Wildlife along the Kennet & Avon Canal

A father & son looking at swans on the Kennet & Avon Canal

The Kennet & Avon's leafy meanderings prove a popular habitat for bats, water voles, kingfishers and many other kinds of animals and plant life.

West Wiltshire's wooded valleys and the designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in West Berkshire are just two of the many areas of important wildlife environmental areas. Money from the Heritage Lottery Fund has helped to create new vegetation and special habitats at the waterway's edge along the route which are now accommodating growing numbers of water voles and new fish spawning areas.

An unusual approach was taken to addressing the problem of leakage at Sells Green. The adjoining land was allowed to flood, and the Sells Green Conservation Lake - now a Site of Nature Conservation Value - created. Volunteers helped establish a reedbed to nurture invertebrates and several threatened bird species. A traditional hazel faggot vegetation shelf provides a good habitat for a range of wildlife including water voles, frogs, fish, kingfishers and dragonflies.

Another recent ingenious solution was a solar-powered cattle drinking trough. Cows were wading into the canal to drink, damaging the banks and their wildlife habitats. The new solar-powered trough is positioned away from the canal and is reportedly very popular with the cows.

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  1. Jones's Mill - The Vera Jeans Nature Reserve »

    Address: Hollybush Lane, Pewsey, Wiltshire

    Tel: 01380 725670

    Services: Nature reserve

  2. Prior Park Landscape Garden »

    Address: Prior Park Landscape Garden, Ralph Allen Drive, Bath, Somerset BA2 5AH

    Tel: 01225 833422

    Services: Garden

Results 1-2 of 2