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LONDON NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY EVENTS IN MARCH INCLUDE TWO FIELD MEETINGS IN BEXLEYThe LNHS welcomes non-members at events on a 'taster' basis.
Thursday 13/3. 19.00-20.00. Finding London's Ferns. The history, identification and conservation of native ferns of London. FREE. Book at Eventbrite:
www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/finding-londons-ferns-by-henry-miller-tickets-1071940746629?aff=ebdsoporgp...
Saturday 15/3. 11.00-15.00. FREE. Join Dr. Mark Spencer, one of the capital's foremost botanists, to look at wild Daffodils in Lesnes Abbey Woods and seek out other ancient woodland indicator plant species. Contact Mark at hotfungus.hotmail.com to reserve a space. Note that although no explicit limit has been set on the number of attendees, there may be one in practice if large numbers of people ask to come along.
Sunday 30/3 - FREE. Crossness Nature Reserve with George Kalli. For early migrants and waders. Meet Belvedere railway station at 10.00. Aiming to finish 14.00. Bring lunch.
For more info. about the LNHS, including membership details, please see: lnhs.org.uk/
Finding London’s Ferns by Henry Miller
www.eventbrite.co.uk
Henry Miller will introduce the native ferns of London and guide us through their history, identification, and conservation.
HELP THAMES21 REMOVE NON-NATIVE INVASIVE PENNYWORT FROM THAMESMEAD CANALSMarch 5 @ 10:00 am - 2:00 pm
Join us for an important conservation effort in Thamesmead as we team up with Peabody and the Environment Agency to combat the invasive floating pennywort threatening our local canals. This fast-growing aquatic plant can quickly overtake water surfaces, harming water quality and local biodiversity. These events are a key part of our broader strategy to protect our waterways.
This hands-on event offers a fantastic opportunity to make a tangible difference in our local environment. No prior experience is necessary—just bring your enthusiasm and a commitment to protecting our natural spaces. We’ll provide all the necessary equipment, including gloves, waders, and refreshments.
If you plan to enter the canals, please enter your shoe size on the registration form so we can provide appropriately sized waders. Volunteers are encouraged to wear suitable outdoor clothing, and preferably water proof clothing or bring a spare pair of clothes as you might get wet.
The day will start with a brief introduction to floating pennywort and its ecological impact, followed by a safety talk and removal techniques. We’ll then head to the water to remove as much pennywort as possible, with a lunch break at 12 PM. The matts of pennywort can be pulled apart and then thrown on to the banks to break down, similar to what the canals teams do but by hand instead of mechanically.
Children are welcome to come, but adult supervision is required.
By joining us, you’ll play a vital role in preserving Thamesmead’s waterways for wildlife and future generations. It’s also a great opportunity to meet like-minded people and learn more about local conservation efforts.
Please sign up to the event on our Plinth page by clicking this link:
book.plinth.org.uk/e/bbtujFsEahRiUrVmsr4k
For further information, please contact Tyler Randall at Tyler.Randall@thames21.org.uk.
book.plinth.org.uk
<p>Join us for an important conservation effort in Thamesmead as we team up with Peabody and the Environment Agency to combat the invasive floating pennywort threatening our local canals. This fast-gr...
** THAMES ROAD WETLAND - SIGN UP NOW FOR THE NEXT STAFF-SUPPORTED HABITAT MANAGEMENT SESSION - FRIDAY 14th MARCH .... plus SITE WORK AND WILDLIFE UPDATE.Thames Road Wetland in Barnes Cray, on the Inner Crayford Marshes, may only be 2 hectares (5 acres), but it takes a lot of work to maintain its high value for species such as Marsh Sow-thistle, Brookweed, Hairy Dragonfly, Reed Warbler, Harvest Mouse, Water Rail and Water Vole.
Birds will be breeding soon, so our mid-March session is the last time we'll be able to have a lot of people out in the water from where we need to remove the remaining piles of previously cut Reed, raked up detritus and silt. We are a bit behind because 3 volunteer-led Jan/Feb sessions had to be cancelled due to adverse weather forecasts.
This is a free event. Could you help us catch up by coming down for up to 4 hours? Booking here helps our advance planning:
book.plinth.org.uk/e/jyHfDWO68FBjh72gDdBv
We will have staff support on the 14th and be able to kit everyone out in waders, though we'll only be paddling in a few inches of water. Wear warm work clothes. All other equipment is provided, plus modest refreshments. Health and safety and first aid back-up assured.
Bookings are also open for April 11th.
RECENT WORK AND WILDLIFE
There were 6 of us on 14/2, plus staffer Michael. A couple of people were unable to come at the last minute, but we welcomed back Jonathan after a long absence. Much cut material was removed from (now) open water in the north-west corner, and near the junction of the main and south ditches. 27 and a quarter hours of volunteer time was given.
The volunteer-only session on 21/2 concentrated on thinning out vegetation in the main ditch for Odonata and Water Voles, using a pole saw and rakes. Three of us (Clare, Elio, Chris) delivered nearly 13 person-hours of work.
28/2 saw five of us (Pamela, Ray, Elio, Ian, Chris) put in 26 hours 15 mins, mainly opening up the drawdown zone at the railway end of the site, to favour regionally rare Brookweed, cutting back Buddleia and chopping up and stacking the large amount of brash, and clearing a substantial amount of litter blown/tossed over the fence from Thames Road.
