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Here's the schedule of December through to New Year environment and gardening work at Lesnes Abbey Woods. How about helping out? All welcome. The site is readily accessible by public transport.This content isn't available at the moment
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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.
BOOK NOW FOR BEXLEY RSPB'S OUTDOOR WINTER EVENTS (non-members welcome, but advance booking is essential for anyone who wishes to attend as numbers are limited):The group's December/January walks and make-your-own-way-there car trips, plus a coach trip, are as below. There are currently spaces on each, so please email Ralph Todd on <rbtodd@btinternet.com> to reserve a spot.
5 December - Sidcup Place
14 December - Rainham Marshes
21 December - Wallasea Island
9 January - Lamorbey Park
11 January - Cliffe Pools
18 January - Sevenoaks Wildlife reserve
25 January - Big Garden Birdwatch - Hall Place (no booking required for this one)
26 January - Titchwell COACH TRIP - please email Deborah on deborahfrances@aol.com (cost £23 pp)
For more details and a full list of events through to March 23rd 2025, including indoor talks, please go to:
group.rspb.org.uk/bexley/news-blogs/blog/upcoming-events-october-2024-march-2025/
No booking is required for the indoor talks - just show up. Refreshments available. Non-members are again welcome but pay a slightly higher entrance fee of £5.
Upcoming Events October 2024 - March 2025 - Bexley Local Group
group.rspb.org.uk
Please note that booking is required on all our guided walks, car trips and coach trips. Please refer to the below for how to book a place. No booking is needed for our indoor meeting. To book a place...
VOLUNTEERS SOUGHT FOR MINK MONITORING SCHEME AT THAMES ROAD WETLAND - help protect rare local wildlife from Mink predation !A nationwide scheme to locate and eradicate non-native American Mink (Neogale [formerley Mustela] vison), which have contributed to the parlous state of Water Voles in the UK, as well as attacking other species, is now being rolled out along the River Cray by the Waterlife Recovery Trust.
Thames21 has agreed to install a Mink trap at Thames Road Wetland (TRW), where there is an important population of Water Voles, along with one of only a very few Harvest Mouse colonies in London. North West Kent Countryside Partnership (NWKCP) will be doing likewise at Ruxley Gravel Pits Nature Reserve. It is hoped that traps can be installed elsewhere on the Cray in due course.
If triggered, the trap automatically transmits an alert, with the role of volunteers being to go and check it if this happens. A WhatsApp group will be used for co-ordination purposes so that only one person out of those available at the time needs to go out. The design of the traps ensures that waterbirds rarely enter them. The species most likely to be caught are Water Voles, which will be released, and Brown Rats, which the TRW team has agreed should also be let loose. There is no evidence they are harming Water Voles, and there are so many in the wider landscape that any removed will quickly be replaced by others. Should a Mink be caught then there will be designated people to contact who will kill the animal humanely.
We do not think that there are any Mink at or in the vicinity of TRW at the moment, or that here have been any in the past, but with Mink known to be present on the River Darent, we don't want to take any unnecessary risks.
Ruxley already has enough volunteers, but we need a longer list of people for TRW to make sure that we can cover every alert in reasonable time, for animal welfare reasons.
To volunteer for trap-checking at TRW, please contact Michael at
<michael.oneill@thames21.org.uk>
Ffi about the scheme as a whole, see:
Waterlife Recovery Trust - Saving our native wildlife from the introduced American Mink
www.waterliferecoverytrust.org.uk
Have you seen or caught an American Mink? Please let us know Report Sighting Report Capture Seeking volunteers to host a smart mink raft If you live in Essex, London, Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire,
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 10a.m. 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
Category Archives: Parks
Dr. Livingstone moment at Danson as early Shoveler plays tricks on the mind
Yesterday’s trip to Danson Park (Sept 18th) was prompted both by news of baby Newts trying to exit the Old English Garden pond (see separate post) and also Ian Stewart’s London Bird Club wiki report of a pair of Gadwall … Continue reading
Posted in Bird watching, Danson Park, Parks, Recording
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Last chance to save the parks?
Last chance to object to park sell off if you haven’t already. https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/openspaces2015 What I said. Jonathan Rooks. I put this same comment in all four boxes (each site) as none of them should be sold off. I object. Public … Continue reading
Posted in Bexley, Land sales, Old Farm Park, Parks
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Lamorbey dragonfly and damselfly list grows to 10 species
Thanks to targeted recording by Ian Stewart the list of Odonata species around Lamorbey lake in Sidcup has now reached a rather healthier total of 10. This is the sort of figure that was always likely to be attained, but … Continue reading
Posted in Dragonflies and Damselflies, Lamorbey, Parks, Recording
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News from the Sidcup Place Gardens Project
Reports and meeting announcement from the Sidcup Community Garden Group. Community answer the call to restore Sidcup’s “Secret Garden”. Council cuts backs meant that the once beautiful walled garden at Sidcup Place was allowed to decline, and become overgrown through … Continue reading
Posted in Bexley Council, Parks, Sidcup Place Garden, Volunteering
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Save Our Parks! Protect and invest in the UK’s public green spaces. Sign the petition!
National Federation of Parks and Green Spaces campaign update. Given that Bexley is pressing ahead with its sell-offs agenda, this will be of interest to local residents. August 2015. We are pleased to report that tens of thousands of people … Continue reading
Posted in Bexley Council, Budget, development threat, Open spaces, Parks
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Old Farm Park wildlife photos
John Adams from the group campaigning to stop Bexley Council selling of half of Old Farm Park in Sidcup for housing has provided us with these photographs of wildlife from the site, three of which remind us of the value … Continue reading
New documents on saving open spaces available
The London Parks Green Spaces Forum has just uploaded three documents to help you protect your local parks and green spaces. *How to run a successful community campaign to save your open space * Planning toolkit for London’s parks and green infrastructure * Friends of … Continue reading
Open spaces sell-off – is Council trying to wrong-foot campaigners and take advantage of ‘summer lull’?
Decisions in principle to sell some sites – including Old Farm Park – to be taken as early as this week, as process moves faster than expected for 5 of Bexley’s parks and green spaces. Campaigners urged to attend meeting. … Continue reading
Bexley Council has no management plan for 80% of SINCS it wholly or partly owns, reveals FOI request
80% of Sites of Importance for Nature Conservation wholly or partly owned by Bexley Council have no management plan (i.e. only 1 in 5 does), and 3 of the 6 plans that do exist expired more than 7 years ago. … Continue reading
Posted in Bexley Council, Bexley Woods, Biodiversity Action Plan, BNEF, Braeburn Park, Bursted Woods, Chalk Wood, coppicing, Crayford Rough, Crossness, Danson Park, East Wickham Open Space, Environment, Erith Marshes, Hollyhill open space, Joydens Wood, Lesnes Abbey Woods, London Wildlife Trust, Martens Grove, Open spaces, Parish Wood Park, Parks, River Cray, River Shuttle, SINC, Thames Road Wetland, Woodlands Farm
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Astonishing misbehaviour in a park – Jet Ski at Footscray Meadows!
Jetski being used at Five Arches! It’s been reported to the Police, but any other witnesses? One of correspondents witnesses astonishing misuse of a park and reports it to the local Community Officer. Though I am sure that you have … Continue reading
Posted in Foots Cray Meadows, Parks
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