An Aire Valley waterway has been revealed as a thriving wildlife haven, thanks to eagle-eyed barge-drivers and walkers.
A survey by British Waterways has shown that the Leeds Liverpool Canal embraces a surprising variety of different creatures, including badgers, bats, deer and even otter.
Experts were heartened by the survey, compiled from sightings by canal boaters and towpath users, showing that the stretch between Shipley and the Bingley area contains an abundance of wildlife.
British Waterways' Jonathan Hart-Wood said he was surprised and thrilled at the variety of wildlife in the survey. "The white-letter hairstreak butterfly has been seen along the towpath, which according to records is the seventh rarest type of butterfly in Yorkshire We know it is laying its eggs, which is very encouraging," he said.
Mr Hart-Wood, British Waterways' regional environment and heritage manager, revealed that an otter, a very rare species in Yorkshire since the 1960s, had been spotted at Shipley.
"Like the one seen in Leeds at the Dark Arches it was probably passing through, but it is a good indication of the improvement in water quality."
The survey, drawn up with the help of the hundreds of visitors to Leeds Liverpool Canal, also revealed a surprisingly large number of sightings of badgers and their sets.
"The badger population is the best it's been for two to three hundred years in the UK, so the sightings here tie in. We have identified some well-established sets, but of course we would not wish to identify their exact whereabouts." Mr Hart-Wood said the canal was also home to some less-welcome species, which were threatening native wildlife.
"We are seeing the American red claw crayfish, which is a major threat to our native white claw variety.
"The red claw carries a disease dangerous to our native species. It is an increasing threat. The crayfish are likely to have escaped into the waterway from restaurants which kept them caged in rivers."
Sightings of mink are also on the up.
British Waterways will use the information from the survey to help manage and protect wildlife. It will be incorporated into the national species database, which records biodiversity on inland waterways.
