37-403: The River Cole may refer to: River Cole, West Midlands , England, which flows directly through Birmingham River Cole, Wiltshire , England, which flows through Wiltshire and Oxfordshire, where it forms the border [REDACTED] Topics referred to by the same term This disambiguation page lists articles about distinct geographical locations with
74-527: A culvert, but this has been blocked and the line of the race is lost to northward. The spillway from race to river is seen to be still there, and the slots for the removable plank weir can be seen. The riverside walk continues as the John Morris Jones Walkway past the site of Robin Hood Lane ford, across Cotterills Meadow which has been Colebank Playing Field for the last ninety years until it reaches
111-399: A diet mainly of fish, and is strongly territorial. It is endangered in some parts of its range, but is recovering in others. The Eurasian otter is a typical species of the otter subfamily. Brown above and cream below, these long, slender creatures are well-equipped for their aquatic habits. Their bones show osteosclerosis , increasing their density to reduce buoyancy. This otter differs from
148-521: A diverse site with mixed broadleaf woodland containing wet flushes and ditches, a disused millrace and a wetland scrape. Over the past few years there have been reports of Eurasian otter , water vole and water rail in this area. It runs along the River to the Scribers Lane Ford. A leat also carries water to the mill race and former mill pond of Tritterford Mill. It is bridged at Highfield Road by what
185-661: A loss of habitat tend to eventually lose their genetic difference due to inbreeding from small populations. A study conducted in 2001, examined whether or not the populations of Eurasian otters suffered from a lack of genetic variability . In the study, they examined teeth of otter skulls at the Zoological Museum, Copenhagen and the Natural History Museum, Aarhus . The samples were collected between 1883 and 1963 in Denmark ( Funen , Zealand , and Jutland ). The study examined
222-471: A small amount of vegetation. As with various other mustelid species, otters are capable of overpowering and killing prey significantly larger than themselves, and are known to hunt large waterbirds such as adult greylag geese on occasion. Eurasian otters are strongly territorial, living alone for the most part. An individual's territory may vary between about 1 and 40 km (1–25 mi) long, with about 18 km (11 mi) being usual. The length of
259-552: Is 7 to 12 kg (15 to 26 lb), although occasionally a large old male may reach up to 17 kg (37 lb). The record-sized specimen, reported by a reliable source but not verified, weighed over 24 kg (53 lb). The Eurasian otter is the most widely distributed otter species, its range including parts of Asia and northern Africa, as well as being spread across Europe, south to Palestine . Though currently thought to be extinct in Liechtenstein and Switzerland , it
296-717: Is a 25 miles (40 km) river in the English Midlands . It rises on the lower slopes of Forhill , one of the south-western ramparts of the Birmingham Plateau, at Red Hill and flows south before flowing largely north-east across the plateau to enter the River Blythe below Coleshill, near Ladywalk , shortly before the Blythe meets the Tame . This then joins the Trent , whose waters reach
333-589: Is distributed in the Himalayan foothills, southern Western Ghats and the central Indian landscape. The Eurasian otter's diet mainly consists of fish. Fish is its most preferred choice of food in Mediterranean and temperate freshwater habitats. During the winter and in colder environments, it also feeds on amphibians , worms , clams , crustaceans , insects , eggs , birds and sometimes small mammals , including young European beavers . It will also feed on
370-416: Is emerging that they may also be able to smell underwater – possibly in a similar manner to the star-nosed mole . The extinct Japanese otter is sometimes considered a subspecies; recent studies have found it to fall outside the subspecific clades comprising L. lutra , so it has been reclassified as a distinct species, but significant uncertainty remains. The Eurasian otter declined across its range in
407-457: Is now common in Latvia , along the coast of Norway , in the western regions of Spain and Portugal and across Great Britain and Ireland . In Italy , it lives in southern parts of the peninsula. It inhabits unpolluted bodies of fresh water such as lakes, streams, rivers, canals and ponds, as long as the food supply is adequate. In Andalusia , it uses artificial lakes on golf courses. It prefers
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#1732845336878444-714: Is one of the best blackberry picking sections of The Shire Country Park. The river is bridged by the A41, Warwick Road at Greet , there is no documentary evidence for a ford here, and then continues north, passing under the Grand Union Canal and the Chiltern Main Line railway at Hay Mills close to the Ackers trust outdoor pursuits centre. Passing under Hay Mills bridge it crosses the A45, Coventry Road and from here eleven kilometres of
481-621: Is then joined in the vicinity of the aptly named Watery Lane by a northern tributary which rises in Redhill and crosses Kings Norton golf club. The combined river then is bridged by the A435, Alcester Road by the, now closed, Horse and Jockey Public House from where it crosses fields and Fulford Heath golf club to the east of Wythall before passing under an aqueduct for the Stratford-upon-Avon Canal on Peterbrook Road at Major's Green . Skirting to
