Several families of British bird species live on or near freshwater, often expert divers and swimmers with thick, downy plumage for warmth.

Some freshwater birds live on a primarily fish-based diet, but most ducks and geese eat vegetation, insects and invertebrates found in the water. These families include geese, ducks (diving and dabbling), swans, grebes, rails and herons, and there are several birds with families of their own such as the dipper and kingfisher.

The latter is the most iconic and instantly recognisable British freshwater bird, often just a streak of blue as they whizz past low over the water or hunt fish from riverside perches and hover over the water’s surface. Unfortunately, they kingfisher has have an unfavourable conservation status in Europe, vulnerable to hard winters and loss of habitat caused by pollution and poor watercourse management.

Equally recognisable is the grey heron, tall and majestic with long, yellow bill and legs and black and white feathering. They survive primarily on fish, but have been known to take ducklings and small mammals.

The dipper is a shy, comical bird found in fast-flowing, primarily upland rivers, known for its habit of bobbing up and down perching on rocks. This plump, short-tailed bird has a remarkable ability to walk into and under water in search of insect larvae and freshwater shrimps.

Many species of duck are found in Cumbria, one of the most handsome being the goosander, a diving member of the sawbill family. Their long, serrated bills are used for catching fish in upland rivers, moving to lakes, gravel pits and occasionally sheltered estuaries in winter. Similar in appearance to the red-breasted merganser (more commonly found in coastal areas than on freshwater), tThe goosander has crisp black and white markings.

A most impressive freshwater species, the great-crested grebe is found in lowland lakes, gravel pits and rivers and is instantly recognisable because of its elaborate head plumes. This ornate plumage was responsible for its near extinction in the UK, hunted for its feathers, but the species has now made a good recovery. Great-crested grebes dive to feed on fish but also to escape, preferring this method to flying, and they perform elaborate courtship displays in which they rise up out of the water and shake their heads.

Dubwath Silver Meadows nature reserve near Cockermouth and Bassenthwaite Lake are just two Cumbrian sites particularly rich in freshwater birds.

Wherever you are out and about this autumn, keep an eye out for birds whenever you’re passing freshwater and you may just be rewarded with sights of some of our best-loved, and most beautiful, British birds.