page_title: Westhay Moor
section_title: Ecology
hierarchical_section_title: Westhay Moor / Ecology
caption_attribution_description: English: Westhay Moor National Nature Reserve These former commercial peat workings have been very successfully turned into a major wildlife reserve. Here the reed beds are the night time roost for large flocks of starlings which spectacularly swoop down at dusk.
context_page_description: Westhay Moor is a 513.7-hectare biological Site of Special Scientific Interest 2.5 kilometres north-east of Westhay village and 4 kilometres from Wedmore in Somerset, England, notified in 1971. Westhay Moor is also notified as part of the Somerset Levels and Moors Special Protection Area under the EU Birds Directive and as a Ramsar Site, and a National Nature Reserve.
  The low-lying swampy area of Westhay Moor has had peat laid down over older rocks for the last 10,000 years. The Neolithic people lived on the areas of slightly higher ground but exploited the reed beds for materials and built wooden trackways to cross the raised bog. Peat extraction on the Somerset Levels has occurred since the area was first drained by the Romans. Measures to improve the drainage were carried out in the Middle Ages largely by Glastonbury Abbey. In the 17th and 18th centuries further drainage work was undertaken including digging a series of rhynes, or ditches and larger drainage canals. Peat extraction peaked in the 1960s but has since declined.
  The geology of the moor and prolonged peat extraction has provided a unique environment which provides a habitat for a range of flora and fauna.
context_section_description: Westhay Moor supports a nationally outstanding community of terrestrial and aquatic invertebrates. At least 28 nationally notable invertebrate species also occur on the moor. The meadows, ditches, abandoned peat workings and hedgerows provide suitable breeding habitats for a diverse and nationally important breeding bird community.
  It is part of the Brue Valley Living Landscape conservation project. The project commenced in January 2009 and aims to restore, recreate and reconnect habitats; joining together protected areas into a network to enable plant and animal movement. It aims to ensure that wildlife is enhanced and capable of sustaining itself in the face of climate change while guaranteeing farmers and other landowners can continue to use their land profitably. It is one of an increasing number of landscape scale conservation projects in the UK.
  Part of the moor has been designated as a nature reserve, covering 106 hectares (261 acres), which is managed by the Somerset Wildlife Trust. In addition to open water and reedbeds, it contains a fragment of acid mire, the largest to have survived in the south west of England. The reserve  provides habitat for many varieties of birds, which includes millions of starlings between November and January, along with bittern and migrating ospreys. Otters and banded demoiselles are among other species which have made their home on the moor. A large bird hide, reached via a raised boardwalk, has been erected. Westhay Moor is also notified as part of the Somerset Levels and Moors Special Protection Area under the EU Birds Directive and as a Ramsar Site, and a National Nature Reserve.
caption: Flooded peat workings at the Westhay Moor National Nature Reserve.
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