Cam Washes is a biological
Site of Special Scientific Interest
A Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in Great Britain or an Area of Special Scientific Interest (ASSI) in the Isle of Man and Northern Ireland is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom and Isle of ...
west of
Wicken in
Cambridgeshire.
This site on the banks of the
River Cam
The River Cam () is the main river flowing through Cambridge in eastern England. After leaving Cambridge, it flows north and east before joining the River Great Ouse to the south of Ely, at Pope's Corner. The total distance from Cambridge to ...
is composed of pastures which are seasonally flooded. It is described by
Natural England as an important site for wintering and breeding wildfowl and waders. Breeding birds include
snipe,
common redshank,
gadwall
The gadwall (''Mareca strepera'') is a common and widespread dabbling duck in the family Anatidae.
Taxonomy
The gadwall was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his landmark 1758 10th edition of ''Systema Naturae''. DNA studies have shown that ...
,
Eurasian teal and
northern shoveler.
There is access from the
Fen Rivers Way
The Fen Rivers Way is a long distance footpath that spans a distance of . It runs between the City of Cambridge and the town of King's Lynn in West Norfolk. It follows the course of the River Cam and River Great Ouse across the Fenland land ...
, which goes through the site.
References
External links
The British Trust for Ornithology (2006) ''A survey and assessment of the birds of the Cam Washes and Berry Fen SSSIs, Cambridgeshire, focussing on breeding and wintering waterbirds''
{{SSSIs Cambridgeshire
Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Cambridgeshire
Wicken, Cambridgeshire