Upper Nene Valley Gravel Pits

Upper Nene Valley Gravel Pits

Site of Special Scientific Interest
Location	Northamptonshire
Grid reference	SP 928 693[1]
Interest	Biological
Area	1,382.4 hectares[1]
Notification	2005[1]
Location map	Magic Map

Upper Nene Valley Gravel Pits is a 1,382.4 hectare biological Site of Special Scientific Interest in a chain of flooded gravel pits along 35 kilometres of the valley of the River Nene between Northampton and Thorpe Waterville (east of Kettering) in Northamptonshire.^[1][3][4] It is a Ramsar wetland site of international importance,^[5] a Special Protection Area under the European Communities Birds Directive^[6] and part of the Nene Valley Nature Improvement Area. It is also part of the .^[7] Two areas are managed by the Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire, Summer Leys and Titchmarsh Nature Reserve.^[8][9]

This site is described by Natural England as "a nationally important site for its breeding bird assemblage of lowland open waters and their margins, wintering waterbird species, an assemblage of over 20,000 waterbirds in the non-breeding season and a rare example of wet floodplain woodland." The diverse habitats include, marsh, reedswamp, rough grassland, scrub, wet ditches, woodland and rush pasture. There are at least 21 breeding bird species, including mute swans, tufted ducks, little grebes, great crested grebes, little ringed plovers and redshanks.^[4]

There is access to some parts of the site such as Summer Leys.

References[]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Upper Nene Valley Gravel Pits.

Coordinates: 52°18′50″N 0°38′20″W / 52.314°N 0.639°W / 52.314; -0.639