West Midland Bird Club 
Studying Birds in Staffordshire, Warwickshire, 
Worcestershire and the West Midlands since 1929
Belvide Reservoir
Access to Belvide Reserve is by Inclusive Club membership only.
Visits can be made to this reserve by bona fide groups. Individual day permits are not issued.
Arrangements for group visits can be made using the Reserve Management Team contact address on this page.
To purchase your permit please contact the WMBC Permit Secretary: permits@westmidlandbirdclub.org.uk

Belvide Reservoir, a 74ha canal-feeder reservoir, was constructed in 1834 to supply what is now the Shropshire Union Canal. The site did not attract the attention of ornithologists until the 1920s, when A. W. Boyd began making regular visits and publishing his observations in 'British Birds' magazine. Boyd and H. G. Alexander, a founder member of the West Midland Bird Club and leading British ornithologist, were responsible for putting Belvide on the bird-watching map and the reservoir soon became established as one of the most important ornithological sites in the Midlands. Owned by the Canal & Rivers Trust (formerly British Waterways), the site is leased to and managed by the West Midland Bird Club. It is scheduled as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) under the stewardship of Natural England. Integral to the reserve is a 3 ha tract of broad-leaved woodland which is owned by the Club. This woodland, which has feeding station observation areas, is home to a wide variety of woodland birds and this adds to the overall birding interest of the site which centres around a good range of breeding birds in summer, flocks of waterfowl and gulls in the winter and spring and return passage migrants, in particular wading birds that are attracted when water levels are low and there is an exposed shoreline.          

Reserve Management Team Contacts

Reserve Details
Access to the site is restricted to the entrance to the reserve car park viaShutt Green Lane - O/S Grid ref: SJ870098.Please remember that the access code to the entrance gate is time sensitive, running over the twelve-month-period ending 28th February; please refer to your membership card for gate code details. From the car park follow the woodland tracks via the feeding stations to reach the reservoir shoreline and from thereon the bird hides. At all times please respect footpath restrictions. Those who have Inclusive Club membership are entitled to birdwatch at Gailey Reservoirs. The reservoirs at Gailey are located immediately east ofjunction 12 on theM6 Motorway - O/S Grid ref SJ938106with access via Gailey Lea Lane off the A5.
For up-to-date Belvide bird sightings and Belvide reserve management news - please follow these links
Belvide Reservoir location map - reserve access
via Shutt Green Lane
The Tree Sparrow colony is an attraction at our
Belvide Reserve - photo - Nigel Talbot
Reserve Announcements
Any items of reserve importance will be reported here, checking this slot before planning your visits will be worthwhile.

The ringing report from Belvide 2021 can be found on the Belvide Ringers page now.

Belvide Ringing Reports Archive
(Brewood Ringers)
The new Bird Hide at our Belvide Reservoir Reserve - All photos by Steve Nuttall
This excellent new facility is the result of progressive actions implemented by the Belvide Reserve Management team. As you will discover when visiting this reserve, the development of the site is designed around a practical yet extensive environmental knowledge that is coupled with dedication and enthusiasm, making the site a pleasure to visit. 
New reserve entrance sign
The new reserve sign offers a refreshingly clean cut and welcoming image to visitors at the reserve entrance.
Designed by Rob Swift of the Belvide Reserve Management team - photographs by Rob Swift
Belvide Ringers Session August 22nd 2018
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