A wildlife-rich mosaic of habitats with free parking and a Visitor Centre just off the A1
Returning ducks Many of the ducks at Paxton Pits leave us in the Spring to breed in Northern Britain or Scandinavia. By October, they have returned to spend the winter in our milder climate and you will see far more on the reserve than in the summer months. The wigeon is one of the more… Read More
Departing swallows and house martins The swifts and cuckoos have gone, and this month you will see swallows and house martins gathering on wires, also getting ready to depart. They have to leave before their food supply disappears; they only eat flying insects and there are very few of those around in the winter months.… Read More
Red Admiral This is one of our commonest and most familiar butterflies, but it has an interesting life cycle. If you see one in August, it might well have hatched at Paxton, from an egg laid on a stinging nettle, but its parents were almost certainly immigrants. Thousands fly over the Channel every Spring from… Read More
Emperor dragonflies Throughout July, our largest dragonfly, the Emperor, can be seen speeding over the gravel pits, especially Hayling Lake and Rudd Lake. It’s very territorial, chasing off other dragonflies of all species. It is also a superb hunter, catching a range of insect prey which it often consumes in flight. Because it flies so… Read More
Swifts The swift is one of the last summer visitors to arrive, and one of the first to leave, but you will be able to see it around Paxton Pits until August. It is a superb flyer, probably the fastest bird of all in level flight, and small groups often fly around houses, making a… Read More
