Lytchett Fields
Lytchett MinsterOpenSee opening timesPull on your wellies and come for a romp around a beautiful wetland reserve in Poole Harbour. From Marsh Harriers to Black-tailed Godwits, there's plenty to see at this ever-changing landscape.
About
Lytchett Fields is a fantastic wetland site for wildlife in Dorset. Featuring a series of protected pools with islands for roosting birds, we've seen up to thirty species of wader since the reserve's creation in 2013.
Our regulars include Black-tailed Godwits, Redshanks, Dunlins, Greenshanks, Lapwings and Snipes. Look for Green Sandpipers as they head skywards, making plenty of noise and showing off their white tails. During Autumn, Marsh Harriers and Peregrines visit the reserve daily, creating panic among the large numbers of waders and waterfowl – a great spectacle. And over winter, you might just catch a glimpse of a rare Water Pipit.
Alongside the pools, the reserve features a number of fields – one planted with crops for wildlife. Some include reedbeds but the majority are wet tidal mud and grassland. The harbour floods the site on each tide, creating a food-rich marsh unlike anything else in Dorset. Because of this, wellies are very much recommended.
At a glance
Contact Lytchett Fields
arne@rspb.org.uk Lytchett Fields, Poole, Dorset, BH16 5NB 01929 553360