SPA description
(information as published 2001)
Rutland Water
Rutland Water is located in Rutland, in the English East
Midlands. It is a man-made pump storage reservoir created by the
damming of the Gwash Valley in 1975 and is the largest reservoir in
the United Kingdom. In general the reservoir is drawn down in the
summer and filled during the autumn and winter months when river
levels are high. The main habitats are open water and a mosaic of
lagoons, reedswamp, marsh, old meadows, scrub and woodland. The
lagoons are one of the most important areas for wintering
wildfowl.
Qualifying species
For individual species accounts visit the Species
Accounts section
This site qualifies under Article 4.2 of the
Directive (79/409/EEC) by supporting populations of European
importance of the following migratory species:
Over winter;
Gadwall Anas strepera, 1,156 individuals representing
at least 3.9% of the wintering Northwestern Europe population (5
year peak mean 1991/2 - 1995/6)
Shoveler Anas clypeata, 526 individuals representing
at least 1.3% of the wintering Northwestern/Central Europe
population (5 year peak mean 1991/2 - 1995/6)
Assemblage qualification: A wetland of international
importance.
The area qualifies under Article 4.2 of the
Directive (79/409/EEC) by regularly supporting at least 20,000
waterfowl
Over winter, the area regularly supports 23,501 individual
waterfowl (5 year peak mean 1991/2 - 1995/6) including: Lapwing
Vanellus vanellus, Coot Fulica atra, Goldeneye
Bucephala clangula, Tufted Duck Aythya fuligula,
Pochard Aythya ferina, Teal Anas crecca, Wigeon
Anas penelope, Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo,
Great Crested Grebe Podiceps cristatus, Little Grebe
Tachybaptus ruficollis, Shoveler Anas clypeata,
Gadwall Anas strepera.
Note:
Many designated sites are on private land: the listing of
a site in these pages does not imply any right of public
access.
Note that sites selected for waterbird species on the basis of
their occurrence in the breeding, passage or winter periods also
provide legal protection for these species when they occur at other
times of the year.