Things to see & do > Bird watching
More things to see and do in and around Weymouth
Radipole Lake RSPB Nature Reserve
Radipole Lake nature reserve is located in the centre of Weymouth less than 10 minutes walk from our B&B and is considered to be one of the most important areas for migrating birds on the whole of the south coast of England. It was declared a bird sanctuary in 1929 and has been managed by the RSPB since 1976. It is also designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest. The reedbeds at Radipole Lake are now home to many rare birds, including Cetti's warblers, bearded tits and bitterns.
The entrance & visitor centre at Radipole
What to see in Spring
- Migrant birds from Europe and Africa setting up territories and building nests
- Brimstone butterflies feeding on buckthorn
- Chattering song of hundreds of warblers in the reeds
- Blossom in the hedges along the paths
View across Radipole RSPB Reserve from the Buddleia Loop
What to see in Summer
- Emperor and migrant hawker dragonflies hovering over the reedbeds
- Marsh orchids and other wild flowers in the meadows
- Little and great crested grebe chicks by the visitor centre
- Flocks of swallows and martins feeding over the lagoons
What to see in Autumn
- Thousands of starlings roosting in the reedbeds
- Bearded tit flocks feeding on reed seeds
- Kingfishers on posts outside the visitor centre
- Wrynecks along the reserve paths
What to see in Winter
- Large flocks of pochards and scaups on the open water
- Overwintering bitterns in the reeds
- Water rails and snipe along the edges of the reedbeds
- Roosting little egrets at the North Hide
Lodmoor RSPB Nature Reserve
Located just east of Weymouth about 20 minutes walk from our B&B, Lodmoor contains a mixture of habitats including reedbeds, open water, wet grassland and saltmarsh. The reserve provides a safe refuge for large numbers of ducks and plovers during the winter and its saltmarsh areas attract rare and unusual wading birds from Europe and further afield. It is designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest.
Sunset over Lodmoor RSPB Nature Reserve
What to see in Spring
- Swallows and martins, newly arrived from Africa, feeding over the reeds
- Wading birds such as the little ringed plover passing through
- Speckled wood butterflies along the hedgerows
- Early spring flowers along the paths
What to see in Summer
- Common terns diving for fish
- Sedge warblers calling from the scrub
- Broods of young ducks, including gadwalls, shelducks and shovellers, on the open water
- Hundreds of swallows, martins and wagtails flying in for food
What to see in Autumn
- Arrival of unusual wading birds from Europe and Africa
- Wood and green sandpipers on the saltmarsh
- Water pipits at Overcombe
- Visiting rarer herons
What to see in Winter
- Large flocks of lapwings and golden plovers
- A variety of ducks, including widgeons, feeding on the saltmarsh
- Little egrets feeding in the ditches
- Birds of prey such as peregrines hunting over the reserve
