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Conservation Volunteers of St.Mellons & Trowbridge
Hendre Lake
Hendre Lake Birds
The open water and reedy edges are home to mute swans, mallard ducks, great crested grebes, black-headed gulls, moorhens and coots.
Grey Heron
A big strong heron, largely grey above and greyish-white below. They have a dagger-shaped yellow bill that they use to harpoon fish. They have a narrow white neck, which is often extended when fishing but retracted when in flight.
Canadian Goose
The Canada goose is a large goose with a distinctive black head and neck and a large white throat patch. The breast and flanks are pale brown and there is a distinctive white patch under the tail. Their loud honking announces their presence.
Greylag Goose
The greylag goose is the largest breed of wild goose native to the British Isles. They have large bulky bodies and short pink legs. They have a pale grey chest, dark grey wings and a brown head and neck.
Mute Swan
Largest and heaviest water bird in the British Isles and the only permanent resident swan which does not migrate. The male (cob) and the female (pen) appear identical but the male is larger, with a slightly longer head and body and wider wingspan.
Great Crested Grebe
Striking appearance and fascinating mating displays , white faces are framed on each side with chestnut and black feathers. They are diving carnivorous birds that feed mainly on fish .
Tufted Duck
Our most common diving duck and love using human-made water bodies like Hendre Lake. Males have black and white plumage and long tuft of head feathers. Diving for their food (clams, snails & aquatic plants) on average 20 seconds underwater.
Little Egret
The little egret is a white heron with black legs and yellow feet. It has a black bill and long plumes on its head and neck during the breeding season. that feeds on small fish and crustaceans. Once a very rare visitor from the Mediterranean now a common site due to global warming.
Kingfisher
Beautiful bright blue and metallic copper colours. Darts along the reen or sits on a low branch waiting for its next fish. Territorial and tend to claim feed areas. Male bills are all black, while female bills are red on the lower half.
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Large elegant omnivorous gull, just a little smaller than the herring gull.
Adult in breeding plumage is white below, slate gray above, with white head, black wingtips, yellow eye, bright yellow legs, and yellow bill with red spot on lower mandible.
Adult in breeding plumage is white below, slate gray above, with white head, black wingtips, yellow eye, bright yellow legs, and yellow bill with red spot on lower mandible.
Mallard Duck
Mallard ducks are the most commonly sighted duck in the UK .Their favourite foods includes seeds, aquatic plants, berries, insects and shellfish. They do not dive but tip forward with their tails in the air.
Black Headed Gull
The black-headed gull is our commonest small gull a familiar sight at Hendre Lake and very noisy . Gull's head is more chocolate-brown than black and for much of the year, it has a white head .
Coot
A common bird easily identified by its slate-black plumage, distinctive white forehead shield and pointed bill. Coots are mainly vegetarian and typically dive under the surface of the water to find food.
Moorhen
The moorhen is a blackish/grey bird with a very distinctive red bill which has a yellow tip. The moorhen may be heard before it is seen, often spotted pecking at the ground like a chicken picking up insects, berries, grass & snails.
Barn Owl
These are medium-sized owls with a heart-shaped face,beige back and wings and pure white underparts. They are nocturnal and hunt by flying low over open habitats searching for small rodents primarily by sound.
Cormorant
Large bird that can live in marine or freshwater. Adult cormorants look black at a distance but have a green-blue sheen. They catch fish by diving up to 10m from the surface, chasing the prey underwater then seizing it with the hooked bill.
Herring Gull
Gulls can be very difficult to tell apart, especially immature birds. Adult herring gulls are silvery-grey above and white below, with pink legs. They have a white head (streaky during the winter) and black wingtips with white spots. They have a yellow bill with a red spot .
Chaffinch
A very common, sparrow-sized finch present all year-round. The male chaffinch is one of the most colourful garden birds with a blue-grey crown, brown back and pink breast. Females are brown and have white shoulder patches and wingbars.
Goldfinch
Small finch with a black and white head and an unmistakable red face. Wings are black and white with a broad yellow wing bar. The goldfinch’s ivory-coloured bill is longer than other finches to allows them to reach more seeds.
Great Spotted Woodpecker
Striking black-and-white bird, adults have a deep red patch under the tail and males have a very clear red patch on the back of the neck. The male is known for drumming against dead trees and branches to claim its territory.
Greenfinch
A chunky-looking finch with a chunky bill for crushing seeds. Males have a grey-green head and greenish body, while females are a duller brown. As adults they eat seeds, berries, fruits and buds.
Jackdaw Fledgling
The jackdaw (UK's smallest crow) has a short chunky bill, a grey 'shawl' around the back of the head, a black cap and a white eye. A sociable bird, the jackdaw can be seen in flocks, often performing aerial acrobatics or repeating its short, loud 'kya' call
Long-tailed tit
The long-tailed tit is a tiny bird of hedgerows, woodland, parks and gardens. It has a long black-and-white tail that is bigger than its body. Their head is white with a wide black eye stripe , and a pale pink belly.
Robin
The Robin really is unmistakeable, brown above with a white belly and a famously red breast. Robins make their presence known with a loud territorial song. They sing from prominent perches right through the winter and are fiercely territorial.
Song Thrush
The song thrush is a small, familiar songbird, commonly found in parks and gardens, woodland and scrub. They are brown above, with a white belly covered in black, drop-shaped spots.
Stonechat
A small dumpy chat, a little smaller than a robin. It has a big head and short tail and makes a call like two small stones being hit together. Male stonechats have a black head, brown back, black throat with a white half-collar, and orange-red breast. Females and juveniles are paler.
Bird descriptions created with the help of Gwent Wildlife Trust.
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