Northmoor Trust Wildlife Research
Northmoor Trust's Wildlife Research
The Northmoor Trust has been studying and monitoring the wildlife of the Reserve with a view to improving the conditions a number of species.
Great Crested Newts
The Reserve's woodland has one of the largest and best researched populations in Britain. Up to 3,000 newts have bred in the woodland ponds each year. This is the main reason why the Reserve is listed as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and Special Area of Conservation (SAC).
Ground-breaking research on the Great Crested Newt has been undertaken on the Reserve since 1987. Population size has been continually monitored. Studies of habitat requirements of the newts in their aquatic and terrestrial phases and during hibernation have helped formulate national plans for managing their habitats.
Other notable species of the wetland habitats include a large numbers of other amphibians, including Common Toad, and a wide diversity of dragonflies and damselflies.
One rare plant, the Loddon Lily, occurs on the Reserve. It looks like a giant snowdrop amongst sedges and nettles growing on the riverside. Although very rare in Britain, it can be quite common beside the river Thames.
River Thames
This generally damp and shady aspect of the Reserve is also the reason for the large number of rare insects. The caterpillars of the Scarlet Tiger Moth feed on comfrey plants. Many of the brightly coloured Soldier Flies and Hoverflies have larvae that live around the pond margins or within the springs that occur across the Reserve. There are also many rare Money Spiders found in the woodland.
More than 110 different bird species have been sighted in the Reserve. Half of these have bred on site, and bird ringing is carried out on the site.
Five different types of bat can be seen on the Reserve, including Daubenton's Bat, that prefers to hunt over ponds and rivers. There are many badgers breeding in the woods as well as many smaller mammals, such as Wood Mouse.
Reserve Management Plan
- The current management plan for the Reserve aims to maintain areas of existing wildlife value while also reversing some of the less positive changes of the past.
- Dense conifer plantings in the woodland will be thinned out to leave native mainly broadleaf trees.
- Land drains will be broken or blocked to expand wetland habitats. In time it is hoped that this irreplaceable source of plants and animals will spread across other parts of the reserve, and ultimately into the wider countryside, as conditions become suitable.
Northmoor Trust Research
- Paradise Wood
Outside the Nature Reserve, the Northmoor Trust manages the Paradise Wood plantation near Little Wittenham for forestry research trials. - Conservation Farm
Demonstrate that economic land use can, with care, accommodate and benefit biodiversity. The farmed areas are carefully managed to support characteristic farmland species, and their biodiversity is increasing.
