Crossness records preview: July – Sept 2014

Ahead of the next Friends of Crossness Nature Reserve newsletter, a preview of the site’s summer records has now been received from Manager Karen Sutton. Thanks are due to volunteer Roger Taylor for spreadsheeting  the raw data.

Insect highlights were the rare Great Silver Diving Beetle (already covered in a separate story on this website) and a Clouded Yellow butterfly, a species very infrequently seen in the Borough.

Yellow Wagtail, Spotted Flycatcher, Mediterranean and Yellow-legged Gulls were notable birds. There were peak counts of 50 House Martin, 55 Linnet, 22 Meadow Pipit, 35 Pied Wagtail and 1,000 Starling, with numbers of other species starting to reflect migratory movements, such as 29 Swallow, and the settling in of prominent winter species with 155 Shelduck and 550 Teal.

A couple of Seals were seen  off the site and there was another Weasel sighting.

PLEASE THINK ABOUT HELPING OUT AT THIS HUGELY IMPORTANT SITE FOR NATURE IN BEXLEY Ffi: Karen Sutton 07747 643958 / Karen.sutton@thameswater.co.uk  £10 life membership of the Friends gets you into that fab two-storey bird hide …..

New Southern Marsh pool and boardwalk, with Crossness works wind turbine. (Photo: Chris Rose)

New Southern Marsh pool and boardwalk, with Crossness works wind turbine in the distance. (Photo: Chris Rose)

 

 

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Roads to Nowhere campaigner conference 2014

Of interest to anti-road bridge, anti putative Bexley by-pass and anti ever more traffic campaigners, and those looking for positive alternatives:

On 18 October Better Transport is hosting a training conference for anyone who wants to stop a new wave of road building covering the country with tarmac.

Ffi/to book: http://www.bettertransport.org.uk/roads-nowhere/conference-2014

The conference, in central London, will give you information and intelligence on what’s being proposed, together with training and advice on how to get a campaign off the ground.

The Government and local councils are planning to spend tens of billions of pounds on new roads over the next few years. George Osborne is planning to announce a new wave of major schemes in his Autumn Statement, and new ‘growth funds’ and spending powers for business groups threaten to add many more disastrous projects to this list from 2015.

As a result of this spending spree, roads that were cancelled years ago are rising from the dead, threatening to encourage yet more traffic, trap people in their cars, pollute our air, and destroy some of our most valuable countryside.

Over the next two years more than 100 road schemes, from new motorways to bypasses and widenings, will need to go through planning and funding approval processes before the diggers move in, and that’s where you’re needed.

Local campaigners working to stop destructive and unnecessary roads are more important than ever, and this free event – twice as big as our last conference in 2012 – is the only one of its kind, and a chance to get advice and training from the real experts.

Roads to Nowhere’s conference is for anyone who is:

currently campaigning to stop a road scheme in their local area, or

  • expects to face a road proposal in the near future

The day-long event will include:

  • Advice from seasoned road campaigners on setting up and running a campaign
  • Success stories from recent campaigns
  • Expert help on planning rules
  • A range of collaborative workshops for sharing skills and advice
  • Media, online mapping and web training

Date:

Saturday 18 October 2014, from 10:30 AM to 5:00 PM

Venue:

Toynbee Hall
28 Commercial Street
London E1 6LS
(nearest tube Aldgate East)

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Meeting for anti-east London road bridge campaigners / Boris answers on river crossing matters

London Assembly member Darren Johnson AM (Green Party) will host a public meeting at City Hall on river crossings in November. To register your interest, please e-mail  “Rachel Carlill” <Rachel.Carlill@london.gov.uk> and put ‘register’ in the subject line.

Through this meeting Darren will be looking to work with key players in the (road bridge) river crossings debate to identify how best he can articulate the huge opposition that exists to these crossings to the Mayor and TfL using the tools at his disposal as an Assembly Member.

Darren’s response to, and critique of, TfL’s 2014 road bridges consultation can be downloaded from:

https://app.box.com/shared/static/b9leipz0c5qo3zfhr6nd.pdf

There may, for example, be gaps in the emissions or other data that Darren could obtain or he could organise a petition, motions or questions to be put to the Mayor. There may be further meetings that he could attend to represent his constituents’ views.

