Reserve: Belvide

The work to Belvide Car park has now been completed

A sunny but windy visit to Belvide today produced the following highlights

Grey Plover x3, outside Chappell Hide

Ringed Plover x 4 outside Chappell

Peregrine with prey on N shore

Rock Pipit on dam amongst Pied wagtails

Bullfinch x 2 (M+F) in orchard at W end

September brought an excellent mix of autumn migration, scarce visitors and impressive bird numbers to Belvide Reservoir, with Ospreys, passage waders and Black-necked Grebes providing some of the month's most memorable sightings.

Ospreys were a particular highlight, with sightings on numerous dates throughout the month. The 6th September proved especially productive, with two Ospreys and two Marsh Harriers passing through, alongside three Hobbies and a Peregrine. Goshawks and Red Kites were also regularly recorded, while an Osprey passing high to the west on the 23rd provided another late-month highlight.

The three juvenile Black-necked Grebes present at the beginning of September continued to attract interest, with at least one remaining until the 12th. Their presence followed an exceptional run of records, bringing the reserve's 2026 total to an impressive 34 birds by 2nd September.

Wader passage was another major feature, with a good variety of species recorded throughout the month. Highlights…

The works are expected to take

up to two weeks, during which time parking at the reserve will be limited.

To help minimise disruption,

additional parking has been arranged at Lea Fields Barns, further down the lane.

Please note that this parking arrangement is available for the duration of the works only.

Please accept our apologies for the short notice, as the final details of the works were only confirmed to us over the weekend.