Hosehill Lake
Hosehill Lake is a 23.6-hectare (58-acre) Local Nature Reserve west of Reading in Berkshire. It is owned by West Berkshire Council and managed by the Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust.[1][2][3]
| Hosehill Lake | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Type | Local Nature Reserve |
| Location | Reading, Berkshire |
| OS grid | SU 649 696 |
| Area | 23.6 hectares (58 acres) |
| Managed by | Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust |
Geography and site
To the east and south of the lake is meadowland.[3] The eastern meadow is cut and then grazed by wild Exmoor ponies for a short period in the spring and autumn, and the south meadow is a butterfly meadow.[3]
The site features a one-mile circular walk around the lake.[4]
History
Hosehill Lake was given its nature reserve status in 1997 by Newbury District Council.[5] Since it became a nature reserve, an island has been created in the lake, along with Tern Rafts, a Sand Martin Bank and the Butterfly Meadow.
In 2013 the management of the nature reserve was transferred from West Berkshire Council to the Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust.[6]
Fauna
The site has seen 168 different bird species.[1] Some of the more common birds seen are listed here:[5][1][3]
Birds
- Little ringed plover
- Great crested grebe
- Bittern
- Gadwall
- Widgeon
- Sand martin
- House martin
- Swallow
- Common Whitethroat
- Chiffchaff
- Hobby
- Common Tern
- Black-headed Gull
- Pochard
- Goldeneye
- Goosander
- Northern shoveler
References
- "Hosehill Lake". Local Nature Reserves. Natural England. Retrieved 1 November 2019.
- "Map of Hosehill Lake". Local Nature Reserves. Natural England. Retrieved 1 November 2019.
- "Hosehill Lake". Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust. Retrieved 1 November 2019.
- Parks in Newbury, West Berkshire | Waterways in Newbury, West Berkshire
- Theale Area Bird Conservation Group. - Theale Sites
- Wildlife trust set to run West Berkshire nature reserves - Get Reading