Protecting Wildlife for the Future

BBOWTS SEASONAL HIGHLIGHTS AT A GLANCE

Getting out there

Where to go for Wildlife is designed to help you make the most of your visits so that you can enjoy a few hours, or a great day out, in the wild.
Where do I start? If you are planning your first visit we recommend that you head to Bowdown Woods in Berks, College Lake in Bucks, or Warburg Nature Reserve in Oxon. Both College Lake and Warburg have information centres, picnic areas, wildlife gardens and lots more. You will find these three reserves at the beginning of this handbook. If you are looking for other nature reserves, why not work your way through the rest of our best wildlife experiences? Your first visit If you are new to wildlife, going to a nature reserve for the first time can fall short of expectations. You may walk for 20 minutes before you encounter anything at all. The key to seeing and enjoying wildlife is to wait and look, and listen and let the wildlife come to you. Why not switch off your mobile phone, be still and silent for a few minutes and tune into the sounds, sights and smells around you. This will help you to see and experience more wildlife. The more return visits you make, the more likely you are to have a truly memorable wildlife encounter; perhaps youll hear the haunting call of a curlew, or glimpse a white admiral butterfly gliding by. Many of our reserves have clearly marked circular Wildlife Walks and information panels along the way. Our hides can make watching birds and other wildlife easier still and often these have identification charts to help.

Useful kit to bring Wear sturdy shoes and sensible clothing for the weather conditions. Take a pair of binoculars to see wildlife in the trees or across the lake. If you are visiting with children, pack paper and pencils and get them to jot down what they see. Bring this handbook with you, as not all Trust reserves have signs or leaflets to guide visitors around. What next? Some of our nature reserves are superb at a particular time of year; you will find these in the seasonal spectacles section. Or perhaps you would like to be able to walk or cycle to a wild place even closer to home. Our nature reserves under the heading local treasures are well worth visiting if you live near by. Wildlife not to miss! From wildflower meadows to stunning autumn woodlands, each season has its wildlife highlights. On page four you will find

a quick guide to help you enjoy these wild places at their most glorious. nothing better than knowing Theres your local patch. Pick a nature reserve near to you and make it your own. Youll see so much as the seasons change and the relationship just keeps getting deeper. Giles Strother, BBOWT

You are making a difference The rich mix of wildlife on Trust nature reserves is thanks to your continued support. Without you these precious fragments that were once widespread throughout Britain would be lost from our countryside, and with them the many communities of plants and animals that need them to survive and thrive. To find out how we care for these special places go to page 164, for a look Behind the scenes at our busy conservation programme.

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BEST WILDLIFE EXPERIENCES

TOP LEFT TO RIGHT

Black-headed cardinal beetle, Family Discovery Day, Solomons-seal

Bowdown Woods
Mysterious hidden valleys, sunny glades and patches of heathland hold a wealth of wildlife in this expanse of ancient woodland

part of Livi West B 11 ng L erkthe and shir scap e e ar ea

A special landscape for all. Bowdown Woods is a great place to enjoy wildlife throughout the year. Stretching from the vast heathland at Greenham Common down to the River Kennet, this reserve forms part of a landscape especially rich in wildlife. Habitats include ancient woodland, heathland, butterfly glades, streams and ponds. Bowdown Woods is actually a cluster of three woods and each one is different in character. The three sites: Bomb Site, Baynes

and Bowdown Woods all have a car park and circular Wildlife Walk suitable for all ages and abilities. From bomb site to wildlife haven. The Bomb Site is so named because it was an ammunition store during and after the Second World War. It is a great example of how nature can thrive and develop on a site vacated by people. Many old surfaced tracks create a network through the young birch

Best time to visit

STATUS

SSSI

SPRING

SUMMER
PLANTS

WINTER

MOSSES & LIVERWORTS Fairy beads,

Lyells, elegant and smooth bristle-mosses, frizzled pincushion BIRDS Woodpeckers, tits (below) and thrushes

