Local life & Little Histories

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)

RSPB Sandwell Valley Web Site

West Midlands Bird Club Sandwell Valley Information

Sandwell Sounds

It has been some time since the last LocalLife audio and in fact it has been some time since I have  spent any chill out time away from home or work. The last couple of evenings though I have taken the opportunity just to wander over to the Sandwell Valley RSPB centre in the West Midlands to enjoy the late evening sunlight before winter sets in and it is dark a long time before the work day is over.

  Click to Play or Download Sandwell Sounds

Links:

RSPB - Sandwell Valley Nature Reserve

West Midland Bird Club - Sandwell Valley

Twycross Zoo

After the trip yesterday to the Chestnut Centre in Derbyshire I decided to stay a little closer to home this time just popping across to Tywcross Zoo in the next county of Leicestershire.

Twycross Zoo was originally a private zoo founded by Molly Badham and Nathalie Evans some 40 years ago. The Zoo became a charitable trust in 1972 with the brief to educate the public about the plight of animals in the wild and the need to help conserve endangered species.

The Zoo now attracts over 400,000 visitor a year and has evolved to become one of Britain's major zoos. The zoo is home to a wide range of species of animal, some 1000 animals of 250 different species. It is however more famous for it's unique collection of apes and monkeys including many rarely seen in captivity.

While there I recorded this 40 minute audio and managed to grab a few snaps!

  Click to Play or Download A Visit to Twycross Zoo

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You can find the Twycross Zoo website at: Twycross Zoo

Intro & Outro music Silk Route by Satya from the Memoirs of a World Traveller album.

Chestnut Centre Otter & Owl Wildlife Park

Today I went to the Chestnut Centre Otter & Owl Wildlife Park in the Derbyshire Peak District. The Wildlife Park takes its name from a chestnut tree near its entrance which was planted in 1837 to commemorate the coronation of Queen Victoria.

The Centre is set in 50 acres of landscaped grounds and is home to a unique collection of birds and mammals, its emphasis being on Otters and Owls which together form the bulk of the collection.

There are around 17 species of Owl to be seen along with the European Otter, the Asian Short-clawed Otter, the North American River Otter and the South American Giant Otter. There are also Deer, Red Fox, Pine Martin, Scottish Wildcat and Badger to only name a few to be seen.

The Heap family founded the sanctuary in 1984 and they also own and run the New Forest Wildlife Centre and The Battersea Park Children's Zoo. The centre aims to promote a wider understanding of our natural environment and as keen conservationists the Heap family have for the last 30 years been concerned in the status of Otters in the UK and further afield.

The centre is involved on an ongoing basis with the rehabilitation of injured or orphaned wildlife from various areas with rescues coming from organisations such as RSPCA, local vets, local wildlife trusts and from the general public. Those that can are returned to the wild and in the instance of this not being possible but there is still the possibility of a 'quality of life', they remain with the sanctuary to act as ambassadors for their species.

The Chestnut Centre is a lovely reserve to visit nestled on a hillside and valley in Chapel-en-le-Frith in Derbyshire and I can highly recommend a visit. The layout makes a visit feel more like discoveries made along woodland trails rather than just following a path from pen to pen.

The woodland trails which run around and through the centre also offer a great opportunity to experience an abundance of fauna and flora indigenous to the area; from wild birds such as treecreepers to pheasant and mamals from bank vole to the wood mouse.

I hope you enjoy this short (35 minute) audio tour recorded today during my visit.

  Click to Play or Download Chestnut Centre with Charlie

The Chestnut Centre web site can be found at: Chestnut Centre

A Walk with Bats

Something a little different today.

Last night we went to the RSPB reserve in Sandwell Valley to take a late night walk with bats arrange by the reserve. I took the minidisk walkman with me and the lapel mic and recorded the evening. The quality isn't fantastic and unfortunately I left the mic in the car during the opening talk. However I have put a couple of short sections from the walk together into this short audio post.

  Click to Play or Download A Walk with Bats Sandwell Valley

When I get time I may try to create a more comprehensive audio post from more of the evening.

I hope you enjoy it.

Links:

Sandwell Valley RSPB Nature Reserve

Brum Bats

Twycross Zoo Pelican

http://www.twycrosszoo.com/