Alder Hills Local Nature Reserve

About the Stream:

Managed by the Dorset Wildlife Trust

Notable for: heathland species including all six British Reptiles, Dragonflies, Amphibians.

The History of the Reserve: this unusual reserve is set in the middle of a highly urban area, and the large pond is itself an industrial relic, having developed from a flooded clay pit abandoned in 1948.

The surrounding heathland is a tiny relic of the Great Heath which once stretched from Christchurch to Dorchester. The clay from the Alder Hills pits went to make many of the drainage pipes used as Bournemouth grew. The largest claypit was filled in the 1950s to provide the land where the Sharp road industrial site was built, and the 1980s saw proposals to develop the remaining heath and pond area. Local residents combined to save the site, and in 1984 it was designated as a SSSI. At the end of the 1980s Sainsburys bought the land and built a store adjacent to the reserve. In 1990 they donated the land to Poole Borough Council, and generously provided funds for the Dorset Wildlife Trust to manage the land as the Alder Hills Nature Reserve.

Inside the Reserve: The pond's remarkably pure water plays host to Newts, Frogs, Toads and 13 different species of Dragonfly. Fish species include Roach, Rudd, Perch and Pike, all thought to have been introduced by local fishermen, and Goldfish and Terrapins have also been seen. The Alder Hills Fishing Club continues to help to preserve the pond and its wildlife, which also includes a good variety of birds visiting to feed and nest around the pond. Kingfishers, Woodcock and Cormorants are known to use the site, and Finches and Warblers breed in the fringe of carr woodland around the water's edge.

The heathland areas on the rising slope to the North of the pond are ideally situated to provide the warm sunny conditions loved by reptiles, and both the Smooth Snake and Sand Lizard may be seen basking here in the spring.

The Emperor Moth breeds here, and the sandy banks are home to Mining Bees and parasitic Sand Wasps. Heathland colours are provided by Ling, Bell Heather and Cross Leaved Heath, with splashes of yellow from Western Gorse and Broom. As with most heathland sites, the floral diversity is poor, but interesting casual plants such as White Melilot often appear on the fringes and paths.

Wildlife and the Community: Involvement from the local community has helped to keep this vital refuge for threatened wildlife intact, and the local management committee for the reserve has maintained this link. Visitors are welcome, but are asked to use the reserve sensibly and with regard for its wildlife.

Please Remember:

·        *Keep to the paths to prevent erosion.

·        *Do not light fires, and dispose of cigarettes with care.

·        *Do not remove animals or plants.

·        *Take your litter home.

For more information please contact 

DWT’s warden for the site, 

Andy Fale on 01202 256109