South Milton Ley
Encyclopedia
South Milton Ley is a 162000 square metres (40 acre) wetland
in the South Hams
, Devon
, England
. It was notified as a Site of Special Scientific Interest
in 1976. Part of the site is managed as a nature reserve
by the Devon Birdwatching and Preservation Society
.
Salix sp.in the middle areas of these upper regions.
, Sedge
, Cetti's Warbler
s; Bearded Tit
has also bred at the site in the past. The reedbed is used as a roost site by a variety of birds on passage, in particular Yellow Wagtail and Swallow
.
In 2005, Devon's first Black-headed Wagtail and second Least Sandpiper
were present at the site (the former having previously been present at West Charleton Marsh and also at South Huish Marsh, the latter moving from the Ley to Thurlestone Marsh).
Wetland
A wetland is an area of land whose soil is saturated with water either permanently or seasonally. Wetlands are categorised by their characteristic vegetation, which is adapted to these unique soil conditions....
in the South Hams
South Hams
South Hams is a local government district on the south coast of Devon, England with its headquarters in the town of Totnes. It contains the towns of Dartmouth, Kingsbridge, Ivybridge, Salcombe — the largest of which is Ivybridge with a population of 16,056....
, Devon
Devon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. It was notified as a Site of Special Scientific Interest
Site of Special Scientific Interest
A Site of Special Scientific Interest is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom. SSSIs are the basic building block of site-based nature conservation legislation and most other legal nature/geological conservation designations in Great Britain are based upon...
in 1976. Part of the site is managed as a nature reserve
Nature reserve
A nature reserve is a protected area of importance for wildlife, flora, fauna or features of geological or other special interest, which is reserved and managed for conservation and to provide special opportunities for study or research...
by the Devon Birdwatching and Preservation Society
Devon Birdwatching and Preservation Society
The Devon Bird Watching & Preservation Society, also known as Devon Birds, is one the UK's regional ornithological societies.-History and work:...
.
Site description
South Milton Ley lies in a shallow coastal river valley separated from the sea by a sand bar. Adjacent to this bar, the waters of the Ley are slightly brackish due to occasional tidal influence, but upstream they give way to freshwater. The main habitat at the Ley is freshwater reedbed; this habitat is scarce in Devon and is the reason for the site's SSSI status.Vegetation
The reedswamp of the lower Ley is dominated by Common Reed Phragmites australis, while further upstream the vegetation contains a mixture of other tall fen species including Hemlock Water-dropwort Oenanthe crocata, Yellow Flag Iris pseudacorus, Great Willowherb Epilobium hirsutum and Reed Sweet-grass Glyceria maxima. There are also dense stands of willowWillow
Willows, sallows, and osiers form the genus Salix, around 400 species of deciduous trees and shrubs, found primarily on moist soils in cold and temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere...
Salix sp.in the middle areas of these upper regions.
Birds
South Milton's reedbed supports breeding ReedReed Warbler
The Eurasian Reed Warbler, or just Reed Warbler, Acrocephalus scirpaceus, is an Old World warbler in the genus Acrocephalus. It breeds across Europe into temperate western Asia. It is migratory, wintering in sub-Saharan Africa....
, Sedge
Sedge Warbler
The Sedge Warbler is an Old World warbler in the genus Acrocephalus. It is a medium-sized warbler with a brown, streaked back and wings and a distinct pale supercilium. Sedge Warblers are migratory, crossing the Sahara to get from their European and Asian breeding grounds to spend winter in Africa...
, Cetti's Warbler
Cetti's Warbler
Cetti's Warbler , Cettia cetti, is an Old World warbler which breeds in Europe, northwest Africa and east southern temperate Asia as far as Afghanistan and NW Pakistan. It is the only bush warbler to occur outside Asia...
s; Bearded Tit
Bearded Tit
The Bearded Reedling is a peculiar small passerine bird. It is also frequently known as the Bearded Tit due to some similarities to Long-tailed Tits, or Bearded Parrotbill since it was later placed with these after it was removed from the true tits in the family Paridae...
has also bred at the site in the past. The reedbed is used as a roost site by a variety of birds on passage, in particular Yellow Wagtail and Swallow
Swallow
The swallows and martins are a group of passerine birds in the family Hirundinidae which are characterised by their adaptation to aerial feeding...
.
In 2005, Devon's first Black-headed Wagtail and second Least Sandpiper
Least Sandpiper
The Least Sandpiper is the smallest shorebird.This species has greenish legs and a short thin dark bill. Breeding adults are brown with dark brown streaks on top and white underneath. They have a light line above the eye and a dark crown. In winter, Least Sandpipers are grey above...
were present at the site (the former having previously been present at West Charleton Marsh and also at South Huish Marsh, the latter moving from the Ley to Thurlestone Marsh).