Visit Somerset Levels Private Site to hire for Schools and Colleges

Welcome to Millards Point in Edington Somerset, the finest place on the Somerset Levels for private field studies. Millards Point is a 7 arce site with a natural water supply running around the site.

The Somerset Levels and Moors is the largest area of lowland wet grassland and associated wetland habitat remaining in Britain, covering about 35,000 hectares in the foodplains of the River Axe, Brue, Parrett, Tone and their tributaries. Millards Point is only a few metres above mean sea level and drains through a large network of ditches, rhynes and rivers. Millards Point supports internationally important numbers of waterfowl in the winter and is one of the most important sites in southern Britain for breeding waders associated with lowland wet grassland.

Millards Point qualifies under Criterion 2a of the Ramsar Convention as it supports an outstanding assemblage of rare invertebrates particularly water beetles. The following 17 species of red data book invertebrates are found within Millards Point: The lesser silver white beetle Hydrochara caraboides, a weevil Bagous nodulosus, a soldier fly odontomyia angulata and a leaf beetle Oulema erichsoni a snail Valata macrostoma, a soldier fly odontomyia ornata, the large marsh grasshopper Stethophyma grossum, a fly Pteromicta leucopeza and hoverfly Lejops vittata, Sawfly Stethomosotus funereus, a soldier beetle Cantharis fusca, a Rove beetle Paederus caligatus and the water beetls Hydaticus transversalis, dytiscus dimidiatus, hydrophilus piceus, Limnebus aluta and Laccornis oblongus.

The site qualifies under Criterion 3a of the convertion by regularly supporting over 20,000 waterfowl in winter. The five year peak mean for the peroid 1989/90 to 1993/94 was 58,093 birds, comprising 41,442 waders and 16,651 wildfowl. The site further qualifies under Criterion 3c by regularly supporting internationally important numbers of the following species of waterfowl in the winter, Bewick's swan cygnus columbianus bewickii (4.4% of the Bristish and (1.8%)of the north-west european population, 7,476 teal anas crecca (5.3 % of the British and 1.9% of the north-west european population) and 36,565 lapwing vanellus vanellus (exceeding 20,000 threshold for a wetland of international importance). Notable also are nationally important numbers of wintering gadwell anas strepera (94 birds 1.2% of British population), wigoen A. penelope (5,927 birds, 2.1% of British population), shoveler A. clypeata (217 birds, 2.1% of British population) golden plover pluvialis apricaria (3,110 birds, 1.2% of British population).

The site also supports an important assemblage of breeding and wintering birds in addition to the species mentioned above and is particlarly important for breeding wader associated with lowland wet grassland. The rare marsh harrier Circus aeruginosus breeds and species regularly wintering include bittern Botaurus stellaris, merlin Falco columbarius, peregrine F. peregrinus, hen harrier Circus cyaneus and short-eared owl Asio flammeus.

The county of Somerset covers an area of about 3,500 square kilometres in the south west of England. While it can claim no major migration hotspots, it has a range of habitats that have attracted over three hundred species of birds, of which about a hundred species breed.

Breeds of Birds you might see at Millards Point:

Barn Owl, Blackbird, Blackcap,Black-headed Gull,Black Redstart,Blue Tit,Brambling,Bullfinch,Buzzard,Carrion Crow,Chaffinch
Chiffchaff,Coal Tit,Collared Dove,Common Gull,Coot,Crested Tit,Crossbill,Cuckoo,Dunnock,Feral Pigeon,Fieldfare,Garden Warbler,Goldcrest,Goldfinch,Goshawk,Great Black-backed Gull,Great Spotted Woodpecker,Great Tit,Greenfinch,Green Woodpecker,Grey Heron,Grey Partridge,Grey Wagtail,Hawfinch,Herring Gull,Hoopoe,House Martin,House Sparrow,Jackdaw,Jay,Kestrel,Kingfisher,Lapwing
Lesser Black-backed Gull,Lesser Spotted Woodpecker,Lesser Whitethroat,Linnet,Little Owl,Long-eared Owl,Long-tailed Tit,Magpie,Mallard,Marsh Tit,Meadow Pipit,Mistle Thrush,Moorhen,Nightingale,Nuthatch,Peregrine,Pheasant,Pied Flycatcher,Pied Wagtail
Quail,Raven,Red Kite,Red-legged Partridge,Redpoll,Redstart,Redwing,Reed Bunting,Ring-necked Parakeet,Robin,Rook,Sand Martin
Serin,Short-eared Owl,Siskin,Skylark,Song Thrush,Sparrowhawk,Spotted Flycatcher,Starling,Stock Dove,Stonechat,Swallow,Swift
Tawny Owl,Treecreeper,Tree Sparrow,Turtle Dove,Waxwing,Whinchat,Whitethroat,Willow Tit,Willow Warbler,Wood Pigeon,Wren
Yellow Wagtail ,Yellowhammer

Natural Water supply

Otters are commonly sighted at Millards Point

Picnic area below

To book your field trip study please call  Tel: 07917635976

Email: millardspoint@live.co.uk

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