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Commercial
orchards with young trees and semi-improved grassland with some
disturbed areas.
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Pigeonhouse
Wood and triangular woodland block to east. Semi-natural broadleaved
woodland with oak standards, Ash and Sweet Chestnut. Old woodland
indicators – Bluebell, Wood Anemone.
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Golf
course with areas of improved and semi-improved grassland, scrub and
planted trees of varying ages, some old. Not examined closely and could include
habitats of value.
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Old
cherry orchards with semi-improved grassland and over-mature,
neglected trees. Potential particularly for botanical and invertebrate interest.
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Disused
sewage works east of golf course with scrub, tall ruderal and coarse
grassland.
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Recently
dug fishing pond adjacent to Cock Marsh, with banking and fenced off.
Bare ground.
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Cookham
Dean Common. Semi-natural ancient broadleaved woodland. Heavily
shaded, ground flora
sparse. Shaded water-filled depressions towards southern end –
probably seasonal pools. High potential
generally, the ponds for invertebrates and amphibians.
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Belt
of Semi-natural broadleaved woodland on north side of Cookham Dean
Common, overgrown with tall scrub, bramble, elder.
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Two
ponds in large, extended garden (east of Pigeonhouse Wood). Roughly
4-5m wide, ten years
old, with narrow fringe of
quite well developed marginal vegetation. Surrounding grassland mown for
access. Open, sunny situation with southerly aspect. Area of tall
ruderal/semi-ruderal (nettles, willow-herbs),
large bramble clumps and scrub adjacent to south, semi-natural ancient
woodland to west and to south
beyond minor road. Potential for amphibians and invertebrates.
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Pond
on edge of broadleaved wooded/scrub area, recently excavated and trees
cleared (edge of Cookham
Dean). Very little water but deeper area of pit up to 10m wide.
Marginal area with abundant Yellow Iris (roots evident in spoil) and still
largely sheltered by woodland/scrub. Warm, sunny
situation. Some scrub overhang retained. Previously under heavy shade
and in danger of drying
out now that it is largely un-shaded, unless it is sealed or some
other solution is found. After
wet winter this pond would contain much water if it were sustainable.
If water retained, good potential
breeding site for Great Crested Newt and other amphibians, and
invertebrates.
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Old
chalk pit in Cookham Dean with cliff face with line of tall trees at
top, mainly Ash, heavily
covered in Ivy. Spoil
piles, bare ground, scrub, tall ruderal and semi-improved grassland.
Potential
for invertebrates,
including nesting sites for aculeate wasps, although value reduced
since it is
north-facing and therefore
rather shaded.
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Grass
verge with Dark Mullein and Wild Onion/Chives (latter not in flower at
time of survey).
Dark Mullein is the
foodplant of the Striped Lychnis Moth, a Nationally Notable A, UK BAP Priority Species, which has been recorded at Cock Marsh and
near Bisham (Appendix I).
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Winter
Hill. Broadleaved semi-natural woodland of varied composition
including Field Maple, Hazel
Coppice, Sycamore, Ash, small number of oak standards. Maybe be old,
but has secondary elements,
e.g. Sycamore. Overgrown, with few glades.
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Rough,
semi-natural tussocky grassland left un-managed by golf club as
wildlife area.
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Well-drained
short semi-natural grassland on hillside (Cock Marsh SSSI), probably
of good quality
botanically. Potential for invertebrate interest also. Burnet
Saxifrage present. Large clumps of scrub,
with bramble, Sloe and hawthorn.
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Extensive
low-lying grassland (Cock Marsh SSSI). Probably of good quality
botanically. Potential for
invertebrate interest also.
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Ponds,
probably temporary (Cock Marsh SSSI, with fringe of riparian
vegetation, including sedges,Yellow
Iris, Water Plantain and sallow carr. Would benefit from fencing to
allow riparian vegetation to develop without grazing.
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Area
both sides of railway line north of Cookham, with ponds, marshy
grassland and sedge fen.
Pond on eastern side of recent origin, c. 10 years old. Roughly
20m wide (east-west), extending into
shallow area at northern end. Open, sunny situation with no shade.
Open water and riparian
fringe with retained areas
of Reed-mace and Common Reed, rushes and small willows. Areas of
bare mud and sparse aquatic weed and some denser areas.
Surrounding damp grassland with
Comfrey, figwort,
Meadowsweet, Purple Loosestrife, Wild Carrot and Cowslip. Managed by annual cutting apart from narrow strip around pond and
adjacent ditch. Spoil from pond dredging
providing bare ground. Also undisturbed log piles (potential
for reptiles – see target 44). Immediately east of railway line, sedge fen with ponded
sections of ditch and scrub overhanging, apparently
un-managed. West of railway, older wet area with stand of Common Reed,
small pond
and broad marshy fringe,
leading into slightly drier, un-managed damp grassland to the north.
Wild
Angelica, Comfrey, figwort noted here, but sward dense with
relatively few tall herbs.