The meeting will also provide an opportunity for campaigners to forge links amongst themselves.

Darren’s Office has been working with Jenny Bates of Friends of the Earth on this issue for a while now, and Bexley Natural Environment Forum is contacting Jenny to find out what FoE are doing to help organise opposition. The last meeting of BNEF agreed to do what it could to help facilitate the coming together and co-ordination of opponents from both sides of the river, but recognised it did not have the resources, nor was the best-placed group to lead any umbrella campaign.

Meanwhile, courtesy Darren’s office, here are recent responses from Boris Johnson about river crossings in east London. The reply to Darren’s question, in particular, is just another statement of Boris’s enthusiasm for massive extra ‘development’ (urbanisation) in Bexley, meekly supported by Bexley Council. This is clearly where the five-fold hike to 22,000  new houses, compared to the 4,500 projected in the recent Local Development Framework comes from, even though 6 weeks after being asked where the 22K figure comes from, the Council has still not replied. The only positive thing that can be said about this is that the more (potential) public transport links there are, the less grounds there are for road bridges – other than to cater for people who want to get to the south coast in a hurry, or ever more heavy goods vehicles, neither of which has much to do with providing any ‘local benefit’, or anything to do with sustainability.

Crossrail – link to Thamesmead Question No: 2014/3001Darren Johnson. Thamesmead is one of the largest areas of London to have no railway station of its own. Have you studied the potential for a future extension of Crossrail to the area?

Boris Johnson’s reply: Written response from the Mayor and CommissionerTfL is currently working with LB Bexley and the GLA to develop a growth strategy forthe Bexley Riverside Opportunity Area, which could provide over 20,000 new homes. Aspart of this work, TfL is considering a number of potential transport interventionswhich may be required to enable such growth. The assessment of options has only justbegun, with modelling expected to take place between August and October and thefinal report expected early in 2015. Depending on the outcome of the OpportunityArea study, a development funding study could then follow to determine what, if any,funding could be generated to help fund new infrastructure. This work stems fromdiscussions between LB Bexley, TfL and GLA and is focussed on delivering additionalhomes and jobs for London. TfL is also working alongside RB Greenwich, LB Bexley, the GLA and Peabody as partof the Thamesmead Futures initiative and is looking at measures which could improvethe accessibility and connectivity of this area, as well as enabling housing andemployment growth. This work is at an early stage and will consider a range ofoptions including rail links, however due to the location of Thamesmead to the northof the planned Crossrail line; this is unlikely to include an extension ofCrossrail.  The proposed extension of the Overground to Barking Riverside is,however, being designed not to rule out a possible onward extension towardsThamesmead and Abbey Wood. This work is being developed in partnership with the work on Bexley Riverside.

Rail River Crossings in East London Question No: 2014/3334 Len Duvall Can you outline to me any potential rail or light rail river crossings that could be built around the Thamesmead or Erith areas and potential timescales?

Written response from the Mayor. Tackling the barrier effect of the river east of Tower Bridge is a vital element in addressing the long-term growth requirements of east and south east London, alongwith the economic development and regeneration needs of this part of the city. Inrecent years there have been significant improvements in cross river transport insome parts of east London including DLR and London Overground schemes. Further majorimprovements are committed and in the delivery pipeline, including Crossrail, whichwill provide a further new rail crossing of the river when it opens in 2019. Thiswill directly benefit Thamesmead and Erith through interchange with existing railand bus services at Abbey Wood.  An extension of Crossrail east of Abbey Wood toBelvedere and Erith and onwards to Ebbsfleet is also safeguarded by the Government. I recognise that more will be needed and together with TfL I am working on plans todeliver further major schemes to serve this area. My recent 2050 Infrastructure Plansets out why this is important within the context of London’s wider strategicchallenges. In particular London needs to maintain its world city status, house apopulation that is expected to exceed 11 million within 35 years, and become abetter city in which to live as well as a bigger one. Maximising the potential ofareas with significant growth capacity such as Thamesmead and Erith will be vital ifwe are to succeed in these aims. The Plan sets out a series of transportrequirements designed to achieve this. These include options for new crossings in this area, including bridges at GallionsReach and at Belvedere, and TfL has recently consulted on these. Both would offerthe potential for new bus services to link east and south east London, which wouldimprove orbital public transport connections in the area. In the case of Gallions Reach, a bridge would end close to the existing DLR, and itmay be feasible to extend the DLR across the bridge to serve Thamesmead. Thisconcept will be considered as part of the next stage of work on river crossings inresponse to the recent consultation.  Furthermore, opportunities also exist toextend the heavy rail network across the river. Proposals to extend the LondonOverground to Barking Riverside are currently being consulted on, withimplementation proposed by 2019. A further extension across the river to Thamesmeadto connect up with Crossrail would also be possible. This is at a very early stageof investigation and there are currently no proposed timescales.

