Wyndley Pool

Loads of ducks, geese, swans, moor hens, water fowl of all kinds they are just waiting there for you to lean over the railings and drop tasty morcels onto their expectant heads, a right feathery scrummage resulting. These little (and not so little) webby characters are quite tame and look for visitors to swim towards.
The pool is large but really only accessible from the frontage along the short roadway from Sommerville Road, right next to Windley Leisure Centre (where humans can go swimming). There is some parking, so really this is the best pool for any one that wants to drive right up to the waters edge and not even get out of the car to take in the watery scene.
Originally built as a mediaeval fish pond, anglers are not permitted unfortunately, but definitely worth a trip down to see it on a nice summer evening.

The first thing to say is do not confuse Wyndley Pool — water on the edge of Sutton Park — with the swimming baths at neighbouring Wyndley Leisure Centre… otherwise you’ll be proving once and for all whether a swan can break your arm with its wing.
The best feature of Wyndley Pool, one of the park’s seven, is that it’s accessible without even entering the 2,400 nature reserve. It’s right there on Wyndley Lane, off Clifton Road.
For Sutton’s kids, it offers a rite of passage — this is the spot from where you shake out a few bits of bread from the bottom of a Hovis bag and cry when a goose comes near. The appeal never goes away.
While the scene is tranquil, the strip of dry land is not so blessed. Things can get quite busy, with cars and kids lining the street. Sadly, it seems to be a source of litter, some of which collects in the water. Thankfully, there are a few seats from which to enjoy the view, but check twice before you sit down. You may know what a sparrow is capable of on your car bonnet, less so a Swan.
The biggest appeal may be the sheer range of birds on show. On most days you will see at least one from the following list: cormorant, heron, Canada Goose, little grebe, swan, moorhen, coot, tufted duck, mallard, black-​headed gull and gadwall.

If you’ve are, ever have been or ever will be a child growing up in Sutton Coldfield, then there’s a very good chance that you’ll have fed the ducks down at Wyndley Pool.
Just outside the Wyndley gate into Sutton Park, Wyndley Pool is a duck-​pond surrounded on two sides by forest, one side by the backs of houses on Somerville Road and on the final side by a railing and benches on which I and countless others have spent long periods of time watching nature do its thing. There’s also the mysterious little island on the far side of the pool, which has sunk considerably over the years but is still visible.
The best time to visit the pool is either at sunset or dusk; the rising or falling sunlight glinting off the water as swans and mallards fly to and from the water is a beautiful scene and proof that there are still wondrous places to escape, even on the edge of a major city.
At night the place can become a little bit of a hang-​out for cars full of spliff-​smoking teens and arguing young lovers. During the day though, it’s a great place to check out, just beware of becoming surrounded by ducks if you choose to feed them.