Orton Brick Pit
by George Walthew
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PBC Where to Watch Birds Orton Brick Pit by George Walthew |
| 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 |
The Orton Pit is the largest of the remaining clay pits of what was formerly a huge area of workings south of Fletton. Most of these old workings have since been filled in and those immediately south of Fletton have been reclaimed as agricultural land while the area south of Orton is currently being developed as the 'Hampton Township'.
It is a large pit and has the largest area of open water south of Peterborough. For this reason, and the fact that it remains relatively undisturbed, it holds good numbers of waterfowl in the winter months and is always a good site for looking for the rarer species. Like all such water bodies it is best when hard weather drives rare grebes and ducks inland. The pit is also home to a roost of gulls and the birds gather at the eastern end in the late afternoon to roost overnight and can still be seen there at dawn. As well as a huge number of Black-headed Gulls there are also Common, Herring, Lesser Black-backed and Great Black-backed Gulls. It is also a place where rarer gulls such as Mediterranean, Glaucous and Iceland Gull might turn up and should be looked for in the late afternoon when the gulls fly in to roost.
Besides the ducks, coots, grebes and gulls, Kingfisher and Grey Herons also frequent the area and a large flock of Greylag Geese can also be seen but keep your eyes open for the feral Barnacle Geese which accompany this flock! Water Rails inhabit the fringing reed beds but are more often heard than seen.
In summer Great Crested and Little Grebes breed in the reed beds along with Moorhen, Coot, and Tufted Duck. At the western end of the pits is an area of "ridge-and-furrow" which can be good for passage Whinchat and Grasshopper Warbler and attracted a migrant Tree Pipit in autumn 2002. The hedge beside the footpath which runs along the southern shore has many dead trees and is always a good place to see at least one, and often two or more, Green Woodpeckers. Great Spotted Woodpeckers have also been seen there at times. The hedge also hold thrushes in winter and tit flocks with Goldcrest and warblers also frequent it.
Scarce and rare birds have included Shag, Bittern, Iceland Gull, Long-tailed Duck and Black-necked Grebe 
The pit is easily accessed from the London Road (A15) which runs south from Peterborough to Yaxley and Norman Cross. You can either get onto the road by driving south from the town centre or by leaving the parkway at the junction at the southern end of the Nene Parkway where it joins Fletton Parkway. Follow signs to Hampton and then Yaxley. Just over a mile south along London Road the road has a set of traffic lights and a right turn into Hampton Vale. Turn right here and take the first left turn just before the new housing. Just where this road turns sharply right, and before the yellow barrier, park in front of the large concrete blocks where the cycleway joins the road. Walk past the barrier and shortly you will see a cycleway sign on your left where the road bends right. The gravel cycleway follows the southern shore of the pits from which a good view of the open water can be obtained.
