Habitat type: Heathland and grassland
Size of reserve: 24 hectares / 59 acres
OS map number: 102
Grid reference: SW 401 293 (eastern entrance gate to large field)
Best time to visit: Winter for birds of prey
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Directions
Caer Brân lies on the northern and eastern slopes of Bartinney Downs, below an early prehistoric enclosure. The village of Sancreed is 1.2 miles (2 km) to the east, while St Just is 1.8 miles (3 km) to the north west. Take the road from Sancreed to St Just and turn left up a rough track in Grumbla. The reserve is on the right after about 0.3 miles (500 m).
Access
Small parking area at the top of a rough track, but this is not suitable for all cars. The ground can be wet and slippery and is steep in places.
Characteristic wildlife of this reserve
The skylark has a drab buff and brown, black-flecked plumage and its young depend on camouflage and thick ground cover for protection, because they do not fly well until three weeks old. Its mellifluous warbling flight call can often be heard as the skylark rises vertically into the air and its diet is mainly seeds and insects.
Short-eared owls hunt at dusk and sometimes in daylight over this reserve. They prey on small mammals, working to-and-fro on rhythmically beating wings, or hovering briefly over some spot while their great, golden eyes search for food. Their immaculate buff plumage is barred in brown, with prominent black patches on the underside of their wings.
The hen harrier is seen here in winter. The male's plumage is strikingly pale and its v-shaped wings are tipped with black. Females and young birds, all known as ringtails, are duller brown, but have the same white rear as the male. The hen harrier spends a great part of every day on the wing, hunting for small mammals.
Other information
It is well worth visiting the nearby Iron Age village of Carn Euny and the Iron Age fort of Caer Brân, Crow Fort, which gives the reserve its name.
The reserve was purchased in 1998 with a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund and donations to a membership appeal.
