Wildlife Centred...with a Café Culture

Talented photographer Rob Bendelow shares his insights on seasonal delights to be seen at The Wolseley Centre nature reserve.

The term 'oasis' sometimes springs to mind when I visit The Wolseley Centre. Clearly, nestling as it does between the busy A51 and the River Trent, it is not exactly surrounded by sand dunes and palm trees, but for me it does meet the secondary dictionary definition: a peaceful area in our everyday lives...where you can escape life's rigors.

This nature reserve, one mile north-west of Rugeley, covers just 26 acres and is oriented around it's central 'Swan Lake'. The woodland paths, river-side trail and boardwalk are suitable for all ages; there's a bird hide where the regular camera-clan can often be found. The site is also home to Staffordshire Wildlife Trust's HQ, putting a sample of the county's birds-and-bees right there on their doorstep. Whether or not the wildlife comes out to play, there's always a warm welcome being served up in the locally-famous, on-site 'Kingfisher' café! So what's to be seen seasonally…

A kingfisher perches on a branch. This bird has a coppery orange breast, bright orange feet, a long black pointed beak, and bright turquoise blue feathers on its head back, and wings. — Rob Bendelow

The resident star birds here are kingfishers (much-prized by the local photographers). I have seen them here for the last five years, but this has probably been Kingfisher Central for decades. In addition to having the café named after them, they can also boast to inspiring a giant statue, which stands proud in the waters of Temple Lake.

Winter

The many common ducks and geese are joined by goosanders, our largest 'sawbill', and little grebes, our smallest water bird. The normally camera-shy goosanders will often sail down right in front of the hide, at times almost too close to be photographed!

Movement in the tree-tops can reveal visiting redwings, siskins and redpolls. The cold season's celebrities here though are the water rails. Annoyingly secretive on larger reserves, they too have given good value here in the vicinity of the bird hide.

A goosander swims in a lake. This bird has a a curved red orange beak, a rusty red brown head with a tuff of feathers, and white and grey plumage on it's breast and back.

Rob Bendelow

A little grebe paddles in the water. This is a is a small, brown bird, with a fluffy, round-looking bottom. It develops a bright chestnut throat and cheeks during the breeding season. It can be a noisy bird, making a distinctive whinnying trill.

Rob Bendelow

A redwing perches on a berry-laden branch. The redwing is dark brown above and white below, with a black-streaked breast and distinctive orangey-red flanks and underwing, which the similar song thrush lacks. It has a very smart face pattern, with a white eyebrow stripe and dark brown cheeks.

Rob Bendelow

The water rail has a grey body, with black and brown streaked upperparts and black and white barring on the flanks. It has a long, red bill and pale pink legs.

Rob Bendelow

A lesser redpoll sits on a pinecone. A very streaky brown finch, the lesser redpoll has a small black bib, and a distinctive red forehead.

Rob Bendelow

A siskin looks over its shoulder toward the camera. The siskin is a small, streaky green finch, with yellow bars on black wings. The male has a bright yellow chest and face, with a black chin and black cap. The female is grey-green and lacks the black cap.

Rob Bendelow

Summer

Swan Lake plays host to common terns, birds that pretty much define the word 'elegant'. They nest on the lake's man-made island raft. The woodland areas are home to tits, warblers, finches, thrushes, plus regular favourites - treecreeper, nuthatch and Britain's smallest bird, the never-still goldcrest. The meadow area in the north-west corner of the reserve can be good too for butterflies and dragonflies.

A common tern zips through the air. The common tern is whiter below, has shorter tail streamers, and has a longer bill, which is orangey-red with a black tip. It is silvery-grey above, with a black cap and short, red legs.

Rob Bendelow

A nuthatch sits on a branch and listens carefully, beak poised in the air. The nuthatch is grey above, with a long, black eyestripe, white cheeks and throat, and a rust-coloured belly.

Rob Bendelow

A goldcrest spreads its wings in flight against a bright blue sky. A tiny little bird, the goldcrest is olive-green above, buff-white below, with a double white wingbar. The male has a bright orange crown, edged with black; while the female has a yellow crown.

Rob Bendelow

A tree creeper perches on a vertical tree trunk. The treecreeper is white below and mottled brown above, helping it camouflage against the bark of trees. It has a white eyestripe and a long, downcurved bill.

Rob Bendelow

Mammals

Whilst the terns own the word ‘elegant’, then the adjective ‘cute’ must belong to the Wolseley Centre’s bank voles. They tend to be seen in the bird-feeder area, where the more patient visitors linger, hoping for a glimpse. There too, in early 2024, a pair of weasels caused quite a stir...amongst humans and voles alike I imagine.

A bank vole sits on fallen leaves. The bank vole is rich, chestnut-brown above, and white below. It is richer in colour than the similar field vole and has a proportionally longer tail. Voles have blunter, rounder faces, smaller ears and eyes, and shorter tails than mice.

Rob Bendelow

A weasel prowls through woodland floor. The weasel has a russet-brown back, and a creamy white throat and belly. It is smaller than the similar stoat, has a shorter tail with no black tip, and has a running gait, with a straight back; stoats bound along, arching their backs as they go.

Rob Bendelow

Raptors

A variety bird-of-prey species have been seen from the Centre with fly-through sparrowhawks and circling buzzards being the most regular.

If you're on site and wishing to know "what's about"...just ask the friendly team at reception or any of the guys-n-gals with long-lens cameras; they may well be dressed like SAS-style commandos, but take it from me, they're a friendly, welcoming bunch! If you've got any crumbs left over from visiting the café, the local robins will also welcome you 'with open arms'.