Discovering Oxfordshire’s Wildlife

Would you like to know where to see Oxfordshire’s natural environment? Were you inspired by Springwatch and want to see what wildlife is on your doorstep? Then go to Oxfordshire Nature Conservation Forum’s new interactive map and find Oxfordshire’s hidden wildlife treasures.

 

 

Oxfordshire has a treasure trove of habitats, from the limestone Cotswold hills circled by dry stone walls in the west to the beautiful wet grasslands and lowland meadows of the rivers Thames, Cherwell and Windrush. In fact Oxfordshire has a significant proportion of the UKs lowland meadows and calcareous grasslands. The ancient hay meadow at Oxey (once Oxhay) Mead pre-dates the Domesday Book, and is one of several surviving ancient ‘lot’ meadows on the edge of Oxford City

We have great woodland, in particular the Wychwood Forest that was once a royal hunting forest and the beech woodlands so typical of the Chilterns landscape. Oxfordshire’s geology precludes much heathland habitat but rare fragments can be found in Shotover Country Park, at Sydlings Copse and further east in the Nettlebed area.
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The Thames and its tributaries are a major water landscape feature, as are the large restored gravel pits around the Lower Windrush and Farmoor Reservoir that provide significant linked habitats for wading and wetland birds.

All these different habitats support a wide range of plant and animal species and the public can enjoy them by visiting one of the 200 nature reserves dotted across the county. Local wildlife charities own or manage most of these reserves On our interactive website map we have listed over 120 that have year round access. Simply visit our map on http://www.oncf.org.uk/visit/map.html zoom in and click the marker nearest your home for details of your closest wildlife site. There is a huge variety of habitats and sizes from 129 hectares of calcareous grassland at Aston Rowant, to a 2 hectare Community Woodland in Hailey.

If you cannot access the website then we have a free printed map showing 60 key sites in Oxfordshire. Simply send a SAE to Oxfordshire Nature Conservation Forum.

For more information on local wildlife groups and charities then click on our Nature Directory or if you would like weekly email environmental updates then sign up for ONCF’s FREE Environmental Bulletin.

Most importantly go out and enjoy Oxfordshire’s wildlife.

A bit about ONCF
Oxfordshire Nature Conservation Forum (ONCF) is a partnership organisation that has been working for over 15 years. Our remit is to encourage communication and partnership across the nature conservation sector so that scarce resources are used effectively across the county. Much of our strength lies in the breadth and depth of our partnership as we have over 50 members, including the local Wildlife Trust, RSPB, Environment Agency, Natural England, farming organisations such as FWAG, all the local authorities and some community wildlife groups.

For more information visit: www.oncf.org.uk or clare@oncf.org.uk
For a map send a 2nd Class Stamped Addressed Envelope to ONCF, Manor House, Litte Wittenham OX14 4RA

14.07.10