Hosehill Lake
# Hosehill Lake

Hosehill Lake is a 23.6-hectare (58-acre) Local Nature Reserve west of Reading in Berkshire. It is owned by West Berkshire Council and managed by the Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust.

## Geography and site

To the east and south of the lake is meadowland. The eastern meadow is cut and then grazed by wild Exmoor ponies for a short period in the spring and autumn, and the south meadow is a butterfly meadow.

The site features a one-mile circular walk around the lake.

## History

Hosehill Lake was given its nature reserve status in 1997 by Newbury District Council. Since it became a nature reserve, an island has been created in the lake, along with Tern Rafts, a Sand Martin Bank and the Butterfly Meadow.

In 2013 the management of the nature reserve was transferred from West Berkshire Council to the Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust.

## Fauna

The site has seen 168 different bird species. Some of the more common birds seen are listed here:

### Birds

* Little ringed plover
* Great crested grebe
* Bittern
* Gadwall
* Wigeon
* Sand martin
* House martin
* Swallow
* Common whitethroat
* Chiffchaff
* Hobby
* Common tern
* Black-headed Gull
* Pochard
* Goldeneye
* Goosander
* Northern shoveler
