CANAL WILDLIFE

Local environmental consultancy firm Ecology Resources undertook a site assessment in winter 2020, uncovering evidence of some of the different kinds of wildlife that call the canal home.  As you would expect, numerous water fowl are to be found – from ducks and moorhens at the Springfield end to a regular pair of nesting swans at Ashwell. The swans are well-known to visitors, building a large nest each year and often raising their brood in clear sight of the towpath.

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Across the bypass from Springfield, marshy sections of the canal contain both Jelly Ear Fungus and King Alfred Cakes Fungus, and there are signs of woodpecker activity. As we head north away from town, signs of roosting bats, hedgehogs, kingfishers, badgers and roe deer quickly become apparent. In the water there are freshwater mussels, as well as Tench, Bream, Perch, Carp and Rudd, thanks to recent restocking by Oakham Angling Society.

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These are just a few of the many animals, flora and fauna currently found around the canal. Oakham Canal Green Corridor Project aims to sympathetically support and enhance these animals' habitats, as well as to encourage other wildlife to make their home here over the coming years, through careful environmental management and stewardship.

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If you'd like to download the full PowerPoint survey, please click the link below.

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A follow up ‘BioBlitz’ was undertaken by our friends from the Rutland Natural History Society, on 23rd July 2022. This study focused on the area of the Oakham Canal from Burley Road (SK 86502 11026) south to the dam (SK 86317 10672). The canal at this section is preserved in much of its original condition and rich in wildlife and yielded some very interesting results, including the Water-Lily Leaf
Beetle (Gallerucella nymphaeae) being noted in huge numbers, feeding on the leaves of the water lilies. Although widespread and common across much of Britain, this is only the second record of this species in Leicestershire and Rutland.

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Please click the second button below to download the final Bio Blitz report in PDF format.

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You can also keep up-to-date with our ongoing wildlife surveys and new discoveries – just use the form on our Contact page to sign up to our newsletter.