[5] The loop was removed in 1830–31 by creating the Portrack Cut through the marshes, leaving an artificial oxbow lake, shortening the river and making it more navigable.

[2] Birds observed to have visited or bred here include blackcap, black-tailed godwit, bullfinch, canada goose, chiffchaff, common sandpiper, common snipe, common tern, coot, dunlin, gadwall, goldeneye, grasshopper warbler, great white egret, green sandpiper, greenshank, grey wagtail, jack snipe, kingfisher, knot, lapwing, lesser redpoll, little grebe, little ringed plover, long-eared owl, mallard, moorhen, mute swan, osprey, pochard, redshank, ringed plover, ruff, scaup, sedge warbler, short-eared owl, shoveler, reed warbler, siskin, European stonechat, Eurasian teal, tufted duck, turnstone, northern wheatear, whinchat, whitethroat, wigeon, willow warbler and wood sandpiper.

[2] Locally rare species have also visited, such as bluethroat, penduline tit, corncrake, pectoral sandpiper, ring-billed gull and spotted crake.

[10] Insects to be found include butterflies (common blue, dingy skipper, grayling) and dragonflies (broad-bodied chaser, lesser emperor).

[12] As for mammals, urban foxes have been seen in the area[9] and the harvest mouse was introduced to the site in a schools project along with nesting boxes but the success of the introduction is uncertain.