Weir Wood Reservoir (West Sussex)
This reservoir was constructed in the early 1950s and lies about three km south of East Grinstead close to the border of East and West Sussex in south-east England. The water covers about 113ha and is mainly shallow reaching a maximum depth of 11 metres at the dam end. The surroundings are open pasture and scrub interspersed with small woodland patches. A minor road crosses the western end of the reservoir and much of this part of the lake has been a Local Nature Reserve since 1989. Large areas of mud are exposed during periods of drought and at these times waders can appear in variety and numbers. More than 230 bird species have been recorded in total with over 130 species seen annually on and around the reservoir.
Although best-known for wintering waterfowl and passage birds there is birding interest all year at Weir Wood. Little and Great Crested Grebes are present all year as well as Great Cormorant and Grey Heron, Mute Swan and feral Greylag and Canada Geese. Mandarin Duck is now a breeding resident but although both Common Teal and Northern Shoveler have nested the only other regularly breeding ducks are Mallard and Tufted Duck. Common Kingfisher and Grey Wagtail are scarce breeders and present all year but Water Rail appears to be a rare winter visitor only. Woodcock and Tawny Owl occur in the surrounding woodlands as well as all three British woodpeckers. Passerine breeders include five species of tit, Eurasian Nuthatch and Common Treecreeper and warblers include Blackcap and Garden, Willow and Common Chiffchaff. Other breeders include Goldcrest and Spotted Flycatcher, Tree Sparrow and Common Bullfinch. In the more open farmland and scrubby areas both species of whitethroat breed along with Little Owl, Yellowhammer and Eurasian Skylark. Sedge Warbler and Reed Bunting breed around the lake and Reed Warbler has bred.
Passage periods bring a variety of waders to Weir Wood including Ringed and Little Ringed Plovers, Dunlin, Redshank and Greenshank and Green, Wood and Common Sandpipers. Scarcer but also regular are Curlew Sandpiper and Little Stint, Ruff, Spotted Redshank, Eurasian Curlew and Whimbrel. Northern Lapwing, Common Snipe and Common Redshank appear in autumn and small numbers also spend the winter around the reservoir. Terns also pass through including Common and Black with Sandwich and Little less regular. Little Gull is now annually recorded in autumn when numbers of other gull species begin to build up. Osprey is regular during both passage periods and this is one of the best sites in the south-east for this species. Passage hirundines gather in large numbers at the reservoir and other regular passerine migrants include pipits and wagtails, Stonechat, Whinchat and Northern Wheatear with occasional records of rarer species such as Common Redstart, Black Redstart and Nightingale.
Winter brings waterfowl such as Eurasian Wigeon, Gadwall and Common Teal, Northern Pintail and Northern Shoveler with good numbers of Common Pochard, Tufted Duck and Common Goldeneye. Goosander and Smew are regular in small numbers and Ruddy Duck is becoming more frequent. Gulls roost here in large numbers, mainly Black-headed but with smaller numbers of the other common species and the occasional rarity has been reported. Red-throated Diver and the scarcer grebes appear some winters with occasional small groups of Bewick's Swan or grey geese. The woods and hedgerows are visited in winter by large flocks of thrushes and finches.
With the increased watching at Weir Wood over the last twenty years an excellent list of rarities has now built up for the site. Rare waterfowl have included Red-crested Pochard and Ferruginous Duck and seaduck such as Scaup, Eider, scoters and Long-tailed Duck have been reported. Other seabirds have been noted here over the years such as Northern Fulmar, Shag and Northern Gannet, skuas and Kittiwake. Vagrant waders have included Temminck's Stint, Pectoral, Marsh and Spotted Sandpipers and Lesser Yellowlegs and other vagrants have included Purple Heron, White-winged Black Tern, European Roller, Hoopoe and passerines such as Water Pipit and Cetti's, Savi's, Marsh and Melodious Warblers.
Weir Wood Reservoir can be reached on a minor road from the B2110 to the south-west of East Grinstead in the north of Sussex. Much can be seen from surrounding roads and the nature reserve lies at the western end.
Birds
Birds you can see here include:
Little Grebe, Great Crested 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, Common Pheasant, Water Rail, Moorhen, Eurasian Coot, Oystercatcher, Little Ringed Plover, Ringed Plover, Northern Lapwing, Little Stint, Curlew Sandpiper, Dunlin, Ruff, Common Snipe, Woodcock, Black-tailed Godwit, Whimbrel, Eurasian Curlew, Spotted Redshank, Common Redshank, Greenshank, Green Sandpiper, Wood Sandpiper, Common Sandpiper, Little Gull, Black-headed Gull, Common Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Herring Gull, Great Black-backed Gull, Sandwich Tern, Common Tern, Little Tern, Black Tern, Stock Dove, Woodpigeon, Turtle Dove, Common Cuckoo, Little Owl, Tawny Owl, Common Swift, Common Kingfisher, Green Woodpecker, Great Spotted Woodpecker, [[Lesser Spotted Woodpecker, Eurasian Skylark]], Sand Martin, Barn Swallow, House Martin, Meadow Pipit, Yellow Wagtail, Pied Wagtail, Grey Wagtail, Common Wren, Dunnock, Eurasian Robin, Whinchat, Stonechat, Common Redstart, Northern Wheatear, Blackbird, Fieldfare, Song Thrush, Redwing, Mistle Thrush, Sedge Warbler, Reed Warbler, Lesser Whitethroat, Common Whitethroat, Garden Warbler, Blackcap, 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
Reviews
florall's review
Unfortunately, with several years of very little rainfall, the western end of the reservoir has virtually no water on it, just the stream of the fledgling River Medway meandering through. There isn't even any exposed mud - last spring the seed in the exposed mud germinated, and what you look out on from the car park and (extremely) vandalised hide is a rather pleasant meadow. So I can't recommend this as somewhere to come birding at the moment, but if we have any prolonged rainfall, then obviously, that would change.
Cons
- Very little water
