before the leaves and buds completely hide the songsters concerned! And at this time of the year we always look out for something a little out of the ordinary and will delight in the first butterflies and other insects of the new season. Residual waterfowl will still be with us from the winter months and breeding geese, Coots, Mute Swans and grebes will be obvious and noisy. We will look for Bee-flies, mining bees and Grass Snakes and keep an eye out for foraging mammals. The Rooks will be noisily attending their nests and we can watch and listen to the antics of the busy Cormorant colony.

Summer

The longer days of summer will be dominated by breeding birds such as diving Common Terns, warblers, recently fledged birds of the woodland sections and lots of insects including particularly large concentrations of meadow butterflies, day-flying moths, damselflies, dragonflies, grasshoppers and the like. Kingfishers are heard and sometimes seen well and we can appreciate how valuable this site is for locally breeding martins, Swallows and Swifts as they skim over the water’s surface. A pair of Oystercatchers are normally present to provide a little colour and vibrancy! On some days there are literally tens of thousands of damselflies rising from the waterside vegetation and patrolling the open water. A fishing Osprey would be a wonderful bonus, perhaps being harried by the local Red Kites for its hard-earned prey! Muntjacs will have attendant fawns and the fledged young of Tawny Owl are frequently heard and sometimes glimpsed. Butterflies such as Marbled White, Brown Argus, Purple and White-letter Hairstreaks, Essex Skipper and Small Copper can be found without straying from the mown paths. The moth-traps will be at their best with a large variety and number of specimens to examine, often including wonderful hawk-moths.

Autumn

End of season butterflies and dragonflies linger in good numbers, emergent fungi proliferates and the seasonal bird flocks include lots of tits including Marsh Tits, migrant warblers, Treecreepers and the chance of passage Common Redstart. The meadows sometimes attract passing Whinchats and Wheatears and any draw-down is quickly exploited by waders on long-distance migration – most frequently Common and Green Sandpipers, Black-tailed Godwit, Snipe, Greenshank, Dunlin and Ringed Plover – but any species is possible. The late summer/autumn period sees a regular build-up of moulting ducks including good numbers of Gadwall, Pochard, Tufted Duck and increasingly regular numbers of Red-crested Pochard. This is the best season to look for Garganey, Black Tern, Hobby and Yellow-legged Gulls. Great Crested Grebe families will still be a common sight with the stripey youngsters still begging for food from their attendant adults and the early autumn will provide opportunities to enjoy close-up views of Common Terns and their fledged young, gawky-looking juvenile Grey Herons and the forming-up of the Greylag and Canada Goose flocks. Late autumn sees the decline in insects but an increase in waterfowl with flocks of whistling Wigeon, the first returning Goldeneye and small groups of Pintail and flights of Teal.

Winter

A cold, crisp winter’s day is to perhaps see Pitsford at its best with a large variety of ducks, and small birds. The year-round feeding station in the Scaldwell Meadow attracts Tree Sparrows, Yellowhammers, Reed Buntings and many others, and a seasonal woodland feeding station provides close views of tits, Great Spotted Woodpecker and common finches. Muntjac are easy to see and wintering Snipe and Lapwings are always a pleasing sight. Sparrowhawks, Common Buzzards and Red Kites forage and hunt and we encounter Raven, Woodcock and Great White Egret. Small numbers of Siskins, Redpolls and sometimes Brambling add a splash of colour in hedging and waterside trees and we scan rafts of ducks for anything out of the ordinary. The resident but elusive Otters are perhaps best looked for at this time of the year and sightings of Weasel and Stoat are relatively regular. Extreme weather at this time of the year can drive in harbouring waterbirds from the continent and we will be assured of plenty of Redwings and Fieldfares on our circular walk.

