Introducing Polemere Nature Reserve
Location
Click here to see a map showing the location of the pool and the surrounding area.
History
Glacial ice 1km thick covered this area 11 or 12 thousand years ago. As the glaciers moved away they left behind gently sloping hills and hollows. A hollow became lined with clay and has held water ever since – as Polemere. The natural cycle is now for the pool to fill in winter and for levels to fall during summer.
Heaths covered this landscape from the Stone Age (about 5,000 years ago) until agriculture and food production took over from the 19th century. During the 20th century Polemere became known for its numerous wintering waterfowl, mainly ducks and geese. Today these can number hundreds and rare birds may also be seen.
Recent developments
Major re-profiling of the lake was carried out by the Environment Agency in 2006 and some of the vegetation was cleared away from the waterside. In the summer of 2007 a small car park was built and a bird watching hide erected close the the waters edge.
To control the colonisation of the lake margins by willow and alder trees Highland cattle will graze the site, outside the breeding season.
Visiting arrangements
The landowner, Tudor Bebb, welcomes you to Polemere. Look at the log book in the hide to find out what birds have been seen here recently and add your own sightings. Recent bird news for the county can be found at www.shropshirebirds.com - click on the ‘Recent Bird Reports'.
Please note that there is no access past the hide around the lake and that school groups occasionally occupy the hide and lakeside.
What might you see?
Winter is possibly the best time at Polemere, especially when bad weather forces ducks and geese to gather together at lakes like Polemere. Regular visitors in good numbers are Wigeon, Teal and Mallard and many others occur at times. Some feed on seeds blown to the water’s edge, some dive for whatever they can find while others come for fish. Winter is a good time to look out for mammals – foxes may be seen and one day an otter will too.
Watch out during the spring and autumn migration times when all sorts of birds can turn up! Whinchat or Wheatear might be sitting on fence posts, a sandpiper might lurk along the water’s edge or an Osprey might try to catch a fish – the more often you visit the more likely you are to see something unusual.
Summer is the time for resident birds and some summer visitors to settle and nest at Polemere. Besides the usual common breeding water birds we have planted a Phragmites reed bed which should, in time, attract Reed and Sedge Warblers. We hope to add a shingle bank to attract Little Ringed Plovers to nest along with a scrape to encourage Lapwings to breed.
Where to stay (coming soon)