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!).

January 2010

Possibly the coldest and snowiest start to the New Year for a very long time, with a good covering of snow for the first two weeks of the month. This brings with it a bad time for small birds This generally means the smaller they are the more of a struggle they have finding enough food to supply their fast metabolic rates, burning up a lot of calories just to keep warm.

Not had time for many visits this month what with a trip to Scotland and the weather, but on the occasions I have it has surprised me how little notice some of the birds actually take if you stand still. I watched a Gold crest busily hunting for small insects in a Hawthorn bush that was only about four feet away from me and not in the slightest way bothered by my presence!

The hunt is still on for Redwing and Fieldfare, which are around now in good numbers but are proving difficult to get good images of. They seem to be feeding in open pasture in small groups, and I will put more time into this project next month, as Scotland and a trip to Norway seem to have taken up a lot of time this month.

Rooks are now settling into their nests, which seems odd considering the weather, but their chicks must need a little longer to fledge than some of the birds we have.