A female Shoveler was with 11 ducklings at the west end, confirming breeding here for the last 3 years. 3 Ringed Plover were on the north shore, also a Dunlin flew thru this morning. A 2nd summer Yellow-legged Gull remains on the north shore. 2 Little Egret and 2 Mandarin were noted. A Red Kite and Hobby flew over. A 3rd Lapwing family has appeared by the Hawkshutts hide with at least one chick.
A Little Stint was on the north shore till 10.32am when it flew off high east. A 2nd summer Yellow-legged Gull was present this morning. A drake Mandarin was noted.
I have also been to Foryd Bay near Caernarfon to see a Western Reef Heron, which is a first for Britain. We arrived on site around 2pm to see oit fly over our heads and heading way out in the distance to the south. After a 3 hour wait, the bird dropped back in and showed well along the muddy creeks on the falling tide. The bird showed a slate grey plumage all over, except for a white throat patch. The feeding behavior seemed different to the nearby Little Egrets with more darting movements. Western Reef Herons can be found in Southern Europe, Aftrica and Asia.
News received today included the 2 young Tawny Owl again along the Gazebo bay. 2 Little Egret were at the west end. 2 Lapwing chicks remain on the north shore, with another 2 along the south west shore.
A quick afternoon visit was very quiet with one Red Kite, 1 Little Egret and 293 Coot counted.
A 1st summer Curlew Sandpiper dropped in with a Dunlin on the north shore at 4.10pm. A Great Egret dropped in this afternoon, also a Little Egret. 1 Peregrine, 1 Hobby and a Red Kite were noted. A Mandarin was on the Chappell bund.
Very quiet today. 3 Little Egret were on the north shore. The Erythristic Tufted Duck was still present. A large Hawthorn has come down near the Gazebo hide this afternoon. It is just about passable.
The 2 Quail were still calling off the west track. 2 well grown Tawny Owl young were huddled together along the Gazebo bay. A Cuckoo was heard calling on the north side late morning. An erythristic Tufted Duck (photo) caught the eye this afternoon. It is a form of mutation where the pigmentation is red or pink. 2 drake Mandarin were on the chappell bund. 16 Pochard and 32 GC Grebe were counted.
2 Quail were calling at the end of the west track today. A Great Egret was present early morning before flying off east, also 2 Little Egret were noted. 3 Ringed Plover were on the north shore. 3 Red Kite and a Hobby flew over.
The Quail was still calling at the end of the west track and I managed to see it briefly 3 times. The Spotted Flycatcher was still singing between the two bridges by the Scott hide. 2 Yellowhammer , 2 Yellow Wagtail and a Lesser Whitethroat were off the west track. 2 Red Kite and 2 Hobby flew over. 1 Ringed Plover and a Little Egret were noted. The first two Lapwing chicks were on the north shore. The Pochard brood is down to the last duckling.
A Quail was calling off the west track around midday and also seen briefly. A 1st summer Mediterranean Gull was at the west end. 2 drake Mandarin and 227 Coot were counted.
A Spotted Flycatcher was singing in the reservoir plantation behind the Scott hide this afternoon. A Ringed Plover was on the north shore. A 1st summer Mediterranean Gull was at the west end late morning. The Pochard brood is down to 2 ducklings. At least 3 Lesser Emperor were from the West End hide this afternoon. Also at least 30 Red-veined Darter.
2 Avocet on the north shore were new arrivals, also 3 Ringed Plover and 1 Common Sandpiper were present. A female Goldeneye was in the north east corner, also 2 Teal and 2 drake Mandarin were present. The Pochard family are down to 3 ducklings. A Hobby was noted.
The hot spell continues with temperatures around 33 degrees this afternoon. The 1st summer Caspian Gull (photo) was present again on the north shore this afternoon, after going AWOL since the 17th May. also a 1st summer Mediterranean Gull (photo). A Hobby was hunting at the west end. 110 Gadwall and a drake Mandarin were counted. The Pochard brood is down to 4 ducklings. 7 Ringed Plover were on the north shore. 22 Common Tern were noted. 7 Lesser Emperor were present this afternoon, with 4 off the spill weir and 3 at the west end. Also at least 15 Red-veined Darter.
