Distance: Unsure
Parking: A small carpark
Family Friendly: No
Pushchair/ wheelchair access: No
Facilities: No
PIC
This walk was very disappointing, and one I will certainly not recommend.
There are 2 carparks on either side of the reservoir, the Blithfield carpark is the larger of the 2, you could probably get about 20 cars in this carpark, but only 10 max on the other side.
The whole area is private and owned by the water board. Only certain people who have paid for a licence can go near the water to fish, but that is the only reason you would be able to get close.
I walked along the road for a while until the road reached a cross road. I stopped there are turned back. The road was a 2 way street, but it was very narrow and only 1 car would have fitted down it and there were no passing places. The hedges that ran up the sides of the road where dense and tall, so you couldn’t see over or through them or step up if a car was coming.
I certainly would not want to be on that road with children or anyone with mobility issues.
I did take the time to identify some species
Identified Species
Herring Gull – Larus argentatus
Out on the water there were a couple of these lovely gulls. These are the iconic seaside birds, that might or might not like to steal things!
They are a large bird, with a white face, nick and body, their backs are grey. This one photographed looks black, but that is just because he was very far away! They do have black tips to their wings, with a white band above the black mark. Their tails are white. Their beaks are yellow with an orange patch on the bottom of the bill.
When mating, males will feed their partners. When she has her eggs and incubates them she loses calcium and fat, their chick require feeding day and night for their first 12 weeks. Therefore fish provide the replenishment of lost nutrients for the adults and healthy food for the young.
Canada Goose – Branta canadensis
These geese have lovely long black necks and faces with a white chin strap that reaches up their eyes. Their chest and belly are a light brown/ creamy brown. Their backs and wings are a darker brown, with tips pf the feathers are white, giving a banded appearance. Their bottoms are white and their tails are black.
They feed on grasses and sedges when the seasons allow and then have more fruits and seeds through the autumn and winter. They can be found in fields grazing.
Canada geese pair for life and will normally breed when they are 4 years old, until the are 10. Often only having 1 brood per year. Goslings remain with their parents for their first year. Migration seems to be optional and some will overwinter in the Northern hemisphere.
Greylag Goose – Anser anser
I find these birds endearing. They are large geese, with shorter stocky grey necks, their heads are grey and their beaks are orange. Their cheeks have small smooth feathers, their neck appears rougher, but the same colour. Their chest and underside is light grey/ light brown. Their backs are a grey brown colour with a banded appearance similar to the Canada goose. Their bottom is white. The tips of their wings are tail is black.
The feed on grasses, seeds, roots and cereal.
According to the RSPB, these geese where re-introduced to the UK, and so can be quite tame. Although I wouldn’t recommend trying to stroke one! They normally just hiss at me!
Embden Goose – Anser anser
This is a lovely white goose, which is the domestically bred version of the greylag. It has completely white plumage, with an orange beak. True embden geese have blue eyes. These are a domestic type of goose and are often used in poultry farms. These geese are often taller than other geese, growing to a height of 1 metre.
Goldfinch – Carduelis carduelis
These are bright little birds, with their faces being very distinctive. They have bright red plumage on their faces with a black around their beak and down the back of their head and neck. Between this is a white band. Almost making their faces look like a little target. They have a white belly, with light brown flanks. Their back are light brown too.
Their wings have a patch of bright yellow with black and white banded wings below this yellow patch.
They are mainly vegetarians, although will eat aphids in the spring. They eat thistles, with males able to eat from the teasel as they have longer beaks. They tend to flock together and will migrate to the Mediterranean in the winter.
Common Mallow – Malva sylvestris
This flower is a herb and a member of the mallow family. This one has long vibrant petals, that are a pink/ purple colour with dark visible veins. The petals are longer than the stigma, which is visible in the centre of the flower. The flower heads are clustered together, with 2 or 3 flowers on the same stem. Leaves are deeply divided palmate leaves with a toothed edge with a slightly furry texture.
Field Bindweed – Convolvulus arvensis
This is a member of the bindweed family. This is a climbing herb, with thin delicate stems that wrap around other plants that are nearby. The leaves are arrow shaped and alternate in orientation. The flowers are lovely small trumpets of either pink or white or a bit of both.
Foxgloves – Digitalis purpurea
This is a tall and very distinctive member of the figwort family. The flowers are bell shaped, downward facing and pink/ purple in colour. They have distinctive mottled markings inside the flower, with white rings and dark pink circles in the centre. The leaves are ovate in shape with a slightly downy feel and blunt or rounded toothed edges.
If you would like to see my vlog for this walk – please watch below.