Padworth Common Local Nature Reserve and Wildlife Heritage Site

A haven for wildlife and a tranquil place to spend some time

Padworth Common is a delightful area of heathland and wet woodland containing a number of
Padworth 1 (8)ponds.

The common is bisected by the Padworth Road which runs between Tadley and Burghfield.

In the summer it hosts the elusive Nightjar. A number of other heathland specialist birds are either resident or regularly breed here such as Dartford Warbler, Tree Pipit, Stonechat and Woodlark.

Padworth is also home to a variety of reptiles including adder, grass snake and slow worm and amphibians including common frog, toad and both palmate and smooth newts.

During the spring and summer months the heath buzzes with activity, butterflies including Grayling use the heath and a particular highlight is the main pond on North Common with dragonflies, damselflies and a variety of aquatic invertebrates and larvae.

Padworth 1 (12)Unfortunately the wet weather meant that the 2012 bird breeding season was very difficult for birds in many places including Padworth, at times in June and July flooding was worse than in the wettest winter. As a result ground nesting birds like Chiffchaff almost certainly suffered. Chiffchaff numbers caught for the ringing project were very low in the summer months but picked up well during the early autumn migration period showing they had bred well somewhere fairly locally. Goldcrests and Linnets did well on the Common this year as did Stock Doves which bred successfully in several of the larger nest boxes.

The autumn colours were stunning in 2012, as the leaves changed and were shed in advance of winter.

Padworth Common is in the Higher Level Stewardship Scheme which helps fund nature conservation work on the common for the benefit of these important habitats and associated species.

Please go to the related page on the right for information on the application to fence Padworth Common