179
THE BIRDS OF THE LEA VALLEY
RESERVOIRS.
(Being a Presidential Address delivered to the Club on 24th March,
1934.)
By WILLIAM E. GLEGG, F.Z.S., M.B.O.U.
(With Two Plates.)
THE Lea Valley Reservoirs form by far the most important
area of fresh water in the county of Essex, and the main
purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the influence these
large sheets of water have had on the avifauna of the County.
So far as I am aware, no list of the birds which could be
described as being representative has yet been prepared, and
without such a list it is impossible to form an accurate estimate
of the significance of these large inland lakes in relation to the
total bird-life of the County. It must not be forgotten that
the reservoirs owe their position to one of the most important
natural features of Essex, certainly the most important river.
Let us consider the position, extent and features of the
sheets of water, the birds of which provide us with our subject.
They stretch along the valley from Walthamstow to Enfield
Wash, a distance of six-and-a-half miles. They follow closely
the course of the river and in some instances have been con-
structed over some of its older channels. Altogether there
are thirteen distinct reservoirs, which cover no less than 9041/2
acres. From the figures which follow, it will be seen that the
smallest, No. 3, covers a modest twelve acres, whilst the largest,
the King George, claims 4251/2, nearly half of the total acreage.
[1]* No. 1 (19 acres, depth 10 ft.), [2] No. 2 (13 acres, depth 10 ft.),
[3] No. 3 (12 acres, depth 10 ft.), [4] No. 4 (30 acres, depth 19 ft.),
[5] No. 5 (41 acres, depth 19 ft.) were constructed under the Act
of 1853; the [9] High and [10] Low Maynards (38 acres, depth
19 ft., and 25 acres, depth 10 ft., respectively) and the [6] Race-
course (59 acres, depth 19 ft.) under the Act of 1867; the [8]
East and [7] West Warwicks (43 acres, depth 19 ft., and 34 acres,
depth 19 ft. respectively) and the enlargement of Racecourse
under the Act of 1895; the [12] Banbury and [11] Lockwood
(91 acres, depth 28 ft., and 74 acres, depth 34 ft., respectively)
* The numbers in brackets correspond with the numbers of the Reservoirs given on the
Date.
M