Aldermaston Gravel Pits

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Water Rail
Water Rail

Aldermaston Gravel Pits is a 23.41 hectare (57.75 acre) Site of Special Scientific Interest in the civil parish of Aldermaston in the English county of Berkshire, notified in 1955.

Located at grid reference SU596668, this site consists of mature flooded gravel workings surrounded by dense fringing vegetation, trees and scrub, affording a variety of habitats for breeding birds and a refuge for wildfowl. The irregular shoreline, with islands, promontories, sheltered eutrophic pools and narrow lagoons provides undisturbed habitat for many water birds including surface feeding ducks such as Teal (Anas crecca) and Shoveler (Anas clypeata). The surrounding marsh and scrub are important for numerous birds including nine breeding species of Warblers, Water Rails (Rallus aquaticus), Kingfishers (Alcedoa atthis) and an important breeding colony of Nightingales (Luscinia megarhynchos).[1]

In 2002 English Nature bought Aldermaston Gravel Pits from the mineral extraction company Grundon for £925,000.[2] and it is managed as a nature reserve by the Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust.[3]

[edit] References

  1. ^ Aldermaston Gravel Pits. English Nature. Retrieved on 2006-09-23.
  2. ^ Million pound boost for birds and people. English Nature. Retrieved on 2006-09-23.
  3. ^ Aldermaston Gravel Pits nature reserve. Berks, Bucks & Oxon Wildlife turst. Retrieved on 2006-09-23.

[edit] External links

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Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Berkshire
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Coordinates: 51.39711° N 1.14470° W