Blagdon Lake attracts large numbers of birds throughout the year. Highest numbers are present in winter when colourful ducks from northern Europe fly in to escape harsh weather. Bewick swans and wigeon duck come from as far away as arctic Russia. Spring sees the martins and swallows arrive to swoop over the water catching insects and is also when you may be lucky and see a pair of great crested grebes performing their elaborate “copy cat” dance to celebrate their marriage. In summer the broods of ducks, swans and coots grow fast on the plentiful weed in the lake and in the autumn a variety of wading birds come to dig their long bills into the soft mud at the waters edge to feed on worms and small snails.

Grass on the meadows around the lake and at the pumping station is allowed to grow long before being cut for hay late in the summer. This management, and the fact that no fertiliser is used, encourages a glorious succession of wild flowers to flourish. Green winged orchids, seen in April and May, are the first to show, followed by dark purple southern marsh orchids which grow at the Ubley end of the lake. Later in the summer the meadows are full of shocking pink knapweeds, white ox-eye daisies and pink devils bit scabious and these pretty flowers attract a rich array of butterflies and damselflies. The medium sized ruddy darter ( as red as the name implies) is a real Blagdon speciality but is quite a rare dragonfly elsewhere.

Bristol Water is careful to preserve and enhance the wildlife. Bird nest boxes help tits, owls- both tawny and barn- and kestrels to breed and bat boxes provide daytime shelter and sometimes breeding roosts for a number of species. Mammals are common with roe deer, badger, fox and field voles breeding at the pumping station and lake and even otters have returned after an absence of 35 years. Many of the old pine trees at the pumping station were blown down in the storms of 1987 and new native trees were planted to replace them. Now the oak, ash, field maple, wild cherry and hazel trees are growing strongly to form a young wood which attracts small birds and mammals. We preserved some old trees and have made log piles from the fallen or cut timber as these provide food for fungi and beetle larvae, which in turn are eaten by birds and badgers.

Human recreation at the lake is provided in the form of world famous trout fishing and excellent bird watching. Because we need to protect the lake, both as a source of drinking water and as a designated wildlife refuge, access to some parts is restricted. However, people can buy permits to fish or go bird watching and these are sold at the fishing lodge.