Walthamstow Reservoirs support an incredible diversity and abundance of wildlife – far too many to list here!

Here are a few examples to whet the appetite:

Grey heron - this graceful, dramatic waterbird is one of Walthamstow Reservoirs’ star attractions. As many as 90 pairs breed in huge stick nests in the trees on the reservoir islands - by far the biggest colony in the London area, and one of the biggest in the UK!

Tufted duck - this small, charming diving duck is a familiar sight on suitable water bodies, but Walthamstow Reservoirs provide the perfect place for many thousands to moult after the breeding season - making the site of international importance for this species.

Little egret - not so long ago a real rarity in the UK, these small, white, ghostly-looking herons have steadily colonised southern England, and the reservoirs are the only place where they breed in the London area.

Cormorant - in years gone by the cormorant was a coastal species in the UK almost exclusively, but colonisers from the continent began to use the islands on Walthamstow Reservoirs as breeding sites several decades ago. Now up to 400 pairs of these iconic, prehistoric-looking expert fish-catchers grace the reservoirs.

Kingfisher - often only seen as an electric blue flash disappearing along the river, several pairs of kingfisher have bred at the reservoirs in recent years - and with a bit of assistance in the habitat department, there's room here for more.

Common tern - also known as 'sea-swallows' because of their graceful flight and long-distance migration, a colony of common terns has set up residence on a specially provided raft at Walthamstow Reservoirs.

Potential new settlers

With a little help, many more species are likely to colonise the reservoirs. Peregrines are regular visitors, often seen in pairs, and with the Thames population reaching near saturation point, they are on the lookout for suitable nest sites. Water voles live within just a few metres of the reservoirs, and with suitable habitat management could well be encouraged to colonise the site.

Sand martins, beautiful relatives of swallows, arrive back from Africa every spring, but need sand-banks in which to excavate their nest-holes. Building artificial sand martin banks at the reservoirs would help to attract breeding sand martins to the site - they are easy to make and have been very successful elsewhere.