An Introduction to Shotover Park

Shotover Country Park in Oxfordshire incorporates Shotover Hill and Brasenose Woods. Today Shotover Country Park is a wild and beautiful place where anyone can go for recreation, or to enjoy the great variety of grassland, heathland, woodlands, and wetlands.

The wildlife includes 27 species of mammals ranging from voles to deer, three of Britain's indigenous reptiles, all three species of British newts, five species of bats, 28 different species of butterflies, over 100 species of birds, nearly 200 different moths, and hundreds of other insects which provide living proof that this place is almost free from pollution.

Some of the land in Shotover Country Park is still owned by the University. As protection against development, the City of Oxford has undertaken to preserve its own farmland on the south side of the hill in its natural state, as a condition of receiving a large gift of land from the Oxford Preservation Trust into the Country Park.

Wild About Dairy of Shotover Park

Covering nearly two hundred and ninety acres Shotover Park is a haven on the outskirts of a very large city, most of the park being designated as SSSI. I call it my local patch, travelling the globe to find wild life images. I love to get back to see what’s going on at a local level, and this is where to find it.

In the summer I am quite often found lurking in the bracken to photograph Roe deer or rabbits, through to Autumn for fungi fly agaric, one of the more obvious ones, to the tiny candle snuff, all here if you know where to look (check the pdf for information on dates for forays).

From ancient woodland to managed beech and heather Shotover Park offers a very diverse landscape, managed by rangers from Oxford City Council based at Brasenose Farm. Further details of up and coming events can be obtained through the PDF,or directly from the council on 01865715830, or alternatively you can email countryside@oxford.gov.uk.

Enjoy the park ,which has good parking, several well marked trails, and an information board stocked with leaflets. I hope to see some of you using this wonderful facility (I’m the one usually dressed like a commando, so don’t be alarmed!).

May 2009

Many members of the Tit family, that use the nest boxes around the park, are now frantically feeding ever growing chicks with a constant supply of caterpillars. As May wears on the birds that nested early will have fledged, and some species will go on to raise a second brood.

Around the wetter areas Reed and Sedge warblers can be heard proclaiming their territory, with their “scratchy” songs, far removed from the warbling sound that the name suggests! Blackbirds and Thrushes often found perched on top of tall hedges and trees around day-break, have much more melodic song.

As the month wears on, spring flowers like Primrose and Bluebell fade and give way to plants such as Buttercups, Orchids, Daisy and Ragged Robin, and shrubs like Dog Rose and Elder take over from Hawthorn and Blackthorn.

The Red Kites that where displaying around the general area seem to have disappeared, so maybe just a young pair looking to establish a future territory, or a pair that found a more appealing nest site elsewhere.

And finally, after many attempts I eventually managed to take images of Nuthatches at Shtover (I was starting to think they didn’t exist).