Dogsthorpe Star Pit
by Brian Stone
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PBC Where to Watch Birds Dogsthorpe Star Pit by Brian Stone |
| Sightings for past week: | All sightings | Excluding Common | Rare & Scarce |
| Sightings for past month: | All sightings | Excluding Common | Rare & Scarce |
| Sightings for past year: | All sightings | Excluding Common | Rare & Scarce |
This is another of the former brickworks sites in the area and is, perhaps understandably, a little overlooked as it is not so extensive nor pretty as the more popular Fletton and Orton works. Nonetheless it is very close to parts of the City, at least for some of the year it is packed with birds and it has some impressive species to its credit. Star Pit is a Site of Special Scientific Interest due to the rare plants and insects more commonly associated with coastal areas so it is appropriate that seabirds provide the main bird interest. The site is now owned and managed by the Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Northamptonshire and Peterborough.
The site is divided into two by the main A47 road as it heads for Soke Parkway just west of Eye. On the south side of the road is the large rubbish tip. On the north side there is a deep pit, partially flooded to produce a lake at the east end, reeded shallows in the middle and hawthorne scrub at the west end. This area was formerly heavily used by off-road motorcycles but the wildlife trust have had barriers erected and the area is now relatively undisturbed.
The gulls are without doubt the site's major attraction for birders. As the flock can exceed 5,000 birds in the winter it is worth a look for this sight alone. With so many birds present, scarce and rare birds can easily be attracted. The best of these is undoubtedly the area's second Sabine's Gull on 13 September 1998. Kittiwake, Mediterranean and Glaucous Gull have also been recorded in recent years. Yellow-legged Gulls (Larus argentatus michahellis) are the Mediterranean form of our familiar Herring Gull and are treated as a full species by some authorities. They are proving to be regular visitors, especially in the autumn when their dark backs and white heads can make the adults easier to pick out.
The gulls are easiest to see when they are bathing and loafing on the lake. During very cold weather there can be quite a queue to use the small areas of water that remain ice-free. They can also be easy to see on the landscaped southern banks of the tip and the nearby fields.
Apart from the gulls there is little to recommend the tip itself. If you are really keen the large Jackdaw flock that builds up in the winter has held an example of the north-eastern race, which sports a paler silvery-grey neck. Starling flocks can get large and there are usually small flocks of Pied Wagtail and Meadow Pipit about. Sparrowhawk and Kestrel are regular and there has even been a Marsh Harrier reported.
The lake does support a wider range of species. The duck can be interesting. Goldeneye are regular and Smew occur occasionally. Pochard have summered and with less disturbance now breeding must be likely if they haven't already tried. Litte Grebe also breed and can occur in reasonable numbers. Most of the edges of the water are either steep or reeded but there are a few small beaches and the odd muddy fringe to attract waders and even Curlew Sandpiper has occured here.
Finally there is an extensive scrub belt surrounding the pit. This holds good numbers of our regular passerines including Marsh Tit. The best area is along the northern edge where Long-eared Owl have been reported roosting.
The Wildlife Trust eventually intends to open Star Pit to the public. In the meantime they are not encouraging visitors and in any case most birds are best viewed from the perimiter. It is best to park in Hodney Road North and walk back to view the pit from its eastern and southern edges. Turn north towards Newborough from the A47 at the roundabout just east of the tip and take the first right. There is also limited parking at the bend at the north east corner of the pit. From here you can walk along the old road towards Peterborough behind the scrub on the north side.
To view the southern side of the tip you can pull in at the entrance to the British Rail Sports Club along the road between Eye and the roundabout where Paston Parkway meets Frank Perkins Parkway. Note that, at the time of writing, there is a planning application for a service area at this spot.
The 36, 307, 305 (Sat) and X94 (Sun) buses run from the Queensgate to Eye. Star Pit can be reached by walking along Hodney Road from the mini roundabout next to the Toscanini restaurant. Cross the footbridge over the A47 bypass, continue along Hodney Road and then left towards the pit.
Map of the area