Alvecote Pools is a

Site of Special Scientific Interest A Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in Great Britain, or an Area of Special Scientific Interest (ASSI) in the Isle of Man and Northern Ireland, is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom and Isle ...

(SSSI) and nature reserve situated alongside the

River Anker The River Anker flows through Nuneaton, England. It is a major tributary of the River Tame, which it joins in Tamworth. The name derives from the old British for ''winding river''. From source to river mouth at Tamworth is . Course The river ...

, adjacent to the hamlet of Alvecote on the border of

Warwickshire Warwickshire (; abbreviated Warks) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England. It is bordered by Staffordshire and Leicestershire to the north, Northamptonshire to the east, Ox ...

and

Staffordshire Staffordshire (; postal abbreviation ''Staffs''.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England. It borders Cheshire to the north-west, Derbyshire and Leicestershire to the east, ...

in England. The majority of the reserve lies in the former county. Consisting of two discrete areas, Pooley Fields and Alvecote Meadows, the site covers in total and is the largest SSSI in Warwickshire. First notified in 1955, the site has been owned by the

Warwickshire Wildlife Trust Warwickshire Wildlife Trust is a Wildlife Trust and Registered Charity covering the county of Warwickshire and Solihull and Coventry in the county of West Midlands, England. The Trust aims to protect and enhance wildlife, natural habitats and g ...

since 1997. The site is effectively a series of shallow pools alongside the river that have arisen as an effect of colliery subsidence from Alvecote Colliery, which was later merged to form North Warwickshire Colliery and which ceased operation in 1965. In addition to the

wetland A wetland is a distinct semi-aquatic ecosystem whose groundcovers are flooded or saturated in water, either permanently, for years or decades, or only seasonally. Flooding results in oxygen-poor ( anoxic) processes taking place, especially ...

habitat, there are areas of

fen A fen is a type of peat-accumulating wetland fed by mineral-rich ground or surface water. It is one of the main types of wetland along with marshes, swamps, and bogs. Bogs and fens, both peat-forming ecosystems, are also known as mires ...

reedbed A reedbed or reed bed is a natural habitat found in floodplains, waterlogged depressions and estuaries. Reedbeds are part of a succession from young reeds colonising open water or wet ground through a gradation of increasingly dry ground. As ...

and

woodland A woodland () is, in the broad sense, land covered with woody plants (trees and shrubs), or in a narrow sense, synonymous with wood (or in the U.S., the '' plurale tantum'' woods), a low-density forest forming open habitats with plenty of sunli ...

. As a result, the area is regionally important for bird life, and over 100 species are reported annually, with between 60 and 70 breeding. The site is also important for beetles, with 322 species recorded, and spiders (121 species).

References

External links

Natural England SSSI unit listing

Map with SSSI area highlighted at natureonthemap.org.uk
{{Authority control Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Warwickshire Nature reserves in Warwickshire Tourist attractions in Warwickshire Warwickshire Wildlife Trust