Castle Bottom to Yateley and Hawley Commons

Castle Bottom to Yateley and Hawley Commons
Site of Special Scientific Interest
Yateley Common
LocationHampshire
Grid referenceSU 818 586[1]
InterestBiological
Area922.7 hectares (2,280 acres)[1]
Notification1993[1]
Location mapMagic Map

Castle Bottom to Yateley and Hawley Commons is a 922.7-hectare (2,280-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest north of Fleet in Hampshire.[1][2] It is part of Thames Basin Heaths Special Protection Area for the conservation of wild birds[3] and an area of 30.8 hectares (76 acres) is designated a national nature reserve called Castle Bottom.[4]

This site of heathland and conifer plantation has an internationally important population of Dartford warbler and populations of two other protected birds, woodlark and nightjar. It also has an outstanding assemblage of dragonflies and damselflies, with 19 out of the 37 British species. Other invertebrates include the nationally rare conopid fly, Myopa fasciata.[5]

  1. ^ a b c d "Designated Sites View: Castle Bottom to Yateley and Hawley Commons". Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Retrieved 8 May 2020.
  2. ^ "Map of Castle Bottom to Yateley and Hawley Commons". Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Retrieved 8 May 2020.
  3. ^ "Designated Sites View: Thames Basin Heaths". Special Protection Areas. Natural England. Retrieved 4 May 2020.
  4. ^ "Designated Sites View: Castle Bottom". National Nature Reserves. Natural England. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
  5. ^ "Castle Bottom to Yateley and Hawley Commons citation" (PDF). Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Retrieved 8 May 2020.