Overview
A small site with a lake, which is surrounded by scrub and woodland. Formerly a sand pit, the Water Park attracts a variety of ducks and warblers, and has recorded over 100 species in recent years.
The land was bought from a local sand company in 1973 by the Leighton Linslade UDC and was transferred to South Beds District Council shortly afterwards. Sand extraction has left a body of water that forms the main part of the site. The surrounding area has now become colonised by sallows, willows and other indigenous species of scrub growth and vegetation. A mixed hedge borders the western side of the site; the eastern edge following the line of the Grand Union Canal. There is a small poplar plantation on the north eastern corner (still waiting for a Golden Oriole!). The northern boundary overlooks paddocks.
Although Tiddenfoot is a relatively small site, approximately 33 acres, it has attracted an interesting variety of birds, with over 100 species having been recorded there over the past ten years.
March 2002
Access
Parking
Car park near the site, easy walking paths around the lake. Near B488, south of Leighton Buzzard.
Birds
Flocks of Fieldfares and Redwings feed on the Hawthorn berries alongside the canal in winter. Ducks include Mallard, Pochard, Tufted Duck, Shoveler, Gadwall, Wigeon and Goldeneye, along with Cormorant, Great Crested Grebe, Little Grebe, Grey Heron, etc. Kingfishers are reasonably common and Bullfinches can be seen on most visits to the site. For several years, patient watching in the scrubby area down by the gully would often be rewarded by good views of Willow Tit. Latterly, however, this species has become more elusive. Tiddenfoot attracts many warblers in the spring – Chiffchaff, Willow Warbler, Garden Warbler, Blackcap and Sedge Warbler. For several years, Grasshopper Warblers were regular visitors to the site. They could be heard reeling in the open area between the pit and canal and have also bred in this area. Reed Warblers can be heard along the canal. Whitethroats can be found all over the site and Lesser Whitethroats in the hedge along the roadside and in the scrub along the canal bank. Good numbers of Sand Martins, which breed in the private sand quarry across the road, feed regularly over the pit. The proximity to Grovebury Pit obviously has some influence on the passage birds recorded over Tiddenfoot, Sandwich Terns being an example. Among the more notable visitors to Tiddenfoot over the years have been a Nightingale, which sang for three weeks in May 1993 but failed to attract a mate, a Bearded Tit which stayed for two days in November 1993, Firecrest on several occasions, Tree Sparrow, Brambling, Smew, Lesser Spotted Woodpecker, Goosander, and the latest excitement – a Long-tailed Duck in November 1999! As with any site, regular watching produces the best results but even the occasional visit can be quite rewarding – you just never know what might turn up! At the very least, the walk around Tiddenfoot is a pleasant and easy one.
