Angling & wildlife

Angling

The Lincolnshire Waterways Partnership ran a three year (2004-07) angling project called REEL. The REEL project installed better access for anglers, including disabled access at a variety of locations. Visit our extensive fishing pages for further information.

Wildlife

Paths beside water make great wildlife corridors and Water Rail Way beside the Witham is no exception, with plenty of bird life to be spotted from the path.

Many owl and bat boxes have been installed along the path. Barn owls moved into one and laid five eggs just eight weeks after the owl box was installed. This is unusual as it can take up to two years for them to take residence.

If birdwatching is your thing, then visit the nature reserve created by the Lincolnshire Waterways Partnership at Fiskerton Fen. On the opposite bank of the River Witham to Water Rail Way, the reserve was created when clay was removed to make new flood defences elsewhere in Lincolnshire.

Clumps of common reed have been planted and it has been designed to attract wading birds including the rare bittern. The nature reserve has its own mooring and its bird hide is modelled on an Iron Age round house complete with reed roof.

At many of the new mooring sites fish refuges have been installed and at Black Sluice Lock there is an eel pass. A sand martin bank has been installed nearby. The Lincolnshire Waterways Partnership is looking to work with the Wildlife Trust on a new nature reserve beside the River Glen.

Lincolnshire has many other opportunities for bird and wildlife watching, to find out more, vist our nature pages.