Kingfisher Country Park

The overall aim of the project was to preserve and care for the River Cole valley. The project was inaugurated in 1985. Funding Both the Birmingham City Council and the Solihull MBC sponsored the project in a joint venture. Charities and organisations that funded the project were: • English Nature • The Environment Agency • Warwickshire Wildlife Trust • Wildlife Trust for Birmingham and the Black Country ==Geography==

The country park has an area of around Flowing through the country park is the River Cole which forms the River Cole Valley. The valley is home to different wildlife habitats and different types of landscape. The area contains a number of artificial lakes surrounded by plants ranging from grassland, wetland and woodland which dates back hundreds of years. Babbs Mill Lake in Kingshurst was dug to be a balancing feature in times of flooding at the river. Shard End Lake was created as a result of an old quarry being filled with water. The area is open to cyclists and walkers who can walk along the river towards other nearby country parks such as Shire Country Park and also walk to other places such as the Grand Union Canal, Coleshill, Kingshurst Brook, Meriden Park and Sheldon Country Park. ==Nature==

Animals seen along the river include herons, kingfishers (note the project name), water voles and mink. In the ponds created in Shard End, many invertebrates have nested as well as many amphibians. Skylarks have been seen around the course grassland and they have bred successfully for a number of years. ==See also==