Frays Island Nature Reserve

Frays Island Nature Reserve positioned in West Drayton. Alder and willow wooded area set between the Rivers Colne and Frays, rich in aquatic life. The willow wooded area of Frays Island provides a perfect spot to peer the stunning River Colne and perhaps seize a glimpse of a kingfisher. Alive with insect life, flower-crammed Mabey's Meadow is astonishingly colorful within the summer, and orchids thrive in an adjacent area outdoor the reserve. A footbridge from Mabey's Meadow offers the simplest get admission to on to Frays Island. Frays River is a semi-canalised waterway diverted from the River Colne to feed watermills round Uxbridge.

The name originates from John Fray who owned Cowley Hall beside the river in the 15th century. Mabey's Meadow is known as after London Wildlife Trust's first president Richard Mabey because it was one among his favored haunts, defined in his 1974 e-book “The Unofficial Countryside”. The Trust began dealing with the websites in 1995. One species is a schedule 1 species listed within the Wildlife and Countryside Act and four are issue to UK or neighborhood biodiversity motion plans. There is an crucial roost of 300 Soprano Pipistrelle Bats in a neighbouring building and there's a strong likelihood that several of the ivy-covered timber at the island are bat roost sites other bat species were recorded.