Butterby Oxbow

Butterby Oxbow
Oxbow lake at Low Butterby
Site of Special Scientific Interest
Location	MAGiC MaP
Nearest city	City of Durham
Coordinates	54°44′44″N1°34′25″W / 54.74556°N 1.57361°W / 54.74556; -1.57361
Area	7.29 ha (18.0 acres)
Established	1957
Governing body	Natural England
Website	Butterby Oxbow SSSI

Butterby Oxbow is a Site of Special Scientific Interest in the Durham City district of County Durham, England. It consists of a former meander of the River Wear which was isolated from the main river in 1811 when, to reduce flooding in the area, a new channel was constructed across the neck of the meander. ^[1] It is located about 3 km south of the centre of Durham and 1.2 km north of the nearest village, Croxdale.

The site is notable for the succession series of swamp, fen and fen-carr which has developed and which is rarely found as a complete sequence in the county. It is locally important as a roosting and wintering area for wildfowl. ^[2]

References

1. Griffiths, Benjamin M (February 1932). "The Ecology of Butterby Marsh, Durham". Journal of Ecology. 20 (1): 105–127. doi:10.2307/2255969. JSTOR   2255969.
2. "Butterby Oxbow SSSI : Reasons for designating the SSSI status" (PDF). Natural England. Retrieved 1 March 2022.