Chew Valley Lake in Somerset

[Neil Rigby]

Chew Valley Lake is a large reservoir in the Chew Valley, Somerset and the fifth-largest artificial lake in the UK, with an area of 1,200 acres. The lake, created in the early 1950s.

Over 260 species of birds have been recorded at Chew, the third most important site in Britain for wintering wildfowl. From late July to February, up to 4,000 ducks (Anatidae) of twelve different species may be present, including Shoveler (Anas clypeata) and Gadwall (Anas strepera). Some 400 Great Crested Grebes (Podiceps cristatus) gather on the lake in autumn.

Numerous other birds can be seen, Sand Martins (Riparia riparia) arrive early and can usually be seen hawking over the water for insects in the second or third week of March. Mixed flocks of tits (Paridae), swallows (Hirundinidae), terns (Sternidae) and Little Gulls (Larus minutus) can regularly be seen. A variety of waders, such as Lapwings (Vanellus vanellus), Dunlin (Calidris alpina) and Common Snipe (Gallinago gallinago), are attracted to the muddy shores as the reservoir level drops in autumn. By midwinter up to 40,000 gulls, mostly Black-headed Gulls (Larus ridibundus) and Common Gulls (Larus canus), may be roosting. Good numbers of Reed Warblers (Acrocephalus scirpaceus) and Sedge Warblers (Acrocephalus schoenobaenus) nest in the fringing reeds, along with Grebes (Podicipedidae) and Coots (Fulica atra).

Small numbers of Tufted Duck (Aythya fuligula), Pochard (Aythya ferina), Shelduck (Tadorna tadorna) and Gadwall breed most years. Recent breeding successes also include Water Rail (Rallus aquaticus) and Cetti's Warbler (Cettia cetti).

A new wetland reserve has been created at Herons Green on the opposite side of the causeway to the lake. A large shallow pool fringed with sedges (Cyperaceae), rushes (Juncaceae) and reedgrasses (Calamagrostis) and surrounded by lightly grazed, rough grassland may also prove attractive to snipe and Lapwings.