Warwickshire has a village graphically in the centre of the UK and while the furthest place from any coastline is apparently in Derbyshire you are probably beginning to understand what this means for birds.
The north and middle of the County includes reservoirs, rivers, large road networks and old gravel pits whereas the south has just the Avon meandering through the countryside and the highest point in Warwickshire that commands great views. It is safe to say with their large bodies of waters that the north and centre attract most of the birds. Well known places such as WKWT Brandon Marsh, Draycote Water, Napton Reservoir and Earlswood Lakes are worth a visit and all are about a 30 minute drive from Warwick. WKWT owns many smaller reserves around the County with a few not that far from Warwick itself but membership is required for access to the car parks. There are also some very good private sites owned by the West Midlands Bird Club in the Midlands area and also within 45-60 minutes drive away are RSPB Middleton Lakes and Upton Warren but these all require membership for access.
In the south of the County unfortunately there are no reserves at all or any decent bodies of water. The former site of Salford Priors Gravel Pits has two areas of water (on private land) but since gravel extractions have ceased and the near locality has been turned back to agriculture the pits are a shadow of their former past Hampton Wood owned by WKWT is about 3 miles from Warwick and while you need to be a member for onsite parking, parking can be found on the road in one of the laybys and access through the side of the gate. The wood has all the usual woodland species including Marsh Tit and a mini wetland habitat adjacent to the river but it is advisable to time a visit accordingly as the site does attract dog walkers thus creating disturbance.
If you want to refer to daily sightings collectively from anywhere in Warwickshire then you will need some time to browse through the myriad of personal blogs for the district, as Warwickshire (unlike most surrounding Counties) does not have a collective sightings website.
If you don't wish to leave Warwick town centre at all but wish to bird locally then please refer to our Birdwatching Site in the Warwick 100 Area page. The Racecourse is the most easily reached site from the centre of town with Kingfisher Pools (at St Nicholas Park) about a 10-15 minute walk away. The Racecourse is an important local area for breeding Skylarks and Meadow Pipits and is currently being enhanced to increase biodiversity with a winter seed crop and newly excavated scrapes, development of the reservoir and extra planting. Kingfisher Pools and the river nearby is also managed carefully to ensure protection of different habitats. Due to their locations, early morning visits are encouraged to avoid many dog walkers, cyclists, walkers and joggers who use both sites. However, early morning visits to both sites can be fairly rewarding during migration with the possibility of Wheatear, Stonechat, Whinchat, Redstart and Spotted Flycatcher.
