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THAMES ROAD WETLAND VOLUNTEERS DONATE 568 PERSON-HOURS (living wage rate monetary equivalent £6,498) TO BEXLEY COUNCIL IN LAST SIX MONTHSTwenty two people have volunteered at the various Thames Road Wetland habitat management sessions over the last six months (October-March). These have taken place most Fridays, with Thames21's Michael O'Neill bringing down a van full of equipment once a month, enabling us to get more people into waders and out into the Reed/Reedmace beds for much-needed cutting back in order to maintain areas of open water and floral diversity.
We have now had an electric brushcutter for a year, and this has proved invaluable in getting our small band on top of rampant Reed growth which will otherwise completely dominate and lead to drying out, and also in selective Bramble work.
Whilst four of us have had the luxury of being able to donate a collective 366h 32m onsite, plus 91h 55m of admin time (record-keeping, research, correspondence, planning, reports, managing the site photograph collection, social media work/event promotion) it is important to note that without the combined contribution of the other eighteen people who got involved (109h 30m) 20% of the work would not have got done. So we are always keen to welcome new recruits, whether they can come once, a few times or regularly.
For the past six months, thanks are due to:
Ray, Pamela, Elio, Clare, Ian, Lee, Jim, Ronn, Jonathan, Rachel, Phil, Jonah, Riley, Gavin, Trev and 6 Chinese students from Goldsmith's College.
Taking the National Living Wage rate for the period, Bexley Council, which owns the site, has been the beneficiary of £6,497.92 (568 x £11.44) worth of free labour, although strictly very slightly less, as up to 7 of the volunteers may have been under 21. There is also a considerable amount of experience and expertise involved, which cannot readily be given a financial value.
Total volunteer time is slightly up on the 563h 49m for the seasonally corresponding period of 1/10/23-31/3/24. However, it is significantly higher than for the immediately previous period of 1/4/2024-30/9/2024 when it was 443h 5m. This is a reflection of the greater amount of work done in the winter period to avoid unduly disturbing the wildlfe.
Recent advances include now having a better birder on board, someone doing systematic reptile surveying and a couple of people about to start more regular monitoring of Water Vole occupancy at the site.
Chris Rose. Volunteer Site Manager.
NO MOW MAY COMING UP - WILL BEXLEY COUNCIL PARTICIPATE? LET'S ASK IT TO ....Boost wildlife, sign up for NoMowMay.
For residents:
www.plantlife.org.uk/campaigns/nomowmay/
Local Councils are also urged to sign-up here:
bit.ly/3XAuZGC
They will get advice on what to do. There was a post about this on 'X' on 7/4. Followers might like to join me in copying to Bexley Council and leader Teresa O'Neill, reminding them that it's council policy to protect and ENHANCE biodiversity, and asking them to take part. There may also be versions on other social media platforms that can be used.
With so many gardens covered in paving, we need all the pollinator resources we can get. It isn't helpful that the council 'clear fells' the flowers across acres of open spaces/grass verges all in one go. If it won't stop the incessant mowing, it should at least shift to some kind of rotatational cutting so that there are always some flowers available. It should also dump its policy of driving its mowers over litter, chopping it up into smaller pieces, making it harder/slower to remove and creating soil microplastic pollution.
Plantlife's No Mow May Movement
www.plantlife.org.uk
No Mow May is Plantlife’s annual campaign calling all lawn owners not to mow during May. Let your wildflowers grow this summer.
BEXLEY RSPB SPRING-SUMMER NEWSLETTER AND PROGRAMME OF EVENTS AVAILABLE ONLINE.The two documents are available to be read online, or downloaded separately, at the link below.
The next three local walks are as follows. They are free and non-members are welcome to come as 'taster' sessions, but you must book in adavance as numbers are limited. To book contact Ralph Todd preferably by e-mail on rbtodd@btinternet.com or phone/text on 07838 352393. Please give a contact phone number in case of late changes to arrangements. Please also advise if you have booked and need to cancel as there may be a waiting list.
Thursday 24 April 2025 - Hall Place Gardens and Meadows.
9:30 – 12:00 (Local Walk) – booking essential
Meet in Hall Place car park Bourne Road Bexley DA5 1PQ.
Always a popular walk – with the arrival of spring the first blooms and blossoms should be showing. Kestrel, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Song and Mistle Thrush along with the common tits are resident and active. The River Cray hosts Grey Wagtails, Moorhen and this winter a Water Rail. Common Buzzard and Sparrowhawk are regularly seen.
Toilets and café available.
Leader Nicky Wilson
Saturday 3 May 2025 Joyden’s Wood Dawn Chorus
04.30-06.30 (Local Walk) - booking essential
Meet Summerhouse Drive entrance next to house no.178 – buses B12 and 429 use Squires Way stop. Many of you will have enjoyed Honor’s guided walks around the woods, now is a chance to join her on her personal dawn chorus date and be overwhelmed by the fabulous variety of bird song to be heard.
Leader Honor Wheeler
Friday 9 May 2025 – Braeburn Park LWT reserve Bexley
9.30-12 noon (Local Walk) booking essential
Meet in the secure LWT Car Park Rochester Way adjacent to the Access Solutions site DA1 3QU (full directions will be given in the confirmation email two days before the walk). Opposite Hall Place south this London Wildlife Trust reserve offers much for the bird watcher and possibly there will be some early butterflies as well. Despite its close proximity we’ve only visited on three previous occasions. We’ll make this a gentle walk but there are a couple of fairly steep parts of the reserve. We hope to be accompanied by either the warden or volunteers. No facilities.
