Sandwell Valley RSPB Reserve - Audio Tour
Today on a glorious August afternoon I took a trip down to the RSPB Reserve at Sandwell Valley in the West Midlands and took the opportunity to record this audio tour of the reserve looking at the reserve and some of the species of birds that visit the site as I took the circular walk around the Lake.
I also took the opportunity to grab a couple of photographs of one of my favourites, the Grey Heron that frequents the island and the bank opposite the main viewing platform on the reserve.
Click to Play or Download Sandwell Valley RSPB Reserve Audio Tour
The reserve which opened back in 1983 is located on a former colliery site covering some 25 acres and with over 200 species of birds recorded it now attracts over 25,000 people a year.
The reserve throughout the seasons sees amongst other species; willow warblers, blackcaps and chiffchaffs in the spring - lapwings, reed wablers, goldfinches and reed buntings in the summer. In the Autumn the visitor is treated to wigeons, teal, shovelers, pochards and water rails and in the Winter wading birds such as jack snipe, lapwings and redshanks feed in the scrape.
The reserve really is a little oasis of countryside in an otherwise built up area with the River Tame running along side the central lake around which a circular walk takes the visitor through the varying habitats with hides and places to sit sited at advantageous locations.
The staff and regular bird watchers are always very welcoming and happy to help or advise and the visitor centre offers refreshments and a fairly wide range of publications for locally written guides and books to the well known birding titles.
It is well worth a visit whether you are an ardent bird watcher, a 'some time' bird watcher, just generally interested in nature or fancy a nice walk.
The reserve is located at 20 Tanhouse Avenue, Great Barr, Birmingham B43 5AG and they can be contacted on 0121 357 7395. The visitor centre is open from 9am - 5pm Tuesday to Friday and from 10am - 5pm on Saturdays and Sundays. The main hide overlooking the island on the lake is normally open until 3pm however opening and hide times may vary in the winter.
(Please note that Local Life & Little Histories is not associated with the RSPB or the Sandwell Valley RSPB reserve in any way and the observations made in the recording are purely those of the author)
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