Local contact Richard kindly let me know he'd seen 2 Common Buzzards and a Red Kite over the site on 30/1. I hadn't seen a Buzzard here for some months, and only one Red Kite ever, but there was a Buzzard flying over on 14/2, and then another on 28/2, to which I was alerted by a 'mewing' call. It was flying very low and being harassed by a lone Crow.
Teal were heard on 14/2, and 1 or 2 Water Rail, of which there have been 4 present through the winter months.
On 21/2 there were a few Lesser Celandine in flower. A couple of Cetti's Warblers were heard. As were 2 Song Thrushes. A Crow was chasing a large Sparrowhawk. A Harvest Mouse nest and a Water Vole latrine were found. On a sunny day, the first two Common Lizards of the year were seen.
28/2 started off almost cloudless, the sun and warmth bringing 6 Lizards out from as early as 09.50. A small Wild Privet (Ligustrum vulgare) seedling (which is a new site record), noticed only recently, was showing signs of damage, possibly horse trampling. It was moved to an area they can't access, though it was rooted in an awkward spot and we'll have to see if it survives.
Chris Rose. Volunteer Site Manager.
Dartford Creek 'spring clean', Saturday 8th March - not too far over the Bexley border ...... Click on link for location map and other details.www.facebook.com/events/1116021873401163/?acontext=%7B%22event_action_history%22%3A[%7B%22surface%22%3A%22notifications_tab%22%7D%2C%7B%22mechanism%22%3A%22attachment%22%2C%22surface%22%3A%22newsfeed%22%7D]%2C%22ref_notif_type%22%3A%22group_activity%22%7D
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CAN YOU HELP CLEAN UP THE RIVER CRAY?Join FRIENDS OF THE CRAY AT CRAYFORD on FRIDAY 7th MARCH
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).
This session will focus on removing litter from Footpath 106 between Barnes Cray Road and the town centre.
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
Category Archives: Crossness
Crossness pulls level with FCM on 15 species of Odonata as Small Red-eyed Damselfly joins the list
Small Red-eyed Damselfly (Erythromma viridulum) was found at Crossness Southern Marsh (part of the remnant of Erith Marshes) on yesterday’s LNHS invertebrate meeting, a new site record, taking the Odonata species total here to 15 (though no one seems to … Continue reading
‘Strawberry field’ on Belvedere industrial estate
Strawberry Clover (Trifolium fragiferum) is a rare plant in the London area, most frequently found in the lower Thames part of the capital. It is subtly different enough from the common White Clover on account of its slightly neater, pinker … Continue reading
Posted in Belvedere, Crossness, Plants in Bexley, Recording
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Bryony Ladybird reaches Crossness
The Bryony Ladybird (Henosepilachna argus) has been found at Crossness by Chris Rose. The GiGL dataset, and Site Manager Karen Sutton having been consulted, it appears to be a new site record for the species, which was first recorded in … Continue reading
Four-spotted Chaser confirmed at Crossness
One, and probably two different Four-spotted Chaser dragonflies (Libellula quadrimaculata) were seen at Crossness on Erith Marshes yesterday (June 19th), the first record since that shown in the Kent Dragonfly atlas of 2009, which may itself have been of a … Continue reading
Some Shuttle wildlife observations, June 4th – another Hairy Dragonfly range expansion?
Call it a bit mercenary, but I helped out on the BETHs stretch clean-up so I could cover a part of the river I’d not done before for the Water Vole survey I’m leading, without having to make special arrangements … Continue reading
Posted in Bexley, Bexley Woods, Bird watching, Butterflies, Crossness, Dragonflies and Damselflies, Friends of the Shuttle, Hollyoak Wood Park, Lamorbey, Marlborough Park, Parish Wood Park, Parks, Plants in Bexley, Raptors, Recording, Reptiles and Amphibians, River Shuttle, Rivers, Sidcup Golf Course, Uncategorized, vegetation management
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Kestrel pair caught on camera at Crossness des res
Site manager Karen Sutton writes: Kestrels have returned to breed once again at Crossness! A pair bred in 2010 in the upper compartment of a Barn Owl nest box. Barn owls were breeding in the main compartment, whilst Kestrels took … Continue reading
Posted in Bird watching, Crossness, Crossness Nature Reserve, Erith Marshes, Raptors
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Getting to grips with plant characteristics at Crossness
Yesterday (May 20th) , Tony Wileman, from the London Wildlife Trust, came to Crossness Nature Reserve to educate us on the wonderful world of wildflower identification. Twelve people braved the dark skies and unexpected showers and learned tonnes by doing … 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
CROSSNESS – exciting range of educational wildlife events announced for the summer
From Karen Sutton – Biodiversity Team Manager, Thames Water Crossness Nature Reserve. I have arranged a diverse series of events through to September, both to showcase the fabulous range of wildlife on the site, and to provide an introduction to … Continue reading
Bexley butterfly highlights of 2014 …..
OK, so 2014 seems a long time ago now, but around now’s the time for submitting reports of that year’s wildlife records for the 2015 London Natural History Society Journal (which won’t actually be published until early 2016 ….). This … Continue reading
Posted in Bexley, Butterflies, Crossness, Recording
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