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Overview
Within easy reach of Birmingham, the Sandwell Valley with its Country Park and RSPB reserve has a wide range of habitats and an excellent selection of birds throughout the year.
The valley has mixed woodland of Oak, Ash and Alder, open fields and hedgerows, marshland with willow scrub and a reservoir, Forge Mill Lake.
Birds
Notable Species
Little Grebe and Great Crested Grebe, Mute Swan, Canada Goose, Mallard and Tufted Duck as well as Eurasian Coot and Moorhen breed on the lake.
Northern Lapwing and Common Snipe, sometimes Little Ringed Plover and Common Redshank nest in the marshes and breeding passerines in the wetter areas include Sedge Warbler and Reed Warbler, and Reed Bunting.
Hedgerows and the open farmland have Little Owl, Yellowhammer and Common Whitethroat. The woodlands are home to all three British woodpeckers as well as Tawny Owl, Eurasian Nuthatch, Common Treecreeper and Willow Tit.
Passage birds include waders such as Dunlin, Greenshank and Green Sandpiper and Common Sandpiper, sometimes Oystercatcher, Curlew Sandpiper and Little Stint. Black Tern and Sandwich Tern are regularly recorded on passage and Northern Hobby is a frequent late summer visitor, often seen hunting swifts and hirundines over the lake.
Jack Snipe and Water Rail occur in the marshes in winter with Great Cormorant and Grey Heron visiting the lake as well as waterfowl including Eurasian Wigeon, Common Teal, Northern Shoveler, Common Pochard and Tufted Duck. In addition, Common Shelduck, Gadwall, Common Goldeneye and Goosander are also present but usually in small numbers and rarer species have included scoters, Common Eider Long-tailed Duck and Great Snipe.
Check-list
Birds you can see here include:
Little Grebe, Great Crested Grebe, Great Cormorant, Grey Heron, Canada Goose, Common Shelduck, Eurasian Wigeon, Gadwall, Common Teal, Mallard, Northern Shoveler, Northern Pintail, Common Pochard, Tufted Duck, Common Goldeneye, Goosander, Ruddy Duck, Eurasian Sparrowhawk, Common Kestrel, Northern Hobby, Water Rail, Common Moorhen, Eurasian Coot, Eurasian Oystercatcher, Little Ringed Plover, Ringed Plover, Northern Lapwing, Little Stint, Curlew Sandpiper, Dunlin, Ruff, Jack Snipe, Common Snipe, Eurasian Woodcock, Eurasian Curlew, Common Greenshank, Green Sandpiper, Common Sandpiper, Black-headed Gull, Sandwich Tern, Common Tern, Black Tern, Stock Dove, Common Woodpigeon, Eurasian Collared Dove, European Turtle Dove, Common Cuckoo, Little Owl, Tawny Owl, Long-eared Owl, Short-eared Owl, Common Swift, Common Kingfisher, Green Woodpecker, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Lesser Spotted Woodpecker, Sand Martin, Barn Swallow, Northern House Martin, Meadow Pipit, Tree Pipit, Yellow Wagtail, Pied Wagtail, Common Wren, Dunnock, Eurasian Robin, Common Redstart, Whinchat, European Stonechat, Northern Wheatear, Ring Ouzel, Eurasian Blackbird, Fieldfare, Song Thrush, Redwing, Mistle Thrush, Common Grasshopper Warbler, Sedge Warbler, Common Reed Warbler, Lesser Whitethroat, Common Whitethroat, Garden Warbler, Blackcap, Common Chiffchaff, Willow Warbler, Spotted Flycatcher, European Pied Flycatcher, Willow Tit, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Eurasian Nuthatch, Common Treecreeper, Common Magpie, Carrion Crow, Common Starling, House Sparrow, Eurasian Tree Sparrow, Chaffinch, European Greenfinch, European Goldfinch, Eurasian Siskin, Lesser Redpoll, Yellowhammer, Reed Bunting
Other Wildlife
The site is also managed for reptiles, amphibians and Water Voles. 1
Site Information
History and Use
To do
Areas of Interest
The lake is situated in a bend of the River Tame and has islands and a marshy area at the eastern end where the RSPB manage their 25-acre reserve.
This reserve is widely used by school parties and has a hide (limited opening hours) overlooking the various habitats.
Access and Facilities
For Sandwell Valley Country Park leave the M5 at Junction 1 for the A41 and head eastwards for Birmingham. Take the left turn after the West Bromwich football ground into Park Lane and after 2.5km park by Swan Pool.
For the RSPB reserve return to Park Lane and follow it to the junction with the A4041, turn right and take the second right after the railway bridge. This is Hampstead Road, continue for 1km and take a right turn into Tanhouse Avenue.
The Nature Centre is signposted and there is a car-park and information centre with toilets, nature trails and hides.
This reserve is ideal for those visiting Birmingham with little spare time for birding.
Grid Ref: SP035928
Contact Details
Tel: 0121 357 7395
References
External Links
- RSPB: Sandwell Valley
- West Midland Bird Club: Sandwell Valley]
- Map of the site
- Sandwell Valley on Streetmap
Content and images originally posted by Steve
