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Cherwell Parishes

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Cherwell

South Oxfordshire

Vale of White Horse

West Oxfordshire

Districts - Landscape Types

Bicester

This map highlights the landscape types within the parish you selected, and its associated local character areas. You can click on any area of the map for a description of its landscape character and biodiversity. Please note that local character areas can cover large areas of the countryside, and may include several parishes, so the description may not be specific to this parish. If there are any wildlife habitats within the parish their descriptions can be found by scrolling to the bottom of this page.

Bicester Image Map

The following wildlife habitats fall within this parish. They are listed according to their associated landscape type or local character area.

If you want more information about any of the sites of special scientific interest (SSSIs) listed below, take a look at English Nature's Nature on the Map website. It may also be possible to find out a bit more about the unnamed wildlife habitats in the parish by contacting the Thames Valley Environmental Records Centre (owls@oxfordshire.gov.uk) and quoting the site code next to the habitat description.

The majority of these wildlife habitats are on private land and access to them is not possible without permission of the landowner, unless there is a statutory right of way. However, many wildlife habitats in the county are open to the public. More information on these can be obtained from the Oxfordshire Nature Conservation Forum.

Wildlife Habitats

Clay Vale

Site Code: 52W01

Area: 15.6 ha

This site is a group of small flower rich meadows which have escaped the use of fertilizers and herbicides and not been ploughed or reseeded. Such meadows are a national priority for nature conservation. Some of the meadows have distinctive ridges and furrows which are the result of medieval ploughing and a sign of being undisturbed for a long time.

These small fields support a good range of grassland wildflowers including devil’s-bit scabious, ragged robin, betony, common spotted orchid, sneezewort, and tormentil. There are a number of small ponds in the meadows. Great crested newt, a national priority for nature conservation, has been found in one. In others smooth newt and palmate newt have been seen.

Thick hedgerows with a number of oak trees divide the fields. Birds seen at the site include bullfinch, linnet, reed bunting, song thrush and yellowhammer which are all national priorities for nature conservation. A variety of bats regularly forage over the fields. Butterflies that can be seen here include common blue, marbled white and small heath.