MONDAY - JONES'S MILL
Jones's
Mill is a fen, made up of wet woodland (called alder carr), ponds and wet
grassland. Its peaty soils are fed by natural springs and the Salisbury Avon
flows through its centre. In the wet areas it's best to stick to the boardwalks
as water bubbles and shimmers at your feet. Paths through the rest of the
reserve can be a little uneven. In the past a watermill was believed to have
been built on the site but more recently the land was grazed by cattle to
supply milk. Watercress was also grown here for markets in London. The central
part of the reserve was given to us in 1980 by local resident Miss Vera Jeans.
The
reserve has ditches, ridges and furrows - evidence of its past use as water
meadows. It is home to wildlife that thrives in wet conditions - water voles,
dragonflies, the elusive water shrew and birds such as kingfisher, snipe and
heron. Great horsetail grows in the alder carr; their bristles have a high
silica content making them look like bottle brushes. The alder carr leads to
the tussock sedge fen. As the plant grows, the dying leaves build up around the
base making little 'tussocks'.
We
graze the wet grassland with belted Galloway cattle. In spring and summer it
bursts into colour with yellow flag iris, lady's smock and water avens,
southern marsh and common spotted orchid. Rare plants include the bog bean, bog
pimpernel and flea sedge. If it wasn't grazed the fen would turn into woodland.
By keeping vegetation in check the cattle help to maintain a rich diversity of
plants.
TUESDAY - LANGFORD LAKES
Nestled in the Wylye Valley between Salisbury and
Warminster, Langford Lakesnaturereserve is an ideal place for bird
watching. The four lakes provide a vital stopping off point and resident
habitat for about 150 different bird species. The reserve has a relaxing
atmosphere with good level paths and you can enjoy watching wildfowl from five
hides overlooking the lakes. You may even see some rarities, such as osprey.
Residents include kingfisher, water rail and gadwall.
In spring watch for great-crested grebes shaking their
heads in courtship. Reed warbler, waders and terns drop in on their summer
migration. As winter advances shoveler and wigeon join the other ducks present
all year round and occasionally the endangered and secretive bittern pays a
visit.
When gravel was excavated during the 1960s and 1970s the
process left behind holes that filled with water and were turned into a
commercial fishery. Since we acquired the lakes in 2001, we have created
islands, ponds and wader scrapes that provide habitat for birds such as
redshank and sandpiper that probe the mud for food. We have improved the 800m
stretch of Wylye River for fish, designated a Special Area of Conservation. And
we have transformed a neighbouring field into the Great Meadow wetland, which
opened in September 2012.
We run many family and educational activities from our two
centres, which are also available to hire. You can get day tickets to fish on
the Wylye for wild brown trout and grayling - catch and release only. Coarse
fishing is available by joining our Langford Lakes Fishing Club. You can also
buy day fishing passes. Access is provided for wheelchair anglers.
WEDNESDAY
- LOWER MOOR
Lower Moor (LM)opened in 2007 and is the gateway to Clattinger
Farm, Oaksey Moor Farm Meadow and Sandpool nature reserves. From LM you can
walk into the other reserves and explore a landscape of fascinating
contrasts.The reserve is a mosaic of three lakes, two brooks, ponds and wetland
scrapes linked together by boardwalks, ancient hedges, woodland and meadows.The
lakes were created by gravel extraction in the 1970s. Mallard Lake is a Site of
Special Scientific Interest due to its distinctive aquatic plants, which
include rare stoneworts. The visitor centre is a resource for education groups
and volunteers and a replica Iron Age hut is a focus for our educational
activities. Large populations of wildfowl swim in the lakes - great crested
grebe, teal, shoveler duck and goosander to name a few. You can enjoy the
birdlife from hides at Swallow Pool and Cottage Lake - the latter is accessible
for wheelchairs and pushchairs. Water voles and otters use the Flagham Brook.
On sunny days see if you can spot the emperor, southern hawker and downy
emerald dragonflies. When it rains heavily we move our livestock off
Clattinger's incredibly valuable but wet wildflower meadows to drier pastures
at LMF and Sandpool where they can be housed.
