Staines Reservoirs — Local services in Borough of Spelthorne

The Staines Reservoirs are close to the south-west corner of Heathrow International Airport. They provide drinking water to the city of London.

Migratory birds use of the reservoirs have given it international importance. As a result, this birding hotspot for the London area is one of the best locations to see both rare bird and common birds.

Being crazy about birds, I planned a lay-over at Standwell during December 2017 flights home to northwestern Canada from Germany. I live near the bottom end of the Alaska Panhandle. So, the Staines Reservoirs birding hotspot was to be a real treat for me.

Snow and sleet fell overnight. At daybreak the weather was windy, rainy, and miserable. Nevertheless, I braved the elements and walked from my AirBnB nearby to the reservoir.

It was too cold for me as I was not dressed for wintery weather. So, my self-guided visit was short.

Nonetheless, I added 10 more birds to my life list. Here is my bird checklist:

Staines Reservoirs, Surrey, England, GB 12 11, 17 9:30 AM - 10:10 AM Protocol: Traveling 1.0 kilometer(s) Checklist Comments: Windy, chilly, rain, 2 C, low overcast 15 species

Northern Shoveler 24 Gadwall 1 Eurasian Wigeon 31 Mallard 4 Green-winged Teal (Eurasian) 21 Common Pochard 7 Tufted Duck 6 Common Goldeneye 1 Great Crested Grebe 1 Eurasian Coot 3 Black-headed Gull 7 Gray Heron 1 Eurasian Magpie 1 Carrion Crow ...

This is a water reservoir so please don't bring your picnic table. There's no dedicated parking on either side but you can cross it via long fenced footpath through the middle to Stanwell or vice verca. It's visited by mostly local dog walkers and very popular among bird watchers with their expensive binoculars as apparently some interesting birds drop by time to time but I've never seen any other than the usual ducks and gulls.

There are couple of benches along the footpath for people to sit and enjoy the views from behind the bars but some people bring disposable barbecues and leave their rubbish behind. So are the dog walkers who think that their dog poop adds to the beauty of the place.

Other than bird watching, you can also spot metal birds as Heathrow is nearby and on a good day, you'll see more than 50 planes land and take off in...

I cycled along the pathway between the reservoirs on a lovely sunny day. Didn't meet anyone else. It was slow work as path isn't great for cycling and you do need to wriggle your bike to get it through one of the end gates. Well worth it a great views. It is a decent length of path and only a few places to stop. Not sure it's one for a family stroll. If in the car I would head to the Stanwell end as more parking options. No cafe so bring your own provisions and take home...