The water meadows that lie on both
sides of most of the river length have fallen into disrepair, but are
probably still the second most important "environmental habitat"
in the parish, after the river itself. You can easily see the remains
of the drainage ditches and some brick/stone sluice gate constructions
throughout the area.
The grasses and wild flowers that grow in the ditches are usually different
from the immediately surrounding grasses and flowers - mostly because
the ditches continue to be wetter than the other areas. Even outside of
the ditches, there are distinct areas where the grass type is clearly
different to other areas - sometimes in a small dip that frequently floods
in winter. In general the water meadows are fairly rich in a variety of
grasses and flowers, but not exceptionally so. The riverbanks are by far
the richest and most interesting parts of the meadows including species
like Ragged Robin, which is an indicator species of ancient meadow. Many
of the edges of the meadows have blackberry brambles growing freely, providing
a substantial free lunch to birds and humans alike in the autumn (isn't
it wonderful how apples and blackberries ripen at the same time - all
we need to find now is the "crumble bush"!).
Pheasant (and to a slightly lesser extent, Partridge) are becoming a very
significant presence in the water meadows, as elsewhere; and the Canada
Geese are now very numerous (our "resident" flock numbered about
150 - 200 individuals in 2004). Snipe are occasionally disturbed in the
grassy areas away from the main river, but close to the tributaries -
readily identifiable by their zigzag flight away from danger (effective
against birds of prey, but perversely a disadvantage against the "hunting
n shooting" fraternity, who find the Snipe a great challenge to hit,
and thus a much prized kill). Cormorants are occasionally seen in winter,
fishing the river and the tributaries. Herons are fairly frequent visitors,
and we have a regular Little Egret visitor. Redshanks were apparently
frequently to be found nesting here, but have now virtually disappeared.