Thames Basin Heaths Special Protection Area
Have you tried exploring our other local fantastic wild spaces? These are also great places for wildlife watching and dog walking.
Visiting alternative greenspaces this summer will help to protect wildlife in this Thames Basin Heaths Special Protection Area site.
About the heath
Wildmoor Heath is a large 99-hectare lowland heath site that provides a rich habitat for wildlife, including several rare species of birds.
Facilities
Wildmoor Heath has:
- lowland heathland that is part of the ecologically important Thames Basin Heaths Special Protection Area (SPA) and is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI)
- information boards about the local wildlife
Getting there
By car
The main car park is located off Crowthorne road, 1 mile north of Sandhurst station. The postcode is GU47 8PD.
OS Ref: SU 842 627.
what3words
A what3words address refers to a 3 metre square location. Select the link or enter the 3 words into the free what3words app to find it:
- park location: ///tiger.home.august
- parking is available at: ///panel.pushed.rocks
Park management
The site is jointly-owned by Bracknell Forest Council and the Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust. It is managed in partnership as a nature reserve.
Traditional management practices such as grazing and scrub cutting are carried out to maintain the heathland for biodiversity.
You may also see wardens from the Thames Basin Heaths Partnership at the site during the bird nesting season (March to September). These wardens have worked across the wider Thames Basin Heaths SPA since 2015. They monitor visitor trends and engage with visitors and local communities to promote conservation of the protected area and its rare wildlife.
During the bird nesting season (March to September) ground nesting birds are sensitive to disturbance by dogs.
Please stick to the paths and keep dogs on leads.
Information boards have been installed to keep visitors informed about the local wildlife along with signage, fencing and footpath improvements. This will help to protect the many species found on the lowland heath.
Wildlife
Wildmoor Heath is one of the most valuable areas in Bracknell Forest borough for supporting and conserving biodiversity. Three rare birds, the woodlark, nightjar and Dartford warbler depend upon the lowland heath, which is protected by SPA and SSSI status.
Over 55 bird species have been recorded at Wildmoor, including the stonechat, tree pipit, whitethroat and reed bunting.
The following species have also been recorded at this site:
- devil’s-bit scabious
- ragged robin
- round-leaved sundew
- glow-worm
- silver-studded blue butterfly
- stag beetle
- bullfinch
- hobby
- kingfisher
Among the many invertebrates on the site is the raft spider, which lives in the moss-filled pools of the bog, and dragonflies and damselflies such as the keeled skimmer and red darter.
Foxes and roe deer are also present, and are easiest to find at dawn and dusk, while a number of bat species can be seen on warm summer evenings as they catch insects around the edges of trees and bushes.