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R M Andrews.

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CVLbirding is sponsored by Bristol Water plc

WATER LEVEL 83% on 24.06.08

Chew Valley Lake is a semi-natural reservoir ten miles south of Bristol, and is the largest lake in south-west England. This website contains frequently updated news and information on its birds and wildlife, access, maps, and the definitive Chew bird list!

Look out for these in July:
Mute Swan - Usually at least 100 birds as non-breeders arrive to moult.
Canada Goose - A big moulting flock of several hundred should be on the lake. Check them for the occasional exotic!
Gadwall - There should be a build-up of moulting birds as the month goes by - there could be over a hundred on Herriott's Pool by the end of the month
Ferruginous Duck - Check the Aythya flocks at Stratford Bay and Herriott's - usually a bird or two in the last few years
Common Scoter - Sometimes a few appear for a day as they move through (usually drakes)
Hobby - Keep an eye out as they could be around any time
Coot - Numbers should build up to well over a thousand as birds arrive to moult
Green Sandpiper - The first returning ones should trickle through
Yellow-legged Gull - One or two birds should appear; look for them perched on bouys in the middle of the lake first thing in the mornings
Common Tern - Usually a few birds pass through
Swift - Expect thousands in wet or windy weather

Also:
Red-eared Terrapin - An introduced species. In hot weather they like to sun themselves at the waters edge - check any exposed logs or branches looking north from Herriott's Bridge
Purple Hairstreak - Usually reliable in the old Nunnery car park by the B3114; climb to the top of the gravel pile at the far end and look on the ash trees
Lunar Hornet Moth - Difficult to find, but check the base of sallows in the morning and you may catch one of these impressve wasp-mimics atfer they hatch out from inside the tree trunk!
Lesser Emperor - After our first confirmed record in 2006, it might be worth keeping an eye out around the Stratford area if we get any decent weather