Proposed Silvertown Tunnel (1)Question No: 2014/2975 Caroline Pidgeon How much money has been spent so far on plans and preparation for the Silvertown Tunnel?

Written response from the Mayor. The total expenditure to date on planning and design development work for the Silvertown tunnel is in the region of £2.5 million. This covers a four year periodduring which TfL has progressed the design through feasibility and optioneeringstages. Proposed Silvertown Tunnel (2)Question No: 2014/2629Caroline PidgeonWhy did TfL decide to progress the Silvertown Tunnel separately from the otherproposals relating to river crossings, even though you have been reported as statingon LBC Radio that building Silvertown alone will put “much more pressure” on roadsnear the tunnel?Written response from the MayorMy Transport Strategy sets out a clear need for a package of river crossings in eastLondon, to support the growth of the area and to address existing constraints withthe transport network. Earlier consultations carried out by TfL on the rivercrossings package have yielded clear support for the Silvertown crossing butidentified the need for further analysis and consultation to determine the proposalsfor crossing(s) to the east. As a key part of this package, the Silvertown Tunnel is designed to addresslong-standing congestion and resilience problems at the Blackwall Tunnel and thesurrounding roads. It achieves this by removing a substantial proportion of localtraffic from Blackwall Tunnel and will also act as a diversion route when BlackwallTunnel has to be closed for incidents, emergencies or essential maintenance. Theproposal of a new tunnel at Silvertown has had strong support from the public andstakeholders at previous consultations and the Secretary of State for Transport hasdesignated it as a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project. However, the Silvertown Tunnel alone cannot address the lack of crossings in eastLondon. The fact is that London needs a package of new crossings to improveconnectivity and resilience to the east of Tower Bridge and support the growth ofthis area. I was not referring to the Silvertown Tunnel specifically but making awider point that there is a clear case for further crossings to be delivered east ofSilvertown, in order to support the growth in jobs and homes across east London. TfL is consulting now on these new crossing options, which are in addition toSilvertown Tunnel. The responses will guide the selection of an appropriate packageand enable us to better understand the relationship and interaction between crossingoptions and Silvertown Tunnel. Any new crossings need to carefully consider their role in local and strategic traffic contexts so that all impacts are properly identified and understood.

Posted in Belvedere, Bexley Council, BNEF, GLA, Planning, Sustainability, Thames bridges, Thamesmead | Leave a comment

Ragged Robins, Red Admiral and Wigeon at Danson

I came across two flowering Ragged Robin (Lychnis flos-cuculi) by the rock garden pond at Danson Park today, which according  to GiGL’s database is only the second site for it in the Borough, the other having been Foots Cray Meadows with records from 1955, 1964 and 1985.

There is no evidence to suggest that anything has been sown here by the Council since the pond was dredged earlier in the year, so it may be a relic of a sowing some years ago that has re-appeared after seed was brought to the surface. Or it may have been brought in by birds. Or perhaps a member of the public had bought or collected some seed from somewhere and broadcast them here.

Two Ragged Robin plants found by the bog garden pond at at Danson Park constitute only the second site in the Borough for the species (Photo: Chris Rose)

Two Ragged Robin plants found by the bog garden pond at at Danson Park constitute only the second site in the Borough for this species (Photo: Chris Rose)

A female Wigeon (or maybe male in eclipse plumage before moulting back into breeding colours?) was an unexpected find given that this is a bird normally associated with the Thames and adjacent marshes. I have subsequently discovered that Ian Stewart saw two Wigeon here on October 2nd.  There were 4 Little Grebe, 1 Great Crested Grebe and 6 Egyptian Geese amongst other species. Winter is coming and Coot numbers have consequently risen significantly since my last visit.