Mallard Lake - 9 hectares - Lake 52
(Cotswold Water Park)
The Mallard Flyfishers Syndicate leases the private trout
fly fishing rights on Mallard lake from Wiltshire Wildlife Trust. The lake is
located on the Lower Moor Nature Reserve Centre near Oaksey in north Wiltshire.
We are approximately 12 miles from Swindon and close to the market towns of
Cirencester, Malmesbury and Tetbury. Mallard Lake is one of over 150 lakes
which forms the Cotswold Water Park, spanning the counties of Wiltshire,
Gloucestershire and west Oxfordshire.
Clattinger Farm - 60.33 hectares
This is the UK's finest remaining example of enclosed
lowland grassland. It is a Site of Special Scientific Interest for its fabulous
wildflowers and is part of a Special Area of Conservation. It lies on the
Thames floodplain and its hay meadows drain into the Swill Brook. It is so rich
in wildlife because previous owners farmed the land traditionally without
artificial fertilisers. We bought it in 1996. Come in late April to see thousands
of delicately patterned snakeshead fritillaries. Walk through the meadows in
June to see wildflowers - meadow saffron, tubular water-dropwort, orchids and
downy-fruited sedge - a Red Data Book plant. In winter wading birds such as
teal, lapwing and snipe forage on the wet meadows.
Sandpool - 19.85 hectares
You can walk from Lower Moor Farm to Sandpool or follow a
path alongside the Flagham Brook into Clattinger Farm. Sandpool has seen many
transformations, from hay meadow to gravel quarry and inert landfill site.
Since 2009 we have been restoring it. The reserve is part of our farming
enterprise -the roundhouse shelters cattle in winter. As at LMF, we move our
belted Galloway cattle here from Clattinger in wet weather. Most of the reserve
is lush grass for grazing. A grassy path leads into wet woodland full of bees
and birds such as willow warbler and chiffchaff. Come at dusk and you may spot
barn owl and bats. Watch from the bird hide the herons raising their chicks in
twiggy nests between January and June.
Oaksey Moor Farm Meadow - 7.65
hectares
This is another link in this chain of
incredibly special grasslands, full of wildflowers. In the summer you can see
devil's-bit scabious, green-winged orchid, pignut and pepper saxifrage.
Look for ruddy darter and four-spotted chaser dragonflies hovering above
the pond.
THURSDAY
- MORGAN'S HILL
Morgan's Hill between Devizes and Calne offers incredible
views of Cherhill Down and the plains of north Wiltshire. The reserve is a Site
of Special Scientific Interest for its orchids, butterflies and for the general
quality of chalk grassland and wildflowers.
A Roman road runs along its northern edge and the fifth century Wansdyke
defines its southern border - built to defend the northern territory of Wessex. This large bank with a deep ditch is home to early
purple orchids and round-headed rampion. It is believed the hill was named
after a local man, John Morgan, who in 1720 was hung at this prominent site for
murdering his uncle.
Unusually all three of the UK's native conifer trees grow here -
Scots pine, juniper and yew - possibly planted as way-markers to signpost the
drovers' route. Keep your eyes peeled for cowslips, primroses and violets in
spring, and wild thyme, horseshoe vetch, common rock rose and marsh helleborine
in summer. Where there are flowers, butterflies follow. Along the Wansdyke you
can find the Adonis, chalkhill, common and small blues. Further down the slopes
look for the marsh fritillary - one of the UK's most endangered species of
butterfly, which feeds on devil's-bit scabious. The reserve is a magnet for
moths such as the Mother Shipton, named after a Yorkshire witch because its wing pattern is thought to resemble an
unpleasant face. Birds found at the reserve include kestrel, buzzard, yellow hammer
and skylark.
We are improving the grassland by removing scrub and grazing with our Dexter
cattle and Herdwick sheep. We have cleared an area of invasive tor-grass,
scraping back to the bare chalk, so that different plants and invertebrates can
colonise.
