Well, the rain is drumming on the office roof, its 3:30 and its nearly dark, Winter is coming!

However, the period between Autumn and Winter is an exciting one on a nature reserve and Middleton is no different.

One of the highlights was the presence of a Short-eared owl on the reserve for a few days. It was seen hunting over Fishers Mill and a couple of times was seen dropping into the long grass behind the canal side…

Here at Middleton Lakes we would like to welcome our most recent arrivals, a herd of fantastic Konik ponies!

Ok, ok, so those of you in the know will be fully aware that they have been onsite for over a year now, but with the Environment Agency flood defence work happening (more on this soon!), we haven't been able to officially introduce our new arrivals.

So, let us welcome and introduce you to Winston, Poppy,…

After the rain yesterday and last night, the canal meadow has flooded and is currently impassable.

We will continue to monitor the situation and update when it is passable.

In the meantime, the woodland is full of Goldcrests, Nuthatches, Treecreepers, Woodpeckers and the usual assemblage of tits and finches so there are still lots of birds to see.

Many thanks for your co-operation.

It was back in June 2013 that I started on a 15 month voluntary placement at RSPB Sandwell Valley and Middleton Lakes reserves as Assistant Warden Intern. I can certainly say that it has not felt that long; the time has whizzed past!

As part of a course in Environmental Conservation at university, I jumped at the chance to undertake a year’s volunteering experience. My goal is to work in conservation in the future and…

The children back at/starting school, leaves starting to fall off trees, the nights drawing in; you can tell that Autumn is on the way. Another sign that autumn is soon upon us is the increasing number of migrants dropping in at the reserve as they make their way to their wintering grounds.

With the River Tame acting as the bird equivalent of the M1 motorway, Middleton Lakes makes a great pit stop for the weary travelers…

This last week has been one that few will forget at Middleton Lakes. The car park was full on most days, birders from all over the country have ventured to our little reserve, but for what I hear you scream!

A PACIFIC GOLDEN PLOVER has been frequenting the Jubilee Wetlands since Saturday when it was found by local birder, Geoff Williams. This bird which should be making its way to its Wintering grounds, which can be…

Do you want to develop a career in conservation? Do you want to become part of a team at two of the Midlands most exciting reserves?

Well if so, we have the opportunity for you!

We are looking for a volunteer intern to join our small team at Middleton Lakes and Sandwell Valley and help with the day to day reserve management work on 2 very different reserves.

Middleton Lakes is an ex quarry site that we are developing…

For some, the summer holidays have just begun. Hooray!!!

For many, there is one big question to be answered: where do I take the kids (small and big)?

Well, at Middleton Lakes we have, right outside your car door step, the fantastic 'Play Meadow'.

So, what can you find to do in the Play Meadow?

You can...

discover the Den Building Area,

climb the Tangly Tree,  

traverse the Stepping Stones through…

I went to my second moth night at Middleton lakes on the 3rd July 2014 and what a blast I had. There were three of us who are really new to this, Marion, Tony and myself. We met up with Linda, Derek and Bob. They were so extremely helpful and very patient with us. So many thanks Guys.

We got to tRSPB Middleton for 8.00pm and went for a walk first, andsaw a lovely family of Black-headed gulls, with the juveniles demanding…

Anyone can be forgiven for focusing on the birds at this time of year with juveniles popping up all over the place and migrant waders returning through the country, but this time of year is probably the best time to look for Odonata!

What’s that?, I hear you screaming! Well, Odonata is the scientific order for our Dragonflies and Damselflies. These beautiful insects offer up a fantastic variety ranging from small…

So there it is for another year, the BBQ has been covered, the marshmallows have been hidden away from staff and the Big Wild Sleepout is over for another year!

Luckily the weather was on our side and there was glorious sunshine throughout, only interrupted during the evening when it got a bit chilly, but that didn’t dampen our spirits!

The campsite, note the sun beating down on the tents, making them uninhabitable…

Well, a lot has happened since I last posted a recent sightings blog, we have had a rare American wader, fledglings popping up all over the site, a spectacular migrant wader passage and a butterfly and dragonfly bonanza!

So to the highlight of the last few weeks which was the presence of a Pectoral sandpiper, found on the 18th and was still present on the North Pit on the 19^th, (providing an excellent WeBS count record…

Sunday 25/05/2014

Wet Wet Wet

Do not fear, I am not going to start singing anything from the catalogue of the 80s heartthrobs.

