This site is part of a larger site contiguous with land in neighbouring Barking and Dagenham borough, known as the Mid Beam Valley in Dagenham and Dagenham East Lake. Habitats on the Havering side include the river and its banks, grassland, areas with planted trees and shrubs, and a fishing lake.
Local Wildlife Site
Accessible Sites of Importance for Nature Conservation
Mid Beam Valley in Havering
Borough: Havering
Grade: Borough Grade I
Access: Free public access (all/most of site)
Area: 28.77 ha
Description
Wildlife
The river contains curled and fennel-leaved pondweeds, branched bur-reed and Indian balsam. Riverside vegetation grades through a zone of nettles into a large area of course grassland with a variety of wildflowers. This section of the River Beam supports a good population of the nationally declining water vole. The grassland is likely to be of value to small mammals, and birds favouring open conditions such as meadow pipit and skylark, and to a range of common invertebrates. Large areas have been planted with a variety of native trees and shrubs, and berry-bearing species here doubtless enhance the site for birds. The large angling lake in the south of the site attracts great crested grebe and kingfisher, and is also of value to wintering wildfowl. The edges of the lake have small amounts of willow scrub and common reed.Facilities
No information available
Kingfisher © Bill Varney
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