River Wandle Wildlife GuideRiver Wandle Wildlife Guide
birds fishmammalsdragonfliesdamselfliesbutterfliesplants
birds fishmammalsdragonfliesdamselfliesbutterfliesplants
Text and Illustrations by Tony Drakeford
WandleValleyWildlife 24/4/07 18:57 Page 1
The Grey Heron is one of our mostfamiliar birds. Large and of unmistakableappearance, it can be seen all along theWandle. Sometimes they form smallheronries, building large bulky nests highin trees. Usually we see the birds knee-deep in water, upright and motionless,ready to strike and impale fish, frog, vole,dragonfly or fledgling water bird.
Birds of the Wandle
The stunning Kingfisher breeds alongthe Wandle, nesting in bankside holes.Very shy, the bird is usually seen as avivid electric-blue streak, speeding alongthe river uttering a single high-pitchedpiping call. Kingfishers perch onoverhanging branches, ready to diveonto unsuspecting sticklebacks, theirmain diet. The best chance of watchingthe birds is to sit quietly on the riverbank, wait for one to appear andhopefully perch close by. Kingfishers arewell worth waiting for!
Little Egret
Kingfisher
Once it has caught its prey, the Heron tosses thefish into the air and swallows it head first so the fish scales and fins don’t catch in its throat.
DID YOU KNOW?
Recently another heron- like bird, theLittle Egret, has made briefappearances along the Wandle inMorden Hall Park. Smaller and moreelegant than the Grey Heron, itsplumage is overall white with black billand legs, and yellow feet. Thesebeautiful birds have only beenresident in Britain for about ten yearsbut the population is increasing.
Gre
yHe
ron
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Birds of the Wandle
Mute Swan
Mallard(Female)
Mallard(Male)
Tufted
Duck (Female)
Tufted Duck (Male)
Mandarin Duck
Dabchick or Little G
rebe
Coot (Sexes
simila
r)
Moorh
en
(Sexes
similar)
There are nowmore MandarinDucks in Britainthan in theirnative Japan.
DID YOU KNOW?
WandleValleyWildlife 24/4/07 18:57 Page 3
The Cormorant is an expert fisher, mainlyat the mouth of the Wandle, perched withwings outstretched or frequently diving.
Gol
dcr
est
Pie
dW
agtail
Gre
y
Wag
tail
Canada
goose
Cor
mor
ant
The Wren seems to relish awaterside habitat. It has avery loud song for such assmall bird. It often hides indense vegetation.
Britain's tiniest species, theGoldcrest, is more often heardthan seen and utters a veryhigh-pitched tsi-tsi-tsi call.Often around in small flocks.
The Rose-ringed Parakeet,an unwelcome introductionwhose growing populationis taking over nestholes ofour native species andcausing a nuisance amongfruit growers.
The Pied Wagtail and Grey Wagtail are sprightly, active birds that runor walk along towpaths and grass verges, tails constantly wagging asthey pick up waterside insects. Both nest along the Wandle.
The Canada Goose needs nointroduction. Now superabundant,noisy and messy.
Wren
Birds of the Wandle
A Canada Goosecan live for over20 years.
DID YOU KNOW?
Ros
e-ri
nged
Para
keet
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Over three hundred years agoCompleat Angler Isaac Waltonoften fished the Wandle, wellknown for its specimen trout.Then gradually, industrialpollution 'muddied the waters’and the river declined. Inrecent years water quality hassteadily improved, assisted byregular clean ups’ byenthusiastic volunteers. Trout are returning, as yet insmall numbers. Along withother initiatives, a project forlocal schools to rear trout fryin the classroom for stockingthe Wandle will help. SeaTrout may also swim upriverfrom the Thames and breed.
The three-spined Stickleback or‘Tiddler’ is very common in the Wandleespecially in the slower runs.Sticklebacks are the only British speciesto build a nest. In spring, the male, inbreeding finery of red and silver,constructs a barrel-shaped nest frompieces of dead vegetation and enticesfemales to enter and lay eggs. Uponhatching, the male vigorously guardsthe young sticklebacks until they canfend for themselves.
Brown Tout
Thre
e-sp
ined
Stic
kleba
ck
If you look down from one of thebridges on the Wandle and see ashoal of fish beneath you, they willprobably be chub. They are shy andprefer to lurk in the shade.
DID YOU KNOW?
