Wraysbury and Hythe End Gravel Pits

Wraysbury and Hythe End Gravel Pits

Site of Special Scientific Interest
Location within Berkshire
Location	Berkshire
Grid reference	TQ 012 735 [1]
Coordinates	51°27′04″N0°32′42″W / 51.451°N 0.545°W / 51.451; -0.545
Interest	Biological
Area	117.2 hectares (290 acres) [1]
Notification	1992 [1]
Location map	Magic Map

Wraysbury and Hythe End Gravel Pits is a 117.2-hectare (290-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Wraysbury in Berkshire. ^{[1] [2]} It is part of South West London Waterbodies Ramsar site ^[3] and Special Protection Area. ^[4]

The site features four former gravel pits and is within the floodplains of the River Thames and the Colne Brook. ^[5] It is important for the number of bird species it features. ^[6]

Fauna

The following species have been recorded on the reserve. ^{[7] [5] [6]}

Birds

• Tufted duck
• Gadwall
• Goosander
• Common goldeneye
• Smew
• Common pochard
• Eurasian Wigeon
• Mandarin duck
• Common Shelduck
• Common kingfisher
• Common grasshopper warbler
• Eurasian reed warbler
• Common redshank
• Eurasian coot
• Grey heron
• Little egret
• Common buzzard
• Water rail
• Ring-necked parakeet
• Grey wagtail
• Common reed bunting
• Common swift
• Common chiffchaff
• Garganey
• Hobby
• Eurasian collared dove
• Common nightingale
• Northern wheatear
• Whinchat
• Slavonian grebe
• Red-necked grebe
• Black-necked grebe
• Long-tailed duck (rare)
• Red-breasted merganser
• Common sandpiper
• Green sandpiper
• Little ringed plover
• Common ringed plover
• Common snipe
• Jack snipe
• Lesser redpoll
• Lesser scaup (rare)
• Ortolan bunting (rare)

Invertebrates

• White-legged damselfly
• The beetle, Oulimnius major
• The caddisfly, Leptocerus lusitanius

Flora

The following plants have been recorded at the site: ^[7]

Trees

• Common buckthorn
• Crack willow

Plants

• Common reed
• Lesser pond-sedge
• Greater pond-sedge
• Small pondweed
• Common bulrush
• Trifid bur-marigold
• Horned pondweed
• Grass vetchling
• Spiked sedge

References

1. "Designated Sites View: Wraysbury and Hythe End Gravel Pits". Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Retrieved 24 October 2019.
2. "Map of Wraysbury and Hythe End Gravel Pits". Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Retrieved 24 October 2019.
3. "Designated Sites View: South West London Waterbodies". Ramsar Site. Natural England. Retrieved 24 October 2019.
4. "Designated Sites View: South West London Waterbodies". Special Protection Areas. Natural England. Retrieved 24 October 2019.
5. Carl Hughes (3 July 1992). "SSSI". Wraysbury.net. Retrieved 15 March 2017.
6. "Wraysbury and Horton Gravel Pits". Berksoc.org.uk. 20 June 2014. Retrieved 15 March 2017.
7. "Wraysbury and Hythe End Gravel Pits citation" (PDF). Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Retrieved 24 October 2019.