This wild and rugged reserve sits in the eastern arm of Colliford Reservoir, Cornwall’s largest inland waterbody, and holds some real moorland specialities.
Loveny Reserve is situated in the northern part of the eastern arm of Colliford Reservoir, owned by South West Water. The reserve itself is currently closed, but was managed by Cornwall Birds under a lease from South West Lakes Trust, which has now expired. We hope to re-negotiate the terms of the lease and be able to re-open the reserve in the future. Access to the various parts of Colliford Reservoir are all detailed in this SWLT leaflet.
There are several distinct habitats within the reserve: original moorland, abandoned semi-improved pasture, marshy inlets with feeder streams lined with willow carr, an island meadow bordered by an excavated moat, islets of floating peat and a variable shoreline.
Spring
Reasonable passage of warblers and hirundines.
Summer
Breeding birds include Great Crested Grebe, Canada Goose, Mallard, Tufted Duck, Black-headed Gull
(the only significant colony west of Dorset) and Reed Bunting. Mid-summer also sees the accumulation of over 2,000 moulting Canada Geese (the fourth largest gathering in the UK) and in late summer thousands of Lesser Black-backed Gulls and a few Yellow-legged Gulls roost in the reserve.
Autumn
Steady passage of waders including Common Sandpiper, Green Sandpiper, Dunlin, Ringed Plover, Greenshank and Little Stint.
Winter
Wildfowl,such as Teal, Mallard, Tufted Duck, Shoveler, Pochard and Goldeneye are present in varying numbers together with the occassional Smew, Lesser Scaup and Black Duck. Golden Plover flocks can exceed 4,000 with smaller numbers of Lapwing and Snipe. Buzzard, Merlin and Peregrine are usually present with odd sightings of
Short-eared Owl and Hen Harrier.
Rarities
Rarities over the years have included Pectoral Sandpiper, Baird’s Sandpiper, Buff-breasted Sandpiper, Red-necked Phalarope, Stone Curlew, Corncrake, Bluethroat and Aquatic Warbler.
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‘CORNWALL BIRDS (CBWPS)’ is a trading/working name of Cornwall Bird Watching & Preservation Society
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