Ashleworth Ham

Also within

Gloucestershire County

Condition (Natural England)

Geology & landscape

Landscape processes: Fluvial

Birds & fish recorded

Birds

Description

Area, 104.73 ha. 258.8 ac. Description A large area of grassland overlying alluvial soils of the Severn flood plain. Parts of the site are of botanical interest while the whole area, which floods each year, is an important refuge for wintering wildfowl and is one of the three remaining such sites in the Severn Vale. Habitats represented are neutral grassland and open water ditches, with hedges dividing many of the fields. In the wettest areas the vegetation is dominated by reed grass Phalaris arundinacea, floating sweet grass Glyceria fluitans and tufted sedge Carex acuta with patches of tufted hair grass Deschampsia cespitosa and bistort Polygonum spp. This grades into drier grassland dominated by meadow foxtail Alopecurus pratensis, creeping bent Agrostis stolonifera and meadow barley Hordeum secalinum. Associated plants include meadowsweet Filipendula ulmaria, meadow buttercup Ranunculus acris and silverweed Potentilla anserina, while the less common great burnet Sanguisorba officinalisis present in undisturbed meadows. Fields with improved grassland contain more perennial rye grass Lolium perenne. The ditches are an important feature of the site and support marginal vegetation such as common reed Phragmites australis, yellow flag Iris pseudacorus, watercress Nasturtium officinale and flowering rush Butomus umbellatus. Wintering wildfowl congregate particularly in the lower lying parts of the site and includelarge numbers of wigeon Mareca penelope, mallard Anas platyrhynchos, teal Anas crecca, pintail Anas acuta and shoveler Spatula clypeata. Other species which occur regularly but in lower numbers include tufted duck Aythya fuligula, pochard Aythya ferina, gadwall Mareca strepera and garganey Spatula querquedula. Up to one hundred Bewick's swans Cygnus columbianus visit the area occasionally. White fronted geese Anser albifrons are also sometimes seen. Breeding species include curlew Numenius arquata, redshank Tringa totanus and yellow wagtail Motacilla flava.

Species mentioned