About the reserve

Thornhill is a steep sided valley dominated by extensive hawthorn scrub and open glades. The reserve is important for summer bird migrants when you can hear blackcap, chiff chaff and willow warbler taking advantage of this ever rarer habitat. In July the site is rich in wildflowers which attract many species of bee, butterfly and hoverfly. It is a new site to DWT that we have managed since spring 2020, and we plan to take a new approach in its management allowing nature to dictate how the site evolves. We will have grazing animals on the site in very low numbers to keep the clearings open and keep the scrub and bramble in check.