The canals are playing a very important role nowadays in helping wildlife find a home. With so much of the countryside being turned over to high-power farming, or being taken for building development, wildlife is finding it increasingly difficult to compete. British Waterways, The Waterways Trust, and the well-known nature conservation charities are working together to make the canals more wildlife-friendly thus creating a natural corridor for wildlife.
A list of all the varieties we see during our holiday is shown below. The list is in 'chronological' order, with each new day's sightings added at the top. Birds marked with * had young sighted with them.
Noted large numbers of red kites up-river from Henley. There are more coots and fewer moorhens on the Thames than generally seen on the canals. There is a healthy population of grebes on the Thames, there also seemed a healthy population of bluetits on the South Oxford canal.
| Birds | Insects etc | Animals etc |
|---|---|---|
|
jay swift sand martin tufted duck brent goose red kite great crested grebe * yellowhammer greylag goose * kingfisher greenfinch pied wagtail chiffchaff grey wagtail black-headed gull great tit coal tit song thrush goldfinch robin redstart lapwing spotted flycatcher reed bunting wren kestrel starling buzzard house sparrow pheasant blue tit jackdaw canada goose * coot * chaffinch magpie cormorant swallow collared dove mute swan * crow wood pigeon blackbird stock dove common tern grey heron moorhen * mallard duck * |
Mayfly stag beetle (female) red admiral butterfly banded demoiselle damselfly cabbage white butterfly common blue damselfly buff-tailed bumblebee emperor dragonfly |
(escapee) terripin (large) red fox muntjac rabbit grey squirrel |
