The best places to birdwatch in Derbyshire
The UK in general is a great place to birdwatch, but with Derbyshire and the Peak District National Park just around the corner from our site here at Secret Wood Glamping, there really are some great bird watching spots right on our doorstep.
With spring (and early mornings!) being the best time for birdwatching, we thought we’d put together some of our favourite places to birdwatch in Derbyshire, as a guide to any visitors and locals in the area…
1. Birdholme Wildfowl Reserve
Surrounded by meadows, willow scrub, marsh and a lake, Birdholme Wildfowl Reserve is an ideal place to spot kingfishers, winter wildfowls and summer warbles – and even skylarks!
Just 25 minutes from the Secret Wood site in Holmesfield, this reserve is not just great for birdwatching, but also walking too, with Birdholme Wood just around the corner.Â
2. Carr Vale Nature Reserve
A wetland reserve that’s open all year round, Carr Vale Nature Reserve is listed as one of the top 5 places in Derbyshire to birdwatch.
According to the Derbyshire Wildlife Trust, this is mostly due to the vast variety of terrain; a combination of open water, marsh, wet and dry grassland, scrub and trees.
Birds spotted here can range from wildflowers, plover flocks, wigeons, finches, buntings and water rails.
What’s more, with the River Loe running through the reserve, Carr Vale is also very picturesque, making it an ideal place to picnic and walk, too.
3. Cromford Canal
Cromford Canal is a location steeped in history, previously being a buzzing working waterway before closing in 1944.
Since then, the canal has been transformed into a wildlife haven, home to a range of bird species such as moorhens, water birds and woodland birds like blackbirds, robins and wrens.
The diversity of Cromford Canal has also made it a great place for scientific research, with work carried out each year to keep the water open for the plants and insects which live in it, and to manage the banks.
