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THAMES ROAD WETLAND VOLUNTEERS DONATE 568 PERSON-HOURS (living wage rate monetary equivalent £6,498) TO BEXLEY COUNCIL IN LAST SIX MONTHSTwenty two people have volunteered at the various Thames Road Wetland habitat management sessions over the last six months (October-March). These have taken place most Fridays, with Thames21's Michael O'Neill bringing down a van full of equipment once a month, enabling us to get more people into waders and out into the Reed/Reedmace beds for much-needed cutting back in order to maintain areas of open water and floral diversity.
We have now had an electric brushcutter for a year, and this has proved invaluable in getting our small band on top of rampant Reed growth which will otherwise completely dominate and lead to drying out, and also in selective Bramble work.
Whilst four of us have had the luxury of being able to donate a collective 366h 32m onsite, plus 91h 55m of admin time (record-keeping, research, correspondence, planning, reports, managing the site photograph collection, social media work/event promotion) it is important to note that without the combined contribution of the other eighteen people who got involved (109h 30m) 20% of the work would not have got done. So we are always keen to welcome new recruits, whether they can come once, a few times or regularly.
For the past six months, thanks are due to:
Ray, Pamela, Elio, Clare, Ian, Lee, Jim, Ronn, Jonathan, Rachel, Phil, Jonah, Riley, Gavin, Trev and 6 Chinese students from Goldsmith's College.
Taking the National Living Wage rate for the period, Bexley Council, which owns the site, has been the beneficiary of £6,497.92 (568 x £11.44) worth of free labour, although strictly very slightly less, as up to 7 of the volunteers may have been under 21. There is also a considerable amount of experience and expertise involved, which cannot readily be given a financial value.
Total volunteer time is slightly up on the 563h 49m for the seasonally corresponding period of 1/10/23-31/3/24. However, it is significantly higher than for the immediately previous period of 1/4/2024-30/9/2024 when it was 443h 5m. This is a reflection of the greater amount of work done in the winter period to avoid unduly disturbing the wildlfe.
Recent advances include now having a better birder on board, someone doing systematic reptile surveying and a couple of people about to start more regular monitoring of Water Vole occupancy at the site.
Chris Rose. Volunteer Site Manager.
NO MOW MAY COMING UP - WILL BEXLEY COUNCIL PARTICIPATE? LET'S ASK IT TO ....Boost wildlife, sign up for NoMowMay.
For residents:
www.plantlife.org.uk/campaigns/nomowmay/
Local Councils are also urged to sign-up here:
bit.ly/3XAuZGC
They will get advice on what to do. There was a post about this on 'X' on 7/4. Followers might like to join me in copying to Bexley Council and leader Teresa O'Neill, reminding them that it's council policy to protect and ENHANCE biodiversity, and asking them to take part. There may also be versions on other social media platforms that can be used.
With so many gardens covered in paving, we need all the pollinator resources we can get. It isn't helpful that the council 'clear fells' the flowers across acres of open spaces/grass verges all in one go. If it won't stop the incessant mowing, it should at least shift to some kind of rotatational cutting so that there are always some flowers available. It should also dump its policy of driving its mowers over litter, chopping it up into smaller pieces, making it harder/slower to remove and creating soil microplastic pollution.
Plantlife's No Mow May Movement
www.plantlife.org.uk
No Mow May is Plantlife’s annual campaign calling all lawn owners not to mow during May. Let your wildflowers grow this summer.
BEXLEY RSPB SPRING-SUMMER NEWSLETTER AND PROGRAMME OF EVENTS AVAILABLE ONLINE.The two documents are available to be read online, or downloaded separately, at the link below.
The next three local walks are as follows. They are free and non-members are welcome to come as 'taster' sessions, but you must book in adavance as numbers are limited. To book contact Ralph Todd preferably by e-mail on rbtodd@btinternet.com or phone/text on 07838 352393. Please give a contact phone number in case of late changes to arrangements. Please also advise if you have booked and need to cancel as there may be a waiting list.
