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HELP CLEAN UP THE LOWER RIVER CRAY !Join FRIENDS OF THE CRAY AT CRAYFORD on FRIDAY 2nd May
to tackle litter along the banks of the lower Cray,
Meet 10 a.m. at the junction of Footpath 106 and Barnes Cray Road (see graphic below).
The plan is to go downriver along By-way 105 this week before the undergrowth gets too dense.
All welcome, no particular skills needed.
Equipment will be provided. Wear appropriate clothing for being out in the open and avoiding stings from Nettles and scratches from Brambles, and bring something to drink.
Best wishes
Sarah
CROSSNESS LATEST - PROTECTED AREA WILL REMAIN CLOSED OVER EASTER WEEKENDA brief update to advise that the Protected Area will remain closed over the Easter period - really sorry about this. As hard as we've tried, we can't get a new locking mechanism on the gate before next week, so it is currently padlocked shut so as to not leave us vulnerable over Easter.
I am taking advantage of the upcoming bank holidays to squeeze in some annual leave, so you will not get a notification from me about re-opening, however please assume that the Protected Area is likely to be re-opened by the following weekend.
Karen Sutton
Crossness Nature Reserve Manager
Free webinar on improving Bee 'hotel' design with Prof Dave Gouslon.Tuesday, April 22 · 1 - 2pm
Improving Bee Hotel Design: The Big Bee Hotel Experiment
www.eventbrite.co.uk
Join Prof Dave Gouslon to hear about how the Buzz Club are investigating the effectiveness of different bee hotels for UK bees.
CROSSNESS NATURE RESERVE - PROTECTED AREA CLOSED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE DUE TO BREAK-INApologies for the inconvenience that this may cause, but we have experienced another break-in to the Protected Area of the nature reserve and the area is subsequently closed until repairs are made and we are able to open again.
Best wishes
Karen Sutton
Crossness Nature Reserve Manager
HALL PLACE WEIR AND EEL PASS WORK WITH THE NORTH WEST KENT COUNTRYSIDE PARTNERSHIPWednesday 14th May – Hall Place and Gardens, Bourne Road, Bexley, DA5 1PQ
We will be replacing the stop plank in the weir at Hall Place (River Cray) to help prevent flooding. We will also be managing the vegetation on the walls of the structure to prevent damage to the historic brickwork and improve flows through the eel pass.
Led by: Mark Gallant (07740185228)
Meeting Time and Place: 10am in the yard at Hall Place.
Just a quick reminder that any volunteers who plan to meet us on site should let the member of staff leading the task know as soon as possible so that they can pack the correct number of tools and inform them of any task changes/delays that may occur.
If there are any updates or changes with the programme, we will update it regularly on the volunteer page on our website (www.nwkcp.org ). We will also contact the regular volunteers by phone if any last-minute changes to the location of the task happen.
Please remember to bring with you; suitable clothes for the weather conditions, a packed lunch and suitable footwear (we insist working boots with steel toecap and mid sole are worn at all times to comply with health and safety and insurance considerations). We will supply all other equipment, gloves and safety equipment and also hot drinks and biscuits throughout the day.
Each project will be led by a NWKCP member of staff who will be more than happy to answer any questions that you have throughout the day. A health and safety talk will also be given at the beginning of each project. If you are planning to come out on a project for the first time this month then please let us know beforehand which day that will be.
We write a risk assessment for each task day, and a copy of this will be brought to the site and available for you to read if you wish.
Category Archives: Danson Park
Egyptian Goose family a highlight at Danson Park in April
The Egyptian Geese have goslings again this year. John Turner provides us with his monthly sightings list for Danson Park. We are always interested in receiving reports s this is how we can compile data for the protection of sites … Continue reading
Posted in Bird watching, Danson Park
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FotS announces additional events for Shuttle and Danson
Friends of the Shuttle, the environmental/wildlife action group for the River Shuttle, Wyncham Stream and Danson Park (the water from the lake flows into the Shuttle in Bexley Park Woods) has announced a number of additional events for the next … Continue reading
FotS elects to clean up Bexley Park Woods
May 7th event report: As an antidote to the general election there’s nothing better than pulling on a pair of chest waders and heading off into the river and a dozen people did just that last Thursday at Friends of the Shuttle’s … Continue reading
Revised checklist of Dragonflies and Damselflies in Bexley published
As the new Odonata (Dragonfly and Damselfly) season gets underway, the checklist of these species in Bexley, first produced by Chris Rose a year ago, has been revised and updated by the author to include new records, and has been … Continue reading
FoTS @ Danson – Old English Garden event photos and future plans
From our correspondent Mandy Stevens : On Thursday 23rd April, Friends of the Shuttle held their first gardening event in the Old English Garden in Danson Park. Ten volunteers removed dead material and weeds from the formal flowerbeds and trimmed the borders. FoTS … Continue reading
Colt’s-foot flowers 13 days later than a century ago despite warming climate
According to a paper in the latest edition of ‘British Wildlife’ Colt’s-foot (Tussilago farfara) is flowering much later than it did 100 years ago. It is not yet understood why. The trend with other species is usually in the opposite direction. … Continue reading
Posted in Climate, Danson Park, Plants in Bexley
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Large Red takes Danson’s definite Odonata tally to 12 species
The morning of April 23rd started off somewhat overcast with a cool breeze, which looked like it would hamper my ability to conduct a deliberate search for Large Red Damselfly (Pyrrhosoma nymphula) at Danson Park. Whilst a widespread species, I … Continue reading
‘Under new management’ – big FotS turnout for first Danson Old English Garden maintenance session
There was an impressively large turnout of Friends of the Shuttle members for the inaugural working party in the garden yesterday morning (April 23rd). The group has taken over management of the pollinator-friendly flower beds which the Council was threatening … Continue reading
Danson Bird Records for March 2015
Whinchat an unusual visitor to Danson Park last month. Our regular update from John Turner from his weekly visits to Danson Park. We are always interested in receiving bird (and other wildlife) reports. 04/03/2015 12/03/2015 20/03/2015 27/03/2015 a.m. a.m. … Continue reading
Posted in Bird watching, Danson Park, Recording
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FoTS launches expanded programme of events: group to fill environment/wildlife action void at Danson and take on maintenance of the Old English Garden
Committee member Mandy Stevens writes: Following our successful litter picks in and around Danson Park lake (which drains into the River Shuttle) earlier this year and last summer, we have been discussing with Bexley Council whether we could run other conservation … Continue reading