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DOUBLE DOSE OF FRIENDS OF THE CRAY AT CRAYFORDDue to the amount of rubbish dumped along the river below Crayford, there are two upcoming opportunities to join the friends group in clearing up the resultant mess.
29th November - removing litter from Footpath 106 (not done last month as we were working on 105)
6th December - tackling the fly-tipping at the Maiden Lane end of By-way 105 by the bridge over the Cray, which has long been a favoured location for criminals to dump garbage. Arrangements have been made for the council to take the extracted material away.
Both events will start at the group's usual rendezvous point, which is the junction of Footpath 106 and Barnes Cray Road (see graphic below) as it is easier to park the vehicle carrying the equipment at this location.
All welcome, no particular skills needed.
The necessary equipment will be provided. Wear appropriate clothing for being out in the open and avoiding stings and scratches from Brambles and Nettles, and bring something to drink.
Best wishes
Sarah
NORTH WEST KENT COUNTRYSIDE PARTNERSHIP - DECEMBER CONSERVATION EVENTS AT RUXLEY GRAVEL PITS NATURE RESERVE.The reserve is a SSSI on the Bexley-Bromley border, and normally off-limits to the general public, so besides helping out, this is an opporunity to visit somewhere you may not have seen before.
Wednesday 4th, Thursday 4th and Saturday 14th– Ruxley Gravel Pits, Edgington Way, Orpington, BR5 3HY
We will be clearing scrub and burning the arisings on a bonfire.
Led by: Lucy Sawyer-Boyd (07809 334071)
Meeting Time and Place: 10am at the site (lifts from Hall Place not currently available due to the group's vehicle being under repair).
The gate must be kept locked, if there is no-one there to open it, please call Lucy’s mobile. Follow the track and park underneath the A20. Plenty of parking. Toilets are available at the local Tesco (but it is far from site).
On Saturday 14th we will be working with Kent Wildlife Trust volunteers. Please bring your own refreshments if joining on this day. On this occasion there will be a portaloo on site.
LOCATION:
goo.gl/maps/S2NBZUfT2mTkbgX17
What3words:
Entrance: ///noises.sheet.reject
Parking: ///hopes.gender.gums
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.
51°24'41.7"N 0°07'10.5"E · 51.411583, 0.119583
goo.gl
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If the council said it was going to concrete/tarmac/pave over Danson Park, there would be uproar. But vastly more greenspace/wildlife habitat in the Borough has been lost to cars in recent years.Why the loss of front gardens matters - to cut flood risk, reduce health-harming heat, restore our depleted nature, and raise resilience.
Lunchtime online discussion on Thurs 14 Nov. FREE.
Front gardens on the frontline - CPRE London - Tickets
cpre-london.eventcube.io
Front gardens on the frontline at Tickets and Information
Bexley RSPB autumn/Christmas fair this Saturday.This content isn't available at the moment
When this happens, it's usually because the owner only shared it with a small group of people, changed who can see it, or it's been deleted.
CROSSNESS NATURE RESERVE WORKS AND FUNDRAISER (tickets still available)From Site Manager, Karen Sutton.
Contractor activity over the next couple of weeks:
I wanted to make you aware that there is work going on this week on both Crossness sites, but access remains open as usual.
28/10 saw the start of remedial work on the Crossness Southern Marsh to assist (non-public) safe access across the fields, so you will see work going on in the distance, but nothing impeding access. And 29/10 sees the start of a phased fencing project beginning with replacement of fencing in the grazing paddocks at the east of
the reserve. There are a further two fencing projects to come later, involving fence replacement down Public Footpath 2 as it runs from the Protected Area south to Eastern Way, and then a more extensive replacement project in the paddocks on Crossness Southern Marsh.
Fundraiser this Saturday (2/11):
I look forward to seeing those of you that are attending the Save Crossness Nature Reserve (SCNR) fundraiser this Saturday at Lesnes Abbey Lodge.
**** Three tickets left as of 31/10 if you'd like to come along to hear the Wild Bexley presentation by Ralph and Brenda Todd (founder of Bexley RSPB); a presentation from me about what Crossness Nature Reserve special, and from Laurence Pinturault from the SCNR campaign about the threat from Cory and the public inquiry process (hearings begin next week) and ultimately the reason the group is raising funds and running this event. There will be an opportunity to purchase raffle tickets, JD Swann's signed Best Beaks, and to purchase some wildlife-themed items (including artwork from the artist that created the RSPB logo) and non-wildlife items that are collectable and/or would make great Christmas presents. All monies raised help SCNR fight the development threat.
