Location: Meet at Lodmoor car park (for charges see below) in Weymouth at SY 685,807. This is well sign posted as you approach Weymouth and is on the A353 as you leave Weymouth along the coast heading east for Wareham.
Date and time: 10am-4pm Friday 16 November
We will meet at Lodmoor on the north of Weymouth. Here a series of wet grassland fields with pools, lagoons and reedbeds attract a variety of waders and wildfowl in winter. Cetti's Warblers and Bearded Tits can often be seen here too. The site is just over the road from the sea and this can add to the species seen here.
We will drive into Weymouth for lunch at the Café Royal.
After lunch we shall go to Radipole Lakes. This RSPB nature reserve consists of lakes and reedbeds. Ducks such as Ruddy Duck, Pochard and Tufted Ducks are usually seen and sometimes the elusive Bittern can be seen from the hide - they regularly winter here. Bearded Tits sometimes fly around the reed beds and this is the best place I know to actually see Cetti's Warblers. The small lake outside the visitor centre is well known for producing scarce gulls such as Mediterranean, Little, Glaucous or Iceland.
There are toilets at Radipole and in Weymouth, but not at Lodmoor.
Extras:
Car parking at Lodmoor: £1 for the 2 hours we will be there.
Car parking at Radipole: £2.50 for up to 12 hours, but free parking can be found by driving past the Radipole entrance and further up the road (with the lakes on your left). The first turning on the right is a small car park by some tennis courts.
Hide fee at Radipole: £2.50 (£1.50 for pensioners) for non RSPB members.
How to book: Please book in advance by contacting Project Fred on 01425 673321 or by emailing project.fred@virgin.net
Cost: £12 - does not include cost of Hide fee at Radipole.
Length of walk: Both walks are fairly short, 2 to 3 kms and are along pretty good paths.
What to bring: Waterproofs and binoculars if you have them.
Click here for other walks.