There was no sign of the Black-winged Stilt today, though I have since found out it was seen flying over Tongue End Fen, south Lincolnshire at 6.30am, which is 128 km away. 8 Ringed Plover were on the north shore. At least one Spotted Flycatcher was in the reservoir plantation between the car park and spill weir. A female Pochard was with 5 ducklings from the Gazebo hide this morning and continues how important Belvide is for this species. At least 5 Lesser Emperor (photo) were between the Gazebo bay and West End Hide, including a pair ovipositing. Also 2 Red-veined Darter (photo) were present. Some video of the Lesser Emperor can be viewed here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HJF5glbtgRM
The Black-winged Stilt (photo by Trish Wellings) was still present on the north shore, also 9 Ringed Plover and 1 Dunlin were present. A pair of Spotted Flycatcher along the path between the car park and spill weir were the first of the spring. A drake Mandarin and 51 Greylag Geese were counted. A Lesser Emperor was at the west end which is the earliest ever record.
Our purple patch continues with a male Black-winged Stilt on the north shore all day. This becomes the 4th record for the reserve following records on 1968, 1987 and 2023. 22 Ringed Plover and 4 Dunlin were present. A female Goldeneye on the Chappell bund was a new arrival, also a drake Mandarin was noted. A Hobby and 2 Red Kite flew over. Lesser Whitethroats were singing off the west track and Chappell hide. Nearby, a Spotted Flycatcher was singing along Port Lane by Long Birch Farm early morning. Some video of the Stilt can be viewed here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Er7_nkZgYgI
2 Avocet on the north shore were new arrivals. 3 Black-tailed Godwit dropped in late morning, also 3 Ringed Plover and 2 Dunlin were present. There was no sign of the Bonaparte's Gull today. The Mute Swan family have already lost 2 cygnets. 7 Shelduck were counted.
A Temminck's Stint was on the north shore this morning before flying off north at 10am. This was the first since one on May 17th-20 2016. A Quail was calling on Hawkshutts ridge this afternoon and seen briefly. The 1st summer Bonaparte's Gull dropped in at 12.50pm. 1 Sanderling, 1 Dunlin and 2 Ringed Plover were on the north shore.
The Bonaparte's Gull dropped in at the west end at 2.55pm but is starting to spend longer periods away from the reservoir. Also a 3rd summer Yellow-legged Gull was present. A Lesser Black Backed Gull with a blacker back, distinctly longer primaries and a narrow tertial crescent caught the eye this afternoon. 9 Dunlin and 5 Ringed Plover were on the north shore. A Mute Swan was with 5 cygnets from the Scott hide.
The 1st summer Bonaparte's Gull dropped in at the west end at 3.15pm after no sign of it during the morning, though I've since been told it was there at 5.30am.The green ringed 1A5:C Camargue Yellow-legged Gull was on the north shore this afternoon. 2 Sanderling and 6 Ringed Plover were on the north shore till early afternoon only. 6 Little Egret and 15 Common Tern were noted. More video of the Bonaparte's Gull here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3wPGhEp03N8
The 1st summer Bonaparte's Gull was still present, occasionally roosting on the Chappell bund. Other than that it was pretty quiet, with a single Ringed Plover on the north shore. 1 Red Kite and Little Egret were noted.
The Bonaparte's Gull was still present patrolling up and down the reservoir. It showed well from the Chappell hide this afternoon. The 1st summer Caspian Gull remains on the north shore along with 2 Yellow-legged Gulls, a 2nd and 3rd summer, 2 Mediterranean Gulls including an adult and 1st summer. The Cuckoo was audible again from the car park this morning. 6 Ringed Plover were present early morning only, also 2 Dunlin and 2 Common Sandpiper were noted. 18 Common Tern were counted. A Peregrine flew over this morning. The Webs count produced 22 Pochard, 69 Tufted Duck, 80 Gadwall, 48 Mallard, 5 Shoveler, 22 GC Grebe, 124 Coot, 8 Cormorant.
The Bonaparte's Gull was still present. The first Cuckoo of the spring was in the north wood , then flew over south. A female Whinchat was off the west track. The 1st summer Caspian Gull was present this afternoon with 2 Yellow-legged Gulls and an adult Mediterranean Gull. 1 Black-tailed Godwit, 1 Ringed Plover, 1 Dunlin and 2 Common Sandpiper were on the north shore, also a colour ringed Oystercatcher. The Black-necked Grebe was off the dam. A Great Egret was on the north shore this afternoon. There was no sign of the Scaup today.
The 1st summer Bonaparte's Gull was still present. 3 Cattle Egret were on the north shore this morning. The Knot was still on the north shore, also 1 Black-tailed Godwit, 2 Common Sandpiper, 1 Dunlin and 1 Ringed Plover. A 1st summer Caspian Gull (photo) with a yellow dutch ring was on the north shore this afternoon, also 2 Yellow-legged Gulls including the french ringed bird. An adult and 1 st summer Med Gulls were also at the west end. An Arctic Tern was present all day, also 12 Common Tern. The drake Scaup and Black-necked Grebe remain.
