Hodbarrow RSPB Reserve

Hodbarrow RSPB Reserve is a nature reserve on the edge of the Lake District National Park in Cumbria, England. It is on the Duddon Estuary near the town of Millom.

History

The nature reserve is in the care of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, but it occupies a site where iron ore was mined until the 1960s. The mining caused subsidence, leading to flooding since the closure of the mine, as the site is no longer dewatered. The reserve continues to be protected from the sea by a seawall completed in 1905.[1] Most of the area of the reserve is taken up by Hodbarrow Lagoon, a flooded part of the former mine, which is described as a "coastal lagoon".[2]

Facilities

There is a bird hide on the seawall which gives views of the lagoon.

Wildlife

The lagoon is part of the Duddon Estuary Site of Special Scientific Interest.[3] Hodbarrow is renowned for large numbers of wildfowl during the winter, especially teal, widgeon, coot, mallard, tufted duck, common pochard, goldeneye, red-breasted merganser, and occasionally long-tailed duck, eider, goosander, pintail and shoveller.

References

  1. ↑ Hodbarrow Sea Defences
  2. ↑ Hodbarrow. RSPB
  3. ↑ "Duddon Estuary, Cumbria" (PDF). Natural England. Retrieved 17 August 2015.

External links

Coordinates: 54°11′59″N 3°15′54″W / 54.1998°N 3.2651°W / 54.1998; -3.2651


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