Lee Green is a small area of water situated on the back road between Haggate and Worsthorne below the larger Swinden Reservoir. This site`s importance seems to lie in its unique combination of deep and shallow water, (with mud exposed from time to time) and a mixture of reedbed willow, alder and sedge cover. Add to this the surrounding farmland and gardens, lack of disturbance and the fact that this combination of features which rarely occurs at this altitude is adjacent to moorland and what appears to be a migration route.
These conditions make the site attractive to a wide range of species and seems to add support to other local environments, therefore its protection must surely be considered to be of prime importance. Over the past decade at least 115 species have been recorded, apparently taking advantage of its situation and facilities either for breeding purposes or as a staging post during migration. It is important therefore, not only locally, but has an effect on the migration of birds over a wider area, proving a busy wintering refuge for many species.
The area is covered by a small but regular band of local birders who have found a large degree of perseverance is often required.
The reservoir is surrounded by a wall and is best viewed from the path running along the southern side and the dam. In past years concern was expressed by the Water board on the condition of this dam which led to significant lowering of the water level allowing the top end to dry out quickly.
The continuing silting and encroachment of the reed beds at the waters edge has led to the area of dry land to steadily increase and therefore improve the habitat for breeding and passage warblers. Late summer finches and Roe Deer sighting are also not uncommon in this area.
The presence of the wall has helped to minimise disturbance in the old reservoir basin but can cause observers to be silhouetted and easily spotted by ducks and occasional waders, the main advantage of the wall however is it offers good point to lean on along the reservoir length.
As a walk, the path along the Reservoir is relatively short but can easily be incorporated into walks through Hagg Wood to Heasandford and Rowley or on to the higher moorlands and moorland fringe of Swindon, Extwistle moor or the wooded valley at Thursden.
Birds
This list attempts to show the status of birds at Lee Green reservoir over the last decade, some of the rarer passage birds may have only been recorded on one occasion whilst many species are present on a daily basis. The records have been compiled by Malcolm Higgins and birdwatchers who observe the area on a very regular basis. Reference was also made to East Lancashire Ornithologists Club’s annual bird reports for the period covered.
Little Grebe: Up to a maximum of 12 birds begin to build up from late June, often including well grown juvenile birds, and regularly overwinter here. 2 pairs attempting breeding in 2003, one pair were successful after 2 abortive attempts and produced 1 young bird. The other pair had 3 unsuccesful attempts
Gt. Crested Grebe: Occasional visitor, with one record of a single non-breeding bird spending a whole of 2000 here.
Cormorant: Winter birds recorded flying over, autumn record 1996 of 3, 1st winter birds, present overnight following strong easterly and heavy rain. 1 juvenile present Dec 11 & 12th 2002
Grey Heron: A regular haunt of non breeding and immature birds, Herons are present daily with up to 4 having been recorded at times.
Mute Swan: An occasional visitor most years. on one occasion a family group stayed many weeks. At least one recorded breeding attempt, probably predated.
Whooper Swan: A rare visitor when on passage involving fly over birds.
Pink-footed Goose: Late winter records of flyovers to N.W. February and March 2000.
Canada Goose: Brief visits from local populations have been recorded sporadically.
Wigeon: Annually appears in the winter time and stays for varying periods of time, regular but not numerous.
Teal: Uncommon visitor has been recorded in both winter and summer periods
Egyptian Goose: 1 unringed bird seen April 2000, probable escapee.
Mallard: Present most of the year with several breeding records 2-3 broods per year, heavily predated. Numbers vary, peaking in the 20`s.
Pintail: Rare visitor and passage migrant
Pochard: Regular but not numerous winter resident, usually prefer nearby water at Walverden and only visiting Lee Green when disturbed.
Scaup: Single record of overnight stay in 2000.
Common Scoter: Single record of a male staying for 12th to16th August 2002.
Shoveler: A single eclipse male present on August 25, 2003
Tufted Duck: Small resident group moving between local waters of Rowley, Coldwell and Walverden , with records of breeding in 2000 and 2001. The numbers can increase during migration periods.
Goldeneye: Fairly common winter visitor and passage migrant. but prefer Walverden Reservoir in general , One exceptional record of a probably injured bird male staying for almost a full year, (2000?)
Goosander: An annual but not common Autumn and Winter visitor , up to 10 recorded at any one time (1994)
Buzzard: Infrequent visitor, seen increasingly during 2000-2001 and since.
Marsh Harrier: A single bird seen flying over in 2000
Hen Harrier: Adult male flying North October 2003
Sparrowhawk: A daily visitor as it uses the area for hunting. Well established in the area.
Merlin: Occasional visitor on passage to and from breeding sites. Recorded in both Spring and Autumn as birds move between breeding and wintering areas
Kestrel : Seen on a daily basis , breeds locally.
Peregrine Falcon: Seen fairly regularly hunting in the vicinity, more usually in the winter.
