Potteric Carr is famed for its wetland birds including bitterns and marsh harriers, Potteric Carr has a network of paths enabling visitors to explore the mosaic of habitats and enjoy the stunning vistas. With excellent facilities, including tearoom, shop, toilets and hides, it really is a great place to visit. However bicycles and dogs aren’t allowed inside the reserve.
Potteric Carr is an area of low-lying land to the south east of Doncaster which forms the floodplain of the River Torne. The site is fabulous for birdwatching with marsh and water birds being particularly numerous. Over 230 species of birds have been recorded and 102 species have bred, with over 65 species breeding each year. A major extension to the site was designed to enhance this and has already resulted in breeding marsh harriers and bitterns. Spring and autumn are exciting times as a wide range of migrant birds can arrive at any time.
Potteric Carr's marshes support a wide range of plants providing a spectacle of colour throughout the summer. Plants include greater and lesser spearwort, water soldier, water violet and Southern marsh orchid. The disused railway embankments, constructed from magnesian limestone, encourage plants such as common spotted and bee orchids and old man's beard, Britain's only wild clematis.
Great crested and palmate newts are present in some of the pools and toads are common. Mammals include water shrew, water vole, harvest mouse and roe deer. The nature reserve is excellent for insects and other invertebrates too, with impressive lists of moths, spiders, beetles, bugs and hoverflies. Purple hairstreak and brown argus are among the 28 species of butterfly to have been seen, with 21 species of dragonfly noted.
History
The mosaic of habitats we see today is largely due to management work by the Trust's staff and its hardworking volunteers. In the 16th Century the area was a small part of the Hatfield Royal Deer Chase but it eventually fell out of favour due to being continuously flooded. Over a period of 150 years various attempts were made at draining the area, the final successful attempt being in the 1760s. In the 1950s coal seams from Rossington Colliery penetrated under the area. Over the next 15 years, as subsidence occurred, the fen conditions returned together with the associated wildlife.
In 1968, a small area (13 ha) was declared a nature reserve by Yorkshire Wildlife Trust. Over time the area of the site was gradually increased by purchase or lease and, in 2005, was extended to 200 ha when a further 75 ha of former farmland was purchased and major developments took place to improve habitats and visitor facilities and create a new extensive marsh.
Entry fee
Access to the visitor centre and café is free. Entry onto the reserve incurs a fee. Wildlife Trust members free
Opening times
Open Tuesday-Sunday (closed on a Monday) 9am -4pm. The tearoom is open when the reserve is open
There is a souvenir available for every geocacher that completes all the caches in the nature reserve! Message me when you’ve completed the series!
Cache placed with the kind permission of the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust.