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Home How to Join Photo Gallery Bird News Club News Where to go Birding County List Rarity Decisions Talks Walks Links		CHEW VALLEY LAKE Click here to open up a map of the site. Note that you can move around the area by using the buttons around the map and enlarge or reduce the scale by using the buttons below the map. Click on your back button to return to this page. MAP REFERENCES O.S. Landranger 182 Weston-super-Mare & Bridgwater area O.S. Explorer 4 Mendip Hills West (south end of site) O.S. Pathfinder 1182 ST46/56 (north end of site) O.S. Pathfinder 1198 ST45/55 (south end of site) INTRODUCTION This reservoir was formed in 1956 by damming the course of the River Chew. In it's fifty or so years it has become the major reservoir in the Bristol area for birdwatching. It is 486 hectares (1200 acres) in extent and has a perimeter of some 8 miles. Chew has been designated as a Special Conservation Area (SCA) and is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) within the Mendip Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). It holds internationally important numbers of certain wildfowl species and the winter gull roost regularly exceeds 50,000 birds.The site is a trout fishery of international reputation (indeed the world fly-fishing championship was held here in 2000) and there is a sailing club that operates all year in a restricted part of the lake. The lake, therefore, is subject to some disturbance from these activities but the southern end (Herriott's) has been designated as a nature reserve and it is here that the Chew Valley Ringing Station (CVRS) operates. ACCESS Annual bird watching permits may be obtained from Woodford Lodge (£12) or, day permits (£2) may be obtained from the refreshment area by the dam and bird wardens. This gives permit holders access to the hides at Villice Bay, Nunnery Point, Moreton Bank, Stratford Bay and Sutton Wick. There is public access along the Bittern Trail to the hide on the East Shore and viewing from the roadside lay-bys at Heron's Green and Herriott's Bridge. SPECIES TO BE SEEN AND TIMING For up-to-date news from the lake, check out the excellent new cvlbirding website put together by Rich Andrews the author of this site guide. As with any visit to your local patch, a complete and thorough 'bash' is always the best way to avoid going home disappointed. With this in mind, the following offers you a good indication of what you should be doing when you're at Chew:Start - Main Dam;Park in the lay-by on the main road just west of the overspill, and walk back to view the north end of the lake from the dam. Always worth a look, although inevitably unproductive, this is the deepest part of the lake. The dam wall itself should be checked for gulls and waders; in the spring and autumn, common sandpiper and little ringed plover favour this area, and when water levels are high in the autumn, this stretch of stone (along with the causeway in Heron's Green Bay) is the best place to find lake scarcities such as sanderling, turnstone and rock pipit. The shoreline in front of picnic area no.1 can also be viewed from here; one or two storm-driven Sabine's gulls have found this area to their liking, and the deep-water section has in the past been the favoured haunt of divers, or, any of the three 'nice' grebes.Picnic Site No.2, Grebe and Bittern Trails;Although often missed out if you are short for time, or don't want to wrestle with a bunch of 'old dears' in the public hide, the nature trails are nevertheless a necessary part of any full visit to the lake. Park at picnic area no.2. The area between here and the north-east side of Denny Island can be viewed from here, and is particularly productive (for wildfowl at least) when a fresh south-westerly is blowing. Diving ducks, particularly Aythyas, goldeneye, goosander and the occasional smew often find shelter in this quiet stretch. The plantations are generally quiet; they may be worth checking for coal tit, goldcrest or treecreeper, or perhaps the occasional brambling in spring.The 'Grebe Trail' takes you on a circular walk on a hard path from the car park. The reedbeds are worth checking in the winter for chiffchaffs amongst the tit-flocks, or the occasional pair of stonechats. Cetti's warblers have also just about made it to the top end of the lake - don't expect to see one though! A conveniently placed bench halfway along the trail is the best place for viewing the 30-plus pair heronry at the southern end of Denny Island. Cross over the footbridge at Hollow Brook (listen for kingfisher, or flush a close goosander), and you emerge in the car park at Hollow Brook. You can park here if you don't fancy the walk from the picnic area, although you would be best advised to take everything out of your car before you leave it - there are frequent break-ins at the lake, especially during the fishing season. The only proven way to prevent your car from being broken-in to at Chew is to leave your wife in it, although this inevitably curtails your in-hide time.The 'Bittern Trail' is frequently very wet; during high water in the winter months it is often barely passable even with wellingtons, but it does mean that you get the newly erected public hide to yourself! The alder and sallow stands produce the typical tit-flocks and common passerines in the autumn; close scrutiny has produced local scarcities such as firecrest and hawfinch, and one of the lake's two yellow-browed warblers was found just down the shore in Spring Bay. Spring passage normally produces a wood warbler or two, with a reasonable chance of a redstart or pied flycatcher, all of which are uncommon migrants in the Avon area. The screen half-way along the trail affords good views of the East Shore and the area of the lake just south of Denny Island; previously little more than a garden fence with a few inconveniently placed slots, there is now (from 2000) a purpose-built hide. When the water levels begin to drop in the autumn, this is one of the first places to reveal any decent stretches of mud, so will be a must during July, when you can probably forgo the wellies as well.Wick Green Copse (Sutton Wick to local birders);On the east side of the lake lies Sutton Wick, marked on the BW maps as Wick Green Copse. The copse itself is noteworthy as being the only place that mealy redpoll has occurred at Chew (at one stage sharing a tree with a the lake's second little bunting!) However, it is the views facing the other direction that receive most attention. From here you can just about see into Spring Bay, and across the sailing area into Stratford Bay. If water levels are really low in the autumn, you can spend time checking the duck flocks for pintail and garganey, as well as checking the exposed muddy shore for waders, pipits and finches. If levels are low enough to expose the Roman Shallows, this is the closest place to view from. Trouble is, in recent autumns, levels have been anything but low. High spring rainfall and the consequent high autumn water levels have meant that for the last few years, duck and wader passage has been abysmal. For example, in 2000 I only saw one greenshank at Chew. And not for the want of trying, either. This is a good place to scan the main lake, although looking into the light can make it tricky later in the day. During the spring and autumn months, terns are often best viewed from here - common are the most regular, although the biggest flocks are normally of black terns. In recent years, a full moon coupled with warm anti-cyclonic weather has brought flocks of 70 or so during the first fortnight of August, although 250-plus have been recorded. The same weather conditions often bring in the occasional red-crested pochard, and are probably your best chance of adding to the lake's tally of 22 white-winged black terns. This is also a good spot to look for any divers or the scarcer grebes if they are present. Spring Bay can only be viewed from here; there are occasionally flocks of roosting ducks, particularly after they have been disturbed from other parts of the lake.Herriott's Bridge: ice-cream van site;The A368 causeway that runs across the southern end of the lake is probably the most visited birding spot in the area. To the south is Herriott's Pool; a shallow, reed-fringed mill-pool that is excellent for ducks and gulls; looking north is less productive, but gives good views across Herriott's End and the main reed-beds. If you only have time for a brief visit, this is the place to go. Chances are you will bump into someone who can tell you what has been seen recently, or even on the quietest day you should be able to find something to look at on the pool. The shallowest part of the pool usually has a group of loafing gulls (often including yellow-legged) - this usually builds up during the afternoon as birds drop in on their way to roost on the main lake. This is also a good spot for duck, especially shoveler and gadwall; on occasions during the late autumn virtually the whole of the lakes nationally important population of these species can be found on the pool. Garganey can sometimes be located amongst them at this time of year, and this is as good a place as any for a passing osprey. In recent years, the bridge has become a good place to look for wintering bittern; the overspill was well known as the winter haunt of a ring-billed gull from 1986 to 1992. A good selection of rarities has been recorded here; recent ones include booted eagle, little bittern, ring-necked and ferruginous duck, great reed warbler, black stork and red-rumped swallow. The main reedbeds to the north of the bridge hold several hundred pairs of reed warblers, and in the last few years have also hosted several Cetti's warbler and water rail territories. Bearded tits bred in 1991, but have only been seen on a handful of occasions since. Marsh harriers are infrequent visitors, but this is normally the place they end up when they are here.Stratford hide;From the B3114, take Stratford Lane that runs alongside the Blue Bowl Inn. There is a small car park at the bottom of the lane. The most popular hide (with logbook) on the lake gives an excellent view of the shallow Stratford Bay. As fishing boats are banned from a stretch of water in front of the hide, most of the south-western part of the bay is undisturbed, and consequently attracts large numbers of ducks. In winter, many of the lake's ruddy ducks can be found here, whilst in the autumn there can be over 2000 birds in the bay; mainly coot, mallard, teal and tufted duck. It is during the autumn months that the biggest diversity can be seen; if the water levels drop, the numbers of migrant waders and ducks increase correspondingly. Black-necked grebe and little egret both occur every autumn (more frequently now), and all the common passage waders are likely - just as long as we get some mud! It is worth spending time here, as you can see right across the southern end of the lake, which funnels to a point at Herriott's Bridge; a good number of the 'fly-throughs' inevitably go past here. 'Goodies' here have included blue-winged teal, American golden plover, Wilson's phalaropes, white-rumped sandpipers, numerous pectoral sandpipers, Caspian tern, and one of the lake's two black-winged pratincoles. The list of species recorded at Chew is amongst the largest of any inland site in the UK - currently about 270, depending on which ducks you count! Don't forget to check the sky above Burledge Hill, too - as well as being responsible for the lake's two honey buzzards in 2000, this is a good place to pick up distant hobby and peregrine (or raven if you are lucky), and a dead-cert for adding common buzzard to the day-list.Moreton Lane and hide;Leading north from Stratford car park, Moreton Lane takes you, unsurprisingly, to Moreton hide. The grazing field on the right (Moreton Bank field) is always worth checking; it tends to be best in spring, with yellow and white wagtails, wheatear and water pipit all likely (don't forget to check the fence-posts). At other times of the year it is a good bet for shelduck and Canada goose. In recent years, the fields to the left have been planted with maize, and in winter, a reasonable flock of chaffinches builds up. Usually amongst them are reed bunting, greenfinch, and the odd brambling, but occasionally such Chew rarities as yellowhammer and tree sparrow have been found.Moreton hide itself gives views across the southern-central area of the lake and the Roman Shallows, and it's here you usually end up looking; there is little of interest on the shore unless the water levels are low. Again, a good place to scan for birds feeding in the centre of the lake, or peruse the autumn great crested grebe flock (typically 500-plus). If there is wind or rain during the summer, there are likely to be anything up to 10,000 swifts swirling about over the water, with smaller numbers of swallows, house and sand martins amongst them. More often than not, this is one of those hides you end up in when you're trying to get a better look at something you've already seen, although it's always worth checking in it's own right - as the killdeer in 1976 proves.Heron's Green Bay;Conveniently situated on the west side of the lake by the B3114, this part of Chew, as with Herriott's Bridge, is most popular with coach-loads of dudes and people who can't be bothered to get out of the car. The bay is shallow, and invariably holds a small flock of diving-ducks in the sheltered southern 'toe'. This is one of the more reliable places to see smew when they are present, and the three scarce grebes also seem to like it. In winter, this is a good place to watch gulls in the afternoon as they drop in on their way to the main lake, attracted by the bread that gets thrown to the puddle-ducks. Ring-billed Gulls tend to favour here and Herriott's if they are around - these two are the best places to look for gulls if you don't want to strain your eyes at the main roost. If water levels are low in the autumn, the whole bay turns into a swathe of mud, and is clearly worth checking for the occasional wader or duck rarity. To the west of the road lies the newly-created Heron's Green Pool - a marshy area and deep-water pond, which has proved it's worth in the recent years of high water levels as being one of the few places on the lake with any decent mud! Spotted crakes have been found lingering in the Juncus just about annually, although the star bird so far was a first-winter citrine wagtail in 1996. It can be difficult to view later in the day (bad light), but it is always worth spending time with the scope here - as the citrine wag proved, you could spend nearly all day here and still not see everything!Parkland;You will need to leave your car in the lane just north of Heron's Green off the B3114 during the winter. If it's the fishing season you can drive round to Nunnery Point itself (make sure you shut the gate!) On the face of it, a boring spread of damp grass, but in reality, a top example of unimproved neutral grassland, which in spring produces one of the best colonies of green-winged orchids in the south-west. This time of the year also sees a good passage flocks of pied wagtails (up to 100), amongst them are usually the odd white and yellow wagtail, with meadow and water pipit also expected. This is the winter headquarters of the lake's Canada goose flock, and should always be checked, as some sort of wacky goose turns up most years, although recent winters have also produced the more sensible bean, pink-footed, white-fronted and brent. Up to four ruddy shelduck normally appear to moult in summer - quite where they all come from (and where they then return to) is open to question, but they look nice, don't they?Nunnery hide - for daredevils and nutters;Although not the most heavily-used of Chew's six hides, this is nevertheless one of the most important. If you like seagulls, that is. For years, a dedicated group of local madmen have rounded off a day's winter birding at the lake by staring at a flock of 50,000 gulls about a quarter-of-a-mile away. The bulk of the roost consists of common and black-headed gulls; herring and lesser black-backed normally total no more than a few thousand each, and counts of great black-backs rarely exceed two! There are several Mediterranean gulls each night (although locating them is sometimes a bit of a problem!), and there is always the chance of finding a ring-billed Gull. On recent form, the local seagull nutter is at least ten times more likely to find a ring-bill than a glaucous at Chew - such is the paucity of large gulls. Sadly though, there can't be many years left in Nunnery hide, as anyone who has been brave enough to sit in it during a south-easterly gale can testify. You don't know if you're going to be blown into Villice Bay, flattened by a tree or washed away! The latter seems increasingly likely, as the thin strip of land in front of the hide is rapidly disappearing into the lake. If you fancy a spot of seawatching, Nunnery is also your best bet. Over the years a seemingly unfeasible list of seabirds have been recorded at Chew. It is out-of-place birds like this which are often the most memorable - watching a gannet plunge-diving through the middle of a raft of coot and finding a 'flock' of three storm petrels at my local lake are sights that took some beating in 2000!Villice Bay;Just north of the Parkland, and viewable from the B3114, Villice Bay is usually less disturbed than Heron's Green, and is a refuge for wildfowl when they have been disturbed from elsewhere on the lake. This is another good place for smew; numbers of this attractive duck have recently reached 21, although up to half-a-dozen are more usual. This is also one of the best places to see goosander, as they often gather late in the afternoon before going to roost. This species is currently going through something of a lean spell - in the last few winters numbers have struggled to reach 30, but it was only as recently as 1996 that a single flock of 283 was counted - all crammed into a small patch of water in the middle of the frozen lake! As with Heron's Green, the water here is very shallow, so if the levels drop in the summer, this is one of the first places to produce enough mud to attract waders (therefore, the only place in the last few years!)Finish - Woodford Bank and the Sailing Club;Woodford Lodge and restaurant is sign posted off the B3114 just south of Chew Stoke. Although most birds on the lake can be viewed at closer range from somewhere else, Woodford Bank is the next best place to view the northern half of the lake, after Nunnery Point. For those without the time to drive/walk out to Nunnery, Woodford offers the opportunity to check for species such as terns and gulls on the main lake before going somewhere else. So, if you're on a full visit, it's often worth dropping in here before you go anywhere else (especially if you need to buy a permit!) This is also the place to go if you want to blag a fishing boat for an hour or two to go and look at a rarity on the lake - a summer-plumage grey phalarope and a popular long-tailed skua have been watched at very close range using this technique! A grassy path leads from the Woodford car park, and brings you out behind the entrance to the sailing club. This raised embankment allows you to view the little-watched part of the lake between the sailing area and Denny; if water levels drop in the autumn, the undisturbed west side of the island attracts a lot of birds, although viewing is necessarily distant. If water levels drop sufficiently, a stony island appears on the edge of the sailing area - 'Little Denny'. This is also an excellent place for waders and loafing ducks, although viewing is again frustratingly distant. OTHER THINGS OF INTEREST There are some lovely meadows around the lake and flowering plants attract many butterflies and other insects. Dragonflies occur in good numbers, and have included yellow-winged darter in recent years. A walk in spring along Moreton Lane, with it's profusion of primroses, violets and other early blooms is always a special pleasure. Richard Andrews
(c) Somerset Ornithological Society

CHEW VALLEY LAKE

Click here to open up a map of the site. Note that you can move around the area by using the buttons around the map and enlarge or reduce the scale by using the buttons below the map. Click on your back button to return to this page.

MAP REFERENCES

O.S. Landranger 182 Weston-super-Mare & Bridgwater area

O.S. Explorer 4 Mendip Hills West (south end of site)

O.S. Pathfinder 1182 ST46/56 (north end of site)

O.S. Pathfinder 1198 ST45/55 (south end of site)

INTRODUCTION

This reservoir was formed in 1956 by damming the course of the River Chew. In it's fifty or so years it has become the major reservoir in the Bristol area for birdwatching. It is 486 hectares (1200 acres) in extent and has a perimeter of some 8 miles. Chew has been designated as a Special Conservation Area (SCA) and is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) within the Mendip Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). It holds internationally important numbers of certain wildfowl species and the winter gull roost regularly exceeds 50,000 birds.The site is a trout fishery of international reputation (indeed the world fly-fishing championship was held here in 2000) and there is a sailing club that operates all year in a restricted part of the lake. The lake, therefore, is subject to some disturbance from these activities but the southern end (Herriott's) has been designated as a nature reserve and it is here that the Chew Valley Ringing Station (CVRS) operates.

ACCESS

Annual bird watching permits may be obtained from Woodford Lodge (£12) or, day permits (£2) may be obtained from the refreshment area by the dam and bird wardens. This gives permit holders access to the hides at Villice Bay, Nunnery Point, Moreton Bank, Stratford Bay and Sutton Wick. There is public access along the Bittern Trail to the hide on the East Shore and viewing from the roadside lay-bys at Heron's Green and Herriott's Bridge.

SPECIES TO BE SEEN AND TIMING

For up-to-date news from the lake, check out the excellent new cvlbirding website put together by Rich Andrews the author of this site guide. As with any visit to your local patch, a complete and thorough 'bash' is always the best way to avoid going home disappointed. With this in mind, the following offers you a good indication of what you should be doing when you're at Chew:Start - Main Dam;Park in the lay-by on the main road just west of the overspill, and walk back to view the north end of the lake from the dam. Always worth a look, although inevitably unproductive, this is the deepest part of the lake. The dam wall itself should be checked for gulls and waders; in the spring and autumn, common sandpiper and little ringed plover favour this area, and when water levels are high in the autumn, this stretch of stone (along with the causeway in Heron's Green Bay) is the best place to find lake scarcities such as sanderling, turnstone and rock pipit. The shoreline in front of picnic area no.1 can also be viewed from here; one or two storm-driven Sabine's gulls have found this area to their liking, and the deep-water section has in the past been the favoured haunt of divers, or, any of the three 'nice' grebes.Picnic Site No.2, Grebe and Bittern Trails;Although often missed out if you are short for time, or don't want to wrestle with a bunch of 'old dears' in the public hide, the nature trails are nevertheless a necessary part of any full visit to the lake. Park at picnic area no.2. The area between here and the north-east side of Denny Island can be viewed from here, and is particularly productive (for wildfowl at least) when a fresh south-westerly is blowing. Diving ducks, particularly Aythyas, goldeneye, goosander and the occasional smew often find shelter in this quiet stretch. The plantations are generally quiet; they may be worth checking for coal tit, goldcrest or treecreeper, or perhaps the occasional brambling in spring.The 'Grebe Trail' takes you on a circular walk on a hard path from the car park. The reedbeds are worth checking in the winter for chiffchaffs amongst the tit-flocks, or the occasional pair of stonechats. Cetti's warblers have also just about made it to the top end of the lake - don't expect to see one though! A conveniently placed bench halfway along the trail is the best place for viewing the 30-plus pair heronry at the southern end of Denny Island. Cross over the footbridge at Hollow Brook (listen for kingfisher, or flush a close goosander), and you emerge in the car park at Hollow Brook. You can park here if you don't fancy the walk from the picnic area, although you would be best advised to take everything out of your car before you leave it - there are frequent break-ins at the lake, especially during the fishing season. The only proven way to prevent your car from being broken-in to at Chew is to leave your wife in it, although this inevitably curtails your in-hide time.The 'Bittern Trail' is frequently very wet; during high water in the winter months it is often barely passable even with wellingtons, but it does mean that you get the newly erected public hide to yourself! The alder and sallow stands produce the typical tit-flocks and common passerines in the autumn; close scrutiny has produced local scarcities such as firecrest and hawfinch, and one of the lake's two yellow-browed warblers was found just down the shore in Spring Bay. Spring passage normally produces a wood warbler or two, with a reasonable chance of a redstart or pied flycatcher, all of which are uncommon migrants in the Avon area. The screen half-way along the trail affords good views of the East Shore and the area of the lake just south of Denny Island; previously little more than a garden fence with a few inconveniently placed slots, there is now (from 2000) a purpose-built hide. When the water levels begin to drop in the autumn, this is one of the first places to reveal any decent stretches of mud, so will be a must during July, when you can probably forgo the wellies as well.Wick Green Copse (Sutton Wick to local birders);On the east side of the lake lies Sutton Wick, marked on the BW maps as Wick Green Copse. The copse itself is noteworthy as being the only place that mealy redpoll has occurred at Chew (at one stage sharing a tree with a the lake's second little bunting!) However, it is the views facing the other direction that receive most attention. From here you can just about see into Spring Bay, and across the sailing area into Stratford Bay. If water levels are really low in the autumn, you can spend time checking the duck flocks for pintail and garganey, as well as checking the exposed muddy shore for waders, pipits and finches. If levels are low enough to expose the Roman Shallows, this is the closest place to view from. Trouble is, in recent autumns, levels have been anything but low. High spring rainfall and the consequent high autumn water levels have meant that for the last few years, duck and wader passage has been abysmal. For example, in 2000 I only saw one greenshank at Chew. And not for the want of trying, either. This is a good place to scan the main lake, although looking into the light can make it tricky later in the day. During the spring and autumn months, terns are often best viewed from here - common are the most regular, although the biggest flocks are normally of black terns. In recent years, a full moon coupled with warm anti-cyclonic weather has brought flocks of 70 or so during the first fortnight of August, although 250-plus have been recorded. The same weather conditions often bring in the occasional red-crested pochard, and are probably your best chance of adding to the lake's tally of 22 white-winged black terns. This is also a good spot to look for any divers or the scarcer grebes if they are present. Spring Bay can only be viewed from here; there are occasionally flocks of roosting ducks, particularly after they have been disturbed from other parts of the lake.Herriott's