Banbury Ornithological Society - Pauline Flick Reserve

Location: SP323302 - access from the minor road B4026 to Great Rollright from Chipping Norton.

Postcode for SatNav: OX7 5RE What3Words: lilac.spun.cones

Please read the Risk Assessment before you visit the reserve

Open access to all members and the public.

The reserve comprises a half-mile stretch (approximately 2 ha) of disused railway line through limestone brash farmland close to Great Rollright.

There is a good variety of flora and certain areas are kept free of scrub to enable orchids and other plant species to flourish. These more open areas are also favoured by sun-loving reptiles, such as Common Lizard and Grass Snake. Glow-worm are present and a good number and range of butterflies. Hare, Weasel and Harvest Mouse are present.

Blackcap and Chiffchaff are present annually and occasionally other species of warbler. Farmland and woodland birds are present including Yellowhammer, Chaffinch and Bullfinch, Goldcrest, Treecreeper, Jay, Great Spotted and Green Woodpecker.

Sean Woodcock, MP for Banbury visited the BOS reserve at Balscote Quarry recently, to see conservation in action. Steve Holliday, one of the site wardens said, “Balscote may be a small site (6ha) but, through positive management, it holds Red List birds such as Lapwing and Yellowhammer, 24 species of butterfly and much more." We looked at the vital role volunteers play in habitat management on site and, in light of BOS data on local bird declines, how we can develop a more joined-up approach to nature conservation locally. We finished by discussing how new proposals in the Planning and Infrastructure Bill can benefit, not harm, biodiversity.

Finding W. H. Hudson - Conor Mark Jameson

The Writer Who Came to Britain to Save the Birds. Read more ...

The Long Day Count is carried out by teams of observers in each of the twelve 10km squares recording the number of bird species seen during a maximum of 12 daylight hours on the second Sunday in May each year. Read more ...

Reserves

Pauline Flick Reserve

Sean Woodcock MP visits Balscote Quarry

11 May 2026 - Indoor Meeting at 7.30pm

Long Day Count: 2 or 3 May 2026