Bough Beech Reservoir Kent
This reservoir is one of the largest bodies of freshwater in south-east England and was completed in 1970. Almost a quarter of the more than 100ha lake is a nature reserve managed by the Kent Wildlife Trust. Water levels drop in summer to expose the muddy margins which are highly attractive to passage waders. Surrounding the lake are deciduous woodlands and scrub, fields and hedgerows. Around 230 bird species have been recorded in total and more than 170 are recorded annually on and around the reservoir.
Although form a birding point of view Bough Beech is best in winter and during passage periods, there is a good range of birds to be seen throughout the year. Great Crested Grebe is present all year along with Great Cormorant and Grey Heron, Greylag and Canada Geese and Common Kingfisher as well as a wide range of woodland species. Mandarin Duck is now present all year but most other waterfowl species occur in winter. All three British woodpeckers breed as well as Eurasian Nuthatch and Common Treecreeper, various tits and most of the commoner birds of a southern English woodland. Reed Warbler and Reed Bunting breed around the lake. Passage periods bring a variety of waders to Bough Beech including Ringed, Little Ringed, Golden and Grey Plovers, Dunlin, Red Knot and Sanderling, Ruff, godwits, Eurasian Curlew and Whimbrel, and Spotted and Common Redshanks, Greenshank, and Green, Wood and Common Sandpipers. Terns also pass through including Common, Arctic, Little and Black. Osprey is becoming increasingly regular and there are hopes that one year a pair will stay on and breed. Little Egret is also becoming more frequent here in line with its increase nationally. Regular passerines migrants such as Yellow Wagtail, Whinchat, Common Redstart and Northern Wheatear are frequently joined by scarcer species including Water Pipit and Blue-headed Wagtail, Black Redstart and Wood Warbler. Eurasian Wigeon, Common Teal and Northern Shoveler are all common in winter joined by Common Pochard and Tufted Duck and smaller numbers of Common Goldeneye, Goosander and Ruddy Duck. Gulls roost here in huge numbers, mainly Black-headed but with smaller numbers of the other common species and the ocsional rarity. Red-throated Diver appears most winters with the odd visit from a Black-throated or the scarcer grebe species. In severe winters Smew and Bewick's Swan my turn up. Vagrants are increasingly reported from Bough Beech and have included several North American waders such as Spotted, Pectoral, Baird's and White-rumped Sandpipers, and in October 1984 a Radde's Warbler from Asia. Very occasionally seabirds such as Northern Gannet, Shag and Kittiwake are seen on the reservoir or ducks more usual on the sea including scoters, Long-tailed Duck, Greater Scaup and Common Eider occasionally occur. The reserve lies in the north of the reservoir and a road crossing the lake provides excellent views. This road can be reached from the B2027 by taking the right turn about 2km west of Chiddingstone Causeway following signs for Winkhurst Green and Bough Beech Nature Reserve. There is an information centre, car-park and toilets to the north of the reservoir open April-October at weekends and on Wednesdays from 11.00am until 4.30pm. The reserve and surrounding countryside have a network of footpaths.
Birds
Birds you can see here include:
Red-throated Diver, Little Grebe, Great Crested Grebe, Red-necked Grebe, Slavonian Grebe, Black-necked Grebe, Great Cormorant, Grey Heron, Mute Swan, Greylag Goose, Canada Goose, Common Shelduck, Mandarin Duck, Eurasian Wigeon, Gadwall, Common Teal, Mallard, Northern Pintail, Garganey, Northern Shoveler, Common Pochard, Tufted Duck, Common Goldeneye, Smew, Goosander, Ruddy Duck, Marsh Harrier, Eurasian Sparrowhawk, Osprey, Common Kestrel, Northern Hobby, Red-legged Partridge, Grey Partridge, Common Pheasant, Water Rail, Moorhen, Eurasian Coot, Oystercatcher, Little Ringed Plover, Ringed Plover, Golden Plover, Grey Plover, Northern Lapwing, Red Knot, Sanderling, Little Stint, Dunlin, Ruff, Common Snipe, Woodcock, Black-tailed Godwit, Bar-tailed Godwit, Whimbrel, Eurasian Curlew, Spotted Redshank, Common Redshank, Greenshank, Green Sandpiper, Wood Sandpiper, Common Sandpiper, Turnstone, Little Gull, Black-headed Gull, Common Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Herring Gull, Great Black-backed Gull, Sandwich Tern, Common Tern, Arctic Tern, Little Tern, Black Tern, Stock Dove, Woodpigeon, Collared Dove, Turtle Dove, Common Cuckoo, Barn Owl, Little Owl, Tawny Owl, Short-eared Owl, Common Swift, Common Kingfisher, Green Woodpecker, Great Spotted Woodpecker, [[Lesser Spotted Woodpecker, Eurasian Skylark]], Sand Martin, Barn Swallow, House Martin, Tree Pipit, Meadow Pipit, Rock Pipit, Water Pipit, Yellow Wagtail, Blue-headed Wagtail, Pied Wagtail, White Wagtail, Grey Wagtail, Common Wren, Dunnock, Eurasian Robin, Nightingale, Whinchat, Stonechat, Common Redstart, Black Redstart, Northern Wheatear, Blackbird, Fieldfare, Song Thrush, Redwing, Mistle Thrush, Sedge Warbler, Reed Warbler, Lesser Whitethroat, Common Whitethroat, Garden Warbler, Blackcap, Wood Warbler, Common Chiffchaff, Willow Warbler, Goldcrest, Spotted Flycatcher, Long-tailed Tit, Marsh Tit, Willow Tit, Coal Tit, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Eurasian Nuthatch, Common Treecreeper, Common Jay, Common Magpie, Jackdaw, Rook, Carrion Crow, Common Starling, House Sparrow, Tree Sparrow, Chaffinch, Brambling, Greenfinch, Goldfinch, Siskin, Linnet, Lesser Redpoll, Common Bullfinch, Yellowhammer, Reed Bunting
Content and images originally posted by Steve
