West Midland Bird Club
Belvide Reserve Latest News
Unless otherwise stated, reports on this page are anecdotal, and have not been verified by the relevant country recorder or rarities committee.
For the scientfic names of these birds, and their local status, see our county lists.
The latest update covers March 2008.
This page is now available as an RSS feed ; and has a microsummary.
Path and hide
Newsflash: Work on the completion of the new path surface at Belvide is underway. While contractors are on site there might be some disruption to parking, or limited access to parts of the reserve. For your own safety, please comply with any requests from the contractors to avoid areas which they consider hazardous: thank you. Work should be completed by 9 May.
We also have planning permission for the new, two-tier replacement hide. All being well, the new hide will be erected shortly.
March 2008
- 31: A pair Of Little Owls showed well at the nest box. The Black-necked Grebe and Scaup were still present. The first Willow Warbler and House Martin were on the reserve.
- 30: A Peregrine flew through in the morning. 6 Shellduck, 6 Oystercatcher and 2 Redshank. 35 Sand Martin.
- 29: A summer-plumaged Black-necked Grebe was new in, along with an Egyptian Goose. 87 Goldeneye at dusk and 2 Swallow flew through.
- 28: A Red Kite flew through mid afternoon and the drake Scaup was still present. 35 Sand Martin were counted.
- 27: 88 Meadow Pipit, 1 Brambling and 50 Sand Martin. A Water Rail showed well in front of the Bryant hide.
- 25: 120 Fieldfare flew north and a Little Grebe was new in.
- 23: 2 Pink-footed Geese flew through late afternoon. 10 Chiffchaff, 4 Brambling and 50 Sand Martin. Waders were represented by 2 Redshank, 2 Curlew and 6 Oystercatcher.
- 22: 9 Whooper Swan spent the afternoon on site, along with 60 Wigeon, 21 Shoveler and the drake Scaup. 12 Brambling were in the plantation, 2 Wheatear in fields to the west, and the Barn Owl hunted the north shore.
- 21: A single Kittiwake flew through early evening, also Peregrine and Raven earlier on. A Yellow-legged Gull and 2 Wheatear were seen.
- 19: Barn Owl hunting late after noon, 4 Redshank and 1 Dunlin were noted. 40 Pied Wagtail, 20 Meadow Pipit, 11 Chiffchaff and 80 Sand Martin.
- 18: Green Sandpiper, 1 Dunlin, 6 Oystercatcher, 2 Redshank. 1 Drake Goosander dropped in and joined the drake Scaup. The first Swallow arrived and a male Wheatear was on the north shore.
- 17: 3 Grey Wagtail on the dam wall, along with single Green Sandpiper. 18 Great Crested Grebe and 1 Barn Owl.
- 16: 107 Goldeneye, and 1 Barn Owl at dusk. 41 Sand Martin and 2 Chiffchaff were present. A pair of Goosander arrived and a Kittiwake was present for 20 minutes.
- 15: 17 Golden Plover flew over, 2 Redshank, 2 Curlew, 14 Snipe and 7 Oystercatcher also. 4 Shelduck, 54 Gadwall and 93 Goldeneye were counted. The Barn Owl was seen and 5 Lesser Redpoll were noted.
- 11: The gull roost held 2 Yellow-legged Gull, 4 Herring Gull, 70 Lesser Black Backed Gull, 1 Great Black-backed Gull and 1000 Black-headed Gulls. Single Sand Martin and Chiffchaff were seen and the Barn Owl was hunting the west end.
- 9: Wildfowl included a Scaup, 72 Tufted Duck, 5 Pochard, 31 Mallard, 24 Wigeon, 11 Teal, 49 Gadwall, 1 Shoveler, 90 Goldeneye, 175 Coot and 10 Great Crested Grebe. 2 Yellow-legged Gulls were in the roost.
- 8: Highlight of the day was a first-winter Caspian Gull which was present on the north shore for 30 minutes.
- 7: The Barn Owl performed well and caught a small rodent. The first Chiffchaff of spring was singing. 7 Oystercatcher and 2 Curlew were seen.
- 6: The first 2 Sand Martin of spring were present.
- 5: An influx of 22 Shoveler was noted, joining the drake Scaup. 4 Curlew, 8 Oystercatcher, 1 Caspian Gull and 1 Yellow-legged Gull were present at dusk.
- 3: 4 Common Gulls and 4 Yellow-legged Gulls were present in the roost.
- 2: 250 Coot, 57 Gadwall, 59 Wigeon, 48 Teal, 1 Shoveler, 72 Tufted Duck and 1 Scaup were counted. 2 Dunlin were on the dam wall.
- 1: A Caspian Gull dropped in briefly and gulls were represented by an adult Mediterranean Gull and 2 second-winter Yellow-legged Gull. Oystercatcher increased to 6 and a single Brambling was near the west marsh.
February 2008
- 28: 4 Yellow-legged Gulls and a first-winter Caspian Gull were in the roost. Little Grebe, Kingfisher, 4 Oystercatcher and 1 Curlew were present.
- 26: An impressive 10 Yellow-legged Gulls were in the roost, consisting of 3 adults, 5 second-winter & 2 first-winter birds. The drake Scaup remained.
- 24: 20 Snipe on the north shore and 3 Oystercatcher were on site.
- 23: At dusk 99 Goldeneye were counted and a Little Owl was near the car park. The gull roost held 2500 Black-headed Gulls, 400 Lesser Black-backed Gulls, 20 Herring Gulls and a single Yellow legged Gull.
