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CROSSNESS LATEST - PROTECTED AREA WILL REMAIN CLOSED OVER EASTER WEEKENDA brief update to advise that the Protected Area will remain closed over the Easter period - really sorry about this. As hard as we've tried, we can't get a new locking mechanism on the gate before next week, so it is currently padlocked shut so as to not leave us vulnerable over Easter.
I am taking advantage of the upcoming bank holidays to squeeze in some annual leave, so you will not get a notification from me about re-opening, however please assume that the Protected Area is likely to be re-opened by the following weekend.
Karen Sutton
Crossness Nature Reserve Manager
Free webinar on improving Bee 'hotel' design with Prof Dave Gouslon.Tuesday, April 22 · 1 - 2pm
Improving Bee Hotel Design: The Big Bee Hotel Experiment
www.eventbrite.co.uk
Join Prof Dave Gouslon to hear about how the Buzz Club are investigating the effectiveness of different bee hotels for UK bees.
CROSSNESS NATURE RESERVE - PROTECTED AREA CLOSED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE DUE TO BREAK-INApologies for the inconvenience that this may cause, but we have experienced another break-in to the Protected Area of the nature reserve and the area is subsequently closed until repairs are made and we are able to open again.
Best wishes
Karen Sutton
Crossness Nature Reserve Manager
HALL PLACE WEIR AND EEL PASS WORK WITH THE NORTH WEST KENT COUNTRYSIDE PARTNERSHIPWednesday 14th May – Hall Place and Gardens, Bourne Road, Bexley, DA5 1PQ
We will be replacing the stop plank in the weir at Hall Place (River Cray) to help prevent flooding. We will also be managing the vegetation on the walls of the structure to prevent damage to the historic brickwork and improve flows through the eel pass.
Led by: Mark Gallant (07740185228)
Meeting Time and Place: 10am in the yard at Hall Place.
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.
SOMETHING EVERYONE IN BEXLEY CAN DO TO HELP SWIFTSPlease write to your MP and ask them to sign Early Day Motion 1065, calling on the government to make Swift nest bricks a legal requirement in new domestic buildings.
Daniel Francis - MP for Bexleyheath and Crayford
Email daniel.francis.mp@parliament.uk
Abena Oppong Asare - MP for Erith and Thamesmead
Email Abena.oppongasare.mp@parliament.uk
Mr Louie French - MP for Old Bexley & Sidcup
Email louie.french.mp@parliament.uk
An EDM is a sort of petition for MPs, designed to generate debate and get things higher up the agenda.
The breeding population of Swifts in the UK has dropped by 60% since 1995. and the species is now red-listed. Loss of nesting sites through building 'modernisation' is thought to be a factor. The number of Swift nesting areas and number of birds in Bexley appears to be stable, but some only have a couple of pairs of birds and it would be good to increase their numbers.
So far the government has only talked about making changes to the planning process. This is likely to be ineffective as companies often fail to act on the conditions attached to planning permissions, and local councils struggle to check compliance and achieve enforcement when this happens.
Key points to make are:
i) Swifts are in serious decline in the UK. Swift nest bricks would help tackle one of the likely reasons for this. Some nesting areas in Bexley only have a couple of pairs of birds, so are at risk of being lost. A number of new buildings have gone up near existing nesting zones in the Borough in recent years, but they lack this key, simple, feature.
ii) The cost would be so small as to be irrelevant.
iii) Making them a straightforward legal requirement will be more effective than relying on the wider planning process, where local authorities already struggle to enforce 'add-on' conditions.
iv) Swifts are an iconic feature of the Bristish summer that everyone should be able to enjoy seeing and hearing, increasing engagement with nature, including in urban areas.
v) Such bricks can be used by other cavity-nesting species..
Swifts will be returning to Bexley from Africa in just over 2 weeks' time. Let's help make sure this continues for years to come .....
Full EDM text here:
edm.parliament.uk/early-day-motion/63437
At the time of writing (14/4/25) none of the Bexley MPs have signed it.
Chris Rose
edm.parliament.uk
This House notes with concern the dramatic decline in the breeding population of swifts whose numbers have dropped by 60% since 1995; recognises that the loss of natural nesting habitat for swifts and...
Category Archives: Uncategorized
Analysis of this year’s Big Butterfly count
Butterfly Conservation do an annual summer survey of butterflies. here is their analysis of the over 44,000 returns they received.
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938 Seals in the Thames
The Zoological Society of London’s annual seal count has found 489 Harbour (Common) Seals and 449 Grey Seals in the Thames Estuary. A survey is done every August to monitor seal populations. A short film on this year’s survey is … Continue reading
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Canal clearing in Thamesmead 30th August
An opportunity to help with litter picking around the canals of Thamesmead. In response to resident consultation in Thamesmead regarding litter in the waterways Brick Box are including canal clearing in their event on August 30th. The event will take place at The … Continue reading
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London Wildlife Trust comments on the London Infrastructure Plan
Interesting comments from the London Wildlife Trust on the Mayor’s London Infrastructure Plan. It would be good if it does mean more protection for green spaces, yet at the moment Bexley Council is planning to build on a large Site … Continue reading
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Kent wildlife conference, October 2014
Saturday 18 October 2014 Grimond Lecture Theatre 1 University of Kent, Canterbury Campus Organised by the Kent Field Club (Kent’s natural history society). Having been to a couple of these events in the past, they are well worth attending if … Continue reading
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Four out of 5 top search engines put Bexley Wildlife first
BexleyWildlife.org – or the associated Facebook page – now tops the list of suggested sites when ‘Bexley wildlife’ or ‘wildlife Bexley’ is put into the Google, Bing, Yahoo or AOL search engines, coming up ahead of the biodiversity pages on … Continue reading
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Bexleyheath Broadway Shopping Centre takes action on water conservation.
It is good to see a local commercial organisation taking action to reduce its environmental impact. Unfortunately Bexley Council’s planning officers seem to keen to accept excuses from developers and not even apply there onwn policies on environmental aspects. So, … Continue reading
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Environment Forum looks at problem areas
The well-attended Bexley Natural Environment Forum meeting on July 23rd looked at a couple of long-running problem areas. These were the Vicarage Road Site of Importance for Nature Conservation in Old Bexley, which has been subjected to repeated bulldozing, and … Continue reading
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‘Consultation’ on destruction of important Erith Quarry wildlife site
The former Erith Quarry site, ‘the last great wilderness in Bexley’, is a Grade 1 Bexley Site of Importance for Nature Conservation, but is now under threat of being built on. It has been damaged in the past by inappropriate … Continue reading
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Danson Park Records May 2014
John Turner’s records for his regular visits to Danson Park. We are always interested in receiving reports of sightings from locations in Bexley, either in report form such as John’s (Excel spreadsheet) or as postings direct to our Bexley Wildlife … Continue reading
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