The 1st summer Bonaparte's Gull was still present, mainly on the north shore opposite Gazebo hide or hawking over the reservoir from Chappell hide. A Knot (photo by Paul Smith) on the north shore was a new arrival. A flock of 11 Turnstone dropped on the shingle island at 12.22pm, before continuing north at 1.10pm. Also 1 Black-tailed Godwit, 5 Dunlin, 6 Ringed Plover and 2 Common Sandpiper were present. The drake Scaup remains at the west end. The Black-necked Grebe was still off the north end of the dam. 2 Yellow-legged Gulls were at the west end, including a green ringed bird, details when I get them. Also the adult Mediterranean Gull was still present. 3 Hobby were over the west end. 12 Common Tern and 4 Little Egret were noted.
An excellent days birding with plenty to see. The 1st summer Bonaparte's Gull (photo) was still present ranging between the west end and hawking off the dam. It showed very well late afternoon in front of the Hawkshutts hide. A 2nd summer Kittiwake (photo) was present between 12.20pm- 1.18pm when it flew off west. The adult Mediterranean Gull was still at the west end. 2 Arctic Tern (photo) were present all day, also 9 Common Terrn. A Sanderling was a new arrival, also 10 Dunlin, 11 Ringed Plover, 2 Common Sandpiper and 1 Black-tailed Godwit were present. A Ring-necked Parakeet over the car park this morning was the first of the year. The Black-necked Grebe was along the dam. The drake Scaup remains at the west end. At least 2000 Swift were present this afternoon. Video of the Bonaparte's Gull can be viewed here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NExksFrWaA0
The 1st summer Bonaparte's Gull was still present ranging between the west end and hawking off the dam. The adult Mediterranean Gull remains at the west end. The drake Scaup was still at the west end. 4 Ringed Plover, 3 Dunlin and a Common Sandpiper were present. 10 Common Tern were counted. A Hobby and Lesser Whitethroat were noted. Some video of the Bonaparte's Gull can be viewed here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8drBdSzAbtc
The main highlight today was Belvide's 2nd ever Bonaparte's Gull. A 1st summer bird that was picked out on the north shore mid morning and spending most of it's time hawking insects off the fishing club car park. The last record was another 1st winter bird present between the 16th-22nd April 2020.
The adult Meditearranean Gull was still at the west end. Also the drake Scaup. The Black-necked Grebe was off the dam. 1 Greenshank, 1 Curlew, 8 Ringed Plover, 3 Dunlin and 3 Common Sandpiper were present.
There was no sign of the Great Reed Warbler today in cold blustery conditions. A drake Scaup at the west end was a new arrival. An Osprey flew thru south east at 7.50am and was picked up at Gailey 20 minutes later, also 2 Hobby and 3 Red Kite flew over. A single Black-necked Grebe was off the dam. 1 Greenshank, 8 Ringed Plover, 2 Dunlin and 2 Common Sandpiper were present. An adult Med Gull was at the west end, also a 1st summer Yellow-legged Gull and Caspian x Herring Gull hybrid. 12 Common Tern were noted. A pair of Greylag Geese have 4 goslings.
The Great Reed Warbler was still present by the 2nd bridge 150 yards west of the Scott hide. It remains very elusive and was last seen flying towards the ringing station late morning. An adult Mediterranean Gull was at the west end this afternoon. 1 Greenshank, 7 Ringed Plover, 2 Dunlin and 1 Common Sandpiper were present. 21 Pochard were counted. A Hobby and Red Kite flew over. A Water Rail was below the Scott hide this morning. A Male Bullfinch was by the ringing station. A Hairy Dragonfly was a long the south east bay this afternoon, is only the 2nd record for the reservoir. Some video of the Great Reed Warbler can be viewed here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZQn5YL47yE
The main highlight today was a Great Reed Warbler (top photo by Ray Scally) singing in the Scott hide reed bed. It was very elusive, singing up to 8.30am, then it went missing, until it was relocated 150 yards west of the Scott hide at 12.30pm. It remained there for the rest of the day but remained elusive and didn't sing again. This evening it was found again after the rain feeding high up in the tree canopy up to 7.50pm at least. This becomes the 2nd record for the reserve, following a bird on the 4th May 2017. It becomes the 4th record for Staffordshire. An Osprey flew thru north at 4.03pm. A single Black-necked Grebe remains off the Chappell hide. A Whimbrel flew thru early afternoon, also 1 Black-tailed Godwit, 1 Greenshank, 4 Common Sandpiper and 3 Ringed Plover were present. A sub adult Yellow-legged Gull and Caspian x Herring Gull hybrid were on the north shore late afternoon.