518-580: The Environment Agency announced that otters had returned to every county in England since vanishing from every county except the West Country and parts of Northern England. Recovery is partly due to a ban on the most harmful pesticides that has been in place across Europe since 1979, partly to improvements in water quality leading to increases in prey populations, and partly to direct legal protection under
555-506: The European otter , Eurasian river otter , European river otter , common otter , and Old World otter , is a semiaquatic mammal native to Eurasia and the Maghreb . The most widely distributed member of the otter subfamily (Lutrinae) of the weasel family (Mustelidae), it is found in the waterways and coasts of Europe, many parts of Asia, and parts of northern Africa. The Eurasian otter has
592-610: The Grade II Listed water mill , Sarehole Mill at Hall Green . The Coldbath Brook, a tributary of the Cole, drives the mill which is now a museum and one of the inspirations for J. R. R. Tolkien 's The Lord of the Rings . The Shire Country Park ranger office is located at Sarehole Mill. Tolkien and his brother spent their childhood in Birmingham with their widowed mother. They first lived in
629-547: The North American river otter by its shorter neck, broader visage, the greater space between the ears and its longer tail. However, the Eurasian otter is the only otter in much of its range, so it is rarely confused for any other animal. Normally, this species is 57 to 95 cm (22.5 to 37.5 in) long, not counting a tail of 35–45 cm (14–17.5 in). The female is shorter than the male. The otter's average body weight
666-522: The North Sea via the Humber Estuary . Its source is very near the main watershed of Midland England: tributaries are few and very short except in the lower reaches, so the Cole is only a small stream. Average gradient of the central reaches is 10 1/2 feet in a mile. There is a fast run-off from the drift covered Keuper marl clay which makes up its catchment area, and heavy rain produces sudden floods; in
703-644: The "Aktion Fischotterschutz" was founded in 1979, which aims to fund habitat protection and expansion. Further, the Hankensbüttler Otter Centre provides protection to the species in captivity. It is listed as endangered in Pakistan, India, Bangladesh , Myanmar and Thailand, and critically endangered in Mongolia . In South Korea , it is listed as a Natural Monument and first-class endangered species. Most species that are victims of population decline or
740-528: The Dingles where towards Brook Lane is Four Arches Bridge. First recorded in 1822, it formerly linked Webb and Old Brook Lanes. The wain ford alongside and the side approached have disappeared. When the North Warwickshire Line was being built between 1906/7, its embankment cut off both Webb Lane and Robin Hood Lane and to avoid the cost of two bridges so close together, a single span was placed centrally and
777-535: The European Union Habitats Directive and national legislation in several European countries. In Hong Kong , it is a protected species under Wild Animals Protection Ordinance Cap 170. It is listed as Near Threatened by the IUCN Red List . In Germany , the Eurasian otter is nearly extinct in the wild, being listed as critically endangered. As part of a protection and conservation effort
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#1732845336878814-454: The absence of replenishing side-streams these subside as quickly as they rise. The Cole is normally shallow, except where weirs maintain an artificial depth. It bears a Celtic name derived from the old British word for hazel. In a charter of AD 972 of Pershore Abbey the river throughout Yardley is 'Colle'. It has since borne several different local names: A southern tributary rises in fields at Hob Hill, its course runs through farm land and
851-505: The assizes rolls of 1275 record that, Roger Fullard wishing to cross the water with his cart at the mill of Greet, by the flooding water, he and his horses were drowned. Babbs Mill Lake was created to balance the effect. Download coordinates as: [REDACTED] Media related to River Cole, West Midlands at Wikimedia Commons Eurasian otter Mustela lutra Linnaeus, 1758 Lutra vulgaris Erxleben , 1777 The Eurasian otter ( Lutra lutra ), also known as
888-527: The gestation period, one to four pups are born, which remain dependent on the mother for about 13 months. The male plays no direct role in parental care, although the territory of a female with her pups is usually entirely within that of the male. Hunting mainly takes place at night, while the day is usually spent in the Eurasian otter's holt (den) – usually a burrow or hollow tree on the riverbank which can sometimes only be entered from underwater. Though long thought to hunt using sight and touch only, evidence
925-587: The hamlet of Sarehole, which Tolkien said were the happiest years of his youth. Sarehole is said to have been the model for The Shire, home to the hobbits. Every year the Tolkien Weekend is held at Sarehole Recreation Ground and Moseley Bog Local Nature Reserve part of the Shire Country Park. 2005 commemorated the 50th anniversary of the release of The Lord of the Rings. Ronald and his brother spent many hours playing around Sarehole Mill and being chased away by
