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. It is a 'bad' year for voles this year. So far, we have seen none, but if you come across one, please let your local 'nature charity' know when and where.
A list of all the varieties we saw during our holiday is shown below. Birds marked with * had young sighted with them.
| Birds | Insects etc | Animals etc |
|---|---|---|
|
Swift Water Rail Yellow Wagtail Pheasant Red-legged Partridge Garden Warbler Chiff Chaff Yellowhammer Black Cap House Martin Song Thrush Blue Tit Kestrel Grey Wagtail Stock Dove Wood Pidgeon Mistle Thrush Wren Siskin Common Tern Pied Wagtail Canada Goose * Coot Moorhen * Black-headed gull Lapwing Curlew Oyster catcher Chaffinch Starling Grey Heron Mute Swan * Mallard * Blackbird Magpie Swallow Crow |
Speckled Wood Butterfly Banded Demoiselle Damselfly Common Ischnura Damselfly Emperor Dragonfly Buff-tailed Bumble Bee Cabbage White Butterfly Hover Fly Blue Aeshna Dragonfly Red Admiral Butterfly Two-spot Ladybird |
Hare Grey Squirrel Weasel Rabbits Roe deer |
