Burgess Field
- Port Meadow
Burgess Field is a reclaimed landfill site, now home to a nature reserve with an active Friends group of volunteers, who plant trees, bulbs and wildflowers, and clear litter. The Friends website www.friendsofburgessfield.co.uk provides further information and an accurate hand drawn map of the paths. Burgess Field lies at the eastern edge of Port Meadow just north of the entrance from Aristotle Lane, and covers an area of approximately 75 acres. It is popular with walkers, bird watchers, joggers and dog walkers.
The Friends aim to preserve the present balance between scrub, open grassland and woodland to ensure as wide a range of habitats as possible. They have regular work parties, with almost all work done by volunteers.
Campfires have been a problem in the past, particularly for litter and environmental damage, and pose a real risk of wildfires. Camping and fires are now banned under Public Spaces Protection Orders, which protect the site for the benefit of wildlife. Wildlife includes badger, fox, muntjac and rabbits, and a wide range of birds, butterflies and insects.