Thursday 24 April 2025 - Hall Place Gardens and Meadows.
9:30 – 12:00 (Local Walk) – booking essential
Meet in Hall Place car park Bourne Road Bexley DA5 1PQ.
Always a popular walk – with the arrival of spring the first blooms and blossoms should be showing. Kestrel, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Song and Mistle Thrush along with the common tits are resident and active. The River Cray hosts Grey Wagtails, Moorhen and this winter a Water Rail. Common Buzzard and Sparrowhawk are regularly seen.
Toilets and café available.
Leader Nicky Wilson
Saturday 3 May 2025 Joyden’s Wood Dawn Chorus
04.30-06.30 (Local Walk) - booking essential
Meet Summerhouse Drive entrance next to house no.178 – buses B12 and 429 use Squires Way stop. Many of you will have enjoyed Honor’s guided walks around the woods, now is a chance to join her on her personal dawn chorus date and be overwhelmed by the fabulous variety of bird song to be heard.
Leader Honor Wheeler
Friday 9 May 2025 – Braeburn Park LWT reserve Bexley
9.30-12 noon (Local Walk) booking essential
Meet in the secure LWT Car Park Rochester Way adjacent to the Access Solutions site DA1 3QU (full directions will be given in the confirmation email two days before the walk). Opposite Hall Place south this London Wildlife Trust reserve offers much for the bird watcher and possibly there will be some early butterflies as well. Despite its close proximity we’ve only visited on three previous occasions. We’ll make this a gentle walk but there are a couple of fairly steep parts of the reserve. We hope to be accompanied by either the warden or volunteers. No facilities.
Leaders Ralph and Brenda Todd
group.rspb.org.uk/bexley/news-blogs/blog/newsletter-out-now-spring-summer-2025/?fbclid=IwY2xjawJi...
Newsletter out now! (Spring-Summer 2025) - Bexley Local Group
group.rspb.org.uk
Our latest newsletter is now out and available to download. If you have signed up to receive by email it will be sent out shortly. The newsletter includes a full programme of events, as well as severa...
Intro to wildlife recording apps ....Online event, 90 mins, 15th April.
£12.50, but could well be worth the fee.
'Advancements in technology have transformed how we capture wildlife observations. Smartphones now allow anyone to record and submit data in real time. However, with so many apps available, it can be challenging for beginners to choose the right one and fully utilise its features. This session will introduce you to popular wildlife observation apps and guide you through key considerations to help you get started with biological recording.
Learn about:
Popular Wildlife Observation Apps: Explore BirdTrack, iRecord, iNaturalist, and more.
Key Features: Learn about AI tools, mapping capabilities, multimedia options, and activity-based projects.
The Data Journey: Understand where your wildlife data goes and how it’s used.
Species Identification and Validation: Discover how records are verified and validated across different apps.'
www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/using-wildlife-observation-apps-tickets-1124426011469?fbclid=IwY2xjawJhEOt...
Using Wildlife Observation Apps
www.eventbrite.co.uk
Delve into the pros and cons of using various wildlife observation apps for recording wildlife.
BRAEBURN PARK (London Wildlife Trust), CRAYFORD. A large site on the other side of the railway line to Hall Place**Work sessions every Thursday - next one 10th April.
A variety of tasks are undertaken depending on priorities at the time. Path management and targeted habitat work often feature.
Meet 10a.m. at the compound by the industrial estate off the old Rochester Way (see image appended).
The team usually finishes at 3p.m., but you can come and go as you please.
Trained leaders and first aiders will be present. No experience required. Equipment provided. Wear suitable work clothes and sturdy footwear. Tea/coffee and biscuits supplied. Bring any other food and drink you may require.
Contact Simon Hawkins <shawkins@wildlondon.org.uk> in advance for more details / to let him know when you're likely to arrive if not by 10 a.m.
Author Archives: Chris Rose
Cory/Borax fields found to be of regional, possibly national, importance for invertebrates (post outline planning permission …..). Campaigner pressure appears to be paying dividends.
