andythomas
Wednesday 10th September 2003, 13:25
Kingsbury Water Park is owned and run by Warwickshire County Council. It is situated in the Tame valley near to other good birding sites such as Coton, Lea Marston, Ladywalk, and Shustoke Reservoir. The park was established in the late 1970s on the site of a former gravel works. Since that time the M42 has been constructed passing straight through the park, but fortunately it is not too noticeable except for a certain amount of traffic noise.
Many of the pools have been adapted for leisure activities such as sailing and fishing. The nature reserve is at the northern end of the park, with four hides around Cliff Pool. This was recently landscaped to allow the ducks and geese access to the bank, which seems to have increased the number of some birds, such as Wigeon. The islands hold numbers of Lapwing and Cormorant, and in winter Golden Plover.
The West Midland Bird Club has a visitors centre adjacent to Broomey Croft car park, near to Cliff Pool. This is normally manned at weekends, and can provide details of what birds have been seen recently. Please call in for a chat if you are passing.
Winter is perhaps the best time to visit with good numbers of wildfowl present. Spring and autumn wader passage can also be good. Even in summer there are good numbers of breeding birds present, such as Oystercatcher, Common Tern and warblers.
Rarities do turn up regularly, particularly during passage. In 2003 these have included Smew, Osprey, Hobby, Peregrine, Ruff, Whinchat, Little Egret, Black-tailed Godwit, Mediterranean Gull, Wood Sandpiper, Dunlin, Whimbrel, Avocet, Garganey and Rock Pipit. In addition 2002 produced Slavonian Grebe, Common Scoter, Great Grey Shrike, Black, Arctic and Roseate Tern, Little Gull and Temminck’s Stint.
Highlights for me at KWP have included my first ever Smew and Firecrest, and all three woodpeckers in half an hour, so it's not just wildfowl.
Access: Signposted from the A4097 south of Kingsbury. Parking Fee. Use the Broomey Croft car park which is nearest to the nature reserve.
Resident: Little and Great Crested Grebes, Cormorant, Gadwall, Tufted Duck, Lapwing, Kingfisher, Reed Bunting.
April - September: Shelduck, Oystercatcher, Little Ringed Plover, Ringed Plover, Redshank, Greenshank, Green Sandpiper, Common Sandpiper, Common Tern, Turtle Dove, Sedge and Reed Warbler, Blackcap.
October - March: Wigeon, Teal, Shoveler, Pochard, Goldeneye, Goosander, Golden Plover, Snipe.
Many of the pools have been adapted for leisure activities such as sailing and fishing. The nature reserve is at the northern end of the park, with four hides around Cliff Pool. This was recently landscaped to allow the ducks and geese access to the bank, which seems to have increased the number of some birds, such as Wigeon. The islands hold numbers of Lapwing and Cormorant, and in winter Golden Plover.
The West Midland Bird Club has a visitors centre adjacent to Broomey Croft car park, near to Cliff Pool. This is normally manned at weekends, and can provide details of what birds have been seen recently. Please call in for a chat if you are passing.
Winter is perhaps the best time to visit with good numbers of wildfowl present. Spring and autumn wader passage can also be good. Even in summer there are good numbers of breeding birds present, such as Oystercatcher, Common Tern and warblers.
Rarities do turn up regularly, particularly during passage. In 2003 these have included Smew, Osprey, Hobby, Peregrine, Ruff, Whinchat, Little Egret, Black-tailed Godwit, Mediterranean Gull, Wood Sandpiper, Dunlin, Whimbrel, Avocet, Garganey and Rock Pipit. In addition 2002 produced Slavonian Grebe, Common Scoter, Great Grey Shrike, Black, Arctic and Roseate Tern, Little Gull and Temminck’s Stint.
Highlights for me at KWP have included my first ever Smew and Firecrest, and all three woodpeckers in half an hour, so it's not just wildfowl.
Access: Signposted from the A4097 south of Kingsbury. Parking Fee. Use the Broomey Croft car park which is nearest to the nature reserve.
Resident: Little and Great Crested Grebes, Cormorant, Gadwall, Tufted Duck, Lapwing, Kingfisher, Reed Bunting.
April - September: Shelduck, Oystercatcher, Little Ringed Plover, Ringed Plover, Redshank, Greenshank, Green Sandpiper, Common Sandpiper, Common Tern, Turtle Dove, Sedge and Reed Warbler, Blackcap.
October - March: Wigeon, Teal, Shoveler, Pochard, Goldeneye, Goosander, Golden Plover, Snipe.