Four car-loads of birdwatchers turned up at the car park at Belvide Reservoir, just off the A5 near Brewood, Staffs. Belvide is a canal feeder reservoir and is fairly small at 182 acres, allowing good close range views. As we pulled on boots we started our list with Song Thrush and Pheasant in the car park.
Our first stop was at the Woodland Hide, where there are well-stocked feeders. Coal, Long-tailed and Willow Tits joined their commoner congeners in the notebook, along with three Finches and Tree Sparrow. On then to the waterside and the Scott and Munn Hides. Here we saw Shoveler, Great Crested Grebe, Goldeneye and Gadwall, along with Greylag and Canada Geese. We were also lucky to connect with the Little Egret that had been reported from the site for several days as it flew east along the northern side of the reservoir.
Walking on to the Gazebo Hide we saw Pochard and Wigeon, and plenty of Redwing and Fieldfare in the hedges, hawthorns, and in the tops of some of the taller trees. We picked up Reed Bunting among more Tree Sparrows on feeders. Lapwing and Tufted Duck appeared at the west end of the reservoir, before we turned for the car park and a much hankered after lunch.
The walk back added Jay and Bullfinch, and an unidentified very active tiny bird, a warbler or perhaps a Goldcrest, which fed vigorously in heavy ivy, but which we just could not get to grips with before it disappeared. Our last bird of the day was Mistle Thrush, making that the fifth of our common thrushes seen, rounding out a total of 50 species.
Belvide Trip List 18 Jan 2012
|
Species |
Species |
| Greylag Goose | Wood-Pigeon |
| Canada Goose | Jay |
| Mute Swan | Rook |
| Shelduck | Willow Tit |
| Gadwall | Coal Tit |
| Wigeon | Great Tit |
| Mallard | Blue Tit |
| Shoveler | Long-tailed Tit |
| Pochard | Nuthatch |
| Tufted Duck | Wren |
| Goldeneye | Robin |
| Pheasant | Blackbird |
| Great Crested Grebe | Fieldfare |
| Great Cormorant | Redwing |
| Grey Heron | Song Thrush |
| Little Egret | Mistle Thrush |
| Buzzard | Starling |
| Kestrel | Dunnock |
| Moorhen | Pied Wagtail |
| Coot | Reed Bunting |
| Lapwing | Chaffinch |
| Black-headed Gull | Greenfinch |
| Lesser Black-backed Gull | Goldfinch |
| Great Black-backed Gull | Bullfinch |
| Stock Dove | Tree Sparrow |