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Access/Facilities
The site is owned by the Derbyshire Wildlife Trust (DWT). All visitors must hold a permit, available from the Derbyshire Wildlife Trust (£8.00 from DWT, East Mill, Bridgefoot, Belper, Derbyshire, DE56 1XH). The number of the gate lock will then be provided to enter through the main gate off the Burton to Walton Road at SK 229191.
Except in extreme cases of flooding or deep snow the Reserve is open 365 days a year from dawn till dusk.
There are no other facilities on the site. A mobile phone is recommended in case of emergencies. The DWT number is printed on the sign at the main gate.
There are, at present, seven hides and there are plans to improve and/or replace/resite the older ones in the near future. A network of paths gives access to all the main habitat types. The paths range from muddy, after wet weather, to uneven at best. Sturdy footwear or wellies recommended. Some of the old paths are not in use at present as these fall outside of the DWT ownership (signs on site indicate such paths). This may change in the future when the outcome of ongoing negotiations over the lease to include the Secondary Station Lagoon and Minton's Lagoon are known.
The main (glass-fronted) hide has wheelchair access.
What to see
There is a drive of about a mile to the Reserve itself, but there is bird interest on the way. The woodland fringe to the left holds woodpeckers and occasional Nuthatch, the small body of water to the left of the road just prior to reaching the River Water Pump House is a fishing pool, leased to a local club, and there has been Twite by the road here and also Wryneck. Occasional Wheatear drop in on both sides of the road here, check the short grass of the field to the right. The River Trent is on the left before reaching the Reserve car park and most, if not all, of the Goosander recorded are seen on this stretch of the river.
WINTER
Winter sees the establishment of the feeding station at the glass-fronted hide where species such as Water Rail, Willow Tit, Great Spotted Woodpecker and the usual tits and finches, including Brambling, can be watched at close quarters. The most notable bird seen at the feeding station to date has been Derbyshire's first, and only, Little Bunting which stayed in the area for 16 days in March 1994. Bittern and Spotted Crake have also been seen in this corner. The open water of the main lagoon can be seen from this hide and winter specialities here have included Pintail, Smew, Scaup, nine species of goose and numerous gulls over the years. Also recently seen from here was Derbyshire's second American Wigeon in November 2006. Other notable winter ducks have included Ferruginous Duck and Ring-necked Duck and Scaup have been noted in 14 years between 1970 and 1997
The North Pool is the favoured haunt of Mandarin during the winter at Drakelow, and this pool is also where most of the Teal are seen, including Green-winged Teal on at least two occasions.
The lush phragmites reed-bed of Minton's Lagoon has hosted a Bearded Tit from November 1998 to March 1999. There are usually small flocks of Redpoll and Siskin around during the winter which frequent the alders around the main pool and Chiffchaff has also been seen recently during the winter.
Regular counting of the duck species is ongoing throughout the year but winter numbers of certain species that have recently been of note are Shoveler which is at its highest levels ever Drakelow is considered one the premier sites in the county for the species. Gadwall has also seen significant numbers recently 165 in Jan 2005 was a county record. Occasional Long-eared Owls have been found roosting, but the last of these in 2003 was, unfortunately, a corpse. Another typical lowland winter owl, the Short-eared has been seen in 13 years between 1974 and 2004 in all months between September and May. Two typical winter passerines to the coast have found their way to Drakelow too; Snow Bunting in 1968, '74, '88 and '89, and Twite in nine different years between 1969 and 2001. Another typical lowland winter passerine, the Stonechat still finds the old fly-ash lagoons to its' liking and one or two will often stay the whole winter in the area.
The rarer grebes have also occurred but nearly all have been seen on the river.
PASSAGE MIGRANTS and VAGRANTS
Due to its geographical position, situation in a loop of the River Trent, and on a main migration route for many birds through the English Midlands, Drakelow has received a wide variety of passage migrants, not only birds in spring and autumn, but also overshooting birds in high summer.
Of two Manx Shearwaters, one was actually flying through strongly to the west in September 1989. A Great White Egret in August 2003 was Derbyshire's second record. Two Spoonbills in August 1980 spent five minutes circling the Reserve. Common Scoters have been recorded on five occasions, including a male in July 1967, and five birds together on the Main Pool in April 1990.
Passage birds of prey have included Osprey in at least five years, Marsh Harrier in six years, and Goshawk in four years. Merlin is always a possibility any time from August right through until April.
A Corncrake was flushed in May 1970, and Spotted Crake has graced the Reserve in five different years. Drakelow's records of Spotted Crake represent 56% of all Derbyshire records of this species.
