Doxey Marshes
Doxey Marshes contain a wonderful mosaic of habitats including grazing marsh, reedbeds, pools, hedgerows, and the largest areas of reed sweet-grass swamp in the Midlands. The marshes contain an extensive flora of over 250 flowering plants. But Doxey Marshes is best known for its impressive diversity of birds with over 80 species recorded. Most significant are the populations of breeding waders such as snipe, lapwing, redshank and little ringed plover. More easily seen are the many pairs of swans, grey herons, mallards and teal. There are also notable breeding populations of reed and sedge warbler, reed bunting, skylark and water rail. Large flocks of waders including golden plover are regular winter visitors and over 1200 snipe were recorded in 1998.
Wintering wildfowl include teal, mallard, wigeon, shoveler and goosander. Migrant thrushes such as redwing and fieldfare are common in the fields and hedgerows and other notable wintering residents include short eared owls and stonechats. The River Sow lies on an important route for bird migration. Oystercatcher, green and common sandpipers, greenshank and black tailed godwit are regular visitors during spring and autumn.
In recent years Doxey Marshes has also attracted rare vagrants such as river warbler, little egret and squacco heron. Hirundine (swallow and martin) numbers are high with all three summer visitor species to be seen on site. The reserve is home to a number of mammals including water vole, fox and several species of bat. Otters have re-colonised the marshes after an absence of many years and brown hares have recently returned to Cadbury Pasture.
For more on this and other wetland habitats in the area visit the website of Staffordshire Wildlife Trust
