Our Facebook Posts
Guided Bat walk, Danson Park. 10/5/24.www.facebook.com/FriendsofDansonPark/posts/pfbid02ry29xhKQNrwbjv8mrLjYzpY99N4L61446BrL5nsF6vnAR1e...Our next guided bat walk is open for bookings.
Friday 10 May at 8 pm at Danson Stables carpark
Adults £5
Accompanied children free
These are normally oversubscribed, so please email friendsofdansonpark@gmail.com or text 07596 657763 to book your place.
RECYCLING FOR CHARITY EVENTby Wasteless Market.
Wednesday 15th May, 13.00-15.00
Bexleyheath Library, Townley Road, Bexleyheath
We will be collecting hard-to recycle packaging in aid of charity as part of the Eco-Library tour - a monthly drop-in session where you can discuss and get ideas for sustainable living.
Please check the list of acceptable items below, as these do change. All packaging must be flat, empty and sorted into the categories shown.
For every kg collected £1 is donated to charity (apart from the blister packs). Charities supported are: Kent & London Air Ambulance; Pathfinder Guide Dogs; Against Breast Cancer and Mind in Bexley.
Biscuit, cake & cracker packets
Bras - any condition
Bread & bakery product wrappers - only plastic
Cheese packets - clean & dry please
Dishwasher tablet pouches & household wipe packaging (no other types of wipe please)
Broken Food storage boxes & reusable plastic drinking bottles
Laundry pod pouches
Medicine blister packs
Plastic Milk bottle tops (washed and dried please)
Used postage stamps
Pringles tubes - no lids - squashed flat please
Printer cartridges (inkjet only)
Medicine blister pack recycling incurs a cost for us - if you would like to support us with the cost of this scheme, or to make a donation towards our work, please visit our localgiving page at localgiving.org/charity/Wasteless-market/
Thank you!
Wasteless Community Hub Ltd | Localgiving
localgiving.org
We believe that local is better. By connecting grassroots organisations with donations, fundraising and grants plus resources and support, we are proud to help thousands of UK community groups do amaz...
THAMES21 - TARGETED HIMALAYAN BALSAM ERADICATION PROGRAMME ON RIVER CRAY.** Revised schedule with date changes**
A couple of the proposed Friday sessions have now been changed to Saturdays, which will hopefully enable people to join in who are not able to make weekdays.
Past attempts to tackle the plentiful Himalayan Balsam on the Cray have jumped around from one location to another, with no sustained effort working from upstream downward. Consequently, plants removed from lower down the river can simply be replaced by seed washed down from further up. Balsam seed only remains viable for a couple of years, so a more disciplined approach could start to clear the river of it.
Michael O'Neill will be leading 6 events in total over this spring and summer period, 3 on the upper stretch of the affected Cray, 3 on the next stretch down.
The upper stretch being from Water Lane off North Cray Road, down to Old Bexley Village, the lower stretch being from Old Bexley Village to the confluence of the river Shuttle, next to Dartfordians Rugby Club.
Dates and links are given below for both the Thames21 website (which carries background details) and for the Plinth event sign up pages.
Please send these dates on to your contacts if you think they would be interested in getting involved, either as a volunteer or to coordinate control works on the Cray river. Any questions, please do let me know.
Here are the links:
Booking:
2nd event - Friday 03/5/24
book.plinth.org.uk/e/m2F8e62NkwUwurdy4diJ
3rd event - NOW Saturday 25/5/24
book.plinth.org.uk/e/i0JY9SORp1q0JstoVRTF
4th event - NOW Saturday 1/6/24
book.plinth.org.uk/e/gpVVKbNti5oxiuP8lmZg
5th event (London Rivers Week) Friday 21/6/24
book.plinth.org.uk/e/S1vEqb7sJoztovKqWxvg
6th event - Friday 5/7/24
book.plinth.org.uk/e/04q3NEldqncXlKLf5H1K
Further info:
www.thames21.org.uk/event/cray-river-balsam-blitz-2/
(2nd Event) - same background details apply to 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th events.
Kind regards
Michael O'Neill
Engagement Officer
M +44 (0)7597584363 www.thames21.org.uk
BARNEHURST SWIFT NESTING AREA - earliest recorded return date.Four, possibly six Swfts were over the area tonight (1/5), between 19.30 and 20.15, my earliest recorded date here. None were seen during an hour of circuits at the same time on 30/4.
The first two spotted were over the Westfield/Midfield junction, flying towards Hillingdon, then again a bit later. Four were observed coming off Barnehurst Golf Course and over Beverley/Northall, two of which appeared to dive down towards a roof on Northall Rd (in the vicinity of a known nesting building), after which no more were seen.
Using data posted to londonbirders.fandom.com/wiki/April_2024
the first Swift seen over London was at the London Wetland Centre on 12th April. There were scattered sightings until 20th April when one was at Rainham Marshes, over the river from Crayford Marshes. Conrad Ellam saw 2 over Southmere Lake on April 21st, with more than 20 at Rainham the same day, 40+here on 23/4 and 100 on 27/4.