Leaders Ralph and Brenda Todd
group.rspb.org.uk/bexley/news-blogs/blog/newsletter-out-now-spring-summer-2025/?fbclid=IwY2xjawJi...
Newsletter out now! (Spring-Summer 2025) - Bexley Local Group
group.rspb.org.uk
Our latest newsletter is now out and available to download. If you have signed up to receive by email it will be sent out shortly. The newsletter includes a full programme of events, as well as severa...
Intro to wildlife recording apps ....Online event, 90 mins, 15th April.
£12.50, but could well be worth the fee.
'Advancements in technology have transformed how we capture wildlife observations. Smartphones now allow anyone to record and submit data in real time. However, with so many apps available, it can be challenging for beginners to choose the right one and fully utilise its features. This session will introduce you to popular wildlife observation apps and guide you through key considerations to help you get started with biological recording.
Learn about:
Popular Wildlife Observation Apps: Explore BirdTrack, iRecord, iNaturalist, and more.
Key Features: Learn about AI tools, mapping capabilities, multimedia options, and activity-based projects.
The Data Journey: Understand where your wildlife data goes and how it’s used.
Species Identification and Validation: Discover how records are verified and validated across different apps.'
www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/using-wildlife-observation-apps-tickets-1124426011469?fbclid=IwY2xjawJhEOt...
Using Wildlife Observation Apps
www.eventbrite.co.uk
Delve into the pros and cons of using various wildlife observation apps for recording wildlife.
BRAEBURN PARK (London Wildlife Trust), CRAYFORD. A large site on the other side of the railway line to Hall Place**Work sessions every Thursday - next one 10th April.
A variety of tasks are undertaken depending on priorities at the time. Path management and targeted habitat work often feature.
Meet 10a.m. at the compound by the industrial estate off the old Rochester Way (see image appended).
The team usually finishes at 3p.m., but you can come and go as you please.
Trained leaders and first aiders will be present. No experience required. Equipment provided. Wear suitable work clothes and sturdy footwear. Tea/coffee and biscuits supplied. Bring any other food and drink you may require.
Contact Simon Hawkins <shawkins@wildlondon.org.uk> in advance for more details / to let him know when you're likely to arrive if not by 10 a.m.
Category Archives: Uncategorized
Sidcup Garden Project newsletter January 2016
Sarah Witney tells us that the next session is this Saturday, 13th Feb at 10am. Location is the Rose Garden, Sidcup Place. http://www.bexleywildlife.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/SGP-News-letter-Jan-Feb-2016.pdf
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London lecture series: Red Data Book Species and conservation
A series of lectures in central London addressing some of the thorny issues and success stories in UK wildlife conservation today. Ecology and Conservation Studies Society, Birkbeck Free Lecture series. Spring 2016: six Friday evenings, Feb 5th to 11th March, 18:30 to … Continue reading
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RSPB Bexley Group – Hall Place and Crayford Rough, 26th January 2016
The valuable series of walks highlighting the birdlife to be found in Bexley continued with this event at Hall Place and Crayford Rough: http://www.bexleywildlife.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/RSPB-Bexley-Group-Walk-Hall-Place-Crayford-Rough-January-2016.pdf
Posted in Bird watching, Crayford Rough, Hall Place, Uncategorized
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Rare Black Redstart adopts riverside hangout in Erith
Mike Robinson has been reporting a Black Redstart hanging around beside the Thames in the Erith area off Corinthian Manorway for the past few weeks on the London Bird Club wiki. He has kindly sent us this photograph: The RSPB says ‘The … Continue reading
Posted in Bird watching, River Thames, Uncategorized
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Bexley Bird Report, July – December 2015
Here’s the latest 6 month round-up of bird sightings and numbers across Bexley, for the period July to December 2015, compiled by Ralph Todd. Thanks to him for another huge and valuable piece of work, and to all those who … Continue reading
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North Heath House Sparrow count
I conducted one of my occasional counts of Sparrows in the hedges around Northumberland Heath recreation ground on the afternoon of 28th December, starting a little after 3 p.m. There were about 79 birds, well below the previous record high … Continue reading
Posted in Bird watching, Recording, Uncategorized
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FotS holds well-attended Christmas social
Friends of the Shuttle, the dynamic local group now doing management work on the River Shuttle and Wyncham Stream, Danson Park lake and in the Danson Park Old English Garden, has as a result gained a lot of new recruits … Continue reading
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Academy pupils get through more hard graft at Thames Road Wetland
Six Crayford academy pupils were at Thames Road Wetland on Wednesday (December 16th). One team re-pollarded some Willow (with the cut material destined for bank restoration work at Footscray Meadows) and helped remove 21 of the many car tyres that … Continue reading
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What makes Crossness and the surrounding area special? – an illustrated summary
Crossness Nature Reserve Site Manager Karen Sutton has put together the following timely document summarising why the site, and the rest of what little is now left of Erith Marshes – including fields on the eastern boundary, now threatened by … Continue reading
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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