Nestled between the canal and railway line, this area of waste ground has evolved into a thriving oasis of natural life amidst the suburban North Oxford developments. Of the 35 species of bird to breed on the site, the three acres of reed beds play host to seven types reed warblers (the largest population within the City) and provide one of only three breeding sites known nationally for the water rail. Cuckoos also breed here, one returning for eight sucessive years before laying a record-breaking 25 eggs in 1988. Its grassy areas provide habitat for Oxford's only known population of viviparous lizards, slow worms (grass snakes) and water voles. The keen eyed might spot nesticus cellulanus, a particularly rare spider and other innumberable insects.

The site's existance today is entirely due to the dedicated persistance of The Friends of the Trap Grounds in their determination to get the site recognised as a Town Green.