West
Quarry Braes Wildlife
Reserve is a former refuse tip which has been
transformed
and
revitalised by scrub and tree planting. It is a good site for migrating
birds and woodland edge species.
Access
to the Reserve
West Quarry Braes is not easy to find as it lies back from a small side
road near Crail. See map reference. It is not sign-posted and there is
no parking at the road side. The site itself is at the end of an
overgrown grassy track between fields.
If you do want to visit it do watch
out for
broken glass underfoot.
However in autumn the reserve has an
attraction
for bird-watchers and
can be worth a visit along with Fife Ness, Crail and Wormistone.
PRINT OUT a copy of this Web page
and take it
with you when you visit the reserve.
The reserve lies just over a mile north of Crail.There
are a
number of
mature willows and ash as well as hawthorn and elders from the time it
was used as a refuse dump. There is a wide variety of flowering plants
many of which undoubtedly arrived with the refuse or are typical of
disturbed ground. There is a deep drainage stream at the West end but
otherwise the reserve is dry.
West Quarry Braes is a haven for small birds. And the
reserve
is used as a Constant Effort Ringing Site to monitor both short and
long term changes in the bird population.
Willow warblers, sedge warblers and whitethroats breed
annually and chiffchaff and lesser whitethroat have bred. There is a
small resident linnet population and corn buntings breed nearby.
In the past there have been winter flocks of corn
buntings,
tree sparrows and yellow hammers but sadly these are much reduced of
late.
The site is a good place to look for migrants in spring
and
autumn. In autumnn large numbers of blackbirds and redwings can be seen
feeding on the brambles and elderberries. Other small passerine
migrants undoubtedly pass through during drift arrivals on the East
Coast.
Historical Perspective
The reserve was once a set of quarries which for many
years
were filled in as a refuse dump. Some ten years ago it was landscaped
and planted with a mix of trees.
Management
When the SWT took over all the trees were badly damaged
by
rabbits and roe deer. These trees were given protection and have
subsequently grown away well. There have been occasional glass clearing
work parties. Some native species of trees and shrubs have been planted.
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