DETAILED INFORMATION
Day Trip Location

Day Trip Location

Reviews
Dates & Prices

Dates & Prices

2025

Departures Availability Cost
Wed 11th Jun – Wed 11th Jun SPACES £60
Book Tour Show Details
Land only cost:
The "Land Only" cost is the tour price you will pay if you choose to arrange your own flights/transport.
£60
Wed 18th Jun – Wed 18th Jun SPACES £60
Book Tour Show Details
Land only cost:
The "Land Only" cost is the tour price you will pay if you choose to arrange your own flights/transport.
£60
Wed 2nd Jul – Wed 2nd Jul SPACES £60
Book Tour Show Details
Land only cost:
The "Land Only" cost is the tour price you will pay if you choose to arrange your own flights/transport.
£60 
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UK Day Trips Led by Expert Naturalists


We are delighted to offer a series of Naturetrek Day Trips which visit a wonderful selection of reserves and habitats across the UK, each guided by one of our expert naturalist tour leaders, many of whom are leading our Day Trips on their own ‘local patch’! Meeting at around 9am, and exploring largely on foot until around 5pm (though note that specific Day Trip timings do vary slightly by location and season), these trips are designed to spend a full day out in the fresh air, in search of a wide range of special British wildlife.


Whether you would like to explore a new area in the company of a local, expert naturalist tour leader, try a guided wildlife day out for the very first time, or perhaps you simply wish to spend the day learning more about your own local wildlife, you will find yourself most welcome on one of our Naturetrek Day Trips. We also offer days out specifically aimed at beginner birders and amateur wildlife photographers, and some trips even extend after sunset to allow us to take you on a guided tour of the night skies above. Whatever the trip focus – be it birds, botany, fungi, photography, butterflies, dragonflies, geology or a mix of just about everything – your leader will take you to the very best places to search for wildlife, and will share their knowledge generously along the way.


Our Day Trips have been fully risk assessed, and all activities are carried out in line with UK government and industry Covid-19 guidance. Most Day Trips from 17th May 2021 onwards will have a maximum number of 7 people, with a handful, such as cruises with a slightly higher number. We have also been certified as 'Good to Go'; the domestic tourism industry standard mark for Covid-19 protocols. Your safety is paramount, and we will be complying fully with UK government guidance throughout all of our Day Trips.


 


How to Book


The price for all our standard Naturetrek Day Trips is £50 per person and payment is by debit card only. You can book online, or you are very welcome to book over the phone by calling us on 01962 733051. Some Day Trips operate seasonally, and we are continuing to add additional departure dates for our fully booked Day Trips, so if you would like to be added to our wait list for any of these trips please just email info@naturetrek.co.uk or register your interest via the tour page.


 


Joining Instructions for Day Trips




If you, or someone that you have been in close contact with, has displayed symptoms of Covid-19 in the 14 days prior to the Day Trip, or if you receive an alert from NHS Track and Trace, you MUST NOT JOIN the Day Trip. Please let us know in the Naturetrek office as soon as possible and we will be happy to refund you in full.


    

  • Upon booking we will email you with a designated meeting point and confirmed timings, along with contact details for your tour leader.
    • 

  • During some Day Trips we will each use our own vehicle to move the short distances in between sites (group transport is not provided).
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  • Please do not bring your dog, or other pets, as they may disturb the wildlife!
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  • Please bring your own lunch.
    • 

  • Please bring plenty of water, snacks, hand sanitiser, tissues, your own face covering (this will not be compulsory whilst we are out in the fresh air and wide open spaces throughout during the day but may be required to enter toilets, visitor centres, etc.) along with anything else that you might need for the day. You will need to be able to carry everything yourself. Suitable footwear (walking shoes or walking boots) will be essential, along with sensible layers and waterproofs plus sun hat and sun cream or woolly hat and gloves etc., depending on the weather forecast.
    • 

  • Wherever possible, we will try to arrange comfort breaks during the day. On some of our more remote Day Trips this isn’t always possible, and on those occasions you will need to be prepared for the odd ‘bush stop’! If this is likely, we will alert you in the joining instructions beforehand. Please be stringent with hygiene when using public facilities.
    • 

  • We ask you to respect minimum social distancing AT ALL TIMES (currently 2m where possible between households at the time of writing, but could be updated at any time). To help ensure this, we ask group members and tour leaders not to share optics, field guides or any other equipment.
    • 

  • Finally, please do share your photos and favourite wildlife sightings with us … we love seeing them! Tweet @naturetrektours, Instagram @naturetrek_wildlife_holidays or find us on facebook.com/naturetrekwildlifeholidays
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Tailormade Day Trips

Should the dates we offer not suit you, or should you wish to have a private, tailored Day Trip, we will be delighted to arrange this for you. Please just call Georgie Head on 01962 733051, or fill out our quick enquiry form and we will get back to you. For inspiration for a Tailormade UK break, please see our Tailormade UK holidays.




