Backwell Lake where the wild things live...

Work by Wessex Water at Backwell Lake is in the final stages.
The new accessible viewing platform on the south western edge of the lake near the car park is nearly finished as is the upgrading of the path round the lake.
Shiny black benches and passing points are in so just the car park improvements to complete.
The idea is to make the area more visitor friendly especially for people with disabilities.
Backwell Lake which feeds into the River Kenn was created in the mid-1970s as an urban drainage system to control flooding.
This is still its primary purpose however the area has evolved into an important site for wildlife and recreation.  
Designated as a County Wildlife Site (CWS) and a Local Nature Reserve (LNR) the 20-acre site is surround by marshy grassland, mature trees, and dense scrub.
It is home to several protected species including bats, greater crested newts, otters, barn owls, swans, ducks and breeding birds although no badgers have been seen lately.
The rare southern marsh orchid grows on its banks.
However, two invasive non-native plants Nutall’s waterweed and Himalayan balsam also grow at Backwell Lake and signs of the American mink have been found in the past.
Previous proposals for Backwell lake have included being surrounded by massive pylons and the building of a dual-carriageway motorway link on stilts running through it.
Backwell Lake was created in the 1970s by developers building new housing estates in Nailsea to drain water from the land and to avert flooding.
The Backwell lake ground is owned by Wessex.
It was designated as a Nature Reserve in 1990 and is an outstanding area for dragonflies and for foraging bats, including the protected Greater Horseshoe bats.
The path around the lake was completed in the summer of 2015 thanks to Backwell Access Group (BAG).
In April 2019 there were calls for new safety measures to stop swans flying into overhead power lines which straddle the far end of the site.
Western Power is of the view that because trees and greenery were cut down last year the swans now have no natural background and can't see the 33,000 volt power lines which supply electricity to around 18,000 homes and businesses including Bristol Airport.
There were long term, controversial proposals to skirt the lake with huge pylons to link the Hinkley nuclear power plant to Avonmouth as highway engineers wanted to build a dual carriageway linking the A370 to the M5. 
In January 2018 more than 600 people joined hands around Backwell lake to protest at the proposal to build a four-lane motorway with metro bus links on the beautiful rural space between Nailsea and Backwell. 
On a bitterly cold but sunny Sunday afternoon, January 7, they linked hands and long scarfs on the footpath surrounding the lake which separates the two communities.
It was squelchy mud underfoot and winter coats and earmuffs were the preferred order of the day which took on a friendly outdoor party atmosphere. 
However, there was also an underlining mood of seriousness and urgency with a three day left deadline to get comments to planners but mostly it was a show of solidary by country lovers of all ages and their pets against the new road and massive housing plans for the area. 
Those who stood together cheered, did the Mexican wave and some even did the hokey cokey although the real threat to the flora and fauna including rare birds, otters and bats of the lake lands were not far from their minds - thanks go to Backwell Resistance for organising the event.

There are many slideshows from Backwell lake in our photo galleries.

• On the downside we found an overflowing bin and an abandoned bike at the lake grounds.