Our Facebook Posts
May Bexley RSPB events that still have places available.This content isn't available at the moment
When this happens, it's usually because the owner only shared it with a small group of people, changed who can see it, or it's been deleted.
EARLIEST RECORDED RETURN DATE FOR BARNEHURST SWIFT NESTING ZONE.There were 3 Swifts circling over the northern half of Hillingdon Road this evening (29/4), the same place as the first ones I saw in this area in 2024. This was my first check of the year, so they could have got back even earlier.
Previous 'first dates' for this 'site' are as follows:
2024 - 1/5. None seen in an hour of circuits on 30/4
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)
The earliest Swifts in London this year were one at Rainham on April 14th, and another on the same date at Staines Reservoir.
Chris Rose
HELP CLEAN UP THE LOWER RIVER CRAY !Join FRIENDS OF THE CRAY AT CRAYFORD on FRIDAY 2nd May
to tackle litter along the banks of the lower Cray,
Meet 10 a.m. at the junction of Footpath 106 and Barnes Cray Road (see graphic below).
The plan is to go downriver along By-way 105 this week before the undergrowth gets too dense.
All welcome, no particular skills needed.
Equipment will be provided. Wear appropriate clothing for being out in the open and avoiding stings from Nettles and scratches from Brambles, and bring something to drink.
Best wishes
Sarah
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.
Category Archives: Mammals
Updated ‘PROVISIONAL CHECKLIST AND ACCOUNT OF THE MAMMALS OF THE LONDON BOROUGH OF BEXLEY’ (Edition 4) published
The guide to the mammals of Bexley, compiled by Chris Rose with contributions from a number of local wildlife observers, has been significantly updated to include a number of new Hedgehog records, additional information about Harvest Mice in the Borough, … Continue reading
Harvest Mice – first images of this London rarity in Bexley
Nests of of Harvest Mice (Micronomys minutus) , the UK’s smallest rodent, were first found at Thames Road Wetland in 2014, when 7 were discovered in the course of vegetation management work. None were located in 2015, but another three … Continue reading
Posted in Bexley, Biodiversity Action Plan, Harvest Mouse, Mammals, Raptors, Recording, Reedbeds, SINC, Thames Road Wetland, Thames21
Tagged Bexley, Biodiversity Action Plan, Brown Rat, Harvest Mouse, Micronomys minutus, Site of Metropolitan Importance for Nature Conservation, Thames Road Wetland, Thames21, trail camera, Wood Mouse
2 Comments
Cory ‘Environmental’ doesn’t believe its own propaganda
Cory ‘Environmental’, the company that has submitted to Bexley Council – in the name of its Belvedere incinerator arm – a plan for two four-storey buildings to cover most of the former Borax fields next to Crossness Nature Reserve, has not … Continue reading
Posted in Belvedere, Bexley Council, BNEF, Crossness Nature Reserve, development threat, Erith Marshes, Grass Snake, Mammals, Planning, Reptiles and Amphibians, Uncategorized
Tagged Belvedere incinerator, Bexley Council, Cory 'Environmental', Crossness Nature Reserve, ecological survey, Erith Marshes, Great Crested Newt, reptiles, Water Shrew
4 Comments
Version 3 of Bexley mammal report now available at ‘BW’
The PROVISIONAL CHECKLIST AND ACCOUNT OF THE MAMMALS OF THE LONDON BOROUGH OF BEXLEY has now been updated to version 3. https://app.box.com/shared/static/092kil6b4uy79khnzyl1kc057ixjvko0.doc The revision includes several Hedgehog records for 2015, and Seal records and photographs from this year. There is … Continue reading
Posted in Mammals, Recording
Leave a comment
Seals take shine to Bexley foreshore
Repeated observations hint at rise in numbers on our ‘coast’. Ralph Todd writes: Occasional sightings of seals are reported from the Thames, though I haven’t seen much sign until recently. One of my local birding walks is Crayford Marshes and … Continue reading
Posted in Crayford Marshes, Mammals, Recording, River Thames, Rivers
1 Comment
Small mammal survey trapping at Woodlands Farm
Mammal surveys start this month. Last year we managed to survey every week throughout September and October, would be good to try this again although is a lot of work. Anyway here are some dates for the first few weeks and we … Continue reading
Posted in Mammals, Recording, Woodlands Farm
Leave a comment
More research shows lighting negatively impacts Bats – BNEF says Bexley’s proposed budget-driven lighting cuts present an opportunity to tackle the problem
New research has shown that the Common Pipistrelle Bat, often found in urban areas, has its foraging and thus feeding activity disrupted and constrained by artificial lighting, especially where there are larger gaps in tree cover: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-3111115/Bats-disappearing-cities-Artificial-lights-creating-ecological-dead-zones.html Bexley Natural Environment … Continue reading
Posted in Andersons Group, Bats, Bexley Council, BNEF, Budget, Bursted Woods, Consultations, Environment, Erith Quarry, Light pollution, Mammals, SINC
Tagged wildlife corridors
Leave a comment
More Bexley mammal news – Weasels and Hedgehog latest
At last night’s Allotments Site Representatives meeting two people reported seeing a Weasel on their patch – Nigel O’Nions down at Love Lane by the River Shuttle in Old Bexley, a couple of weeks ago, and a lady from Stable Meadows … Continue reading
Posted in Allotments, Bats, Bursted Woods, Foots Cray Meadows, Hall Place, Hedgehog, Mammals, River Shuttle, Weasel
Leave a comment
CROSSNESS – exciting range of educational wildlife events announced for the summer
From Karen Sutton – Biodiversity Team Manager, Thames Water Crossness Nature Reserve. I have arranged a diverse series of events through to September, both to showcase the fabulous range of wildlife on the site, and to provide an introduction to … Continue reading