Open water - an essential habitat at Walthamstow Reservoirs – and there is plenty of it! Open water areas are great for an amazing variety of ducks, swans, geese, grebes, cormorants, and other wildlife.

Woodland – wilder, wooded areas give plenty of other birds the chance to live, breed, spend the winter or pass through on migration here.

Grassland – the grassy banks and areas around the reservoirs are popular with wheatear, wagtails, pipits and many more ground-dwelling bird species. The grassland habitats at Walthamstow Reservoirs could be improved by creating some wilder areas, such as a wildflower meadow.

Wooded islands – a very special habitat at the reservoirs, the wooded islands provide homes for the multitudes of cormorants and herons that breed here, as well as several duck species and other birds.

Landscaped islands – two of the islands at Walthamstow Reservoirs are already landscaped, and, with a little improvement, these could become a magnet for migrating (and even breeding) waders.

Scrub – several small areas of scrub at the reservoirs provide vital habitat for breeding warblers and many other bird species, which use the site as a pit-stop or wintering 'home-from-home'. Species seen regularly include stonechats and all six British thrush species.

Reedbed – a small area of reedbed already exists at the site, and extending this valuable habitat would encourage more reed warbler, reed bunting, and other bird species associated with reedbed habitat. We might even encourage the elusive bittern to move in!

Rivers and streams – the slow-flowing, clean brooks that run through the site are already popular with kingfishers, and with a little encouragement might support a population of the rare and threatened water vole.