The Himalayan Balsam is not going without a fight, and a further 10 spindly plants had sneaked up amongst dense waterside vegetation and were in flower. I pulled them out without losing any seed from popping pods, and put them in a dry shady spot away from the lake where nothing is growing.

Another search for Alder Tongue Gall failed to reveal any, but a Red Admiral butterfly was tucked away amongst the leaves near the tip of an Alder shoot, out of the strong breeze and drizzle.

Chris Rose.

Posted in Bird watching, Foots Cray Meadows, Plants in Bexley, Recording | Leave a comment

Stonechat at Crossness

Female stonechat at Crossness October 2014  Richard Spink

Female stonechat at Crossness October 2014 Richard Spink

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Corky-fruited Water-dropwort: a new record for this very scarce London species in Bexley

On 23rd July 2014 a number of plants of Corky-fruited Water-dropwort (Oenanthe pimpinelloides), a member of the carrot family, and a species of conservation concern for Greater London due to its rarity in the capital, were found in an uncultivated field by Bexley Natural Environment Forum Vice-chair Chris Rose, on a tour of privately-owned land in the Coldblow area of the Borough, not far from the Kent border.

The plants stood out as not being Wild Carrot, but since he had only seen the species once before, many years ago in Bristol, and was not carrying any field guides, some sample material was collected. This has just belatedly been identified. In particular, the corky swellings at the base of the seed capsules can be seen on the densely-packed dried flower head, and the spiky erect styles are also prominent.

Corky-fruited Water-dropwort from Coldblow in the Borough of Bexley. An important new record of a species that is very scarce in London. Lower stem leaf to the left, seed head centre, and upper stem leaf on the right. (Photo: Chris Rose)

Corky-fruited Water-dropwort from Coldblow in the Borough of Bexley. An important new record of a species that is very scarce in London. Lower stem leaf to the left, seed head centre, and upper stem leaf on the right. (Photo: Chris Rose)

Very few previous records from within London, or around its border, were known at the time of Rodney Burton’s ‘Flora of the London area’ (1983), but a few more locations have been added since then, notably on a Council housing estate in Southwark, in which Borough the species is the subject of a biodiversity action plan. It is known to have spread into parks, commons and a golf course from a site in Bromley probably, thinks Rodney, through mowing contractors inadvertently distributing seed. Otherwise the species is not noted for its dispersal ability, so the Coldblow population may be an old one.

A Google Earth photograph purporting to be from January 1940 (though obviously not taken in winter) shows the field to be down to what is probably an arable crop, possibly a cereal, and with what appears to be an orchard on the south side. In a 1960 image the orchard seems to have gone, and the whole patch shows closely-spaced rows of a dark-leaved crop which might be small fruit bushes, or very large potato plants. By the time of the next aerial view in 1990, the area now inhabited by the CFWD is grass. It should be noted that the common name of the species is misleading, and it is in fact a native perennial of hay meadows and pastures, particularly horse-grazed pastures. It is usually found growing on acidic soils and will tolerate both damp and dry conditions. It does, however, have close relatives that do habitually grow in damp ground, in marshes or in water.

GiGL’s latest dataset shows records made by Margot Godfrey in 2000 and Jon Riley in 2002 from Woodland’s Farm, but on the assumption that the grid references given are deadly accurate, and using the ‘Wheresthepath’ online mapping site, both were from a field adjacent to the Greenwich/Bexley boundary, but on the Greenwich side of it. So this new record may be a first for the Borough of Bexley unless there were or are any plants in the adjoining field on the Bexley side of the border at the farm, which is marked by a hedge. It is possible that only a sample grid reference was given for the population as a whole, which just happened to be one lying within Greenwich. Inquiries are being made on this point.

The occurrence of the plant in Greenwich, in close proximity to Bexley, came to particular prominence during 2012 when concerns were raised in the media about the proposal to site a Rapier Missile Battery near the cafe in Oxleas Woods. This was in order to protect the Olympic Park from airborne terrorist attack, and the CFWD was cited as an important part of the local wildlife which could be damaged as a result. We also know that CFWD was still present on Woodlands Farm in 2010 in a spot further into Greenwich, thanks to a record submitted to GiGL by the farm’s Trust.