The days of Drakelow attracting the rarer waders are now a distant memory due to habitat loss. But there are still a few that make an appearance; Greenshank was well represented during 2007, along with Oystercatcher which is still quite regular in spring. Other notable records recently have been Black-tailed Godwit, Spotted Redshank, LRP, Ringed Plover and Golden Plover. In the past there have been Avocet, Turnstone, Temminck's Stint, Little Stint, Curlew Sandpiper, Wood Sandpiper, Pectoral Sandpiper and regular Ruff up until the last one in 2000.
Arctic, Pomarine and Long-tailed Skua have all been recorded, and among the Gulls and Terns the most notable have been Mediterranean Gull, Little Gull, Iceland Gull, Glaucous Gull, Little Tern, numerous Black Terns, Sandwich Tern, Roseate Tern, Derbyshire's second Caspian Tern in Oct 1976 and Derbyshire's only Gull-billed Tern, in June 1995.
Really unusual finds among the passerines have been a Nightjar, which was put out of the poplar plantation by the car park in Jun 1995, Hoopoes in 1975 and 1978, Wrynecks in 1981 and 1989, a Dipper flying along the River Trent in August 1974, Nightingales singing in 1984, '93 and '99. Derbyshire's first Savi's Warbler spent a month singing from a single hawthorn bush in May/Jun 1987, and a Cetti's Warbler in Minton's Lagoon was also the first county record. Firecrests have been found on three occasions, and Golden Orioles have sung on the Reserve in Jun 1999 and again in May 2002
Present day regular migrants include Wheatear and Whinchat, but in far fewer numbers than in previous years. Common Terns pass along the river, mainly moving between nesting and feeding areas. In a good autumn we may expect Spotted Flycatcher and Redstart, whilst the odd Greenshank still makes an appearance. Little Egrets have also become more regular to the area and a new county record was set in Aug 2007 when 11 were seen among the roosting Cormorants; surely, a future breeding species.
In short, anything can turn up in spring and autumn, and with ongoing work by the DWT to improve habitats and viewing conditions, we can expect more surprises during these periods of the year.
RESIDENTS
Perhaps the bird that has come to symbolise Drakelow most recently is the Cormorant, with now around 100 nesting pairs annually, and a new county record of 423 in Oct 2007. Regular observations of the roosting birds have revealing ringed birds which have originated from Holland, Denmark, Scotland and others from colonies in England.
Buzzards can be seen in the area and, a new site record was set in September 2007 when 15 were circling over the Reserve. Sparrowhawk and Kestrel are also found throughout the year, but it remains to be seen whether the former resident Peregrines of the old power station wait around to see if there are similar nesting opportunities on the new station, the building of which begins in spring 2008. Water Rail has bred recently, but unfortunately the optimum habitat for them is unsuitable for viewing during the breeding season. Other species regularly recorded throughout the year at Drakelow are Kingfisher, Green and Great Spotted Woodpecker, Willow Tit and Reed Bunting.
Recently the Reserve has hosted impressive numbers of roosting Magpies, 107 in Feb 2008.
But it is the Warblers that make Drakelow such a superb place to be in summer. Grasshopper Warblers can sometimes be heard reeling from mid April, but more regular are Reed and Sedge Warbler, Blackcap, Garden Warbler, Whitethroat, Lesser Whitethroat, Chiffchaff and Willow Warbler. Wood Warbler has also been recorded in 12 different years between 1972 and 2002.
OTHER WILDLIFE
As well as the birds there is a wealth of other wildlife to found during the year, butterflies are well represented, with recent records of Marbled White, Brown Argos, Essex Skipper, along with the commoner species, such as Orange Tip, Gatekeeper, Speckled Wood, Clouded Yellow, Brimstone, Comma and Painted Lady. Purple Hairstreak has also been recorded.
Dragonflies and damselflies abound in summer with Four-spotted and Broad-bodied Chasers, Black-tailed Skimmer, Ruddy Darter and, recently, Black Darter, as well as Emerald, Azure and Red-eyed damselflies.
Of the Mammals, there is always Fox around, as well as Brown Hare, Badger, Muntjac, Field Mouse, Water Vole and occasional Mink. Otter has been recorded on a couple of occasions and an Otter holt has been created in the North Pool. Keep an eye out for the Terrapin. It has been with us for at least 12 years since it was about four inches in diameter. Now it is around 12-13 inches in diameter. It was last seen from the Glass-fronted Hide during the summer floods of 2007.
And then there is the flora of the site, species too numerous to mention but includes at least two species of orchid. All this, along with the moths and other insects, including a recently discovered species of bush-cricket, make the area of Drakelow Nature Reserve and its immediate environs a fascinating site within the Derbyshire scene.
Click this link for Drakelow NR bird news
DOS Verdict
It is heartening to see one of the best sites in the County being properly managed and with an assured future.
Thanks to "Syd" Garton for the details and photographs
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