Reserve: Belvide

With thanks to Steve Nuttall for collating the Belvide Bird Blog.

Month Overview

February at Belvide delivered an outstanding mix of winter wildfowl, early spring arrivals, and an unexpected late‑month spectacle: the sudden formation of a massive Starling murmuration, peaking at an estimated 35,000–40,000 birds. Rare geese, impressive raptor activity, and several first‑of‑the‑year records made this one of the most eventful Februarys in recent years.

Monthly Highlights

Siberian Chiffchaff remained between West End Hide and Gazebo Bay.

White‑fronted Geese movements: 77 on 8 Feb; 55 on 14 Feb.

hello

for those interested in photography there is a Flickr site for both ladywalk and belvide reserves

ladywalk is https://www.flickr.com/groups/14667052@N22/pool/

belvide is   https://www.flickr.com/groups/14700700@N21/pool/ 

where photos can be viewed and added to - joining Flickr is free and you can add up to 1000 photos to your page and then share them to groups

ladywalk currently has 69 members and belvide 30 it is a great way of sharing your photos

Message from Sue Judge

As the Belvide Representative I am constantly delighted by the praise received for the condition of the reserve however those of you who have recently joined our club may not be aware that although the Canal and River Trust own most of site at Belvide with WMBC owning just the woodland ALL habitat maintenance at Belvide is planned and carried out by the Team and volunteers who are all club members. 

Much of the work is dictated by the SSSI citation so is not only desirable but legally required so can’t be left.  The volume of work is always considerable but the low water levels this year means growth of vegetation in areas usually under water has added greatly to this.

We have a great group of members who turn up to sessions regularly but if we are to achieve our ambition of keeping Belvide as…