Coney Meadow reed bed on the Droitwich Canals is home to a wide range of wildlife. From reed warblers to cuckoos, frogs and otters, you'll see many different species on a walk around the area.
We're offering you the chance to join Dr Mark Robinson, one of our national ecologists, for a guided two kilometre walk on Wednesday 1 May. The walk will take about an hour and Mark will help you identify the wildlife you discover along the way.
The Droitwich Canals, which offer a 27-mile cruising ring through Worcester and Droitwich, were originally used throughout the nineteenth and early twentieth century to facilitate the salt trade. However, in the 1930s they were abandoned.
Local volunteers
Thanks to the work of local volunteers and organisations, millions of pounds of funding has been raised over the last four decades to restore the canals for wetland habitat and boats.
Mark says: “Despite being only four years old the reed bed has matured very nicely and we are seeing a huge variety of wildlife set up home there, including some rare and important species. There's plenty to see on the walk and if we're lucky we might spot some of the rarer species that have been reported in the area, like water rail or kingfishers.
“The restoration of the Droitwich Canals is a great example of what can be achieved if you band together and take action. The waterway lay derelict for decades before the sheer hard work and dedication of hundreds of people transformed it into the haven it is today. Nowhere demonstrates this success more than Coney Meadow and I'd encourage people to come along and find out about the nature that's on their doorstep.”
Free walk
The walk is free and will take approximately an hour. It'll start at 10.30am at Salwarpe Church Bridge, on Copcut Lane, and is suitable for all people, with the terrain being rural path and roughish grassland.
If you want to join in please email [email protected].