Grey Partridge: Previously recorded feeding in fields below Extwistle. However no sightings in last 3 years
Water Rail: Winter visitor, secretive but now regular with upto 3 birds recorded in recent winters. Birds begin to be picked up mid to late September until March, best times of viewing are late afternoon when birds are more vocal and times of low water. A sighting of a juvenile bird in August 1999 did suggest possible breeding of this very shy bird.
Spotted Crake: One record of a passage migrant in September 1996, stayed for several days
Moorhen: Resident group, breed annually typically 2 pairs. Numbers fluctuate with peak count of 14 birds seen November 2002
Coot: Occasional visitor. Has attempted breeding in past but had been unsuccesful due to varying water levels and predation A pair last attempted breeding in 2003
Oystercatcher: Springtime passage visitor most years, usually one or two pairs.Possibly bred at Hurst Well (Adjacent to Lee Green) in 2000 when up to 5 were seen, occasionally carrying food to young birds. The presence is increasing year by year
Lapwing: Seen when mud is exposed, a few pairs breed locally and feed here when conditions are favourable.
Snipe: Sporadic sightings are recorded usually during passage. Some winter sightings suggest overwintering here and at Swinden.
Curlew: Breed locally and are known to feed at the reservoir on occasion.
Redshank: Visits becoming rarer,scarce passage migrant.
Greenshank: Rare passage migrant, usually on autumn passage.
Green Sandpiper: Uncommon passage migrant, on occasion has stayed for several weeks.
Common Sandpiper: Passage migrant, has bred in the past but no longer does so.
Black Headed Gull: Very common visitor throughout the year.
Common Gull: Uncommon and irregular visitor.
Lesser Black-backed Gull: Regular visitor throughout the year, being more common in winter.
Herring Gull: Occasional winter visitor, usually in small numbers.
Gt. Black-backed Gull: Small numbers mainly in winter, usually single birds or very small groups.
Stock Dove: An increasingly common sight with up to seven birds being recorded at one time. Breeding status unconfirmed.
Woodpigeon: Common breeding bird, present all year in reasonable numbers.
Collared Dove: Common visitor, breeds nearby, present all year with increase in numbers in winter.
Cuckoo: Very rare summer visitor, becoming rarer, no records for past three years.
Little Owl: Breeds nearby & visits Lee Green to roost and feed outside breeding season. Numbers vary with up to 5 birds recorded , present in area all year. Always check roof and under rafters of large barn by Extwistle hall on sunny mornings.
Tawny Owl: Occasionally seen, resident in nearby woodland.
Swift: Common summer visitor, breeds locally, feeding over the reservoir. Large numbers of passage birds add to totals during both migrations.
Kingfisher: Regular visitor, breeds close by and uses the reservoir to fish on a daily basis throughout the year unless conditions are too harsh.
Green Woodpecker: Has bred in the area on occasions, frequent visitor particularly in summer and autumn.
Gt Spotted Woodpecker: Fairly frequent visitor,breeds downstream from reservoir.
Skylark: Summer visitor breeds in nearby fields but often feeds on reservoir site
Sand Martin: Non Breeding summer visitor and passage migrant, does not breed at this site but feeds here on a regular basis during the summer
Swallow: Very common summer visitor, breeding locally and feeding over the site. The area attracts large numbers of passage birds during spring and particularly autumn migration.
House Martin: Fairly common summer visitor, breeds at several local sites and feeds over the reservoir which attracts large numbers of passage migrants especially in the autumn.
Meadow Pipit: Common breeding bird in the area and very common passage migrant in autumn.
Tree Pipit: Irregular autumn passage migrant
Grey Wagtail: Resident breeding bird, remaining all year except for periods of exceptionally severe weather. Autumn passage migrants swell the numbers at times.
Pied Wagtail: Resident bird, breeding most years, usually overwintering on site, often roosting in reedbed.
Waxwing: Irregular winter visitor
Dipper: Regular visitor, present all year, breeds nearby and feeds in the inlet and outflow.
Wren: Very numerous breeding resident, present all year.
Dunnock: Common breeding resident, present all year.
Robin: Numerous breeding resident, larger numbers in winter possibly due to influx of migrants.
Redstart: Very uncommon passage migrant. Has bred in woodland downstream until at least 1996.
Whinchat: Small numbers of passage migrants are noted in spring and more often autumn although in latter years birds have tended to stay to high ground above the reservoir.
Stonechat: Passage migrants and occasional wintering birds are sometimes seen feeding on the broken reed and in the willows. More frequent wintering bird around Swindon Reservoirs
Wheatear: Occasional passage migrant, more noticeable in spring than autumn on higher ground.
Ring Ouzel: Rare visitor during migrations mainly in October / November.
Blackbird: Very common breeding bird whose numbers are swelled by passage migrants and winter visitors.
Fieldfare: Common winter visitor and passage migrant, numbers vary greatly year to year.
