The end of summer is when Britain’s birds are on the move: migrant species leave our shores for Africa, while birds that have bred in the Arctic come here either to stay or to rest before flying on to warmer climes. There are hundreds of birdwatching havens across the country, from RSPB sanctuaries to wetland reserves. The times to visit are dawn and dusk, when the birds are feeding.

SNETTISHAM, near King’s Lynn, Norfolk

Best for Hundreds of wading birds, such as oystercatchers, knots, dunlins and godwits, can be seen at this RSPB reserve on the Wash. They come in to feed on the mud flats and at high tide the spectacle of so many flocking together can be astonishing. There are four hides for observation, and the reserve is open 24 hours a day. It is best to visit around the full moon on September 18, when the tide will be highest. Visitors later in the year can catch the spectacle of thousands of pink-footed geese commuting between their roost on the Wash and farmlands where they feed on the remains of the sugar-beet harvest.

Facilities Car park and trails to hides.

Cost Free. Tide tables, priced 50p, can be bought at the office.

Contact 01485 542689



MINSMERE, near Westleton, Suffolk

Best for Waders, ducks and geese congregate to feed in the pools and reed beds at Minsmere. This is the RSPB’s most visited reserve, with a fully-fledged visitor centre, nature trails and hides. The avocet, which is the bird on the RSPB symbol, breeds at Minsmere and will still be around before flying south in October. Summer visitors, meanwhile, can spot marsh harriers and bitterns.

Facilities Tearoom, nature trails, hides, car park, and an events programme for children and trainee twitchers.

Cost Adults £5, children £1.50

Contact 01728 648281



LOCH OF STRATHBEG, near Crimond, Aberdeenshire

Best for Vast numbers of pink-footed geese start to arrive here from the Arctic towards the end of September; 20 per cent of the world’s total population, according to the RSPB. They are joined by tens of thousands of lapwings, whooper swans and barnacle geese that gather in visually breathtaking flocks on the shores of the loch and its islands. Otters can also be spotted all year round by canny visitors.

Facilities Visitor centre observation room, hides, guided walks, open days.

Cost Adults £1.50, children 50p

Contact 01346 532017





LONDON WETLAND CENTRE, Queen Elizabeth’s Walk, London SW13

Best for Ducks, geese, swans and wading birds can be seen at this urban reserve run by the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust. It is a great chunk of habitat, with more than 40 hectares of specially created wetlands teeming with wildlife. A maze of paths between ponds and lakes lets you get nose-to-beak with some of the species, including birds that gather here in their thousands before flying south for winter. The centre also harbours a thriving population of water voles, Britain’s most rapidly declining mammal.

Facilities Restaurant, free guided tours and bird feeds, children’s activities, shop.

Cost Adults £6.50, children £4

Contact 020-8409 4400

RADIPOLE LAKE, Weymouth, Dorset

Best for At this time of year, swallows and housemartins will be gathering at this nature reserve. After breeding in nearby towns and cities, they congregate to feed in the reed beds and flood meadows before flying off to Africa. At any time of year, twitchers can try to spot the shy Cetti’s warbler, which is nesting in increasing numbers on these shores because of climate change.

Facilities Visitor centre, hides.

Cost Adults £2.50, children 50p

Contact 01305 778313


BLACKTOFT SANDS, Ousefleet, East Riding of Yorkshire

Best for Migrating birds such as ducks, wading birds, swallows and housemartins all make flying visits to this sandless nature reserve on the estuary of the River Trent at this time of year. The tidal reed beds, saltmarsh, mudflats and brackish lagoons are also home to a wide variety of other rare birds — including bearded tits, marsh harriers and avocets.

Facilities Nature trails, hides, guided walks, picnic area.

Cost Adults £3, children £1

Contact 01405 704665



Need to know

National Wetlands Centre Wales, Llanelli Centre, Penclacwydd, Llwynhendy, Llanelli (01554 741087). Little egrets, wading birds, kingfishers and grey herons pay flying visits to the centre’s colony of Caribbean flamingos.

The Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust, Slimbridge, Gloucestershire (0870 3344000). Set up in 1961 for the ducks and geese of the Severn Estuary.

RSPB Morecambe Bay Nature Reserve, near Morecambe, Lancashire (01524 701601). Wading birds and wildfowl come to feed on the reserve’s sandflats and saltmarshes.

RSPB Dungeness Nature Reserve, near Lydd, Kent (01797 320588). This shingle bank has one of the South-East’s most important breeding colonies of gulls and terns.

RSPB Arne Nature Reserve, Dorset (01929 553360). Heathland wildlife, including Dartford warblers and nightjars, cohabit with adders, grass snakes, sand lizards and slow worms.

For a full list of the RSPB’s reserves, visit www.rspb.org.uk

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