Wildlife watching

The Lee Valley is home to a range of wildlife and its great facilities mean it’s accessible to everyone. The mosaic of habitats, from lakes to reservoirs, reedbeds and grasslands, woodlands and rivers provide a home for a range of wildlife making it the perfect place to get up close to some amazing wildlife spectacles, whatever time of year you visit

wildlifesightings@leevalleypark.org.uk

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The former gravel pits of River Lee Country Park now make up an internationally important wetland, part of the Lee Valley Special Protection Area. Look amongst the reedbeds of Seventy Acres Lake and North Met Pit in the winter months for Bittern, a large heron-like bird and one of our most secretive winter visitors.

Head to the Wildlife Discovery Centre where our knowledgeable volunteers will help you see them. In summer the lake comes alive with a noisy Common Tern and Black-headed Gull colony nesting on the man-made rafts. The reservoirs of Walthamstow Wetlands offer views over large expanses of water attracting a wide range of wildfowl and waders throughout the year, all just a short stroll from Tottenham Hale station.

The myriad of waterways that wend their way through the Lee Valley provide excellent wildlife corridors linking our important wildlife sites. RSPB Rye Meads, Fishers Green or the Old River Lea at the WaterWorks Fields are all great places to spot a Kingfisher. Listen out for the shrill call and flash of cobalt blue as a Kingfisher darts by close to the water’s surface You never know you may also spot an Otter too! In summer, these wetlands are also home to dragonflies, small in size but fierce predators patrolling the waterways. Sites with a range of waterbodies are perfect dragonfly habitat, visit Amwell Nature reserve, Silvermeade, Cornmill Meadows or Walthamstow Marshes. to see up to 24 Species from the striking metallic colours of the Banded Demoiselle to the majestic Emperor Dragonfly patrolling its territory. At Cornmill Meadows take time to look over the floodplain meadows, in summer Lapwing with their distinctive ‘peewit’ call breed near the muddy scrape and in winter Wigeon, one of our visiting ducks, graze the lush grassland.

Water Voles, much-loved as ratty in the Wind in the Willows have become one of Britain’s most endangered mammals, however the waterways of the Lee Valley are a good place to try and see one. Although secretive in their nature look out for the signs they are here such as their burrows, little piles of their feeding remains or even their droppings! You may hear the distinctive ‘plop’ as one dives into the water, visit sites such as Amwell Nature Reserve, Silvermeade, Walthamstow Marshes and Walthamstow Reservoirs and you may be lucky enough to see one.

Working landscapes such as Lee Valley Farm can also provide valuable wildlife habitat. Special areas have been planted with a mixture of plants providing an important food source for birds such as Linnet and Yellowhammer throughout the harsh winter months.

The grasslands of the Lee Valley come alive in the warmer months with the buzz of insects busily feeding on the nectar rich plants. In early summer look amongst these grasslands for orchids, six species are found in the Lee Valley. Rammey Marsh is a good place to see Pyramidal and Bee Orchids or head to River Lee Country Park where Bowyers Orchid Meadow has six species of orchid. Visit Gunpowder Park to hear the tumbling song of the ground nesting Skylark or stroll through the flower-rich meadows of the tree Park looking out for butterflies feedig on the nectar-rich flowers. Step back in time to the historic Walthamstow Marshes to escape the hustle of the city and watch Lee Valley Park’s herd of heritage cattle grazing the meadows as would have been done here for hundreds of years.

Urban

The Waterworks Centre nature reserve is an urban oasis with a beautiful meadow perfect for insect encounters. The reserve has one of the largest bird hides in London offering views across a series of former filter beds each with its own unique character. The filter beds are a great place to get up close views of ducks such as the UK’s smallest duck the Teal and wading birds such as Snipe probing the muddy areas for food. Some areas have been allowed to form dense stands of scrub and are home to Blackcap and Chiffchaff.

The tidal nature of the River Lee in its lower stretches exposes swathes of mud. From Bow Creek Ecology Park look over the exposed areas at low tide for wading Redshank feeding on insects and worms in the food-rich mud.

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The wetlands of the Lee Valley form an internationally important site for overwintering birds with over 10,000 waterbirds spending the winter in the valley. Look out for ducks Gadwall and Shoveler who gather in internationally important numbers. The larger waterbodies in the park such as Amwell Nature Reserve, Rye Meads, River Lee Country Park and Walthamstow Wetlands are the places to head to to see wintering duck such as Goosander, Smew and Goldeneye which are also annual visitors and it’s worth looking out for more uncommon visitors such as Pintail or Scaup.

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The Lee Valley is one of the best places to see Bittern in the country. Keep an eye out around reedbeds at Amwell Nature Reserve and River Lee Country Park where these elusive birds overwinter.

Wet grasslands such as Hall Marsh Scrape and Cornmill Meadows provide winter grazing for flocks of Wigeon, a duck with a distinctive whistling call, while areas such as Silvermeade and WaterWorks Nature Reserve provide rich feeding grounds for wading birds such as Snipe which use their long beaks to probe the soil for insects.

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Look out for thrushes such as the Fieldfare and Redwing which are winter visitors to the Park. The good supply of berries on our trees and hedgerows provides them with food well into the cold winter months.

We have a wonderful community of wildlife watchers in the park who share their sightings for everyone to enjoy and also contribute to our recording efforts. We welcome everyone to send in their sighting and join our gallery.