Swinsty and Fewston Reservoirs

SE195535

Nearby Sites

Home Page

Specialities
Tufted Duck  
Common Scoter  
Common Sandpiper  
Black-headed Gull  
Common Gull
Pink-footed Goose  
Brambling 
Siskin 
Crossbill
Sedge Warbler
Lesser Redpoll  
Shelduck 

 

 

Fewston Reservoir

Another large reservoir surrounded by mixed, but predominantly coniferous woodland. There is a large car park on the bridge between this and Swinsty Reservoir with picnic and toilet facilities. There is a smaller car park at the top end of the reservoir adjacent to the A59 at Blubberhouses. A footpath runs right round the reservoir but it is not suitable for pushchairs in parts.

Another reservoir not noted for its water birds. The top end is best and flocks of Canada and Greylag Geese are often present. In Winter there are usually small numbers of Teal, Coot and Tufted Duck around. Common Scoter, Red Breasted Merganser and Scaup have been noted and a Great Northern Diver took up residence in 1991.

Can be better than Swinsty for waders if the water levels are low and Little Stint, Black Tailed Godwit and Greenshank have been seen along with a very obliging Grey Phalarope in 2002.
In Summer Grey Wagtail and Common Sandpiper are regular and Ospreys are sometimes noted on passage.

The surrounding woodlands can hold very large flocks of crossbills in invasion years and they hold the usual woodland species such as Great Spotted Woodpecker, Woodcock, Sparrowhawk and Tawny Owl.

Fewston Notable Sightings - 2003
27th April 2003 A pair of Shelduck.
March & April 2003 Eight Redshank.
April 2003 A Dunlin
28th June 2003 A Ringed Plover.
11th September 2003 A male Scaup.
21st September 2003 Two Greylag Geese were seen with an orange neck, which indicated they were from a neck-ringing scheme at York.
22nd October 2003 An immature Whooper Swan was found and stayed until December.
25th October 2003 40 Pink-footed Geese flew over Fewston.
8th December 2003 Four Gadwall present and five by the 15th.
12th December 2003 90 Pink-footed Geese, the largest grounded flock were seen grazing in fields at Fewston Reservoir, but soon hastily left the area north-west.
14th December 2003 400 Canada Geese.
15th December 2003 53 Teal.
December 2003 250 Mallard.
Fewston Notable Sightings - 2004
1st January 2004 800 Black-headed Gulls at roost
1st January 2004 1200 Common Gulls at roost
10th January 2004 A first-year Whooper Swan recorded in 2003 stayed at Fewston throughout the summer. The last definitive record, before the picture was confused by new arrivals, was 25th September. By late summer it had moulted to the all-white plumage of adulthood.
24th January 2004 Seven Shelduck
January 2004 170 Chaffinch
January 2004 70 Brambling 
January 2004 222 Mallard 
Winter period 2004 An average of 30 Siskin seen
Summer 2004 A singing male Pied Flycatcher.
17th September 2004 Spotted Flycatcher (final date for 2004).
18th September 2004 52 Tufted Duck
21st September 2004 A Red-throated Diver was noted at the dam end  
22nd September 2004 Yellow Wagtail
26th September 2004 13 Pink-footed Geese 
29th September 2004 Red-throated Diver, the third ever sighting within the Group’s recording area
October 2004 60 Siskin
10th November 2004 1800 Black-headed Gulls at roost 
10th November 2004 Three first-winter Scaup spent a little time on the reservoir.
14th November 400 Common Gulls at roost 
November 2004 Up to 30 Lesser Redpoll were in the area.
28th December 2004 18 Pochard
December 2004 70 Chaffinch
Fewston Tufted Duck Numbers 2004
Jan
Feb
Mar
April
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
 
 3
 -
 -
 
16 
52 
47 
12 
15 
 
Fewston Notable Sightings - 2005
January 2005 12 Goldeneye
March 2005 150 Canada Geese
31st March 2005 30 Brambling
July 2005 288 Canada Geese
July 2005 157 Mallard (maximum for summer)
November & December 2005 Up to 25 Siskin.
 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Swinsty Reservoir

This reservoir is a large area of open water owned by Yorkshire Water, surrounded by mixed woodland. There is a large car park at Stack Point, where the road crosses the reservoir and there is also a large car park at the end of the dam between this and Fewston Reservoirs. There are picnic and toilet facilities at the latter car park. A footpath runs all the way around the reservoir and is suitable for pushchairs. To take in a longer walk one can also incorporate Fewston as well and from the dam end a path leads down the Washburn towards Lindley Wood Reservoir.

This water is not renowned for numbers of wildfowl and often Great Crested Grebe and Cormorant are the only water birds present. Small numbers of Goldeneye, Goosander and Tufted Duck can be noted. A Slavonian Grebe was seen in 1989 and a Red Throated Diver spent a few weeks here in 1996. Common Scoter, Eider, Shag, Pintail and Red Breasted Merganser have all been recorded.

During Winter there is a large gull roost with up to 10,000 birds recorded. Most are Black Headed and Common with only small numbers of the larger gulls. Iceland, Glaucous and Mediterranean Gulls have all frequented this site as well as a Sabine’s Gull before BOG started.

Common Sandpipers are regular visitors and if the water levels are low various waders can be expected. Black Tailed Godwit, LRP and Greenshank have been seen and the 2002 Grey Phalarope spent a brief time here.

Below the dam is a good area for Little Owl, Grey Wagtail, Kestrel, Snipe and winter Stonechat. Further down the valley at Folly Hall Wood a good population of Redstart, Pied Flycatcher and Wood Warbler exists in the summer.

The Woodland surrounding the water has held all three species of woodpecker and often attracts flocks of Crossbill and Brambling. This reservoir is worth watching in spring and autumn for passage Ospreys. At nearby Norwood a male Red backed Shrike graced the garden of the old school house in September 2001.

Swinsty Notable Sightings - 2003
1st January 2003 Common Gull roost contained 2000 and 3500 on 22nd January.
27tht January 2003 2500 Black-headed Gulls at roost.
18th April 2003 Little Ringed Plover (passage)
October 2003 135 Mallard
27th December 2003 Seven Great Black-backed Gulls.
Swinsty Notable Sightings - 2004
1st January 2004 Eight Great Black-backed Gulls (roost)
1st January 2004 18 Herring Gulls (roost)
1st January 2004 1200 Common Gulls roosting.
16th February 2004 A pair of Pintail and a male ten days later.
April & May 2004 Little Ringed Plover (passage)
25th May 2004 Common Scoter 
Summer 2004 The Nuthatch is a rare bird in the Washburn, it was encouraging that a pair reared eight young in a nest-box at Swinsty Reservoir.
30th July 2004 Juvenile Shelduck
10th November 2004 three Scaup 
10th November 2004 1800 Black-headed Gulls roosting.
14th November 2004 400 Common Gulls.
November 2004 156 Mallard
Swinsty Notable Sightings - 2005
8th February 2005 80 Brambling, this number having increased to 100 by the 25th.
21st March 2005 32 Whooper Swans
June 2005 4 Pied Flycatchers ringed from one nest.
Summer 2005 6 Nuthatch ringed from two nests.
9th November 2005 6 Crossbill