Reserves

Cleeve Heronry

Grid ref: 463 662 / Area: 3.2 hectares

This small woodland holds the area's largest heronry, where the herons can be seen flying in and out to their fledglings.

How to get there
We encourage visitors to use environmentally friendly forms of transport wherever possible. Most of our reserves are easily accessible by bicycle, with many close to the National Cycle Network. Click here to view a location map of the reserve on the National Cycle Network website.

Alternatively, on the A370 Bristol-Weston road, at Cleeve village, park in layby near the Post Office. Look east to view the herons.

Access
No access to reserve, but good viewing possible from the layby with binoculars.

Wildlife and conservation
This small woodland houses the largest heronry in the area, with a total of 40 nests counted in 1994. Despite the mixture of oak, ash, small-leaved lime and cherry trees in the woodland, the herons prefer to nest in the tops of the oak and ash trees.

The herons arrive in February and often lay their eggs in the same nests year after year. By March/April the eggs hatch, and in the early morning and evenings the adult herons can be seen flying out to their fishing grounds and returning to feed their young. The best time to see the fledglings in the nest is April, before the leaves have opened on the trees. Most have left the heronry by June.

Invading sycamore trees are removed from the wood and replaced with oaks, the heron's favoured nesting trees.

Further information
Cleeve Heronry is owned by the Trust.