Local Wildlife Site

Wildlife

The wildlife value of this section of the river is limited somewhat due to the stark concrete channel that the river runs through here. The concrete base and walls provide limited opportunities for plant colonisation and few of the niches used by invertebrates and fish that would occur on the uneven substrates of more natural sections of the river. Despite this the submerged plant, fennel pondweed has managed to get a foothold and is quite frequent where it occurs. The main value of the site at the moment may be for birds. The adjacent scrub habitat provides cover and feeding areas and the invertebrate communities of the river itself provide further feeding. In places exotic shrubs have been planted which provide nesting sites. Ash, crack willow, osier and elder have colonised the banks and provide extra habitat for birds and invertebrates. Ruderal species are frequent on the banks in places and add a bit more habitat diversity to the site. Any future opportunities to remove the concrete base and sides should be taken as this would greatly enhance the value of the site.

Facilities

No information available