Further wildlife survey work, required by Bexley Council as part of its granting of outline planning permission for the building by Cory of large data centres on open fields next to Crossness Nature Reserve, has revealed them to be of … Continue reading
Posted in Bexley Council, BNEF, Crossness, Crossness Nature Reserve, Demonstration, development threat, Erith Marshes, Uncategorized
Tagged Bexley Council, Bexley Council planning committee, Bexley Natural Environment Forum, Borax, Cory, Cory/Borax fields, Crossness, Friends of Crossness Nature Reserve, invertebrates, open mosaic habitat, planning, Shrill Carder Bee, Thames Gateway
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Bexley ‘Growth Strategy’ claims sustainability but knows no bounds. Suggestions for comments. Deadline (now changed to) Friday 28th July 5p.m.
DEADLINE EXTENDED TO 28th JULY – so you might now be able to read it and comment. You don’t have to say something about every aspect, but just the ones that bother you the most. The more people criticise various … Continue reading
Bexley Council plans by-pass across Crayford Marshes. Proposal buried in 117 page ‘Growth Strategy’. More potential damage to SSSI contender. Relevant to, but not mentioned at railfreight depot planning meeting.
Bexley Council is proposing further major damage to one of the Borough’s best wildlife areas, one that is of London-wide and potentially national importance and has often been mentioned as a potential Site of Special Scientific Interest. Detailed examination of … Continue reading
Dragonfly and damselfly survey events in Bexley – no previous experience needed to get involved!
As part of its Water for Wildlife programme, London Wildlife Trust is surveying a number of sites from July into September 2017 to record Dragonfly and Damselfly species and numbers . No particular prior knowledge is required to join in. … Continue reading
Crossness Nature Reserve – new programme of events announced. Potential new members welcome. Possible first record of Bearded Tit breeding at the site.
Upcoming Crossness Nature Reserve events – enjoy, learn and help manage one of Bexley’s finest wildlife sites. This Saturday afternoon (15th July), there is a Kids Go Wild event on the nature reserve, where your children or grandchildren might like to … Continue reading
Bexley Bird Report for 2016 – 153 species, 13,000 records, 80 contributing observers.
Bexley Wildlife is pleased to be able to publish the latest ‘Bexley Bird Report’ compiled by Ralph Todd, which covers the whole year 2016, as opposed to the previous half-yearly documents. 153 species were seen, 13,000 records were examined and … Continue reading
Posted in Bexley, Bexley Council, Bird watching, Recording
Tagged Bexley Bird Report 2016, Bexley Council, Ralph Todd
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Bexley butterfly species – latest update for first adult sightings of 2017
The latest update from Mike Robinson, listing all butterfly species currently known to be resident or occasional in Bexley, with the dates and locations for when the first adult was seen this year, is available for perusal or download below. … Continue reading
Posted in Bexley, Butterflies
Tagged Bexley butterflies, first butterfly sightings 2017, Marbled White, Mike Robinson
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Odonata survey training event adds Red-eyed Damselfly to Crossness roster
Some ten plus Red-eyed damselfly (Erythromma najas) seen on the Southern Marsh at Crossness by attendees at the June 3rd Dragonfly and Damselfly identification workshop led by London Wildlife Trust’s David Courtneidge, brings the total number of species recorded at … Continue reading
Free training available for Dragonfly and Damselfly survey volunteers
The London Wildlife Trust is offering a free Dragonfly and Damselfly identification and ecology workshop at Thamesmead Football Club /Crossness Nature Reserve on Saturday June 3rd, for anyone willing to do a monthly survey at a site, or join LWT’s … Continue reading
Nature history – Bexley conveniently forgets about previous Skylark policy
Over the last year Bexley Council has approved building on two of the three known Skylark nesting sites in the Borough – the only Skylark breeding habitat on Erith Marshes, and on part of the main breeding site at Crayford … Continue reading