Avian influenza, what do I do? If you find one dead bird of prey, 3 or more dead gulls or wild fowl, 5 or more dead birds of any species: MORE INFORMATION HERE
July was another excellent month at Belvide, with Black-necked Grebes, a site-first Stone Curlew and the return of autumn wader passage providing the main highlights.
The standout record was undoubtedly the juvenile Stone Curlew on 25 July.
Belvide's first ever record
Present on the north shore throughout the day
Only the 4th record for Staffordshire
June was a month of transition at Belvide – the exceptional rarities of May gave way to breeding activity and the first signs of autumn migration. The standout birds were the Curlew Sandpiper, Little Stint, White Wagtail, Green Sandpiper, Osprey and returning Black-necked Grebes, while the breeding season produced some excellent results, particularly Shoveler, Gadwall, Lapwing, Common Tern and Great Crested Grebe.
Curlew Sandpiper – a 1st-summer bird dropped in with a Dunlin on 3 June.
Little Stint – present on 6 June, departing east at 10:32am.
Green Sandpiper – the first returning bird was recorded on 16 June, signalling the beginning of autumn migration.
White Wagtail – an unusual June record on 9–10 June.
Hello! Im a new member and looking forward to visiting the reserves, out of curiosity is there an for want of a better phrase "opening" time, obivously I know with bird watching earlier tends to be better, but Im not one to cross any lines, I couldnt see anything on the belvide page about times or when i was reading through codes of conduct
Compiled from daily sightings – Belvide Reservoir, May 2026. With thanks to Steve Nuttall for collating the Belvide Bird Blog.
May 2026 was an exceptional month at Belvide Reservoir, producing a remarkable mix of scarce migrants, breeding successes and record-breaking sightings. Here are the highlights:
Major Rarities
Great Reed Warbler (8–10 May)
Only the second record for Belvide and fourth for Staffordshire.
Bonaparte's Gull (11–21 May)
Hello Alex, it was great to meet you today and I'm glad you are enjoying the Belvide reserve, all the best, and Happy Birding.