Joe's Pond

Joe's Pond is a deep freshwater pond that is part of the Rainton Meadows Nature Reserve - an area that occupies the reclaimed site of the Rye Hill coal mine. It is an excellent bird watching site with over 140 species to be seen, including wintering teal, pochard and tufted duck, and in summer great crested grebes. The surrounding scrub areas host large winter flocks of thrushes and all five species of owl are regularly seen. Other inhabitants of the area include roe deer, water voles, dragonflies, frogs, toads and smooth newts. At the southern end are damp meadows with hemlock and willowherb and a dry meadow, which contains cowslips in the spring.