Song Thrush: Small number of breeding birds are year round residents , their numbers being augmented by winter visitors and occasional passage migrants.
Redwing: Common winter visitor and passage migrant, numbers at roost can vary greatly but are always considerable, particularly in early winter. Exceptional record of single on 5th May 1994.
Mistle Thrush: Fairly common breeding bird locally, feeding on the site, numbers boosted by passage migrants in autumn and also by a few winter visitors in some years.
Grasshopper Warbler: Very rare passage bird, single recorded Autumn 1997, other unconfirmed sightings at migration times.
Sedge Warbler: Breeding summer visitor and passage migrant, numbers appear to be increasing.
Reed Warbler: Rare and irregular passage migrant. Has been recorded with two in 2001 and singles in 2001 with a 3rd recorded down river at Heasandford in 1999.
Lesser Whitethroat: Rare annual passage migrant last recorded 2001.
Common Whitethroat: Rare summer visitor, becoming more frequent breeder.
Garden Warbler: Uncommon but regular passage migrant. Males have been recorded on territories during spring, a probable local breeder.
Blackcap: Fairly common summer visitor, breeds on site, often staying on into early winter.
Chiffchaff: Regular passage migrant most numerous in late September and early October. Very occasional winter visitor
Willow Warbler: Quite common summer visitor, breeds on site in considerable numbers.
Wood Warbler: Very rare passage migrant, seen in autumn.
Goldcrest: Passage migrant and winter visitor, sometimes in sizeable groups.
Spotted Flycatcher: Annually recorded passage migrant, especially in late summer. Breeding suspected.
Long-tailed Tit: Fairly common local breeder, possibly on site. Numbers increase significantly in autumn and winter.
Willow Tit: Very rare visitor, 1 bird stayed on from July 2000 until at least January 2001.
Coal Tit: Resident breeding bird, numbers vary considerably through the year.
Blue Tit: Very common resident, breeds locally in nestboxes and possibly on site.
Great Tit: Common breeding resident, also in winter groups of wandering birds swell the numbers.
Nuthatch: Rare visitor, 1 female recorded repeatedly April 1998, other sporadic records.
Treecreeper: Occasional visitor most often reported in winter. Breeds downstream from the site.
Jay: Passes through the site from time to time between nest sites and feeding site. Increased numbers sometimes during autumn continental influxes.
Magpie: Common breeding resident.
Jackdaw: Sporadic visitor, mostly in winter. Probably from resident groups in Worsthorne and Briercliffe.
Rook: Breeds locally, visits mostly on feeding trips in winter, overflies en route to Twist Moor daily.
Carrion Crow: The local population frequent Lee Green on an almost daily basis.
Raven: Since local breeding resumed, sporadically seen overflying and occasionally landing in trees on the site.
Starling: Common bird breeding at the local farms and frequently feeding on site. Large roosts congregate in wintertime, possible migrants.
House Sparrow: Stable resident population breeding and roosting in local buildings feed at the site.
Chaffinch: Very common breeding bird, some passage migrants and winter visitors swell the numbers.
Brambling: Very uncommon passage migrant, with only single birds recorded on a very irregular basis usually in early winter.
Greenfinch: Resident breeding bird, several pairs stay quite late with occasional records during the winter.
Goldfinch: Fairly common breeding bird, numbers swell in late summer but after dispersal just a few remain to overwinter on site.
Siskin: Very occasional post breeding visits from mostly young birds. A regular winter visitor.
Linnet: Regular breeding summer visitor preferring small areas of gorse, with large increases in numbers in autumn prior to dispersal.
Twite: Passage bird, being recorded primarily in late summer/autumn.
Lesser Redpoll: Rare visitor, primarily during autumn passage.
Common (Mealy) Redpoll: Very occasional winter visitor, usually seen with groups of Lesser Redpoll
Bullfinch: Resident breeding birds, numbers fluctuate but seem to be reducing slowly.
Hawfinch: Very rare visitor, one recorded on two days in late 2000
Reed Bunting: A breeding species, with up to 2 pairs most years, they tend to stay until the weather becomes too harsh and return as soon as it improves. Some passage birds on occasions.
Other Animals
The area is also notable for its butterfly species which have included:
Orange Tip, Small Tortoiseshell, Small Copper, Wall Brown, Meadow Brown, Peacock, Red Admiral, Large White, amongst others and also a varied Moth population. Other interesting water-loving insects present include Damsel flies, predominantly the Common Blue variety and also Dragonflies especially the Common Hawker and Common Darter.
The following mammals have been seen from time to time on site:
Hare, Rabbit, Fox, Mink, Stoat, Weasel, Roe Deer, Mole, Brown Rat, House Mouse, Field Mice and Shrews.
Both Frogs and Toads breed in the reservoir in large numbers .
This site guide kindly provided by Nigel Leeming and Malcolm Higgin. The systematic list of birds recorded at Lee Green is up to date as of 23/10/2003