River wildlife and habitats

Malcolm Brown

Shropshire Rivers Hub

Wildlife and habitats

Shropshire is criss-crossed with ribbons of beautiful rivers, brooks and streams, dotted with ponds, and blessed with a unique wetland network in the north of the county, made up of meres and lowland peat bogs, with the Shropshire Union Canal passing through. These habitats are home to an array of wildlife such as fish, kingfishers, otters, dragonflies, demoiselles, sand martins and dippers.

Read about some of these species and habitats below:

Habitats

Habitat

Wetlands

Healthy wetlands store carbon and slow the flow of water, cleaning it naturally and reducing flood risk downstream. They support an…

Habitat

Ponds

Whether found in a garden or part of an agricultural landscape, ponds are oases of wildlife worth investigating. Even small ponds can…

Habitat

Rivers

From otters to freshwater shrimps, all animals are dependant on an abundant and reliable supply of clean water. Rivers sustain the…

Marches Mosses BogLIFE project

We are working to restore 665 hectares of peatbog in North Shropshire. These are one of the rarest habitats on earth - vital for carbon…

Ponds and wildlife

A wildlife pond is one of the single best features for attracting new wildlife to the garden. We receive many enquiries about ponds and…

River life

River mammals

Few species are truly comfortable with the water, here is an introduction to 6 of them.

Freshwater fish

There are three types of fish, saltwater, freshwater and those that can tolerate both states.

Aquatic plants

There are a variety of aquatic plant communities found in habitats associated with water. Read about them here.

Invertebrates, crustaceans and microscopic creatures

Peep closely at the water surface to discover a world of weird and wonderful small creatures! Read about them here.

River Health Checker App

Our River Health Checker App is recording your wildlife sightings at watercourses across Shropshire. To find out how to download the app and to see what sightings have already been submitted:

Click here

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Wildlife and habitats