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Recent Posts
- Help check river pollution with the Cray/Shuttle Outflow Safari
- Bexley RSPB Group Walk: Crossness Nature Reserve, Tuesday 31st May 2022
- Bexley RSPB – report of March bird/nature walk, Southmere Lake, Thamesmead former Golf Course and Thames Foreshore
- Report of Bexley RSPB KWT Sevenoaks Wildlife Reserve and Bough Beech Reservoir walks, February 15th.
- Friends of Crossness Nature Reserve bird walk report, 22nd November 2021
Our Facebook Posts
2 weeks ago
FRIENDS OF THE CRAY AT CRAYFORDLitter removal and selective vegetation managment along Footpath 106 or By-way 105.
Next session Friday 2nd August.
Meet 10 am, corner of Barnes Cray Road and Footpath 106 (see graphic attached).
Equipment provided. Wear appropriate clothing for being out in the open, avoiding scratches and stings and excessive sun exposure, and bring something to drink.
Best wishes
Sarah
2 weeks ago
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. ... See MoreSee Less
2 weeks ago
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 ... See MoreSee Less
2 weeks ago
Report from Bexley RSPB Danson Park Nature Walk, Sunday 7 July 2024 ... See MoreSee Less2 weeks ago
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. ... See MoreSee Less
Recent Comments
- Bursted Wood Plans on Bursted Woods – some general views and ground flora photos, spring 2018
- Bursted Wood Plans on Bursted Woods – some general views and ground flora photos, spring 2018
- jonathanrooks1@outlook.com on Over 2,000 Ring-necked Parakeets at Danson roost again
- Jeanne on Over 2,000 Ring-necked Parakeets at Danson roost again
- jonathanrooks1@outlook.com on Tree Preservation Order – Bexley Street Index
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Category Archives: Crossness Nature Reserve
SAVE OUR SKYLARKS! CORY ‘ENVIRONMENTAL’ SUBMITS PLAN TO DESTROY HABITAT OF BIRDS IN SERIOUS DECLINE. FOUR-STOREY BUILDINGS PROPOSED NEXT TO CROSSNESS NATURE RESERVE. PLEASE OBJECT BY FEB 29th!
‘Bexley Wildlife’ has previously drawn attention to three schemes that will destroy even more of what little is left of the inner Thames marshland on the south side of the river . This post provides more detail on the recently … Continue reading
Big turnout for Crossness bird walk on January 8th – full report and pictures
This event proved to be one of the most popular bird walks at Crossness on Erith Marshes, with 37 members and friends turning out to enjoy this great reserve. The recent history of Friends events at Crossness – especially where … Continue reading
Save our Skylarks ! String of marshland sites under renewed threat.
SAVE OUR SKYLARKS – DON’T LET THE COUNCIL BOOT THEM OUT OF BEXLEY! The future of the Skylark as a breeding bird in Bexley, and the survival of the Corn Bunting both here and in London as a whole – … Continue reading
Councillor Craske, just how important do you think our SINCS are?
As previously reported on ‘BW’ we still don’t have an actual date, or even a target date, for Bexley Council to sign-off the Sites of Importance for Nature Conservation review, despite a written reply on the matter from Community Safety, Environment and Leisure … Continue reading
Crossness Reedbed Work Party 11th November
Dear Friends of Crossness Nature Reserve, Attached is a picture of my two faithful volunteers, Reg and Roger, sitting down. Yes, sitting down! Mid-task!! This has never happened before!!! They have been incredibly busy cutting reeds around the wader … Continue reading
LNHS experts have identified 132 species of invertebrate on Southern Marsh, including several scarcities
We have just received the final list of invertebrate species found on the southern part of Crossness at Erith Marshes at the joint meeting with Friends of Crossness Nature Reserve on 4th July, compiled by London Natural History Society experts … Continue reading
Crossness winter events diary published – new volunteers welcome!
Crossness (on Erith marshes between Abbey Wood and Belvedere) is a Metropolitan Site of Importance for Nature Conservation, recognised as one of the most important sites for wildlife in London, not just Bexley. It retains that status in part thanks … Continue reading
26 enjoy first ‘Bexley Wildlife’ social event
Twenty six people from a wide variety of conservation groups across Bexley (and beyond) came to our first social event at Bexley library last night (August 18th). Whilst something of an experiment, with the aim of mixing a ‘networking’ opportunity … Continue reading
Posted in Bexley, Bexley Wildlife social events, BNEF, Cray Riverkeepers, Crossness Nature Reserve, Environment, Erith Marshes, Foots Cray Meadows, Friends of the Shuttle, Keats Community Farm, Lesnes Abbey Woods, Old Farm Park, River Cray, River Shuttle, Ruxley Gravel Pits, Save Our Green Spaces Campaign, Thames21, Volunteering
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‘Bexley Wildlife’ social, August 18th: reminder and ‘programme’
The ‘Bexley Wildlife’ team, a web platform collaboration between Bexley Natural Environment Forum and the Greener Bexley Charity, invites ‘followers’ and other interested people to join us at a social event on Tuesday August 18th from 7p.m. at Bexley Village … Continue reading