According to the Botanical Society of the British Isles News, January 2009, No. 110, in an article by Tony and Val Marshall, CFWD in Britain and Ireland  occurs almost entirely in southern England and the extreme south-west and south-east of Ireland. It is said to be quite frequent in south Hampshire, IoW, Dorset, east Somerset, east Devon and the Severn Valley into Gloucestershire. There are a few sites in Sussex, Kent, Surrey and South London. There are also a few isolated records further north in England.

Posted in Coldblow, Plants in Bexley, Recording | 6 Comments

Crossness records preview: April – June 2014

The next Friends of Crossness newsletter is imminent, but a preview of the April to June wildlife records that will be published therein has been circulated by Site Manager Karen Sutton. Karen does a massive job collating all the data provided by a number of different observers.

Highlights include up to 10 Cetti’s Warblers at a time, 3  Barn Owls, Marsh Harrier, 2 Hobby, 5 Peregrine Falcon, a Mediterranean Gull, 3 Little Ringed Plover, Curlew, 3 Skylark, 1 Ring Ouzel, Common Redstart, Stonechat and Wheatear.

This Ring Ouzel dropped into  Crossness in April, on the way back to the uplands of northern England to breed (Photo: Mike Robinson)

This Ring Ouzel dropped into Crossness in April, on the way back to the uplands of northern England to breed (Photo: Mike Robinson)

A number of Small Tortoiseshell butterflies were seen, in what was a much better year for the species, which has declined badly. But numbers were still very low in absolute terms, with the single day maximum being only 4. A lone Ringlet added yet another site for a species which has been found in a number of new locations during 2014.

A mere £10 will now secure you LIFE MEMBERSHIP of Friends of Crossness Nature Reserve. Benefits include:

  • an informative colour newsletter,
  • access to the fenced-off part of the site
  • entry to the two-storey bird-hide within, which provides panoramic views over the marshes and beyond, and which will offer much-appreciated shelter from the elements during inclement weather
  • opportunities to get involved with a variety of hands-on habitat management work
  • indoor winter wildlife talks by experts in  their field
  • making new friends!

Ffi: Karen Sutton <karen.sutton@thameswater.co.uk>

Karen Sutton at the official opening ceremony for the new Crossness bird hide in May, flanked by David 'The urban Birder' Lindo and long-serving Thames Water Biodiversity Manager Andy Tomczynski.

Karen Sutton at the official opening ceremony for the new Crossness bird hide in May, flanked by David ‘The Urban Birder’ Lindo and long-serving Thames Water Biodiversity Manager Andy Tomczynski.

Posted in Crossness Nature Reserve, Recording, SINC, Volunteering | Leave a comment

The importance and management of heath and acid grassland – free lecture series

The placenames Bexleyheath, Northumberland Heath, Lessness Heath and road names such as Little Heath Road, Heath Way and Broomfield Road attest to the heathland heritage of large parts of the Borough of Bexley. Heather-dominated heath survives (with management) in Lesnes Abbey Woods, and small patches of Gorse and Broom persist elsewhere. The Council’s Biodiversity Action Plan calls for re-creation of heathland at other sites, but nothing has been done about this. Unimproved acid grassland is still to be found on various golf courses, in cemeteries such as Erith on Brook Street, and Christchurch, Bexleyheath, also at Hollyhill Open Space. Many of these are designated as Sites of Importance for Nature Conservation.

This free lecture series will be of interest to those who appreciate, study and manage such sites in the Borough, and those who wish to see heathland re-creation actually happen in Bexley (The Bexley Wildlife team would be delighted to hear from any such persons ….).

There is space for 80 in the lecture theatre, so you are advised to come a little early if you want to be sure of securing a place.

This blasted heath – the future of lowland heathland, acid grassland and mire.

