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How to get there
Overview
Situated about four miles west of Calver at around 320 m asl, Middleton Moor lagoon is formed by water used as part of the fluorspar extraction process at nearby Cavendish Mill. The site is one of the few areas of standing water on the limestone plateau, and so attracts migrants as well as water birds. PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS IS A WORKING INDUSTRIAL SITE, AND THE LAGOONS THEMSELVES ARE DANGEROUS; DO NOT VENTURE INSIDE PERIMETER FENCES. Likely species
The site is best visited in spring and autumn. Park just off the metalled road surface on the minor road from Wardlow to Longstone Edge at SK 193745. Walk east a short way along the rough track, and the lagoon appears in the hollow below. Where the track turns sharp left after a short distance, you have a choice: go over the stile to the right and follow the fence line around, over a further stile and on towards a shelter belt on the left. There is a further small stile here, giving access to a hide. The main lagoon always has water, and the two drier areas you pass can contain water (and birds!) depending on pumping operations.
Alternatively, you can keep on the track at the sharp left turn and follow it around until the shelter belt ends, giving views over the main lagoon to your right.
Late February sees Curlew returning to the uplands using the site to roost; there are usually a few around, and in the evenings numbers can exceed 50. Pintail has also been recorded, with Whooper Swans seen on a few occasions. Parties of Wigeon are reasonably regular, and Common Gulls often use the site. Common Buzzards are also evident at this time.
April sees a trickle of waders pass through; parties of Dunlin and Ringed Plover can be grounded, as well as occasional Redshank, Common Sandpiper, and Oystercatcher. The site is also good for parties of Fieldfare lingering into late April. Into May, and the Black-headed Gull colony will be becoming particularly noisy; the species breeds here, with success dependent on water levels. May is the best month for summer plumage waders, although the site is not as attractive to them as in earlier years. Whimbrel and Sanderling are seen most years, but do not usually linger. The fields near the track can be good for Wheatear, with the Greenland subspecies seen in some years. June can be quiet, although Quail have been heard in some years. This is the time when the gull roost starts to build. Numbers peak in late July-early August with around 200 Black-headed, and 1000 Lesser-black backed Gulls. A gathering of this size inevitably attracts other species. Yellow-legged Gull is seen each year, with at least two Caspian Gulls in recent years, and two Mediterranean Gulls in 2009.
As autumn progresses, return wader passage can bring Greenshank, and rarer species such as Little Stint and Grey Plover have been recorded. Small parties of Wigeon and Shoveler are often seen in September. Late October and early November see large numbers of Pink-footed Geese pass over, with occasional stragglers putting down. Finally, November sees Starlings build up to roost, with numbers in winter 2009 approaching 20000.
Click here for recent site records.
Ron Blagden
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