Hawkes Wood nature reserve

CORNWALL

Hawkes Wood nature reserve

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.