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THAMES ROAD WETLAND (Inner Crayford Marshes) - THE WORK GOES ON.Our last report was way back on 12th April. We're usually out every Friday, but tiredness and a loss of motivation from yours truly, plus some rainy days, have reduced our levels of activity over the last quarter.
Repeat summer cutting of areas of Reed we are trying to supress has continued. Where this has got taller than we'd hoped, we have watched and listened first to ensure no Reed Warbler usage. We have been able to cut some patches often enough for there to be no danger of nesting birds using them.
Dates, work done and selected wildlife sightings have been as follows:
19/4 - Re-pollarded small Sallows. Dug out road run-off muck from 'crap-trap'. Path work. Slender Thistles outside fenceline in flower. Bur-chervil in flower. Red Admiral, Peacock, Speckled Wood, Small White. Large Red Damselfly, Reed Warblers back.
17/5 - Re-packed Bug Hotels with dead hollow plant stems. Re-cutting main path. Litter removal. In flower: swathe of Wild Clary (Salvia verbenaca), Bee Orchid, Brookweed, Flag Iris, Early Forget-me-Not, Hound's-tongue. Adult Cinnabar Moth, Ashy Mining Bee. 1 x Painted Lady, Peacock, Red Admiral, 2 Holly Blue, single Small Heath. Lizards. 1 Greenfinch heard. Chiffchaff.
14/6 - Re-cutting area of Reed at foot of Thames Road bank with brushcutter, and Reed at west end by scythe. Raking and stacking silt and cut material. Cutting off Giant Hogweed flower heads. Re-cutting sections of main path. Selective cutting back of vegetation where now shading reptile basking sites. Pyramidal Orchids in flower. 18 plants with 23 flower spikes (vz 7 with 12 on 17/6/23). Lots of Hemlock Water Dropwort in flower and one Monkey Flower (Mimulus guttatus). Banded Demoiselle and Azure Damselfly.
28/6 - Reed cutting. Path work. Wild Carrots and Hop Sedges in flower. Small Tortoiseshell, 1st Gatekeeper of season. A few Lizards. Water Rail heard, suggesting possible breeding.
12/7 - Re-cut Reed at west end with brushcutter and by hand with scythes. Some path and Lizard basking site work. More Giant Hogweed beheaded (The fire of 2022 caused a few new ones to come up. Since all the Cray area plants appear to flower once and die, they usually think their job is done if you cut off the flowerhead even though the seeds haven't ripened, and they therefore die without reproducing). First Marsh Sow-thistle flowers of season out. Marsh Woundwort in flower. Red Admiral, Peacock, Comma, a few Gatekeepers. 3 or 4 Blue-tailed Damselflies. A few Lizards out.
A complaint has been submitted to the Council about the large amount of litter / fragmented plastics along the Thames Road site fence that never seem to get cleared up, and that fact that a strimmer gang recently went over it all, unhelpfully chopping up the material into even smaller pieces.
For assistance during this period I thank fellow volunteers Ray, Pamela, Clare, Elio, Ian, Alex, Sarah, Lee, Verity and Rory. There was Thames21 staff support from Michael O'Neill on 14/6 and 12/7.
Chris Rose. Volunteer Site Manager.
WOODLANDS FARM (SHOOTERS HILL) BAT SURVEY DATE CONFIRMED.Thank you to everyone who got back to me to confirm which date they could do for the Bat Survey. I can confirm that we shall be sticking with the original date of Thursday 25th July. Meeting in the yard at 9.15pm. So hope to see you there, please bring a bat detector if you have one, and a torch.
Also a reminder that the Big Butterfly Count season has started until beginning of August. So why not pop down to the farm on a sunny day (if we have any!) and record what butterflies you see for 15 minutes. Then either write in the Bird Book in Mess or send me the info. All the information and ID sheets are available from the
Butterfly Conservation Trust bigbutterflycount.butterfly-conservation.org/
Hannah Ricketts
Education Officer
The Woodlands Farm Trust
331 Shooters Hill
Welling
Kent
DA16 3RP
Tel: 0208 3198900
Website: www.thewoodlandsfarmtrust.org
NORTH AMERICAN VAGRANT SPOTTED AT CROSSNESS.A Franklin's Gull was found at Crossness yesterday (13/7/2024) by Conrad Ellam, a member of the Friends Group. Thanks to @stormcabbirds for permission to reproduce his 'X' post with photos here.
This is an uncommon species from Canada and the northern USA, which migrates to South America, occasionally showing up in western Europe.
There is currently some debate as to whether it's the third, or possibly second record for London. It is certainly the second for Crossness, since one was also seen here in April 2000.
State of the UK's Invertebrates Virtual SymposiumHugely important subject.
Online event.
Friday, July 19 · 10am - 1pm
Non-professional attendees asked to pay what you can afford (minimum fee of £1, recommended donation £10)
State of the UK's Invertebrates Virtual Symposium
www.eventbrite.co.uk
Join us for a knowledge-sharing event about the state of the UK's invertebrate populations.
Category Archives: Bird watching
Danson Park bird records for January 2015
Our regular update from John Turner from his weekly visits to Danson Park. Interesting to note the small numbers of ring-necked parakeets in his day time observations now that Danson is becoming a regular night time roost for around 2,000 … Continue reading
Posted in Bird watching, Ring-necked Parakeet
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FotS announces February events, including more at Danson Park
News just in from the Friends of the Shuttle, which has several events coming up. The next FotS clean-up is on the Shuttle on Thursday 12th February. We will be meeting at Crofton Avenue at 10.30, as always please let … Continue reading
Braeburn Park bird walks provide valuable introduction to the site
The London Wildlife Trust’s new Braeburn Park reserve in Crayford is better known by neighbours and other Bexley residents, including existing wildlife enthusiasts, thanks to two walks led by LWT staffer Peter Beckenham. Sixteen people has come along on January … Continue reading
Bexleyheath Pied Wagtail roost pictured
Following a discussion with Martin Petchey at Crossness today about the technical difficulties of getting a decent picture of the Pied Wagtails roosting on the non-native Oak outside Carpetright – near the clocktower on Bexleyheath Broadway – he has unexpectedly … Continue reading
Posted in Bexley, Bexleyheath, Bird watching, roost site
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Little wind in the Willows as Crossness team stem reedbed tree encroachment
There was a good turnout at Crossness today (Jan 23rd) on a frosty, but sunny and largely wind-chill-free morning, in order to take some willows out of the protected area scrape reedbed, so as to prevent it becoming Willow carr. … 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
Danson Parakeet roost rockets to 1,500 birds
The news that Ring-necked parakeets have now set up an overnight roost at Danson Park, rather than flying to Hither Green Cemetery or one of the other roost sites in south-east London, was reported here on 23rd December. At that … Continue reading
Posted in Bird watching, Parks, Recording, Ring-necked Parakeet, roost site
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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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Urban Birding Challenge – Londoners challenged to take on major cities worldwide
The gauntlet has been thrown down. Binoculars have been draped around necks and telescopes slung over shoulders. The call to compete in The Urban Birding Challenge has been issued! The birders of London have been invited to compete in a … Continue reading
Posted in Bird watching, Recording
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