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Line
of c.30 mature Hornbeam on low bank along edge of marshy area.
Relatively unusual in the area,
and potential for Hawfinches.
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Thicket
and old hedge and recent plantings (edge of golf course) and
semi-mature trees, including
hawthorn and Sycamore.
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Cookham
Moor. Ponded sections of ditch with small area of willow and alder and
fringes of
riparian vegetation,
including sedges, Purple Loosestrife and Meadowsweet and tall trees.
Adjacent
grassland semi-improved,
of varied and uncertain quality. Also Wild Onion/Chives on grassy bank
to east of stream.
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Section
of dry ditch (Cookham Moor). Wooded, with broadleaved woodland c.1-12m
wise. Mature Ash and
bramble.
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Wooded
section of stream south of Cookham (Strand or Fleet Ditch), with
mature Black Poplar,
Lombardy Poplar, Ash,
willow and Alder.
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North
of Cookham. Narrow ditch with footpath alongside, largely open and
sunny, with variously
sections of young willow
and Alder fringe, mature Black Poplar, Hornbeam, Sloe thickets and mature
trees.
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North
of Cookham. Un-mown area; dense tussocky sward – False Oat-grass and
Cock’s-foot.
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Over-mature
oak tree with Barn Owl nesting.
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Broken
line of isolated, over-mature Black Poplars and limes, in arable field
south of Cookham.
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Belt
of mature Beech, c. 20m wide.
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Area
of semi-improved, possibly semi-ruderal, neutral grassland among tall
scrub on island. Short, with
heavy rabbit grazing.
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Group
of large, spreading mature Beech.
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Sand
cliff in disused quarry. Previously with Sand Martin nesting.
Potential for nesting aculeate wasps.
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Old
gravel workings. Pond (stocked with fish), areas of rough grassland,
tall herbs, scrub and an
area of carr with mature
willow and shaded water-filled depressions. Wooded lane on north side
with numerous large,
spreading mature oaks (Strand Lane). Potential for invertebrates and
birds.
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Paddock
with scattered mature and over-mature oaks.
-
Stream
(Strand Water), with wide sections (up to c.25m) containing beds of
Common Reed and
open water. Largely open,
with extensive narrow riparian fringe vegetation. Patches of willow
and Alder, some
mature. Dense section of mature willow and Alder woodland at southern
end.
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Area
with numerous mature, over-mature or dead standing isolated trees,
mainly oak.
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Open
section of stream (White Brook) in semi-improved grassland.
Overgrazed. Would benefit
from fencing, which would
allow riparian vegetation to develop, providing cover and structure.
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Stream
(White Brook), numerous mature and over-mature trees – willow
(including old pollards in western
section especially, Grey Poplar, Black Poplar and oak. Some trees with
much dead standing, also some
fallen. Fields grazed and improved, but riparian fringe broadened
towards eastern end, forming
areas of open wet grassland and carr. Shallow pond, partly shaded.
Largely open water; some
Reed-mace patches at western end. Extensive line of over-mature oaks
along bank on south side. Good potential for invertebrates, especially
dead-wood and wetland species.
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Large
farm, with many outbuildings (White Place Farm). Potential for bats
roosting.
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Shelter
belt of mature poplars, with some oak, northwest of White Place Farm.
Abundant dead standing
and fallen timber. Mixed plantation with larch.
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Damp
broadleaved woodland/carr/marsh (not accessed).
-
Stream
along boundary of Cookham CP, with narrow riparian fringe and patches
of Common Reed. Mature wooded belt on western side c.25m wide. Black
Poplar, oak, common Elm.
Abundant dead standing and
fallen timber.
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Stream
(White Brook), with wide sections (up to c.10m) containing beds of
Common Reed and open
water. Extensive riparian fringe vegetation, include patches of Common
Reed and sedge. Patches of willow and Alder, some mature. Numerous willow
pollards.
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Small
disused quarry with sand cliff. Previously had Sand Martins nesting.
Potentially also important breeding site for aculeate wasps.
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Railway
line. Not included in survey per se, but could be seen in
northern half through golf course
and Cock Marsh to hold
extensive mature scrub and patches of semi-mature broadleaved woodland.
Potential for banks to have populations of reptiles, especially Common
Lizard, which
could then colonise any
suitable adjacent areas.
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Beeching-grove
Wood. Semi-natural broadleaved woodland. High potential generally.
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Hillgrove
Wood. Semi-natural broadleaved woodland with oak standards. High
potential generally.
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Field
west of golf course. Semi-improved grassland, with small orchard,
conifers and small pond.
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Area
east of Hillgrove Wood marked as “Old Pit” on map. Not accessed
and requires investigation.
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Recent
plantation of native broadleaved trees.
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Abandoned
allotments – tall ruderal grassland with scattered scrub. Sheltered
by broadleaved woodland on
north side. Good potential for invertebrates and reptiles.
