Buying a bird hide key

A bird hide key can be bought from the Lower Windrush Valley Project for a one-off payment of £15. The key gives access to the bird hide and screen at Rushy Common Nature Reserve and the two bird hides at Standlake Common Nature Reserve.

How to purchase a key

Online

Complete the form below and send £15 to the Lower Windrush Valley Project via bank transfer. Once we receive your form and payment, we will post you the key. Please allow up to a week for the key to be delivered.

Apply for a bird hide key

Bank transfer

Bank Transfer Amount: £15
Sort code: 30-00-02
Account name. OCC County Fund Main Account
Account number: 00162197
Payment reference: LWVP Your Surname

About our sites

Both sites have a variety of habitats with a central large body of open water but also ponds, ditches, hedges and scrub and grassland that add to the variety of wildlife on show.

The lakes provide a great feeding and watering rest stop for migrating birds and you can often see substantial numbers of hirundines (the collective name for martins and swallows) and swifts in spring as they arrive from the continent or stocking up in the autumn before they fly south again.

The varied habitats also support a diverse range of invertebrates with the dragonflies and damselflies giving fantastic displays in the summer months.  A stunning sight is to be had when the mayflies hatch from the water which appears to be boiling as the flies take to the air for their brief adult phase of life.

You may be lucky enough to see the fish jumping and the acrobatics of many birds as they feed on this fantastic food source.  Mammals are generally less easy to see but you may get occasional glimpses of deer, foxes and other small mammals.

Even on a quiet day when there is not much about, you will enjoy the tranquil settings, the shifting light and the changing seasons at both of these delightful sites. And you never know just what is going to zoom into sight just as you are packing up to go home.