I am in fact  talking about the weather.

The rain over the past few days has lead to some areas of flooding on site. The areas most affected are the Canal Meadow and the path to the Lookout.

At the moment the water in places is above welly depth. We therefore advise that you do not walk through…

Over the past few years we have provided bird feed for our feeders which are viewed off the Heron Corner boardwalk and these have proved to be very popular with visitors old and young alike. Many of you will appreciate how expensive bird food is these days and the cost of maintaining such a busy feeding station was proving to be a bit of a headache. Step forward two knights in shining armour..... I was contacted recently…

On Saturday, Middleton Lakes entered into an all day bird race competing against some of the top Midlands reserves to count how many species of bird can be seen and heard on the reserve in a 24 hour period.

Here are the results...

I am pleased to say that after many hard hours of spotting, Middleton Lakes came out on top! With an impressive total of 95 species seen on the day, we have really put our name out there as…

On Saturday May 3rd, RSPB Middleton Lakes is pitting itself against some of the top Midlands reserves in a bird race!

For those of you who may not have heard of a bird race, the purpose is to see or hear as many birds as possible on the reserve in a 24 hour period and we end up with a total species list at the end of the day.

Early May is the best time to complete a bird race as there is likely to be late winter birds…

The last few days at Middleton Lakes have been some of the best we have had for a few weeks. Prolonged sunshine has dried the site out, both for the benefit of visitors and the birds and the sun and warm weather has really helped the migrant birds return bringing with them a distinct feel of the sunnier Mediterranean about the place.

A Glossy ibis has decided to make Middleton its home for the past couple of days and has…

Nope, we are not analsying the England cricket score, (they probably would have got less going on their recent performances!), this is in fact the total number of bird species that we counted on Sunday!

It was a beautiful day on Sunday, the birds were singing, the butterflies were flying and the car park was full. There is no better place to be when it is sunny than on a nature reserve and Middleton Lakes really produced…

What a week it has been at Middleton Lakes! The sun has been out, the paths have dried up nicely and the birds are putting on a great show.

The week began with staff and volunteers conducting the monthly WeBS counts on site. The weather for WeBS counts has been shocking at times this Winter but we were treated to a lovely sunny day, some volunteers even wore boots and took off the woolly hats, how about that!

So the…

One of the best sights on the reserve is of the birds feasting at the feeders.

The first dinner guests to arrive at the feeders are usually those greedy Great tits and Blue tits. Pairs of Goldfinches, House sparrows and Greenfinches join them, tucking into some tasty (so I’m told) sunflower hearts and nyjer seed. Great spotted woodpecker, Nuthatch and Treecreeper regularly call in to fill their bellies. Occasi…

I am very fortunate that I can now spend my time doing what I love the best. That is taking photos and observing birds. The next best thing is being able to volunteer and what better way then to help wildlife. So, I looked at what I could do, especially since I have a back injury, so being able to do much manual work is a bit of a no no for me sadly. So, the next best thing I can do is to  help spread the word. That is…

The sun has finally returned to Middleton!

After months of rain, wind and muddy paths, the sun has decided to come out and the wildlife is responding in spectacular style, although the paths are still a bit muddy.

Undoubtedly the highlight of the last few weeks has got to be the presence of 2 Avocets that spent most of Tuesday 25th frequenting Jubilee Wetlands and the North Pit. Tuesday proved to be the day to be out as…

On 11th February 2014 I went to see Peter Holden talk at the local Solihull RSPB Group. What a fascinating talk and what great stories Peter told us. The name of the talk was called “Natural Secrets from the RSPB” and I did learn a few things.

One surprise was back in the 50’s RSPB had its own film production unit and it started showing various films of birds, but competition was soon on the way when the BBC…

Today saw staff and volunteers conduct the monthly Wetland Bird survey across the reserve. A hardy troop of volunteers and staff ventured out through the mud, braved the elements and risked life and limb to count all the birds that are using our wetlands, (it may have been a bit less dramatic, but you get the idea!).

So our sightings were...

Lapwing were the order of the day with a good count of 390 present. Initially…

Staff News

 We are very excited to announce that Alexis Johnson is returning to the UK and rejoining our field teaching team in March 2014. As many of you will know, Alexis has been living in the USA where she has been adding to her already extensive expertise in environmental education. We will also be welcoming Annie Ingram to the field teaching team. Annie has a wealth of knowledge and understanding of working with…