The River Cut runs northwards through the parish of Binfield on its way to join the River Thames. Over the years it has faced many indignities including being re-routed in several places and even being buried as it passes under Priestwood. Indignities continue today with frequent pollution incidents including domestic and industrial chemicals being tipped into the river, nitrate and phosphate run-off from farmland, and raw sewage entering the river during high rainfall.
At the time of writing the stretch of river downstream of Jocks Lane is effectively ecologically dead with only a slimy brown sludge growing on the river bed. Further down-stream the river seems healthier. However, according to local fishermen there are plenty of fish even in the Jocks Lane section, a view shared by at least one heron. A couple of years ago, a large but sickly brown trout was seen at Westley Mill, but the sticklebacks that one person remembers catching as a youngster are almost certainly gone.
Earlier this year we had a reasonably plausible sighting of an otter in one of the Cut’s tributaries. There are definitely mink in that section of the river, and the presence of otters or mink indicates that that tributary is healthy enough to have the prey they need.
Kingfishers are seen and heard on the Cut and its tributaries. One of our members has even been lucky enough to see one sitting on the railing at Pitts Bridge. We are fairly sure that kingfishers nested on one of the ponds in the Blue Mountain green-space last year although they don’t appear to have used the same site this year. The pond at Binfield Manor is visited by little egrets, little grebes and the occasional cormorant. All of these birds indicate that there is a good population of fish in that part of the river.
The River Cut is an important wildlife corridor through a largely man-made landscape. We know that some rarer species of bats feed and travel along the Cut, although numbers of these bats seem to have declined. It also seems likely that some species of birds use The Cut as a guide to find their way around. In the wilder sections of the river there are signs that the river banks are used as a safe route by mammals, probably foxes.
At the moment, Himalayan balsam is in bloom. Himalayan Balsam is on Defra’s Invasive Plants list which makes it illegal to propagate or wilfully spread the plant. If it is already growing on your land then you are only advised, not obliged, to attempt to remove it. The main concerns about Himalayan Balsam are that it can clog up waterways leading to flooding and shade out other plants leading to erosion.
Himalayan Balsam is a late-flowering plant and hence is becoming an important nectar source for those insects that can exploit it, for example some species of bumble bee. It provides shade along our waterways which is good for insects and fish. The plant is mostly water and decays quickly once the growing season finishes. While growing and decaying it traps silt helping to clean the river. Around the bridge by the football club, the balsam has created areas of silt which are now being colonised by reeds. This could be part of a cyclical process as these reeds, and the sediment in which they are growing will eventually be washed away by winter floods.
The countryside team at Bracknell Forest Council run balsam-pulling events in late spring / early summer and are currently planning a project to tackle the Himalayan Balsam in the River Cut in a more coordinated way. There will be opportunities for volunteers.
Nationally, a rust fungus has been released in several sites in the UK which seems to have some success in restricting the plant.
You could do your own bit by eating the plant! The flowers, seeds and young leaves are edible and there are a range of recipes on foraging websites if you fancy trying them.
A couple of lovely people look after sections of the river in Binfield Parish, clearing rubbish and fallen trees, unblocking culverts etc. If you are interested in joining them by leading community work on the River Cut in our area, then the Thames21 partnership are running a Leading Action for Healthy Rivers training course on Wednesday 23rd and Thursday 24th August at Westmorland Park, Warfield. There is more information on the course here - https://www.thames21.org.uk/education/leading-action-for-healthy-rivers-our-flagship-course/. To book please contact Edwin Quast, theThames21 Training Officer (M: 07739 627 665, E:edwin.quast@thames21.org.uk).
There is a useful set of resources on what you can do to help your local wetlands, including rivers, here - https://www.wwt.org.uk/news-and-stories/blog/how-wetlands-help-keep-rivers-clean-and-how-you-can-too
I am intrigued by the history of the river. Why don't the old maps show a stream running where Jubilee Way is now? Was the fish-pond by Pitts Bridge part of Binfield Manor, and what happened to it? When was the bridge by the football club built and why was a "Dutch Bridge" chosen to replace the ford? If anyone wants to research and write about this, I would be happy to publish a blog.