Fish of the Wandle
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Fish of the Wandle
The mainly swift-flowing Wandle with somequieter stretches, holds a variety of species. Likethe Trout, Chub and Dace thrive in welloxygenated water and are primarily surfacefeeders. Along with the stickleback, the Chub isby far the most abundant fish in the river and canattain weights of several pounds. Roach andpredatory Perch are mid-water species whileGudgeon are bottom feeders. Pike lurk in quietreaches preying on fish and sometimes waterbirds. Eels live mainly downstream. Flounder andSmelt spawn in the Wandle estuary where MittenCrabs burrow into the river banks. Goldfish andKoi Karp can also be seen occasionally.
Flo
under
Smelt
Perch
Dace
Chub
Gudgeon
Roach
Pike
Eel
Smelt ‘smell’ ofcucumber andwere oncecaught in theirmillions atWandsworth tomake fertiliser.
DID YOU KNOW?
Chinese MittenCrabs came toEngland in thebilges of cargoships from Asia.
DID YOU KNOW?
Chineese Mitten
Cra
bC
ar
p Hyb
rids
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Dragonflies have been on earth for over 300million years, evolving before dinosaurs, andare still with us today virtually unchanged.The magnificent Emperor Dragonfly, Britain’slargest insect, is common from early to mid-summer. Other Hawker species shown hereare common, but difficult to identify in flight.The Darters can be seen from late summerto autumn, the Ruddy Darter being verysimilar to the Common Darter.
Southern
Haw
kers
Southern Hawk
er
(Male) in
fligh
t
Migrant H
awk
er(M
ale)
layin
geg
gs
Brown Hawker
egg
lay
ing
Com
mon
Dar
ter
(Male
)
Ru
dd
yDa
rters
mating
Em
po
rer D
ragonfl
y
Male (Blue) Female (Green)
The earliestdragonflies hada wingspan of18 inches.
DID YOU KNOW?
Dragonflies of the Wandle
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Wandle Map
Mu
teS
wans
Common Reed
View
fromcausewaythe Tham
esWandle meets
Upstreamview with
TuftedDucks
Cormorants at Wandle Estuary
Many years agothe Wandle was sodirty that it oncecaught fire.
DID YOU KNOW?
Wetland terraces enhance the value ofthe river. River Wandle walls have beenreduced in height to allow high tides toflood the terraces, creating suitableconditions for wetland plant species.
DID YOU KNOW?
WandleValleyWildlife 24/4/07 18:58 Page 8
The Great SpottedWoodpecker is often
heard uttering hisrepetitive pick-pick
call or drummingproclaiming its
territory; usually seenon topmost branch.
Slo
ping
Weir
KingGeorge’sPark Silver Maple
Willow Pollads
Cor
m
oran
t Fishing
Upstream ofKing George’s Park
Silver Maple Leaf
The Wandle was once Britain's hardest working river. Itsshort 13 mile length supported over 49 mills at any one timeand up to 90 individual water wheels lining its banks.
DID YOU KNOW?
Great Spotted W
WandleValleyWildlife 24/4/07 18:58 Page 9
The Green Woodpeckerhas a laughing ‘yaffle’of a call often heardalong the riverbank.Unlike the GreatSpotted Woodpecker,the species rarelydrums. Often feeds onground from anthills.
Green Woodpecker
wetlandha
bita
ts
Lon
g-T
aile
dTit
Woodpecker
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Pollards
SparrowHa
wk
Except for the robin, only male birdssing.
DID YOU KNOW?
Chub
Robin
Nutha
tch
Willow
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Damselflies evolved later than dragonfliesand appear less robust with flutteringhelicopter-like flight. The largest and mostbeautiful species Banded Demoiselle issuper-abundant along the Wandle allsummer. The Large Red Damselfly is thefirst species to emerge in spring. The otherspecies appear from May and fly into latesummer. The Azure and Common BlueDamselflies look very similar.
Banded Demois
elle(Fe
male)
Large red Demoisel
le (Ma
le)
Az
ur
e Dem
oiselle (M
ale) Banded Demoiselle mating
Blue-tailed Demoiselle (Male)
Ba
nd
ed
Dem
oiselle
(Male)
Dragonflies rest with wingsoutspread while Damselflies restwith their wings up together.
DID YOU KNOW?
Damselflies of the Wandle
WandleValleyWildlife 24/4/07 18:58 Page 12
Pa
inted Lady
Brimston
e
Orang
e-Tip
Hol
lyB
lu
e
Speckled
W
ood
Comma
Gre
enVe
ined
White
Red
Adm
iral
The noun’butterfly’comes from thebutter-colouredfly originallycalledBrimstone
DID YOU KNOW?
