Curry and Hay Moors

Also within

Somerset County

Condition (Natural England)

Habitats

Fast flowing river and stream

Geology & landscape

Landscape processes: Fluvial

Birds & fish recorded

Birds

Description

Area, 472.74 ha. 1168.14 ac. Description Curry and Hay Moors form part of the complex of grazing marshes known as the Somerset Levels and Moors. The low lying site is situated adjacent to the River Tone which annually overtops, flooding the fields in winter. Soils are predominantly alluvial clays overlying Altcar series peats. Vegetation in the grazing meadows consists almost entirely of agriculturally improved swards. A small number of hay meadows are herb rich, containing species such as pepper saxifrage Silaum silaus, the nationally scarce corky fruited water dropwort Oenanthe pimpinelloides, tubular water dropwortOenanthe fistulosaand meadowsweet Filipendula ulmaria. The flora and fauna of the ditches and rhynes is of national importance. Over 70 aquatic and bankside vascular plants have been recorded including frogbit Hydrocharis morsus-ranae, flowering rush Butomus umbellatus, wood club rush Scirpus sylvaticus and lesser water plantain Baldellia ranunculoides. Over 100 species of aquatic invertebrates inhabit the ditches including one nationally rare soldier fly, Odontomyia ornata and 13 nationally scarce species including the water beetles Agabus uliginosus, Hydaticus transversalis and Helophorus nanus. In winter the flooded fields provide food for large numbers of waterfowl with several thousand lapwing Vanellus vanellus, hundreds of snipe Gallinago gallinago and smaller numbers of golden plover * Pluvialis apricaria and dunlin Calidris alpina regularly present. Over two hundred Bewick's Swans * Cygnus columbianus have been recorded, making the site an internationally important wintering ground for this species. Large numbers of wigeon Mareca penelope, teal Anas crecca and pochard Aythya ferina regularly winter on the flooded fields. Raptor species such as short eared owl * Asio flammeus, merlin * Falco columbarius and peregrine * Falco peregrinus regularly hunt over the site in winter. The moist fields in spring and early summer support a diverse and numerous breeding bird population which is now nationally rare. Species breeding include lapwing, snipe, redshank Tringa totanus, curlew Numenius arquata, yellow wagtail Motacilla flava, whinchat Saxicola rubetra, grasshopper warbler Locustella naevia and mute swan Cygnus olor. Vertebrate species present include grass snake Natrix natrix and common frog Rana temporaria. Otters Lutra lutra are regularly recorded on the site. * These species are listed on Annex 1 of EC Directive 79/409 on the Conservation of Wild Birds.

Species mentioned

Plant communities