by Martin Blick
Built in 1905, this reservoir is one of the oldest and picturesque in Cleveland. It is situated 100 yards to S of A171 Guisborough-Whitby road, about 4 miles E of Guisborough.
It has a mixture of deciduous and coniferous woodland surrounding most of its perimeter, takes a little less than an hour to walk around and is the only reliable location in Cleveland for breeding Lesser Redpoll and Spotted Flycatcher.
Other interesting breeding birds include Grey Wagtail, Siskin and (occasionally) Crossbill.
Since the 2017-18 winter, the Teesmouth Bird Club has maintained a feeding station behind the shed located just to S of car park. The Teddy Parker memorial bench is also situated here. The feeders can be busy throughout the year with Coal Tit, Siskin, Chaffinch and Treecreeper in numbers, plus a few Marsh Tit, Nuthatch, Lesser Redpoll and Great Spotted Woodpecker. Rarer visitors (so far) include Mealy Redpoll, Brambling and Green Woodpecker.
This reservoir frequently holds an Osprey or two in spring or summer, several hundred Greylag Geese at times, but relatively few ducks, and rarely any waders.
Jan 2019