Bridge: ice-cream van site;The A368 causeway that runs across the southern end of the lake is probably the most visited birding spot in the area. To the south is Herriott's Pool; a shallow, reed-fringed mill-pool that is excellent for ducks and gulls; looking north is less productive, but gives good views across Herriott's End and the main reed-beds. If you only have time for a brief visit, this is the place to go. Chances are you will bump into someone who can tell you what has been seen recently, or even on the quietest day you should be able to find something to look at on the pool. The shallowest part of the pool usually has a group of loafing gulls (often including yellow-legged) - this usually builds up during the afternoon as birds drop in on their way to roost on the main lake. This is also a good spot for duck, especially shoveler and gadwall; on occasions during the late autumn virtually the whole of the lakes nationally important population of these species can be found on the pool. Garganey can sometimes be located amongst them at this time of year, and this is as good a place as any for a passing osprey. In recent years, the bridge has become a good place to look for wintering bittern; the overspill was well known as the winter haunt of a ring-billed gull from 1986 to 1992. A good selection of rarities has been recorded here; recent ones include booted eagle, little bittern, ring-necked and ferruginous duck, great reed warbler, black stork and red-rumped swallow. The main reedbeds to the north of the bridge hold several hundred pairs of reed warblers, and in the last few years have also hosted several Cetti's warbler and water rail territories. Bearded tits bred in 1991, but have only been seen on a handful of occasions since. Marsh harriers are infrequent visitors, but this is normally the place they end up when they are here.Stratford hide;From the B3114, take Stratford Lane that runs alongside the Blue Bowl Inn. There is a small car park at the bottom of the lane. The most popular hide (with logbook) on the lake gives an excellent view of the shallow Stratford Bay. As fishing boats are banned from a stretch of water in front of the hide, most of the south-western part of the bay is undisturbed, and consequently attracts large numbers of ducks. In winter, many of the lake's ruddy ducks can be found here, whilst in the autumn there can be over 2000 birds in the bay; mainly coot, mallard, teal and tufted duck. It is during the autumn months that the biggest diversity can be seen; if the water levels drop, the numbers of migrant waders and ducks increase correspondingly. Black-necked grebe and little egret both occur every autumn (more frequently now), and all the common passage waders are likely - just as long as we get some mud! It is worth spending time here, as you can see right across the southern end of the lake, which funnels to a point at Herriott's Bridge; a good number of the 'fly-throughs' inevitably go past here. 'Goodies' here have included blue-winged teal, American golden plover, Wilson's phalaropes, white-rumped sandpipers, numerous pectoral sandpipers, Caspian tern, and one of the lake's two black-winged pratincoles. The list of species recorded at Chew is amongst the largest of any inland site in the UK - currently about 270, depending on which ducks you count! Don't forget to check the sky above Burledge Hill, too - as well as being responsible for the lake's two honey buzzards in 2000, this is a good place to pick up distant hobby and peregrine (or raven if you are lucky), and a dead-cert for adding common buzzard to the day-list.Moreton Lane and hide;Leading north from Stratford car park, Moreton Lane takes you, unsurprisingly, to Moreton hide. The grazing field on the right (Moreton Bank field) is always worth checking; it tends to be best in spring, with yellow and white wagtails, wheatear and water pipit all likely (don't forget to check the fence-posts). At other times of the year it is a good bet for shelduck and Canada goose. In recent years, the fields to the left have been planted with maize, and in winter, a reasonable flock of chaffinches builds up. Usually amongst them are reed bunting, greenfinch, and the odd brambling, but occasionally such Chew rarities as yellowhammer and tree sparrow have been found.Moreton hide itself gives views across the southern-central area of the lake and the Roman Shallows, and it's here you usually end up looking; there is little of interest on the shore unless the water levels are low. Again, a good place to scan for birds feeding in the centre of the lake, or peruse the autumn great crested grebe flock (typically 500-plus). If there is wind or rain during the summer, there are likely to be anything up to 10,000 swifts swirling about over the water, with smaller numbers of swallows, house and sand martins amongst them. More often than not, this is one of those hides you end up in when you're trying to get a better look at something you've already seen, although it's always worth checking in it's own right - as the killdeer in 1976 proves.Heron's Green Bay;Conveniently situated on the west side of the lake by the B3114, this part of Chew, as with Herriott's Bridge, is most popular with coach-loads of dudes and people who can't be bothered to get out of the car. The bay is shallow, and invariably holds a small flock of diving-ducks in the sheltered southern 'toe'. This is one of the more reliable places to see smew when they are present, and the three scarce grebes also seem to like it. In winter, this is a good place to watch gulls in the afternoon as they drop in on their way to the main lake, attracted by the bread that gets thrown to the puddle-ducks. Ring-billed Gulls tend to favour here and Herriott's if they are around - these two are the best places to look for gulls if you don't want to strain your eyes at the main roost. If water levels are low in the autumn, the whole bay turns into a swathe of mud, and is clearly worth checking for the occasional wader or duck