Our Facebook Posts
Guided Bat walk, Danson Park. 10/5/24.www.facebook.com/FriendsofDansonPark/posts/pfbid02ry29xhKQNrwbjv8mrLjYzpY99N4L61446BrL5nsF6vnAR1e...Please note that due to very high demand there are no more places available for next weeks Bat Walk. If you received an email or message to confirm your place on the waiting list and if places become available you will be contacted by one of the committee members. Unfortunately we are unable to add any more names to the waiting list.
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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Tag Archives: Bexley Council
Erith Quarry – a response to ‘developer’ spin in the online News Shopper article
Reference the news Shopper’s latest Erith Quarry article: http://www.newsshopper.co.uk/news/14762148.Hundreds_of_snakes_and_lizards_ca/ It’s very disappointing to see that an old, rather selective, photo giving the impression that the quarry site is an unkempt rubbish dump has been wheeled out again to contrast with the ‘developer’s’ artist’s … Continue reading
Two years on and Bexley Council planning pages still mislead on objections
Twenty four months after Bexley Natural Environment Forum first raised the matter, Bexley Council’s ‘view planning applications online’ webpages continue to wrongly state that the group has made no comments on proposals to damage Sites of Importance to Nature Conservation and … Continue reading
Thames Road Wetland latest – Mk2 Harvest Mouse ‘safety’ tubes, Brown Argus confirmed and dumped car reported to police
Much time was spent yesterday (7th September) replacing Mark1 Harvest Mouse monitoring feeding tubes with a much safer Mk2 version that is also attached to a bamboo cane rather than in-situ vegetation. The new design features an ‘escape’ hatch at … Continue reading
Posted in Bexley Council, Butterflies, Dragonflies and Damselflies, Reptiles and Amphibians, Thames Road Wetland
Tagged Bexley Council, Brown Argus, Cetti's Warbler, Grass Snake, Harvest Mouse, Marsh Frog, marsh sow-thistle, Migrant Hawker, Police Crayford Safer Neighbourhood Team, River Wansunt, Thames Road Wetland
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Bexley Sites of Importance for Nature Conservation review saga – two and a half years later and still no sense of urgency
Bexley Natural Environment Forum continues to press Bexley Council on the long-overdue sign-off on the 2013 review by the London Wildlife Trust of the Borough’s existing and potential new Sites of Importance for Nature Conservation. The fact that the deadline … Continue reading
Lizard species in Bexley – there could be one in your garden, or both on your allotment site ….
With Bexley one of the three best Boroughs in London for our declining reptile species, but the Council repeatedly approving building on their prime habitats – all the while making lazy, complacent and unsubstantiated claims that their populations will not … Continue reading
End in sight for SINC review saga ? Environment Forum raises further concerns.
The London Wildlife Sites Board, which reviews the process used by Councils to designate Sites of Importance for Nature Conservation, has confirmed that it has now received the relevant documentation from Bexley Council, and will consider this at its meeting … Continue reading
Old Farm Park group eyes biodiversity improvements, as it emerges Council’s 12m strip won’t protect SINC area
Save Old Farm Park campaigners announced some time ago that they would be looking to increase the park’s wildlife value whether the sell-off of the eastern half by Bexley Council went ahead or not. We can report that some initial … Continue reading
Posted in Bexley Council, development threat, Old Farm Park, Open spaces, Parks, Planning
Tagged Bexley Council, Cllr. Peter Craske, copses, London Wildlife Trust, planning, SINC, UKIP
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Crayford Rough – still time for a quick objection. Suggested text provided …
The good old internet means there is still time for lots of the people reading this to make a quick and easy objection to the proposal to build on wildlife land of London importance at Crayford Rough, since Bexley Council … Continue reading
Posted in Bexley Council, Crayford Rough, development threat
Tagged Bexley Council, Crayford Rough, MSINC, planning application
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Now Bexley Council officer recommends building on 10% of Crayford Rough, a wildlife site of regional importance.
The onslaught against the most valuable wildlife sites in Bexley is set to continue this week as the planning committee meets on 14th April to consider an application to redevelop the old Electrobase industrial site between Hall Place and Crayford … Continue reading
Posted in Bexley, Bexley Council, Biodiversity Action Plan, BNEF, Braeburn Park, Common Lizard, Consultations, Crayford, Crayford Rough, development threat, Environment, Open spaces, Planning, Plants in Bexley, Reptiles and Amphibians, SINC, Slow Worm, Uncategorized
Tagged BAP, Bee Orchid, Bexley Council, Bexley Council Core Strategy, Bexley Council planning committee, Bexley SINC review, Common Lizard, Crayford Rough, Crayford Strategy and Action Plan Bexley Council July 2005, London Plan, Metropolitan SINC, NPPF, Pyramidal Orchid, Slow Worm, Yellow Vetchling
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Save our Skylarks! More than 50 protest at Cory plan to kick birds in conservation danger off Erith marshes and out of Bexley
Forty-six adults and eight children turned out for today’s ‘Save our Skylarks’ demonstration at Erith marshes, organised by members of Friends of Crossness Nature Reserve, at which our new campaign banner was unveiled and kites were flown with cut-out Skylarks … Continue reading
Posted in Bird watching, Crossness, Crossness Nature Reserve, Demonstration, development threat, Erith Marshes, Planning
Tagged Bexley Council, Cory 'Environmental', Crossness Nature Reserve, demo, Friends of Crossness Nature Reserve, Little-ringed Plover, planning policy, protest, Ringed Plover, Skylark
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