Friday evenings, 18:30, Oct 10th to Nov 14th 2014, Birkbeck University of London. Lecture theatre B36 (downstairs in the central Birkbeck building, entrance from Torrington Square)

In Act I of “Macbeth”, Shakespeare used a heath near Forres as the forbidding setting of a supernatural encounter. Heaths have long had a bad public image. Most heaths are ancient. They were established when woodland was cleared in places with an underlying geology forming an impoverished acidic soil, and maintained by traditional practices. However, they are diminishing throughout the country, even if pockets are still to be found in the southern counties and in the suburbs of London. These remnant heathlands are now much valued as natural open spaces. They are precious because they support a specialised biota, some of which is not found elsewhere. Loss may occur from ecological succession following the neglect of traditional management, or conversion to agriculture or to urban development. How can the remaining patches be saved? How can these important areas be managed to best effect? Management practices in different sites will be discussed and compared. Current problems will be highlighted and specialised conditions for particular groups of plants and animals discussed.

Further details of the six individual lectures, and a reading list, will be available later. To receive these, please email ecssoc@gmail.com, consult the website http://www.bbk.ac.uk/geds/our-research/ecss/free-public-lectures, or pick up a copy at one of the lectures.

Oct 10th. Heathland – a Cultural Landscape. Dr Nigel Webb, Chairman, Dorset Wildlife Trust, author of the New Naturalist volume on heathlands.

Oct 17th. Whatever happened to Hardy’s Egdon Heath? Our current efforts to save lowland heathlands. Dr Isabel Alonso, Natural England’s Senior Lowland Heathland Specialist.

Oct 24th. Access and Nature Conservation on lowland heaths. Dr Durwyn Liley, Footprint Ecology.

Oct 31st. Mires – the Cinderella habitat. Richard Lindsay, Head of Environmental Research Group, University of East London.

Nov 7th. Restoring our lowland heathlands and acid grasslands in a changing climate. Dr Malcolm Ausden, Principal Ecologist at RSPB.

Nov 14th. Herds on the Heaths; innovative techniques to reintroduce large herbivore herds. James Adler, Grazing Manager, Surrey Wildlife Trust.

The free public lectures are in a series hosted by GEDS, Birkbeck University of London. They are suitable for those who may be considering, or undertaking, university courses in ecology, biological conservation or related subjects. They will interest environmental and ecological practitioners, natural historians, wildlife organisations and others with similar interests.

The lectures are supported by Dept of Geography, Environment and Development Studies, Birkbeck University of London and would not be possible otherwise. They are organised and promoted by the Ecology and Conservation Studies Society, with assistance from the Linnean Society of London.

One of several road names in Bexley that remind us of the Borough's heathland heritage, most of which has now sadly been obliterated by development.

One of several road names in Bexley that remind us of the Borough’s heathland heritage, most of which has now sadly been obliterated by development. (Photo: Chris Rose)

Posted in Bexley Council, Heathland, SINC | Leave a comment

Winter programme of events at Crossness

Download the PDF file .

Posted in Crossness Nature Reserve, Volunteering | Leave a comment

Largest (and rare) aquatic beetle in the UK is new record for Crossness

While carrying out habitat work on Crossness Nature Reserve recently, Karen Sutton, and volunteer Reg, stumbled across a specimen of the huge and incredibly impressive Great Silver Water Beetle (Hydrophilus piceus). This member of the Hydrophilidae family, was found wandering along a terrestrial footpath, near adjacent water at the southern end of the Protected Area.

While this huge beetle, measuring 35-65mm in length, is the second largest in the UK – with the terrestrial Stag Beetle (Lucanus cervus) taking first place – it is Britain’s largest aquatic beetle. It is also very rare and threatened. Yet another reason why local decision-makers need to wake up and respond appropriately to the huge importance of this tiny fragment of what was once extensive marshland, protecting it from any more ‘development’, and looking for ways to enlarge it again where adjacent industrial land becomes vacant.

The Great Silver Water Beetle gets its name from the fact that bubbles of air that are trapped on its underside whilst swimming, look somewhat silvery. This gives the impression that the beetle is silver in colour despite the fact that it is a shiny black beetle with a greenish sheen.

The full article, with photographs, can be downloaded here:

https://app.box.com/shared/static/7dt9gjkxxhthpmupqk4t.docx

Hydrophilus piceus. Photo: Hectonichus

Hydrophilus piceus. Photo: Hectonichus

Posted in Crossness, Invertebrates | Leave a comment