Buy your tickets here and I look forward to seeing you on Saturday: Wild Bexley at Lesnes Abbey Lodge event tickets from
TicketSource
<https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/scnr/wild-bexley/e-bvjgkq>
BBC launch 'Your Voice, Your BBC News'
The BBC has launched 'Your Voice, Your BBC News' asking for people to suggest issues that they'd like to see the BBC reporting on. This was brought to my attention by a member who has taken the opportunity to submit something on the Cory threat to Crossness Nature Reserve, and suggested that others might like to do the same in an effort to get a bit of news coverage about the issue. If this sounds of interest, please see details here: Your Voice, Your BBC News: Tell us what issues matter to
you - BBC news:
<https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cd0z0y2z3mjo>
Category Archives: Bexley
Lamorbey Ring-necked Parakeet fly-out numbers suggest roost switch
Further work on trying to unravel what Ring-necked parakeets (Psittacula krameri) in Bexley are getting up to, especially since the formation of the Danson Park night-time roost (see yesterdays’ post), took me to Lamorbey late this afternoon – previously the … Continue reading
Danson Parakeet roost count exceeds 2,000 birds
The Ring-necked Parakeet (Bexley) ‘study group’ or RNPB for short (well, I just made that title up) organised the first multi-person Parakeet count at the new Danson overnight roost this evening, in a bid to get a more accurate figure … Continue reading
Eighteen enjoy Hall Place/Crayford Rough bird walk in sunny interlude
RSPB Bexley Local Group Walk – Hall Place South and Crayford Rough Tuesday 13th January 2014 – Leaders Ralph and Brenda Todd Ninety minutes before our walk began the skies were thick grey and heavy rain had just ceased, within … Continue reading
Bexley Bird Report for July – December 2014 published at ‘BW’
Ralph Todd’s July – December 2014 Bexley Bird Report, a compilation of the important bird records made by a number of recorders around the Borough over the last 6 months, has been published on our ‘Bexley Wildlife’ page http://www.bexleywildlife.org/bird-watching-bexley/ where there … Continue reading
Posted in Bexley, Bird watching, Recording
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Open spaces sell-off – Council refuses FOI request to release list
Bexley Council is proposing to ‘dispose of’ 27 open spaces, which it has admitted includes some parkland, in the period to 2018, and is consulting on doing so in its current budget questionnaire. It has declined several written requests to … Continue reading
Posted in Bexley, Bexley Council, Consultations, Housing targets, Land sales, Open spaces, Parks, Planning, Volunteering
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Danson is new Ring-neck roost destination
One of the great, albeit ‘exotic’, wildlife spectacles in Bexley in recent years has been the sight and sound of Ring-necked Parakeets (Psittacula krameri) flying in successive groups out of various sites in Bexley towards their final night time roost … Continue reading
FotS it all about ? – a brief history of looking after Bexley’s little river.
Friends of the Shuttle (FotS) was formed in March 2013. For two years previous to this, dedicated volunteers had been working hard to keep the River Shuttle free of litter as part of a Thames21 project that was funded by … Continue reading
Posted in Bexley, Friends of the Shuttle, River Shuttle, SINC, Thames21, Volunteering
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ERITH QUARRY – BEXLEY’S ‘LAST GREAT WILDERNESS’ – UNDER THREAT FROM PLANNING APPLICATION. PLEASE OBJECT! NEW DEADLINE WEDS 17th DECEMBER.
Chris Rose, Vice-chair Bexley Natural Environment Forum Erith Quarry, a Grade 1 Site of Importance for Nature Conservation, is now the subject of a planning application for 600 dwellings, which would see three quarters of its semi-natural habitat destroyed. London … Continue reading
Open space sell-offs – just say ‘no’ in budget consult (deadline Jan 9th)! Council still won’t provide list of sites. Adopts standard ‘party line’.
Despite a number of requests to different people within the Council from various local campaigners, prompted by the ‘BexleyWildlife’ web platforms and Bexley Natural Environment Forum, the Council is still refusing to make public the list of 27 sites (a … Continue reading
Posted in Bexley, Bexley Council, Budget, Consultations, Environment, Housing targets, Land sales, Open spaces, Parks, Planning
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Crossness Harvest Mouse hunt draws a blank
The Harvest Mouse nest hunts at Crossness on 12th and 26th November have failed to find unequivocal evidence that Britain’s smallest rodent was present either on the northern part of the site, or southern marsh. Both had an example of … Continue reading