rarity. To the west of the road lies the newly-created Heron's Green Pool - a marshy area and deep-water pond, which has proved it's worth in the recent years of high water levels as being one of the few places on the lake with any decent mud! Spotted crakes have been found lingering in the Juncus just about annually, although the star bird so far was a first-winter citrine wagtail in 1996. It can be difficult to view later in the day (bad light), but it is always worth spending time with the scope here - as the citrine wag proved, you could spend nearly all day here and still not see everything!Parkland;You will need to leave your car in the lane just north of Heron's Green off the B3114 during the winter. If it's the fishing season you can drive round to Nunnery Point itself (make sure you shut the gate!) On the face of it, a boring spread of damp grass, but in reality, a top example of unimproved neutral grassland, which in spring produces one of the best colonies of green-winged orchids in the south-west. This time of the year also sees a good passage flocks of pied wagtails (up to 100), amongst them are usually the odd white and yellow wagtail, with meadow and water pipit also expected. This is the winter headquarters of the lake's Canada goose flock, and should always be checked, as some sort of wacky goose turns up most years, although recent winters have also produced the more sensible bean, pink-footed, white-fronted and brent. Up to four ruddy shelduck normally appear to moult in summer - quite where they all come from (and where they then return to) is open to question, but they look nice, don't they?Nunnery hide - for daredevils and nutters;Although not the most heavily-used of Chew's six hides, this is nevertheless one of the most important. If you like seagulls, that is. For years, a dedicated group of local madmen have rounded off a day's winter birding at the lake by staring at a flock of 50,000 gulls about a quarter-of-a-mile away. The bulk of the roost consists of common and black-headed gulls; herring and lesser black-backed normally total no more than a few thousand each, and counts of great black-backs rarely exceed two! There are several Mediterranean gulls each night (although locating them is sometimes a bit of a problem!), and there is always the chance of finding a ring-billed Gull. On recent form, the local seagull nutter is at least ten times more likely to find a ring-bill than a glaucous at Chew - such is the paucity of large gulls. Sadly though, there can't be many years left in Nunnery hide, as anyone who has been brave enough to sit in it during a south-easterly gale can testify. You don't know if you're going to be blown into Villice Bay, flattened by a tree or washed away! The latter seems increasingly likely, as the thin strip of land in front of the hide is rapidly disappearing into the lake. If you fancy a spot of seawatching, Nunnery is also your best bet. Over the years a seemingly unfeasible list of seabirds have been recorded at Chew. It is out-of-place birds like this which are often the most memorable - watching a gannet plunge-diving through the middle of a raft of coot and finding a 'flock' of three storm petrels at my local lake are sights that took some beating in 2000!Villice Bay;Just north of the Parkland, and viewable from the B3114, Villice Bay is usually less disturbed than Heron's Green, and is a refuge for wildfowl when they have been disturbed from elsewhere on the lake. This is another good place for smew; numbers of this attractive duck have recently reached 21, although up to half-a-dozen are more usual. This is also one of the best places to see goosander, as they often gather late in the afternoon before going to roost. This species is currently going through something of a lean spell - in the last few winters numbers have struggled to reach 30, but it was only as recently as 1996 that a single flock of 283 was counted - all crammed into a small patch of water in the middle of the frozen lake! As with Heron's Green, the water here is very shallow, so if the levels drop in the summer, this is one of the first places to produce enough mud to attract waders (therefore, the only place in the last few years!)Finish - Woodford Bank and the Sailing Club;Woodford Lodge and restaurant is sign posted off the B3114 just south of Chew Stoke. Although most birds on the lake can be viewed at closer range from somewhere else, Woodford Bank is the next best place to view the northern half of the lake, after Nunnery Point. For those without the time to drive/walk out to Nunnery, Woodford offers the opportunity to check for species such as terns and gulls on the main lake before going somewhere else. So, if you're on a full visit, it's often worth dropping in here before you go anywhere else (especially if you need to buy a permit!) This is also the place to go if you want to blag a fishing boat for an hour or two to go and look at a rarity on the lake - a summer-plumage grey phalarope and a popular long-tailed skua have been watched at very close range using this technique! A grassy path leads from the Woodford car park, and brings you out behind the entrance to the sailing club. This raised embankment allows you to view the little-watched part of the lake between the sailing area and Denny; if water levels drop in the autumn, the undisturbed west side of the island attracts a lot of birds, although viewing is necessarily distant. If water levels drop sufficiently, a stony island appears on the edge of the sailing area - 'Little Denny'. This is also an excellent place for waders and loafing ducks, although viewing is again frustratingly distant.

OTHER THINGS OF INTEREST

There are some lovely meadows around the lake and flowering plants attract many butterflies and other insects. Dragonflies occur in good numbers, and have included yellow-winged darter in recent years. A walk in spring along Moreton Lane, with it's profusion of primroses, violets and other early blooms is always a special pleasure.