The Market Weighton Canal Trail Habitat...

The Marsh Harrier, the largest of the harriers, has a wingspan of 115-130cm. Its distinct features include a long tail, light 'V' shaped flight, and larger size. Females, with creamy heads, are bigger than males. They hunt small birds and mammals. Classified as amber listed and with only around 400 breeding pairs in the UK, the Marsh Harrier is a rare bird. They can be seen throughout the year in reedbeds, marshes, and wetland-adjacent farmland.

The European otter is a skilled swimmer that preys on fish in wetlands, rivers and coastal areas. They breed in underground burrows called 'holts', and have a lifespan of 5-10 years. These mammals weigh 6-8kg, grow up to 80cm in length and have webbed feet, dense fur and the ability to close their ears and nose underwater. Although shy and rare, you can spot otters by looking for their distinctive footprints (6-7cm long) and spraints along riverbanks and waterways. Spraints are used as 'scented messages' to find mates and defend territories, and have a pleasant smell similar to jasmine tea and contain visible fish bones.

The Large Red Damselfly is a common and aggressive species in the UK. Males have a bright red abdomen with dark markings and are seen from late March. Mating involves a distinctive shape called a mating wheel, and eggs are laid on suitable plants below the surface.

The bittern is a robust heron with pale buffy-brown plumage adorned with dark streaks and bars. It has broad, rounded wings for flying. This elusive bird is skilled at navigating through reeds along the water's edge, searching for fish, amphibians, and insects. Its distinctive booming call, audible from over a kilometer away, has unique variations that help scientists identify individual male birds.

The Golden-bloomed Grey Longhorn is a large and distinctive longhorn beetle with a golden iridescent bloom on its elytra and thorax, and distinctive antennae with dark and light bands. It can be found mainly in moist meadows and hedgerows, and feeds on umbellifers like Hogweed and Cow Parsley, as well as nettles.

Cetti's Warbler is a small bird that lives in damp areas near wetlands, and feeds on insects close to the ground. Despite being difficult to see, they make themselves known with loud bursts of song. Unique among British birds for having only ten tail feathers and laying bright red eggs, they grow to a length of 14cm with a wingspan of around 17cm.

The eel is a long fish that can grow over a meter in length. It lacks scales and gills, appearing smooth. It inhabits rivers, but migrates to the Sargasso Sea in the western Atlantic Ocean for breeding. Young eels, called "Elvers," return to freshwater rivers. Eels are predators and scavengers, consuming dead animals, fish eggs, invertebrates, and other fish. They can survive outside of water for some time and may crawl through wet grass to reach water.

The Migrant Hawker dragonfly is a common medium-sized hawker that flies from July to October, and sometimes until November in warm years. They hunt in gardens, grasslands, and woodlands far from breeding ponds. Hawkers are the fastest and largest flying dragonflies, catching prey mid-air and even hovering or flying backwards.

The Whooper Swan is a large white waterbird, similar to Bewick's swan but bigger at 140-165cm (55-65 in) in length and 205-275cm (81-108 in) in wingspan. Its black bill has a large yellow patch. Rarely breeding in the UK, it's more commonly found here in winter after migrating from Iceland.

The red fox is a striking animal, known for its cunning and stealth. With its distinctive orangey-red fur and bushy tail, it can be spotted both in towns and the countryside. Although they are primarily nocturnal, if you're lucky, you might catch a glimpse of them during the day.

Swifts soar high in the sky, only landing to nest. They fly in groups and are easily identifiable as they resemble whirling arrows. They usually nest on old building roofs, but they were known to nest on trees or cliffs before. Swifts travel to Britain from Africa every year between April and May for nesting.

In late spring, the sleek slate-grey hobby falcon returns from sub-Saharan Africa. Sporting a black moustache, white cheeks, streaky underparts, and red 'pyjamas', its main objective is to hunt for food. The hobby preys on damselflies and dragonflies found in lakes, gravel pits, and reedbeds.

Buzzards were once only found in the north and west due to population declines. However, they have been thriving in the last couple of decades and can now be found throughout the UK. They emit a distinctive 'kee-yaaa' call while soaring in circles above grasslands, farmlands, and woodlands.

A starling-sized bird, the waxwing is one of the UK's most exotic-looking birds, with a large, orangey-pink crest. It does not breed in the UK, but is a winter visitor from Northern Europe and can be spotted in flocks on bushes full of berries.

The emperor dragonfly is a large and impressive species that flies from June to August. It is found near water sources such as ponds, lakes, canals, and ditches. Females lay eggs in floating pondweed. They search for prey like butterflies and dragonflies, catching them mid-air and sometimes eating them while flying.

Water voles are the UK's largest vole species and resemble brown rats. They create burrows in steep grassy banks by rivers, ditches, lakes, ponds, canals, marshland, and uplands. Once found in almost every UK waterway, water voles are now lost in up to 90% of those sites, making sightings rare.