Stoke Bruerne Brick Pits
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A peaceful haven for wildlife next to the Grand Union Canal |
This reserve is an old brick works started after 1792 by the Grand Junction Canal Company to provide material for the canal locks, walls and the Blisworth tunnel. The demise of the brickworks has left a site of considerable variety, with a reed bed, rough and damp grassland, a number of ponds and the redundant side arm of the canal.
As well as a variety of plant life, the ponds provide an important habitat for invertebrates, and a number of dragonfly species occur on the reserve. White-legged damselflies have been recorded here, a species which has a very limited distribution in Northamptonshire.
The grassland provides cover for a range of small mammals, which also makes it an ideal feeding ground for barn owls – look out for owl pellets often found on the reserve.
Birds: Redwings, fieldfares |
Plants: Marsh-marigold Insects: Orange-tip butterfly Amphibians: Common frog, toad, great crested newt Reptiles: Grass snake, adder Birds: Barn owl, reed warbler, sedge warbler, reed bunting Mammals: Rabbit, fox, field vole |
Plants: Water mint, water forget-me-not, reedmace Insects: White-legged damselfly, ringlet butterfly |
Plants: Hawthorn berries, sloe |