- 22: A Peregrine flew through, as did a single Goosander. The all white Black-headed Gull roosted. The drake Scaup was still present and a female Stonechat was seen.
- 21: A juvenile Glaucous Gull came into roost mid afternoon. A Curlew flew through.
- 19: A Water Rail showed well in front of the Scott hide, as did a confiding Buzzard at the west end. The female Stonechat appeared to have lost its mate!
- 17: The drake Scaup had now been present for 4 weeks. 2 Shellduck, 83 Goldeneye and 18 Great Crested Grebe were counted. The gull roost included a second-winter Yellow-legged Gull.
- 15: Highlight of the day was a juvenile Iceland Gull which roosted.
- 14: A juvenile and third-winter Iceland Gull, first-winter Caspian Gull, and 4 Yellow-legged Gulls were in the roost. A pair of Pintail were new arrivals.
- 13: A Glaucous Gull and 2 Iceland Gulls were in the roost. A Woodcock flew through early morning and 94 Wigeon were counted.
- 11: The fist Curlew of the year was present, along with 12 Golden Plover, 15 Snipe and 2 Oystercatcher.
- 10: A wildfowl count produced 40 Pochard,68 Tufted Duck,47 Gadwall, 40 Mallard, 72 Wigeon, 65 Teal, 1 Scaup and 11 Great Crested Grebe.
- 9: 2 Green Sandpiper were below the dam. A male Brambling was at the woodland feeding station and over 50 Tree Sparrows at the gazebo feeding station.
- 6: A single Raven flew over today. Another drake Scaup appeared today making a total of 2 on the reserve. 82 Goldeneye and two Yellow-legged Gulls were present at dusk.
- 3: A single Brambling was near the Scott hide. Wildfowl included 66 Pochard, 103 Teal, 134 Wigeon, 87 Gadwall and 335 Coot.
- 1: The frist-winter drake Scaup was still present. There was 400 large gulls in the roost including 3 Yellow-legged Gulls, consisting of an adult, first- and second-winter birds. A pair of Goosander dropped in at dusk.
January 2008
- 31: A drake Scaup was still present, along with a redshank on the north shore. 3 Yellow-legged Gulls were in the roost.
- 30: 92 Goldeneye, 5 Goosander, 1 Scaup, 1 Pintail and 1 drake Mandarin were on site.
- 29: 99 Pochard, 2 Shellduck and 1 Mandarin. A pair of Stonechat remained at the west end.
- 28: 9 Siskin & 8 Lesser Redpoll were in gazebo bay. 95 Pochard, 80 Goldeneye and 2 Goosander at dusk.
- 26: 140 Wigeon, and 82 Gadwall were counted.
- 24: The drake Scaup was still present and a Little Grebe was new for the year.
- 22: a Nordic race Jackdaw remained in the fields below the dam. Pintail and Goosander were fly-overs. A Yellow-legged Gull roosted.
- 21: 50 Golden Plover were at the west end. 2 drake Scaup present today, at the dam end. Pochard have increased to 75.
- 19: 220 Golden Plover & 2000 Lapwing added drama to the reserve, and in turn attracted an immature Peregrine. 2 Nordic Jackdaw were below the dam.
- 18: A Little Owl was near the car park and 2 Raven flew over.13 Lesser Redpoll were in gazebo bay and 46 Snipe were on the north shore. The drake Scaup was feeding near the dam.
- 17: 5 Yellow-legged Gulls roosted.
- 16: Gadwall have increased to 96 and a pair of Pintail were present. 100 Golden Plover and 890 Lapwing graced the reserve. A Caspian Gull was in the roost, in the evening.
- 15: 1 Scaup, 57 Gadwall, 128 Wigeon & 86 Goldeneye. 2 Raven were over the north wood. 7 Lesser Redpoll and 3 Willow Tit were near the gazebo hide.
- 14: 1 Nordic race Jackdaw. 2 Yellow-legged Gulls and an all white Black-headed Gull were in the roost.
- 12: a pair of Stonechat were at the west end and 4 Water Rails were seen. Wildfowl included 1 Scaup, 50 Pochard, 50 Tufted Duck, 130 Teal, 49 Goldeneye, 37 Gadwall, 30 Shoveler, 290 Mallard, 125 Greylag Geese and 7 Great Crested Grebe.
- 7: 3 Nordic Jackdaws were below the dam. The drake Mandarin reappeared and 2 Water Rails were seen.
- 6: 3 Grey Plover roosted on the dam wall. The drake Scaup was in front of the Gazebo hide.
- 5: 4 Grey Partridge and 4 Nordic Jackdaw were below the dam. A single Green Sandpiper was noted and a Goosander was new for the year.
- 3: a juvenile Glaucous Gull roosted.
- 2: 2 Green Sandpiper and 2 Stonechat were present. Drake Mandarin, 210 Teal, 84 Wigeon, 44 Gadwall and 45 Pochard were counted.
- 1: a new years list of 78 species was seen including 1 Glaucous Gull, Green Woodpecker, Yellowhammer, Marsh Tit, Willow Tit, Woodcock, Little Owl, Pintail, Raven, Lesser Redpoll & Mandarin.
Further information
Reports by Rob Swift.
Belvide Reservoir Nature Reserve is situated near Brewood, Staffordshire, England, seven miles north-west of Wolverhampton, at grid reference SJ870099.
(
We remind you that these are other organisations' sites and that we accept no responsibility for their content)
; and has a microsummary.