About the reserve

Newt home

The ponds in this nature reserve are home to a breeding colony of rare great crested newts. The statutory protection of the great crested newt saved this reserve from being swallowed up by a nearby housing development in the late 1990s. These newts are marked out from their more common relatives by their warty skin and larger size. The bizarre male resembles a small dinosaur with its large jagged crest, prominent during its elaborate courtship display. Smooth and palmate newts also live here.

Wetland habitats

This small Berkshire reserve is made up of several ponds, reedbed, scrub and grassland. Under the magnificent oaks at the southern end of the reserve, damp meadow plants like creeping-Jenny and wild angelica can be found. The dense blackthorn scrub around the ponds provides perfect nesting conditions for a range of summer migratory birds, including warblers.