962-474: The lanes diverted to it. Both fords then went out of use. For two decades the Four Arches Bridge continued to be used, but then Cole Valley Road was built up and thenceforward the bridge led nowhere, and it was allowed to fall into ruin until only the arch courses and piers remained. A local campaign succeeded in achieving its handsome restoration. The race to Sarehole Mill formerly went under Brook Lane in
999-590: The miller's son. The Mill features in The Hobbit when Bilbo Baggins runs "as fast as his furry feet could carry him down the lane, past the great Mill, across The Water and then on for a mile or more." In the 1960s Tolkien contributed to a public appeal to restore the mill which had become dilapidated. It is now a museum and is the only surviving water mill in the City's ownership. Continuing to Green Lane ford which, like those at Slade and Scribbers Lane, has been concreted and
1036-861: The open areas of the streams and also lives along the coast in salt water, but requires regular access to fresh water to clean its fur. In Syria , the Eurasian otter was recorded in montane creeks in Latakia and Raqqa Governorates and in the lower Euphrates valley in Deir ez-Zor Governorate . In western Nepal , its presence was documented at elevations of around 1,600 m (5,200 ft) in Barekot river in Jajarkot District and at 1,337 m (4,386 ft) in Tubang river in Eastern Rukum District . In India , it
1073-647: The river and the Cole Valley are protected by the Kingfisher Country Park . The river now skirts south east of Birmingham city centre and, passing under the M6 motorway at Chelmsley Wood , heads north east again towards Coleshill , to which it gave its name. The river has the potential to flood during heavy rain and the Stratford Roads' Greet Mill ford shows how treacherous the river could be after heavy rain as
1110-542: The river channel and a flood-race, were replaced by a two-arched brick bridge with a stone balustrade which allowed tramcars to cross the river and go on to Hall Green. The mill went out of use about 1843, was demolished and forgotten. Between Stratford Road and Formans Road, known in the 14th century as Foulemoreslone and which used the Fole- or Fullford (foul ford) the stretch is known as Blackberry Way, being named after consultation with local residents and highly suitable, as this
1147-482: The same name. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=River_Cole&oldid=1251012324 " Category : Place name disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages River Cole, West Midlands The River Cole
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1184-468: The second half of the 20th century primarily due to pollution from polychlorinated biphenyls and pesticides such as organochlorine . Other threats included habitat loss and hunting, both legal and illegal. Eurasian otter populations are now recovering in many parts of Europe. In the United Kingdom , the number of sites with an otter presence increased by 55% between 1994 and 2002. In August, 2011,
1221-562: The territory depends on the density of food available and the width of the water suitable for hunting (it is shorter on coasts, where the available width is much wider, and longer on narrower rivers). The Eurasian otter uses its feces, called spraints , to mark its territory and prioritize the use of resources to other group members. The territories are only held against members of the same sex, so those of males and females may overlap. Mating takes place in water. Eurasian otters are nonseasonal breeders (males and females will breed at any time of
1258-599: The west of Shirley and passing the site and former mill pond of Bache Mill, it is joined on its eastern bank by the Shirley Brook which forms the boundary between Birmingham and Solihull. Crossing Slade Lane at a ford , the 'slade' is the Cole's black silted boggy valley, it begins a journey through the seven kilometres, between Yardley Wood and Small Heath of the Shire Country Park . Firstly passing through Scribers Lane SINC ( Site of Nature Conservation Interest ),
1295-475: The wooden footbridge is the latest of many, earlier ones have been swept away by sudden torrents. When the meadow below Green Road was opened as part of the riverside walk in the 1960s, the Cole was re-coursed and two weirs topped by step-stones were installed. Next, the river crosses the A3400, Stratford Road, the site of the former 13th-century Greet Mill, whose pool was the ponded river. In 1914 two brick bridges, over
1332-415: The year) and it has been found that their mating season is most likely determined simply by the otters' reproductive maturity and physiological state. Female otters become sexually mature between 18 and 24 months old and the average age of first breeding is found to be 2 + 1 ⁄ 2 years. Gestation for the Eurasian otter is 60–64 days, the litter weighing about 10% of the female body mass. After
1369-400: Was formally Titterford wain bridge built in the early 19th century but now replaced by a new bridge by which Highfield Road sweeps across the river and up the hill to Christ Church. Due to the construction of the mill pool, Chinn Brook had to be diverted far into the Dingles, flowing at a lesser gradient than the river, until it could join the Cole at the same level. The river then flows through
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