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Nearest
town: Morecambe
Grid reference: SD 407 601, Landranger 97 & 102,
Explorer 296 Heysham
Nature Reserve consists of a wide variety of habitats including open water, reedbed,
marsh, Gorse and Hawthorn scrub, acid and neutral grasslands, heath and tree and
shrub plantations. The
variety of habitats has produced a great variety of flowering plants: 215 species
recorded including Bee Orchid and Yellow-wort. These in turn produce the number
and variety of butterflies and day-flying moths which are such a feature of the
reserve in summer. The 21 species of butterflies include some local or uncommon
ones such as Small Skipper, Grayling and Small Copper. Butterfly numbers - especially
Common Blue - can be spectacular. Over 200 species of moths have been recorded. The
reserve is also important for its dragonflies and damselflies: 14 species occur,
including less common species such as Ruddy Darter, Emerald Damselfly and Emperor
Dragonfly. Large
numbers of migrant birds occur on the reserve in certain types of weather conditions,
usually east or southeast winds with poor visibility. The number of migrants is
certainly enhanced by the 'lighthouse' effect produced by the power station's
many floodlights. The most obvious 'falls' are of thrush species in October and
Willow Warblers during the last two weeks of April and the first week of May:
migration and ringing studies are carried out, especially at these times. Common
bird censuses are undertaken to record the breeding birds, including Moorhen,
Meadow Pipit, Sedge Warbler, Lesser Whitethroat, Chiffchaff, Greenfinch, Linnet,
Grasshopper Warbler, Reed Warbler, Whitethroat and Willow Warbler, which reflect
the range of habitats found at Heysham. Water Rails, Snipe and Woodcock overwinter
here. Several
rare species have occurred, notably Wryneck (2000), Night Heron (1990), Bee-eater
(1984), Serin (1990), Woodchat Shrike (1989), and at least 10 Yellow-browed Warblers
from Siberia.
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