THE COOKHAM DOSSIER

Strand Water with its lush vegetation attracts Grass Snakes, Dragonflies and roosting Reed Buntings

One of the main reasons we all love living in the Cookhams is that we are surrounded by a wonderful landscape comprising a wide range of natural, as well as man-made habitats, that we enjoy walking through and seeking inspiration from. This lush and verdant environment is home to untold numbers of plants, insects, mammals and birds which go together to form the surroundings that we all benefit from.

The old chalkpit signifies and aspect of our history but is also a haven for insects and bats

As part of the 2007 Cookham Plan, a team was formed to evaluate this important issue for the Cookhams and along with the other groups, presented an environment and ecology report. A significant outcome was to have a complete 'Phase 1 Survey' carried out by a professional ecologist for the entire area, kindly supported by the Cookham Society, which has been done. This defined a high-level statement of the habitat types we have. From this, we will gradually create a 'Wildlife Dossier' of the village, whereby residents are encouraged to submit sightings of interesting birds, insects, pond life etc to build up a picture of just what we do have. This new page for our Village Web site will form an important element of this vision.

Widbrook, our largest Common and home to Goldfinches and Yellowhammers in summer, Swans, geese and Snipe in winter

Ultimately, it would be hoped the information would be utilised in a local Biodiversity Action Plan so we are alerted to the special wildlife we need to protect as Cookham inevitably develops. Do get involved and help us to achieve that”

Farmland, orchards and woodland surround the Cookhams bringing with them the riches of varied wildlife

Included in the Cookham Wildlife Dossier are:

General - The site is updated, usually monthly, with the changing wildlife that you can see in Cookham. Please send in any of your photos, sightings and comments, so they can be included. wildlife@cookham.com 

Birdwatch - The Ring Necked Parakeet which can often be seen flying over Marsh Meadow. Birdwatch updates are now included under GENERAL.

Moths – Moths are reducing in numbers so some late night activities have been happening in Cookham to track the moth population. This Elephant Hawk Moth was found in the Mallett's garden.

Dragonflies – “Dragonflies and damselflies can be found around the ponds of Cookham. Many sightings have been logged on the Dossier page, so go out and spot them yourself. On the left is the club-tailed dragonfly.

Butterflies – Everyone’s favourite insect, and we are fortunate that many of our 60 or so species can be found locally and can readily be attracted to our gardens. On the left is the Comma Butterfly.

Flora – The Cookhams are surrounded by a network of hedgerows, grassy banks, watery margins, woodland and ‘scruffy’ corners, all combining to support over 800 species of plants. The photo shows Marsh Woundwort another relatively scarce plant found in the area

Ladybirds - Amongst our favourite insects, there are some 26 recognisable species of Ladybirds in the UK, most of them in the southern half of the country. Most are named after the number of spots, like this 22-spot Ladybird.

Herries' Pool and reed bed on Marsh Meadow has attracted a wide range of aquatic plants and creatures, and Hobbies hunt for dragonflies there in summer