| RSPB Nagshead | |
|---|---|
 Visitor centre | |
  Nagshead nature reserve shown within Gloucestershire | |
| Type | RSPB Reserve |
| Location | Parkend, Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire, UK |
| Coordinates | 51°46′05″N 2°33′56″W / 51.76806°N 2.56556°W |
| Area | 1,250 acres (510 ha) |
| Operated by | RSPB and Forestry England |
| Status | Open all year |
Nagshead is a woodland reserve, located on the western edge of Parkend, in the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire, and is home to RSPB Nagshead. The site is listed in the 'Forest of Dean Local Plan Review'.[1]
More than half of the reserve consists of 19th-century oak woodland, which is now managed solely for its conservation and landscape value.
In 1942, nest boxes were erected, in the hope that pied flycatchers would control oak leafroller moth larva, which were defoliating trees. These boxes have been continually monitored since 1948, making it the UK's longest-running bird breeding programme.[2] Nagshead includes a biological Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).[3]
- ^ Forest of Dean District Local Plan Review, adopted November 2005, Appendix D 'Nature Conservation Site Designations Within the Forest of Dean District', Key Wildlife Sites, Item 205 (Nagshead & Barnhill Plantations) & 206 (Nagshead SSSI (including Fetter Hill & Fairmoor Green))
- ^ The Dean Nestbox Study 1942–1964, BRUCE CAMPBELL. Forestry (magazine), volume 41, Issue 1, pages 27-46.
- ^ Natural England SSSI information on citation, map and unit details