2 Swifts were seen from Erith Pier by Tim Rymer on 28/4. There are at least two nest sites nearby, one on Manor Rd. A swift was reported over a known Lewisham nesting area on 29/4 on the Lewisham Swifts Facebook page.
Previous first sightings for the Barnehurst colony were:
2023 - 2/5. My first check of the year so they may have arrived earlier. One reported at Crossness 28/4
2022 -8/5 (checked from 28/4)
2021 - 6/5 (had last checked 3/5)
2020 - 2/5 (first date checked)
2019 - didn't monitor
2018 - 7/5 (had checked every evening starting 1/5)
2017 - 4/5 (no prior daily checks)
2016 - 4/5 (no prior daily checks)
2015 - 6/5 (no prior daily checks)
Worryingly, despite a few visits, no Swifts were seen at two of the very small colonies in Bexley during 2023. One was seen flying away from the Mill Rd (North Heath) site one evening, but that was it, and none were at Silverdale Rd (Bexleyheath. Although the adults may have died, there should still be juveniles out there that were hatched at these locations, so they will be checked again this season.
Chris Rose
Crossness River Action Group's latest haul .......www.facebook.com/groups/crossnessriveraction/posts/1141568633854019/
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Category Archives: RSPB
Lesnes Abbey Woods bird walk report, April 25th 2015
RSPB Bexley Group – walk Lesnes Abbey Woods Saturday 25th April 2015 – 0900-1200 After a week of seemingly unbroken sunshine it was a little disappointing to assemble under grey skies and a passing shower – undeterred, 12 members joined … Continue reading
Posted in Heathland, Lesnes Abbey Woods, Plants in Bexley, RSPB
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Big turnout at Crossness bird walk on good day for raptor sightings
Crossness Reserve Manager Karen Sutton writes: 32 attendees braved the cold and wind today (March 21st), to join the Bexley RSPB Crossness Nature Reserve bird trip. The trip was led by Stuart Banks and George Kalli. Included among attendees were … Continue reading
Twenty enjoy Bexley Park Woods wildlife walk in spring sunshine
Eighteen people joined leaders Chris Rose from Bexley Natural Environment Forum and Ralph Todd of Bexley RSPB on yesterday’s (March 12th) wildlife walk around Bexley Park Woods, hosted by Friends of the Shuttle, the river that runs through the northern … Continue reading
Great Crested Grebe courtship display was highlight of 33 species Danson bird walk
Report by Ralph and Brenda Todd. It was a cold wind that blew across the Stables car park on Tuesday morning (24th Feb) but it didn’t deter the 15 members of RSPB Bexley Group accompanied by Friends of the Shuttle, … Continue reading
Posted in Bexley, Bird watching, Danson Park, Friends of the Shuttle, Open spaces, Parks, RSPB
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Residents revolt over Council ‘carnage’ on banks of Wyncham Stream. New row as Council describes heavy-handed management of Sites of Importance for Nature Conservation as ‘tree maintenance’.
Bexley Council is once again under scrutiny for an apparently budget-driven ‘scorched earth’ approach to vegetation management. Complaints from residents about the severity of an operation last week along the Wyncham stream, a tributary of the Shuttle, where it flows between Brookend … Continue reading
Over 2,000 Ring-necked Parakeets at Danson roost again
Eleven people attended the Friends of the Shuttle Danson Park Parakeet count on this sunny evening (Feb 17th), tallying some 2,125 birds into the roost area on the north side of the lake. Participants came from FotS, Bexley RSPB, BNEF … Continue reading
FotS announces February events, including more at Danson Park
News just in from the Friends of the Shuttle, which has several events coming up. The next FotS clean-up is on the Shuttle on Thursday 12th February. We will be meeting at Crofton Avenue at 10.30, as always please let … Continue reading
Eighteen enjoy Hall Place/Crayford Rough bird walk in sunny interlude
RSPB Bexley Local Group Walk – Hall Place South and Crayford Rough Tuesday 13th January 2014 – Leaders Ralph and Brenda Todd Ninety minutes before our walk began the skies were thick grey and heavy rain had just ceased, within … Continue reading
Braeburn park bird walks
Peter Beckenham, of the London Wildlife Trust, has planned a couple of guided bird walks at Braeburn Park, the Trust’s new reserve in Crayford – on the south side of the railway line opposite Hall Place – for January and … Continue reading
Posted in Bird watching, Braeburn Park, Hall Place, RSPB
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Latest outbreak of excessive ‘vegetation management’ sparks ‘Key habitat features’ list move
Several complaints about a ‘scorched earth’ approach to vegetation management along the River Shuttle over the past couple of weeks, have been relayed to noted local bird recorder Ralph Todd of Bexley RSPB, and further dismay was expressed by a … Continue reading