Reviews: 


'The Naturetrek £50 days out have been a lifesaver this year. What better way than to spend a day in the open with four other like minded people in the company of a brilliant guide who can tell you all about the geology, flors and fauna of the area. I’ve been on three of these days with more booked for the future. The days are full, meeting at 9.00am and not finishing until 5.00pm, maybe slightly earlier in the darker winter months, with about 45 minutes for our picnic lunch but never have I ever looked at my watch and wished the time would pass more quickly. Quite the opposite in fact, the time passed so quickly I was amazed when we found ourselves back at the car park. Value for money? Yes, definitely. Thank you Naturetrek.'
VB – The Naze and Walton Backwaters (Essex)

‘The Upper Teesdale Day Trip was brilliant and Andy Bunten was an exceptional guide. So very knowledgeable and an expert spotter, but equally important he had great communication skills so that no-one felt remotely patronised or afraid to ask the most basic of questions. The organisation of the day was impeccably planned too. This was my first Naturetrek outing but I have friends who regularly use you and have spoken of your trips in glowing terms. So I will certainly look at your website and I will hope to travel with you at some point in the future.’ 
 KS – Teesdale


‘We had a lovely day on Monday; Matt was terrific - particularly with us being beginners at bird watching! The other attendees were very interesting and one in particular was extremely knowledgeable. So we learned a lot - just got to remember it now! We are looking at the other day trips available to see if we can do another one.’ 
 Ashdown Forest


‘I wanted to write to thank you for organising your new Day Trips. It’s an excellent idea and something to give hope to many people, who are keen to get out and about, and to experience the beauty of nature closer to home. Our trip to the Ashdown Forest on Friday was excellent. The weather was kind to us, a lovely sunny, English summer day, but it was our guide, Matt Eade, who made it special. Quite how Matt managed to arrange Goshawk, two Honey-buzzards, Hobby, Treecreeper, and a whole host of other species was remarkable.
 Spotted Flycatcher is the personal favourite of my husband Simon – and Matt knew where to find two of them. Simon was over the moon!  


It was a top day. Matt was informative, very knowledgeable, engaging, encouraging, always happy to help, provide insights and share his knowledge and experiences. He paced the walk just right, thoughtful about short breaks where needed. I worked for 8 years as a Tour Director around Europe and I know how exceptionally hard it can be to keep everyone happy!’ 
 Ashdown Forest


‘The trip exceeded our already high expectations. Andy Bunten was kind, humorous, thoughtful and his knowledge of the wildlife truly exceptional. It was a real pleasure and privilege to be in his company.’ 
 KE – Teesdale


‘So nice to be on a Naturetrek trip again and had a thoroughly enjoyable day with Russ and our other companions. Everyone just got on even though we had not met before. Looking forward to our next day trip!’ 
 LD – Smardale


‘We had a great day, thank you. Matthew Capper was an excellent guide, giving us a wealth of information about the ecology, conservation and social history of the area as well as the wildlife, and having an amazing ability to detect birdlife out of nowhere.  The Lammergeier before we'd even left the meeting point was of course spectacular, but it was Matthew's commitment to searching for the birds and Mountain Hares which impressed me even more.  We also appreciated his patience and good humour, and his determination to make sure that all 5 of us got to see everything. These day trips are a brilliant idea. We are really looking forward to our next Naturetrek Day in a couple of weeks.’ 
 AB – Peak District



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Prefer to Travel in a Private Group?

For any interested natural history club or society, we can arrange for a private departure of this tour.

Enquire
Why Naturetrek?

Why Naturetrek?

At Naturetrek we craft expertly-guided group and tailor-made wildlife holidays and cruises to all seven continents. On one of our holidays, you can be assured that our passionate team will enable you to experience and enjoy the best of the world's wildlife and natural spectacles in as comfortable and rewarding a manner as possible, caring as best we can for the environment in the process. We are proud to provide:

  • The widest choice of wildlife holidays worldwide
  • Tours managed and led by naturalists, for naturalists
  • Outstanding value and exceptional customer service

Furthermore, as a Naturetrek client, our office team are always to on hand to help you – so if you have any queries about your holiday, whether before or after you have booked, we will be delighted to answer them on the phone. Please just give our team a call!