The River Piddle is a small river that runs through the county of Dorset that rises at Alton Pancras running south and south-easterly which is parallel to the River Frome. The river runs through several villages that take their names from it (Piddletrenthide, Piddlehinton, Puddletown, Tolpuddle, Affpuddle, Briantspuddle and Turnerspuddle). At Wareham the river enters Poole Harbour via the Wareham Channel.
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Puddletown was originally named Piddletown but due
to “Piddle” being a slang term for urine the village was re-named appearing
on county maps as Puddletown from 1610 although the name was not officially changed until the 1950's. The river enters the village through The Moor which is a mix of fields, residential gardens and passes near the Blue Vinny public house. The river continues east across open fields and its course is lined by scrub, bushes and trees. The river reaches the designated flood plain which
as well as protecting the village from flooding supports a variety of
wildlife. During the winter months this area floods attracting a variety of
wildfowl to the area. The river continues meandering past housing and past Athelhampton House where the river crosses under the road and on through Burleston and
down through Tolpuddle. The below list of species of bird and
groupings are based on observations from October 2020 until the present day. Species of bird that are regularly seen on the water meadows during the period of flooding are as follows: Greylag Goose, Canada Goose, Egyptian Goose, Mute Swan, Wigeon, Mallard, Teal, Pheasant, Collared Dove, Stock Dove, Wood Pigeon, Moorhen, Little Grebe, Lapwing, Snipe, Green Sandpiper, Black-headed Gull, Common Gull, Herring Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Great Black-backed Gull, Cormorant, Grey Heron, Little Egret, Buzzard, Magpie, Jackdaw, Rook, Crow, Blue Tit, Great Tit, House Sparrow, Chiffchaff, Cetti's Warbler, Long-tailed Tit, Wren, Starling, Blackbird, Song Thrush, Robin, Dunnock, Pied Wagtail, Chaffinch, Greenfinch, Goldfinch, Yellowhammer. Other species that are resident but are not always recorded are: Red-legged Partridge, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Green Woodpecker, Jay, Goldcrest, Nuthatch, Coal Tit, Bullfinch, |
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Annual visitors to the water meadows are as follows: Shoveler, Gadwall, Pintail, Swift, Feral Pigeon, Mediterranean Gull, Sparrowhawk, Red Kite, Kingfisher, Kestrel, Peregrine Falcon, Raven, Skylark, Sand Martin, Barn Swallow, House Martin, Blackcap, Treecreeper, Mistle Thrush, Redwing, Fieldfare, Stonechat, Grey Wagtail, Meadow Pipit, Linnet, Siskin. |
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Species that are rare to the area
are: Greater White-fronted Goose, Barnacle Goose, Goosander, Turtle Dove, Black-tailed Godwit, Marsh Harrier, Goshawk, Marsh Tit, Wood Lark, |
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First record for the area: |
 A Glossy Ibis was recorded on January
12th 2022 as a fly over. The bird was looking to land on the
flooded field but was harassed by Lapwing flying off as a result. This
represents the first record for the area of this species. There are some species that have been recorded that require more data to establish which category they best fit: Ruff, Reed Warbler, Whitethroat, Reed Bunting. |
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ref: Wikipedia ; eBird ; Wildlife Recorder |
