Though man has adapted the river to his own use it has not impacted the ability of the Lower Bann to be an invaluable source of life to a wide variety of species including cormorants, crows, grey herons, swans, spotted redshanks, mallard ducks, eels, salmon and pike.  These and many more beside can be spotted along the entire length of the river and while there are higher concentrations around designated conservation areas it is not unusual to see a grey heron fly overhead while walking through Coleraine town centre.