PLANTS Primrose, bluebell, opposite- and alternate-leaved golden-saxifrages, moschatel, marsh-marigold, yellow archangel, herb-paris, Solomonsseal, early-purple orchid INSECTS Butterflies, beetles, hoverflies AMPHIBIANS Newts, frog REPTILES Adder, grass snake, slowworm, common lizard (below) BIRDS Woodpeckers, nuthatch, woodcock, sparrowhawk

Foxglove, heathers, dwarf gorse, yellow pimpernel, marsh thistle INSECTS Brown argus, small copper, silver-washed fritillary, white admiral (below) and grayling butterflies, moths, dragonflies and damselflies, black-headed cardinal beetle, shieldbugs, hoverflies BIRDS Warblers, woodpeckers MAMMALS Pipistrelle and brown long-eared bats

AUTUMN

FUNGI Woodland fungi

including boletes, brittlegills, milkcaps, turkeytail, sulphur knight, fly agaric, snakeskin grisette, pipe club, elfin saddle MAMMALS Dormouse (below)

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BEST WILDLIFE EXPERIENCES

and oak woodland that has colonised the site. These flat tracks are ideal for less mobile visitors and are gradually being engulfed by nature. Young trees, plants and fungi now live on many of the old wartime structures. Demolished buildings provide basking and hiding places for reptiles such as adder, grass snake and common lizard, whilst dragonflies hunt by the woodland edge. Areas of heathland dominated by heather, bracken and wood sage can be seen from the tracks. These areas have been extended to benefit reptiles, as well as butterflies including grayling and the small copper. Diverse ancient woodlands. Baynes and Bowdown Woods offer a more shady woodland experience. A series of small streams trickle through these undulating woodlands that slope gently down towards the River Kennet. As you walk through the network of wooded valleys, you will notice changes in the woodland flora corresponding with changing geology and microclimate. The wet valleys support large areas of alder and willow with splashes of opposite-leaved golden-saxifrage where springs emerge, while the dry ridges are characterised by towering oak and ash. Look out for badger tracks in the heavy clay soil which is rich with ancient woodland plants such as early-purple orchid, greater stitchwort and yellow pimpernel creeping along the woodland floor. In spring the woodland is awash with bluebells and alive

with bird song. Listen for the drumming of the great spotted and lesser spotted woodpeckers. Sparrowhawks may be occasionally glimpsed. In summer over 30 species of butterfly have been seen here and in the sunny glades you may spot the spectacular silver-washed fritillary or the handsome white admiral. The open well-drained ground is dominated by remnants of heathland with swathes of heather and bracken. These woodlands are well worth a visit later in the year to experience the wonderful autumn colour and incredible fungi. Sulphur knight, inkstain bolete, and porcelain fungus are just a few of the more striking species you are likely to find. Look out for the pipe club, spectacular in its strangeness, with long, thin stems like breadsticks rising up from the ground, or the rare snakeskin grisette growing in the valley bottom; it has a large yellowish cap with grey, felty patches sitting on a stem resembling snakeskin. Ponds and streams. Fifteen species of dragonfly and damselfly have been spotted on the reserve. The shallow streams and ponds provide breeding habitats and the plentiful insect life provides prey to eat. Ponds are also home to newts as well as frogs and toads. Giant six-foot tall marsh thistles attract bees and butterflies around the damp edges.

BOWDOWN WOODS

13

A living landscape. Bowdown Woods is part of BBOWTs West Berkshire Living Landscape Project. This project aims to create an expanse of interconnected habitats, allowing nature to live, not trapped in small pockets but able to move through linked areas under land management sympathetic to nature. (Go to page 172 for more information.) to see how an old army base Wonderful can become a wildlife haven under the Trusts care. so much variety; we come to Theres Bowdown regularly and join the guided walks theyre really interesting. BBOWT members gives me the chance to Volunteering learn new things heathland restoration, making hibernacula for adders and identifying moths. And I enjoy meeting other volunteers and just being in Bowdown Woods. Bowdown volunteer

