Wildlife

The locks and the surrounding area including the old arm to the inclined plane are a haven for wildlife. There is interesting flora and fauna in the most unlikely places, I shall guide you around the site, pointing out the possible wildlife you may find on your visit.

From top car park to the top lock

As you walk amongst the pine trees along the path from the car park you will notice some bird boxes on the trees, and if you are lucky you may see birds such as blue tits using these boxes to nest in. There are often black birds foraging in and amongst the shrubs in the field. These shrubs include guelder rose and wayfaring tree which are native to Britain. As you reach the canal, look to the left and you will see a small pond surrounded by shrubs. This pond is an important site as it historically is used by Great Crested Newts, a protected species, as a breeding site.

Reaching the canal there is usually mallard ducks and moorhens to be seen and swans are common. The hedge alongside the canal is a good nesting site for robins, blue tits, great tits. The canal is home to many fish, and angling is a popular sport along stretches of the canal away from the locks. Some of the fish that are found in the canal are roach, perch, carp, gudgeon, pike and eels.

The locks and side ponds

The locks may look like no wildlife is present but there are fish in there. Crayfish are found in the locks, they like to hide in the cracks in the brickwork, waiting for prey to approach. If you look carefully on the lock gates when the water level drops you may see fresh water sponges growing there, little is known about the ecology of them or of how many different species there are.

The side ponds have many types of sedges and rushes growing in the margins. These plants are important for much wild life, birds nest in there, particularly sedge warblers and reed warblers. There is sometimes a heron stalking fish here, and if you are lucky you may see the blue streak of a kingfisher fly past. The vegetation in the ponds is also important for many insects, especially the damselfly and dragonfly which spends its larval life underwater and emerges from the water into the beautiful flying insect you see in summer, the largest one in Britain being the Brown Hawker.

The dry bed of the old arm to the incline plane

As you walk up the incline plane, you will see a woodland on your left. This is used by muntjac deer and early in the morning foxes are often seen in this area. There are badger setts in the bank here, you may see their tracks in the mud, they forage for earthworms at night.

On sunny days, grass snakes warm themselves up in the sun on the bed of the old canal arm, they are very shy and so you would be lucky to see one. In summer there are often many types of butterfly such as Tortoiseshell, Peacock, and Gatekeeper basking in the sun. In the woodland area between the canal and the old arm there are 2 apple trees which are thought to be a unique species, not found any where else. They used to be in the orchard next to an old house which is no longer there.

The watered section of the old arm

This area is rich in aquatic life, especially insect larvae which use the shallow water and aquatic plants in their egg and nymph stage. There are various fresh water invertebrates such as the water scorpion, ramshorn snail, leeches fly larvae, fresh water shrimps and worms. This is also a popular nesting site for a pair of swans which return here each year to raise their young.

The secret to watching wildlife around the locks is to be patient, look around you and take your time.