Habitat type: Woodland
Size of Reserve: 3ha (7 acres)
OS Map No. 106
Grid reference: SW 986 710 (main north-western entrance)
Best time to visit: All year
Cornwall
Wildlife Trust encourages the use of environmentally friendly
forms of transport wherever
possible. Click
on the locator map above to go to the National
Cycle Network website and view an Ordnance Survey map of this
reserve highlighting nearby cycle routes.
Directions:
From the old A39 in the centre of Wadebridge, take the turning to Polmorla
and Treneague. Access to the reserve is from a track just south of
Treneague, or from a footpath through conifer woods just east of
Polmorla - 0.3 mile (500m) walk.
Access:
Very limited parking in the lanes near the site, but parking is available
at Hay Wood (SW 985 714), only a short way from Hawkes Wood - but
do not park directly in front of the gates as access is required at all
times. Footpaths cross the reserve, but these can be muddy and there
are some inclines.
Classification
Description:
A delightful old oak woodland, with two streams and a quarry. The oak
coppice is characteristic of many Cornish woods, and this is an exceptional
area for woodland birds.
Characteristic wildlife of this reserve:
The nuthatch is a sturdy little bird with strong legs and sharp claws,
which help it to run up and down trees when looking for nuts, seeds and
insects.
Its back is slate-coloured, with red-brown underparts, a white throat and
a distinctive black eye-stripe. Its call is a loud and strident whistle.
The nest, consisting of bark and old leaves, is found in tree-holes or
holes in walls.
Tawny owls are dark brown, streaked with black and fawn. They feed
on small birds and mammals, frogs and large insects, hunting mainly in
the dead of
night on silent wings. These birds breed from January to July, nesting
in tree holes,
old squirrel dreys, or holes in buildings. The young leave the nest at
about 4 weeks old, but stay with their parents for 2-3 months.
The pipistrelle is Britain's smallest bat. Its flight appears fast
and jerky as it flitters about pursuing small insects, which are caught
and
eaten in
flight. A bat uses echo-location to detect its prey. Such sounds are
normally inaudible to humans, but some people can detect the lower frequency
parts
of the bat’s high-pitched squeaks.
Other information:
This reserve was given to us by Miss Dorothy Sewart in 1971.