Bickley Hall Farm c. Claire Huxley
Bickley Hall Farm
Location
Bickley
Cheshire
SY14 8EF
OS Map Reference
SJ529476
Know before you go
Dogs
When to visit
Opening times
Sandstone Trail walking route accessible all year round.Parking, toilets and other routes only available Monday - Friday, 10am - 3pm, please contact the Trust for details.
Best time to visit
All yearAbout the reserve
As part of a wildlife-friendly farm management regime supported by Natural England’s Countryside Stewardship Scheme our species-rich hay meadows and pastures along with their flower rich margins and wild bird seed plots, bordered by diverse hedgerows are great for invertebrates, small mammals and in particular, hundreds of feeding farmland birds in autumn and winter.
Our fields of spring sown cereals with overwintered stubbles host hundreds of finches and other seed eating birds and our mosaic of wet meadows, intersected by a network of ditches and scattered ponds are managed specifically for wintering and breeding wading birds.
Bickley Hall Farm is managed by Cheshire Wildlife Trust as an organic, wildlife friendly farm in partnership with a local grazier. The Trust has overall management of the farm and all its wildlife friendly features, including the hay meadows, the wet grassland, the floristically enhanced margins, the wild bird seed crops, the ponds, the hedgerows, etc. Our grazing partner provides the cattle for the Trust to manage the farm and grows a spring sown cereal in locations determined by the Trust.
Species
Habitat
Contact us
We've recently installed a trail around Bickley Hall Farm so that you can see all the wonderful sights, without too much disruption to the wildlife or farm.
Species recorded on the farm
We are always looking for new species on the farm to see what our wildlife friendly management is attracting.
Spot something new on a visit to Bickley Hall Farm? Do let us know when and where you saw it.
Birds
| Species | Rarity on farm |
|---|---|
| Barn owl | one to two pairs breed |
| Blackbird | common resident |
| Blackcap | common summer |
| Black-headed gull | occasional winter |
| Blue tit | common resident |
| Brambling | regular winter |
| Bullfinch | scarce resident |
| Buzzard | common resident |
| Canada goose | on fields near Bar Mere |
| Carrion crow | common resident |
| Cetti's warbler | |
| Chaffinch | common resident |
| Chiffchaff | common summer |
| Coal tit | scarce resident |
| Collared dove | occasional |
| Common crane | one record: two birds spring 2012 |
| Common gull | occasional winter |
| Common redshank | one record |
| Coot | scarce resident |
| Cuckoo | now scarce summer |
| Curlew | occasional |
| Dunnock | common resident |
| Feral pigeon (rock dove) | common resident |
| Fieldfare | common winter |
| Garden warbler | scarce |
| Goldcrest | scarce resident |
| Golden plover | one record: breeding plum. Bird |
| Goldfinch | common resident |
| Grasshopper warbler | rare summer |
| Great spotted woodpecker | common resident |
| Great tit | common resident |
| Green sandpiper | occasional winter |
| Greenfinch | uncommon resident |
| Grey heron | occasional |
| Greylag goose | on fields near Bar Mere |
| Hobby | few annual records |
| House martin | scarce summer |
| House sparrow | common resident |
| Jack snipe | Scarce winter |
| Jackdaw | common resident |
| Jay | common resident |
| Kestrel | scarce resident |
| Lapwing | scarce breeder - common winter |
| Lesser black-backed gull | occasional winter |
| Lesser redpoll | scarce resident - mainly winter |
| Lesser whitethroat | scarce summer |
| Linnet | common resident |
| Little grebe | rare |
| Little owl | scarce resident |
| Little ringed plover | one record: two birds August 2018 |
| Long-tailed tit | common resident |
| Magpie | common resident |
| Mallard | on fields near Bar Mere - winter |
| Meadow pipit | common winter: passage |
| Merlin | occasional winter |
| Mistle thrush | scarce resident |
| Moorhen | common resident |
| Nuthatch | scarce resident |
| Osprey | one record |
| Peregrine | few annual records |
| Pheasant | common resident |
| Pied wagtail | common small numbers |
| Pink-footed goose | on fields near Bar Mere - winter |
| Quail | rare summer |
| Raven | scarce - now more common |
| Red kite | occasional fly-overs |
| Red-legged partridge | few records |
| Redstart | occasional passage |
| Redwing | common winter |
| Reed bunting | common resident |
| Ring ouzel | scarce passage migrant |
| Robin | common resident |
| Rook | common resident |
| Sand martin | occasional passage |
| Sedge warbler | scarce summer |
| Short-eared owl | three winter records |
| Siskin | scarce |
| Skylark | common resident |
| Snipe | common winter |
| Song thrush | common resident |
| Sparrowhawk | scarce resident |
| Starling | scarce breeder - common winter |
| Stock dove | fairly commom arable fileds |
| Stonechat | regular winter |
| Swallow | common summer |
| Swift | uncommon summer |
| Tawny owl | occasional sightings |
| Teal | on fields near Bar Mere - winter |
| Tree pipit | scarce passage migrant |
| Tree sparrow | scarce breeder - common winter |
| Treecreeper | scarce resident |
| Water rail | one record but annual Bar Mere |
| Wheatear | regular passage large numbers |
| Whinchat | regular passage small numbers |
| Whitethroat | common summer |
| Wigeon | on fields near Bar Mere - winter |
| Willow warbler | occasional summer & passage |
| Woodpigeon | common resident |
| Wren | common resident |
| Yellow wagtail | scarce summer |
| Yellowhammer | scarce resident |
Butterflies
| Species | Rarity on farm |
|---|---|
| Brimstone | Few records |
| Comma | Common |
| Common blue | Common: small numbers |
| Essex skipper | 1st record 20+ September 2019 |
| Gatekeeper | Abundant |
| Green-veined white | Abundant |
| Holly blue | Few records |
| Large skipper | Common |
| Large white | Common |
| Meadow brown | Abundant |
| Orange tip | Common |
| Painted lady | Annual: sometimes large numbers |
| Peacock | Abundant |
| Red admiral | Common |
| Ringlet | Common: increasing |
| Small copper | Common |
| Small skipper | Abundant |
| Small tortoiseshell | Abundant |
| Small white | Abundant |
| Speckled wood | Common |
Dragonflies and damselflies
| Species | Rarity on farm |
|---|---|
| Azure damselfly | Common in all ponds |
| Banded demoiselle | male 22/7/19 |
| Black-tailed skimmer | Scarce: fields near Bar Mere |
| Blue-tailed damselfly | Common in all ponds |
| Broad-bodied chaser | Scarce: all ponds |
| Brown hawker | Common |
| Common blue damselfly | Common in all ponds |
| Common darter | Common in all ponds |
| Emerald damselfly | Common in all ponds |
| Emperor | Common in all ponds |
| Four-spotted chaser | Common in all ponds |
| Golden-ringed dragonfly | One record |
|
Hairy dragonfly |
Scarce: field next to Bar Mere |
| Large red damselfly | Common in all ponds |
| Migrant hawker | Common |
| Red-eyed damselfly | Common: field next to Bar Mere |
| Ruddy darter | Common in all ponds |
| Southern hawker | Common |
