Holmethorpe Sand Pits

From Londonbirders

The pits are to be found south of Merstham. Parking is best at Mercer's Park Lake where a public car park is situated (but only open at selected times). Otherwise you must park in the residential roads north of the pits.

Grid ref: TQ294517 Map: [1]

The largest waterbodies are; Mercer's Lake, Spyne's Mere (Surrey Wildlife Trust reserve), Glebe Lake and an as yet unamed new excavation (NE of Mercer's Lake). Mercer's Farm is situated east of Mercer's Lake and holds up to 3500 Lapwings each winter. A new reserve has been created on landfill at The Moors by the Surrey Wildlife Trust. The latter site has a fair sized bulrush bed.

Old landfill on the ridge west of the site has been landscaped but is of little interest despite good coverage.

Holmethorpe currently has a bird list of 196 species, including: Black-throated Diver, Great Northern Diver, Red-necked Grebe, Slavonian Grebe, Black-necked Grebe, Bittern, Little Egret, Spoonbill, Whooper Swan, Tundra Bean Goose, Eider, Long-tailed Duck, Velvet Scoter, Marsh Harrier, Hen Harrier, Goshawk, Red Kite, Osprey, Avocet, Temminck's Stint, Iceland Gull, Glaucous Gull, Long-eared Owl, Hoopoe, Waxwing, Cetti's Warbler, Pied Flycatcher, Bearded Tit, Great Grey Shrike, Snow Bunting