Sandford Brook

Sandford brook rises near Wooton to the north Abingdon and it is fed by a series of springs which form the Cothill Fens - a series of nature reserves and one of my favourite places in Oxfordshire

One of the springs is at Dry Sandford Pit, a former quarry, now a nature reserve run by BBOWT, the spring forms a fen, where marsh orchids and the rare southern damselfy can be found.

The fen fills several streams, where sticklebats and tadpoles can be seen, but not today, the light was too bright.

Before joining sandford brook at the edge of the reserve

And flowing along the boundry of the reserve

Before joining the Ock near Marcham.

Dry Sandford Pit is just one of the nature reserves in the area of Cothill: Parsonage Moor (another BBOWT reserve), Lashford Lane Fen (also BBOWT) & Cothill Fen (Natural England) are all fens, created by springs and contribute to sandford brook and eventually the Ock.
All of which I hope to explore as part of this blog.