Wetland

With 170 acres of open water within the park Rother Valley offers an ideal habitat for the many species of waterfowl such as Teal, Tufted Duck, Wigeon and Greylag Geese. The nature reserve lake is specifically managed to provide as varied a habitat as possible with the margins being planted with Burreed, Yellow Flag Iris and rushes.
          
This marshy area is ideal for species such as Herons which can often be seen here, feeding on frogs toads and fish. The beds of vegetation provide protection of the banks from erosion, trap sediment in runoff from the land and create an ideal spawning ground for fish ensuring a healthy stock of course species.

The reserve lake contains one large island and several much smaller shingle banks which provide an ideal nesting site for many of the birds. Here, protected from interference by foxes, dogs and humans, species such as Ringed Plover, Redshank, Tufted Duck, Great-crested Grebe, Snipe, Skylark, Lapwing, Mallard, Coot, Moorhen, Mute Swan and Greylag Goose raise their young.

By careful control of the level of water within the nature reserve lake its attractiveness to wildlife can be optimised. For instance during the autumn migration period, dropping the water level reveals large areas of mudbank. This mud contains high quantities of invertebrate animals on which many migrating birds feed, thus attracting birds to pause and feed during their long trek south. In a similar manner a high level in the spring breeding season ensures the small shingle islands are surrounded by water and safe from the many foxes that live in and around the nature reserve.