Feathered visitors

Grange Top quarry provides a great opportunity for birdwatching, with safe access provided via the existing public rights of way.

The site is home to year-round residents such as dunnock and snipe, as well as others, like the little ringed plover, that fly thousands of miles to visit during the spring and summer months.

“All of our bird species have fascinating stories to tell,” says Ecologist Par Waring. “Some are with us year-round, hunkered down in rushy margins around pool edges. Snipe, which are perfectly camouflaged, dip their beaks deep into wet ground as they feel for worms.

“Little ringed plovers are only with us for a few months as they spend the rest of the year in the Mediterranean and Africa, making an interesting link between a small part of the UK and places close to the equator.”