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 lakes and rivers provide excellent dragonfly habitat. The Banded Demoiselle is an impressive damselfly; the male has conspicuous dark banding on its wings. Cornmill Meadows and Amwell Nature Reserve are great sites to find a wide range of dragonflies. Look overhead for Hobby, a summer visitor from Africa that hunts for small insects including dragonflies and small birds, Hall Marsh Scrape is a good place to view Hobby.

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Grass Snake, our largest snake, can be found basking in the sun on a warm summer’s day. People are often surprised to see them swimming in rivers, ditches or ponds where they hunt for amphibians and fish.

Nightingale are a summer visitor, returning in small numbers each year from Africa to breed at Fishers Green, River Lee Country Park. Often hard to see as they remain in dense scrub, and easily overlooked if seen, it is their rich tonal song, heard day or night for which the Nightingale is so famous.

A stroll on a warm summer evening along the network of waterways may reward you with a view of bats foraging for insects over the water. Look out for Daubenton’s bat feeding low over the surface of the water or Pipistrelle Bat feeding overhead.

Common Tern return to the valley from Africa each summer to form noisy breeding colonies at Fishers Green in River Lee Country Park, RSPB Rye Meads and Walthamstow Wetlands. They swoop low over the water’s surface to drink and catch their prey of small fish.

Wildlife gallery

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.

Have lots of sighting to share? You can email them into the team here.

Submit your sightings