Cheddar Reservoir
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Condition (Natural England)
| Unit | Feature | Condition | Area (ha) | Assessed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ST441537 | — | Favourable | 105.88 | 2009-12-23 |
Birds & fish recorded
Birds
| Species | Season |
|---|---|
| gadwall | Roosting |
| gadwall | Wintering |
| goldeneye | Roosting |
| goldeneye | Wintering |
| great crested grebe | Roosting |
| great crested grebe | Wintering |
| mallard | Roosting |
| mallard | Wintering |
| pochard | Roosting |
| pochard | Wintering |
| shoveler | Roosting |
| shoveler | Wintering |
| teal | Roosting |
| teal | Wintering |
Description
Area, 105.4 ha. 260.6 ac. Description This deep water reservoir supports large numbers of wildfowl, eleven species of which occur regularly. It is particularly important for over wintering diving ducks, coots and grebes and also has significant numbers of dabbling ducks especially in autumn and when water levels are low. Cheddar Reservoir has one of the largest flocks of wintering pochard Aythya ferina in England and Wales up to 2000 and is regionally important for gadwall Mareca strepera 100, goldeneye Bucephala clangula 60 and great crested grebe Podiceps cristatus 100. Some of the dabbling ducks, which include mallard Anas platyrhynchos 1000, teal Anas crecca 1000 and shoveler Spatula clypeata 100, roost on the lake but feed elsewhere on the Somerset Levels. The lake provides food for up to 2500 wintering coots Fulica atra, the largest flock in Somerset. Migrant waders and terns use the reservoir as a feeding and roosting station. N.B. All figures shown are maxima recorded.
Species mentioned
Show the 8 species mentioned in the description, with red-list status| English name search for this in other sites |
Latin name search with Google |
IUCN / Red List | Type | Family |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| teal | Anas crecca | LC (NonBreeding), LC (Breeding) | bird-duck | anatidae |
| mallard | Anas platyrhynchos | NT (NonBreeding), LC (Breeding) | bird-duck | anatidae |
| pochard | Aythya ferina | EN (NonBreeding), EN (Breeding) | bird-duck | anatidae |
| goldeneye | Bucephala clangula | VU (NonBreeding), VU (Breeding) | bird-duck | anatidae |
| gadwall | Mareca strepera | LC (NonBreeding), LC (Breeding) | bird-duck | anatidae |
| shoveler | Spatula clypeata | LC (NonBreeding), LC (Breeding) | bird-duck | anatidae |
| coot | Fulica atra | NT (NonBreeding), NT (Breeding) | bird-gallinule | rallidae |
| great crested grebe | Podiceps cristatus | LC (NonBreeding), VU (Breeding) | bird-grebe | podicipedidae |