PICTURES CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT

Golden-ringed dragonfly, greater stitchwort, sparrowhawk, autumn colour at Bowdown, pipe club fungus

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SEASONAL SPECTACLES

Iffley Meadows
The sight of thousands of purpleand-white chequered snakeshead fritillaries at these ancient wet meadows will take your breath away

Precious meadows. These wet meadows crossed by old river channels with willowlined ditches have a rich diversity of wildlife typical of old, unspoilt meadow land. They were once a widespread feature of our river systems but many have been lost to drainage and farming. In spring, the blooms of cuckooflower mark the start of a colourful sequence of wild flowers in the meadows. The orange-tip butterfly can be seen fluttering from flower to flower laying its eggs. Later, the yellow of buttercups and the reds and purples of great burnet and knapweed come to the fore. Flourishing fritillaries. Few people realise that each April Iffley Meadows plays host to a

wonderful wildlife spectacle where you can enjoy Oxfordshires iconic flower, the snakeshead fritillary, in bloom in its natural surroundings. Before BBOWT took over management of the nature reserve in 1983, a mere 500 snakes-head fritillaries could be found. As a result of BBOWTs careful management of the site and controlled grazing, numbers of the flower have shot up to over 76,000 in 2011 a huge success story. Rich ditches. Several species of dragonfly and damselfly patrol the vegetated ditches during the summer. Warblers can be heard chattering in the reeds Cettis warbler can be distinguished by its loud, explosive song.

Best time to visit

STATUS

SSSI

SPRING

SUMMER
PLANTS

PLANTS Adders-tongue fern, cuckooflower, marsh-marigold (below), ragged-robin, cowslip, snakes-head fritillary, early marsh-orchid INSECTS Orange-tip butterfly BIRDS Reed bunting

Great burnet, common meadow-rue, pepper-saxifrage, meadow vetchling, sneezewort INSECTS Dragonflies and damselflies including banded demoiselle (below) BIRDS Cettis and sedge warblers

WINTER

AUTUMN

LEFT Snakes-head fritillaries BELOW Sedge warbler

99
Oxford Centre Meadow La (1) Oxford (1)

8 15 A4

B4495 Donnington Bridge Road Iffley

GETTING THERE
Mea dow
FACILITIES Iffley Meadows NEAREST TOWN Oxford OS SHEET 164; SP 525 036 POSTCODE OX4 4BL www.bbowt.org.uk/reserves/iffley-meadows LOCATION Oxford. Take A4144 (Abingdon Road) from Oxford centre or ring road; turn at B4495 (Donnington Bridge Road); park in Meadow Lane on right after bridge; cross back over bridge; take ramp down to towpath; reserve is on right. Street parking, 300 m. Oxford + / 1 miles; or from Oxford centre.

A41
A34

44
A4
Ring Road 2

23

(T)

A414

mile

Henley A4074

Oxford tre and cen

gton nnin 5 Do Road 9 4 B4 ge Brid

Lan e

Thames Path

ord Oxf ntre Ce City

GETTING AROUND
SIZE 33 ha (81.5 acres)

Flat overall; rough underfoot in places, wet patches all year; kissing gates and gates, 30-m 1 in 4 ramp from road to towpath.

NEARBY
The Isis Farmhouse (refreshments).
The Isis Farmhouse Iffley Lock
Abingdon Road

Things to do

A423
R iv e r T hames

Abingdon

A4144

See the snakes-head fritillaries in bloom in early April.

N
Annual fritillary count

100 metres

200

Rin Cow g R ley oa d( A4

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Berkshire, Buckinghamshire & Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust The Lodge 1 Armstrong Road Littlemore Oxford OX4 4XT Tel: 01865 775476

www.bbowt.org.uk
Registered charity number 204330

The Berks, Bucks & Oxon Wildlife Trust owns or manages over 80 nature reserves across the three counties. This handbook is aimed at giving you the best possible all-round experience of visiting these nature reserves. Features include:

vibrant aerial photomaps colour-coded based on wildlife interest best time to visit location notes to help you get there.

ISBN 1-874357-50-6