Stocker's Lake is an old flooded gravel pit of approx 90 acres (37.5ha) at Rickmansworth, Hertfordshire, England, within the Colne Valley Regional Park [1] which is designated as a Local Nature Reserve. [2] [3]
The lake is owned by Affinity Water and managed by the Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust [4] assisted by the Friends of Stocker's Lake. [5]
The lake has a number of small islands and is surrounded by mixed woodland, alder carr and willow scrub. It is almost adjacent to Springwell Lake reedbeds.
Situated on the North-South Flyway of the Colne Valley, the reserve is especially attractive to birds both in spring, when many migratory passerines pass through, and in winter, when the lake is full of waterfowl. Common terns nest on specially constructed rafts moored on the lake, and the heronry is the largest in Hertfordshire. Over 60 species of birds are recorded to breed. [6]
The reserve (at TQ042933 ) is accessible at all times. Entrance to the reserve is via Rickmansworth Aquadrome, where there is car parking. Alternative parking is possible along Springwell Lane.
Cassiobury Park is the principal public park in Watford, Hertfordshire, in England. It was created in 1909 from the purchase by Watford Borough Council of part of the estate of the Earls of Essex around Cassiobury House which was subsequently demolished in 1927. It comprises over 190 acres (77 ha) and extends from the A412 Rickmansworth Road in the east to the Grand Union Canal in the west, and lies to the south of the Watford suburb of Cassiobury, which was also created from the estate. The western part is a 62-acre (25.1 ha) Local Nature Reserve managed by the Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust. The park hosts the free, weekly timed parkrun 5 km event every Saturday morning at 9 am, starting on the field near the Shepherds Road entrance to the park, and finishing by the bandstand.
Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust manages over 40 nature reserves covering nearly 810 hectares north of London, in Hertfordshire and the historic county of Middlesex, part of which is divided between the London boroughs of Barnet, Enfield, Harrow and Hillingdon. It has over 21,000 members, and is one of 46 Wildlife Trusts across the UK. It is a Registered Charity, with its Registered Office in St Albans, and had an income in the year to 31 March 2014 of over £1.5 million.
Rye Meads is a 58.5-hectare (145-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in Rye House, Hoddesdon, Hertfordshire. It is one of series of wetlands and reservoirs situated along the River Lea, to the north-east of London. It is part of the Lea Valley Ramsar site and a Special Protection Area.
The Colne Valley Regional Park is 43 square miles (110 km2) of parks, green spaces and reservoirs alongside the often multi-channel River Colne and parallel Grand Union Canal, mainly in Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire, with parts in the London Borough of Hillingdon, Berkshire and a small area in Surrey.
Old Park Wood is a 16.7-hectare (41-acre) Site of Special Scientific Interest in Harefield in the London Borough of Hillingdon. The south-east part is an 8-hectare (20-acre) nature reserve owned and managed by the Hertfordshire and Middlesex Wildlife Trust.
Frays Farm Meadows is a 28.2-hectare (70-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest near Denham in the London Borough of Hillingdon. It was notified as an SSSI in 1981, and has been managed by the London Wildlife Trust on behalf of Hillingdon Council since 1999. It is part of the Colne Valley Regional Park.
Mid Colne Valley is a 132 hectare biological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Harefield in the London Borough of Hillingdon and Denham in South Buckinghamshire. Its main importance lies in its extensive diversity of birdlife in lakes in former gravel pits.
Amwell Quarry or Amwell Nature Reserve is a 37 hectare biological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Great Amwell in Hertfordshire. The planning authority is East Hertfordshire District Council. It is also part of the Lee Valley Ramsar Site and Special Protection Area, and is owned and managed by the Hertfordshire and Middlesex Wildlife Trust.
Waterford Heath is a 35.2 hectare Local Nature Reserve in Waterford in Hertfordshire, England. It is owned by Lafarge Tarmac and managed by the Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust together with East Hertfordshire District Council and Lafarge.
Oughtonhead Common is a 17.4 hectare Local Nature Reserve in the Westmill district of Hitchin, Hertfordshire. It is owned and managed by North Hertfordshire District Council. and home to the Oughtonhead Common nature reserve.
Rickmansworth Aquadrome is a 41 hectares public park and Local Nature Reserve in Rickmansworth in Hertfordshire. It is owned and managed by Three Rivers District Council.
Hertford Heath nature reserve is a 28 hectare biological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Hertford Heath in Hertfordshire. It is managed by the Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust and the local planning authority is East Hertfordshire District Council.
Stanborough Reedmarsh is a 3.3 hectare Local Nature Reserve in Welwyn Garden City in Hertfordshire. It is owned by Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council and managed by the Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust.
Thorley Wash or Thorley Flood Pound is a 17.3-hectare biological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Thorley, south of Bishop's Stortford in Hertfordshire. It was formerly a flood pound for the Stort Navigation, which was decommissioned in 2004 and converted to a more natural state. It was purchased by the Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust from the Environment Agency in 2011.
Broad Colney Lakes is an 11 hectare nature reserve previously managed by Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust in London Colney in Hertfordshire. It has recently been sold to an anonymous buyer but reports in The Herts Advertiser says "the selected buyer has stated that the site will continue to be used for fishing, with the woodland managed for the benefit of wildlife.” It has three lakes, created as a result of gravel extraction in the 1920s. Otters travel through Long Lake on their journeys along the River Colne, which flows through the lake, and great crested grebes nest at the edge. Small Lake is marshy and a breeding area for fish, while North Lake has tufted ducks, coots and mallards.
Marshalls Heath is a hamlet and a 4-hectare (10-acre) Local Nature Reserve in Wheathampstead parish, Hertfordshire, England. The nature reserve is owned by Wheathampstead Parish Council and managed by the council together with the Friends of Marshalls Heath. It was purchased from The Queen's College, Oxford, in 1966.
Hilfield Park Reservoir is a 76.3 ha construction built in 1953 between Bushey and Elstree in Hertfordshire, and owned by Affinity Water. Declared a Local Nature Reserve (LNR) in 1969, it is managed by the Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust (HMWT). It is the oldest LNR in Hertfordshire.
Lemsford Springs is a 4 hectare nature reserve in Lemsford, Hertfordshire, England. It is managed by the Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust, which purchased the site in 1970. Notable for its lagoons, the site is in the Lea valley and its other habitats are meadow, hedgerows, marsh and willow woodland. The spring feeds the nearby River Lea.