Nature Watch, with Ron Freethy

LAST week I enjoyed a visit to an East Lancashire woodland.

This set me thinking about how our wildlife has adapted to life in towns and cities.

Where street lights overlook a stretch of road crossing a bridge over a river, cormorants never miss the chance to perch on the lamp (pictured).

There they seem to lurk and await sightings of fish.

I must admit that I am more of a naturalist than an angler but I do have a lot of sympathy with fishermen when I realise how much damage this species can do.

I hope that the increasing population of cormorants slows down of its own accord but there is no doubt that they are becoming a serious problem,

In East Lancashire towns the presence of old mill lodges has ben a boon for wildlife.

The great crested newt, for example, is almost extinct in some areas but Lancashire's ponds often have good populations. Some of these old mill lodges now form part of nature reserves and this is the case with the Oswaldtwistle Mills complex.

It is fascinating to see Canada geese, tufted ducks and other wildfowl perching on and around islands and alongside colourful garden gnomes. Canals, including our own underrated stretch of the Leeds to Liverpool, have been accurately described as green fingers of countryside pushing into towns.

As our Spy section constantly reminds us, the canal plays host to kingfishers right in the heart of our towns.

In the Castlefields area of central Manchester a combination of colourful boats and birds will delight those with the patience to wait and watch.

In the last few years efforts have been made to celebrate the fact that this area was once the hub of a Roman settlement around Manchester - the place with a fort.

The water quality is now good enough to support invertebrates.

These form the basis of a food chain which supports fish and birds.

As we head off into the 21st century the lesson becomes clear,

Wildlife can live with towns, cities and industry.

Nature does, however, need a helping hand from all of us.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.