Decoy Pit, Pools and Woods

Decoy Pit, Pools and Woods is a 20.27 hectares (50.1 acres) Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) at Aldermaston Wharf in the civil parish of Aldermaston in the English county of Berkshire, notified in 1993.

Located at grid reference SU612632, the site comprises several habitats including woodland, heathland, grassland and small waterbodies, and includes alder woodland types which are becomong a declining habitat in England. The site also supports the greatest known number of breeding dragonfly and damselfly species in Berkshire, whilst the presence of many other common, and some rare, insect and bird species also adds to the diversity and value of the site.^[1]

In the southern part of the site the land slopes gently eastwards within a draining gully system; the head of the stream West End Brook flows through here. On the northern part of the site a former gravel pit, now partially infilled after it was abandoned in the early 1980s, has developed into a mosaic of shallow pools, also supporting a large pond, some heathland and scrub. The area supports many wetland plants including bulrush Typha latifolia, common spike-rush Eleocharis palustris, as well as a locally scarce species marsh speedwell Veronica scutellata. The heathland and scrub areas are predominantly populated by heather Calluna vulgaris and are slowly being colonised by birch. Surrounding land comprises typically of secondary birch woodland with some heathland. There is also a small valley bog where purple moor-grass Molinia caerulea is particularly abundant.^[1]

Ancient semi-natural woodland occurs in the areas known locally as Brick kiln Gully, Roundwood Gully and Roundwood Copse. The low-lying gullies here are permanently waterlogged and support alder woodland. The ground flora is diverse and includes greater tussock-sedge Carex paniculata and opposite-leaved goldensaxifrage Chrysosplenium oppositifolium.^[1]

The brilliant emerald dragonfly (Somatochlora metallica)

Other more commonly occurring woodland types are represented within the SSSI, associated with the middle and upper slopes of the gullies. These areas contain species typical for semi-natural ancient woodland including hard shield-fern (Polystichum aculeatum) and Solomon's-seal (Polygonatum multiflorum). A well vegetated pond is located on the north side of Best Gully.^[1]

Twenty-three species of dragonfly and damselfly breed within the site. The ponds, streams and shallow pools are used for breeding whilst valuable feeding habitat is provided in the adjacent woodland. Three nationally scarce species are present; the scarce blue-tailed damselfly (Ischnura pumilio), a species known to prefer shallow, newly created pools; the downy emerald (Cordulia aenea) and the brilliant emerald (Somatochlora metallica).^[1]

The site is associated with a range of rare fauna, including woodlark and the silverstudded blue butterfly (Plebejus argus), both of which breed in the heathland area. The site is also home to the Devon carpet moth (Lampropteryx otregiata), which may be found only on this site within the whole of Berkshire; also the snipe and jack snipe visit the pools in winter, whilst siskins and redpolls have been recorded feeding in the alders.^[1]

References

1 2 3 4 5 6 "English nature citation" (PDF). English Nature. Retrieved 7 February 2011.

Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Berkshire

Aldermaston Gravel Pits Ashridge Wood Avery's Pightle Bisham Woods Blackwater Valley Bowdown and Chamberhouse Woods Boxford Chalk Pit Boxford Water Meadows Bray Meadows Bray Pennyroyal Field Briff Lane Meadows Brimpton Pit Broadmoor to Bagshot Woods and Heaths Cannoncourt Farm Pit Catmore and Winterly Copses Chawridge Bourne Chilton Foliat Meadows Cleeve Hill Cock Marsh Cold Ash Quarry Combe Wood, Frilsham Croker's Hole Decoy Pit, Pools and Woods Easton Farm Meadow Enborne Copse Englemere Pond Fognam Chalk Quarry Freeman's Marsh Great Thrift Wood Greenham and Crookham Commons Hampstead Marshall Pit Heath Lake Hog's Hole Holies Down Inkpen and Walbury Hills Inkpen Common Inkpen Crocus Fields Irish Hill Copse Kennet and Lambourn Floodplain Kennet Valley Alderwoods King's Copse Lardon Chase Lodge Wood and Sandford Mill Longmoor Bog Old Copse, Beenham Parkfarm Down Pincent's Kiln Redhill Wood River Kennet River Lambourn Sandhurst to Owlsmoor Bogs and Heaths Seven Barrows Snelsmore Common Stanford End Mill and River Loddon Streatley Warren Sulham and Tidmarsh Woods and Meadows Swinley Park and Brick Pits Thatcham Reed Beds Wasing Wood Ponds Wellington College Bog West Woodhay Down West's Meadow, Aldermaston Westfield Farm Chalk Bank White Shute Windsor Forest and Great Park Winterbourne Chalk Pit Woolhampton Reed Bed Wraysbury and Hythe End Gravel Pits Wraysbury No 1 Gravel Pit Wykery Copse

Neighbouring areas Buckinghamshire Hampshire London Oxfordshire Surrey Wiltshire

Coordinates: 51°21′57″N 1°07′45″W / 51.365846°N 1.129167°W / 51.365846; -1.129167

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