There are several butterflies which can becommonly found along riverbanks and indamp places. Prominent among them is theOrange Tip, a species of springtime whoselarvae feed on lady’s smock and garlic mustardas do the caterpillars of the Green-VeinedWhite. The Brimstone, our longest livedspecies, is often the first butterfly to be seen inearly spring, laying eggs on buckthorn. RedAdmiral, Small Tortoiseshell, Comma and insome seasons the Painted Lady, lay eggs onstinging nettles. The Holly Blue, chooses hollyand ivy as larval foodplants. The SpeckledWood loves the dappled shade of woodlandmargins and leafy river banks. Eggs are laidamong grasses.
Male
Male
Male
Female
Female
Female
Sm
all
Tortoisell
Butterflies of the Wandle
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Mammals of the Wandle
Tails of the river bank
Famous as 'Ratty' of Wind In the Willows, it is not a ratat all but a Water Vole. Slightly smaller than theBrown Rat, it has a blunt ‘face’, concealed ears andshorter tail, typical of all Vole species. Its diet consistssolely of waterside vegetation. Once common alongthe Wandle, plans are afoot to re-introduce the animalto stretches of the river where habitat is suitable. But,keep a look out... he may be here already!
The Brown Rat has a typical pointed 'rat face',prominent ears and a long tail. Like the Water Volehe is an excellent swimmer, digs burrows and breedsalong the river bank. Regarded as a pest, the rat willeat anything.
The dainty Woodmouse lives in thick cover. BothBank Vole and Field Vole small versions of the WaterVole will be there too, but are very secretive.
W
ater Vole
Bro
wnRat
Woodmouse
The Grey Squirrel is a commonsight among riverside trees. Itcan be destructive, strippingbark and raiding birds' nests.
The Fox can sometimesbe seen loping alongthe river bank,increasingly in daylight.
Fox
Gre
yS
qu
irre
l
Water voles can have four or five litters (each oftwo to five young) during the summer.
DID YOU KNOW?
WandleValleyWildlife 24/4/07 18:59 Page 14
There are also some ‘invasive’ species,such as the Floating Pennywort, whichhave to be regularly removed.
Plants of the Wandle
The Yellow Flag Iriswas chosen by LouisVll as a 'fleur de lys'.
DID YOU KNOW?British native plants thatgrow in their naturalhabitats along the river.Some provide importantshelter and food sourcesfor many of the creaturesin this booklet.
Com
m
onReed
Flo
ati
ng
Penn
ywort
Reed
Mace
Marsh Mari
gold
Yellow Flag
Iris
Floating Pennywort before clean-up
Floating Pennywortafter clean-up
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Species Identification Chart
Tick boxes for the species you have seen. You may spot species which are not listedhere. You can tell us about these or contact us with any questions or commentsabout the booklet at [email protected]
Birds■ Heron■ Little Egret■ Kingfisher■ Mallard■ Mandarin■ Dabchick■ Tufted Duck■ Mute Swan■ Coot■ Moorhen ■ Wren■ Goldcrest■ Pied Wagtail■ Grey Wagtail■ Parakeet■ Cormorant■ Canada Goose■ Blackbird■ Songthrush■ Mistle Thrush■ Long-Tailed Tit■ Bluetit■ Great Tit■ Goldfinch■ Chaffinch■ Greenfinch■ Dunnock■ House Sparrow■ Chiffchaff■ Nuthatch■ Tree Creeper■ Gt Spotted Woodpecker■ Green Woodpecker■ Magpie■ Jay
■ Crow■ Jackdaw■ Woodpigeon■ Kestrel■ Sparrowhawk
Fish■ Trout■ Chub■ Dace■ Carp■ Stickleback
Dragonflies■ Emperor ■ Migrant Hawker■ Southern Hawker■ Brown Hawker■ Commom Darter■ Ruddy Darter■ Black-Tailed Skimmer
Damselflies■ Banded Demoiselle■ Large Red■ Blue Tailed■ Azure■ Common Blue
■ Animals■ Water Vole■ Bank Vole■ Field Vole■ Brown Rat■ Woodmouse■ Fox
Trees and plants■ Willow■ Osier■ Silver Maple■ Common Reed■ Reedmace■ Pennywort
Additional SpeciesSpotted
Text and illustrations copyright ©Tony Drakeford 2006Published May 2007 by Wandle Valley Festival Ltd and Wandle Industrial Museum. ISBN 978-0-9539560-9-8
Text and illustrations copyright ©Tony Drakeford 2006
Published May 2007 by Wandle Valley Festival Ltd and Wandle Industrial Museum
ISBN 978-0-9539560-9-8
Wandle Heritage
WandleValleyWildlife 24/4/07 18:59 Page 16
