Wildlife along the Balderhead Reservoir
The flora and fauna in and around the reservoir is highly varied and most interesting.
The dry grassland here has wavy hair-grass, sheep's fescue and common bent; heath rush dominates the wet grassland. There are fine examples of heather and bilberry and trees like the birch, rowan, oak, wych elm, scots pine and ash.
In terms of waterfowl, you’re likely to see mallards, wigeon, tufted duck, goldeneye, teal, cormorant and goosander; in the winter whooper swans and white-fronted geese sometimes show up. Waders like the curlew, redshank, golden plover and snipe feed on the grassland. Wildfowl like the common sandpiper and oyster catcher breed along the reservoir margins and merlin and kestrel may be seen hunting in this area.
Durham Wildlife Trust own the traditional haymeadows at nearby Low Birk Hatt Farm - said to be the best haymeadows in the North Pennines. These rare meadows have been designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest and display a large and beautiful variety of wild grasses and flowers including meadow foxtail, wood cranesbill, bugle, marsh marigold, wood anemone, ragged robin, adder's tongue fern, moonwort and globeflower.
