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Tees Valley Wildlife Trust - Hardwick Dene

Name: Tees Valley Wildlife Trust - Hardwick Dene
Address: Cornforth Close, Stockton on Tees, TS19 8PZ
Telephone: 01287 636382

Comprised of two steep-sided beck valleys with an area of grassland in between, Hardwick Dene was once a timber plantation surrounded by fields. With the trees long since felled, and most of the fields covered by housing, the Dene has been left to regenerate naturally, with the result that it has become a mosaic of different habitats, and an oasis for wildlife.

The most abundant habitat type in the Dene is scrubland, mainly Hawthorn with varying amounts of Blackthorn, Dog Rose and Gorse. In the spring this provides safe nesting sites for a variety of birds, whilst in the autumn and winter, the abundance of berries and rosehips are fed upon by large flocks of Blackbirds, Redwing, and Fieldfare.