Ashtead's hidden treasure
Ashtead resident Peter Firth gives a personal guided tour around the common and the bird life that it supports.
Kestrel
Little wonder, then, that the Common was officially designated a National Nature Reserve in 1995. Not that birds are its only claim to fame. Of even greater significance from an environmental point of view are the 2,300 old oak pollards. Some of these noble giants have stood there for 400 years or more. They are host to many different types of mosses, lichens, fungi, beetles and other invertebrates. They also provide food and shelter for many different species of birds.
It's the sheer variety of bird life that makes the Common so special. That, in turn, is because of the diversity of habitat within its 200 hectares (500 acres). It ranges from the dense blackthorn and willow scrub on the lower slopes to the mature woodland higher up. It has several small ponds, a natural spring and a stream - the Rye Brook - running through it. Flanked by farmland to the north, it has its own grass meadow, the Woodfield, to the south.
These different habitats attract different types of birds. Some are here all year round, some breed in spring and summer, and some just pass through. There is hardly a time, winter or summer, when there isn't something of interest going on - though it needs a combination of practice and patience to discover it. Whilst some birds positively flaunt themselves, many are quite shy, so you need to know what you're looking - and listening - for. There's no shortage of superbly illustrated field guides, videos and CDs available for those who need help. The rewards more than repay the effort. There's a treasure trove of birdlife up there, just waiting to be discovered.
