River Kennet

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Although access to our river is restricted, there are beautiful views from the footbridge reached on the short walk through ‘Fairyland’. The river is a chalk stream running shallow, fast and clear over a bed of gravel. This is a trout stream, with speckled wild brown trout which lay their eggs late in the year on channels in the gravel known as redds. They feed on mayflies and caddisflies, the former sometimes appearing as a large ‘hatch’ in spring. The key plants of the river are stream Water-crowfoot, with its needle-like leaves floating in the current, and the broader leaves of water-starwort, both of which shelter the young fish. Look out for grey heron and the pure-white little egret hunting for small fish. Other riverside birds include grey wagtail and kingfisher – you may hear its high-pitched flight call followed by a flash of blue as it passes. Water voles are shyer, and less common, than they used to be, but they can still be seen with a little luck, swimming or feeding on soft grasses by the water. At night Daubenton’s bats, dark above, pale beneath, skims over the water looking for small flying insects. The lake by the road bridge is regularly visited by ospreys on passage in spring and autumn. If you are very lucky indeed you might glimpse an otter, especially towards dusk.