Record Whimbrel count made at Lancashire wetland ( www.birdguides.com )

An annual co-ordinated count of Whimbrel across Lancashire has shown that a young nature reserve in Grimsargh is proving to be increasingly popular with the species.

Whimbrel migrate from West African wintering grounds to breeding sites in Iceland each year, staging in the UK on their way north. Lancashire is a particularly popular county for staging birds, with roost sites including Grimsargh Wetlands, Alston Wetland, Barnacre Reservoirs and Chipping Moss.

Grimsargh Wetlands, located in the rural village of Grimsargh, is one of Lancashire's youngest nature reserves, but it has become a draw for waders including Whimbrel and Eurasian Curlew.