The Wren Conservation and Wildlife Group

Below are reports on some of our activities during 2001...

Sunday 7th January - Practical Work in Wanstead Park
More bramble and sycamore clearing, this time further in to Warren Wood. We hoped to encourage some more Anemones and enhance the mass of Bluebells that occur here.

Saturday 20th January - Barnes Wetland Centre. Report by Jim Brown
On Saturday 20th January I had the traumatic experience of leading my first outing. It was to the Barnes Wetland Centre in West London and I was not looking forward to it at all. I had paid a visit the previous day to check that everything was all right. It turned out to be both overcast and freezing and I never saw the sun - in fact I was gently snowed on all day. However, the worst problem was that with the exception of a few ponds close to the main buildings on which the ice had been broken every stretch of water appeared to be completely frozen over. This meant that wild birds would be unable to find food and so would have no reason to be there, and indeed apart from a small patch of seagulls and a few pigeons and crows I could see no wild birds at all, so that once our party had seen the admittedly spectacular captive foreign birds there would be nothing to stay for. I could not see that this would compensate our members for the cost and length of the journey and the price of admission and when Paul, who was kindly acting as my contact, rang me that evening I told him the situation. I said that while I would meet any members who turned up and would lead the outing if anyone wished to go I would also let them know the situation so that they could make up their own minds, and he undertook to advise those members who had phoned him. When I left my house next morning it was still overcast, there was a thin layer of frozen snow on the pavement and I was sure that no-one would turn up at Stratford. Imagine my surprise when eight members turned up eager to have a day out. Three of them decided that in view of the cold they would prefer to go to the Greenwich Observatory, which in my view was very sensible, but the others were cheerfully determined to go to Barnes. So we did!

The journey took a little over an hour, the final stretch being by a bus which took us right into the Centre, and we were lucky enough to be able to attach ourselves to another party with a guide whom Les knew. We made for the Peacock Hide, a three story structure from the top of which one can see almost the whole site, and better still we were close to a quite a small area of clear water which was teeming with birds (these are listed below). Although it was still cold it became clear as the morning progressed that the ice was beginning to melt and about mid-day the sun began to show itself. This of course made an enormous difference to the clarity of our viewing as well as boosting the temperature a little and we spent some time there in the company of many other birdwatchers. Later on we went for lunch; I think everybody had soup as the main menu meals cost from £5 to £7, after which one of our members in a fit of enthusiasm actually bought herself a bird identification book and enjoyed comparing it with those birds she had seen. After this we paid a short visit to the Discovery Centre and tried looking through an insect's eyes and seeing what a flamingo looked like with a duck's legs.

For the last part of the afternoon we went round the enclosures holding the foreign birds, deciding that the Hooded Mergansers were over the top, the Long-tailed Ducks were gorgeous and the male White-headed Ducks were so dowdy compared to their Ruddy Duck rivals that it was no wonder their females preferred a bit of cross-fertilisation. Finally three of us ascended the observation tower and found ourselves starring in a video as typical visitors (alas, no fees).

The journey home was fast and efficient (we ran for the bus, though they leave every ten minutes). Everybody was impressed with the layout and facilities of the Centre; they agreed that they had thoroughly enjoyed the visit and some would be coming again - with their children.

List of Wild Birds Seen at Barnes

Little Grebe, Great Crested Grebe, Cormorant, Grey Heron, Mute Swan, Canada Goose, Wigeon, Gadwall, Teal, Mallard, Pintail, Shoveler, Red Crested Pochard, Pochard, Tufted duck, Kestrel, Water Rail, Moorhen, Coot, Lapwing, Snipe, Black-headed Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Herring Gull, Great Black-backed Gull, Wood Pigeon, Collared Dove, Ring-necked Parakeet, Green Woodpecker, Skylark, Meadow Pipit, Pied Wagtail, Robin, Stonechat, Blackbird, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Magpie, Carrion Crow, Starling, House Sparrow, Chaffinch, Reed Bunting

Sunday 4th February - Practical Work in Wanstead Park / Sewage Works
This was as usual a very satisfying couple of hours, even though most of it was in rain. We worked in the Old Sewage Works Site, removing bagfulls of mainly cellophane and plastic water bottles that had blown in from the adjacent City of London Cemetery..

Saturday 17th February - Fishers Green. Report by Martin Leech
I had been waiting all week for Saturday to come around, as I was looking forward to this trip to Fishers Green. We meet at Wanstead Library Spatt Hall Road at 10.00am and it was a nice surprise to see a good number of members turning out for this walk to be lead by Geoff Bosher. The weather was sunny, albeit a little on the cold side, but just right for a walk.

We arrived at the car park at Fishers Green after a 30-min car ride, then changed into walking boots, topcoats etc., and set off on our way. It was very noticeable that the River Lea, which although had receded somewhat, was still running very fast and in places still in flood. As we crossed the Iron Bridge we saw a number of ducks, swans and geese.

Our first stop was at the Bittern Hide, which already had a number of keen bird watchers looking hard to see if they could spot a Bittern. We stayed at this hide for about half an hour and there was a selection of Gadwall, Pochard, Tufted Duck, Mallard, Shovelers, Great Crested Grebe, Little Grebe, Grey Heron, Moorhens, and Coots. In the distance was a Cormorant with its wings spread out, drying them off after swimming. Just before we left a Water Rail was spotted.

We then proceeded to take an easy stroll around the lakes taking in some very pleasant views (Jennifer and I took advantage of this and got the cameras out and snapped some nice pictures.) On our way to the next stopping point we spotted a number of other birds such as Mute Swans, Tufted Duck, Black-headed Gulls, briefly Goldeneye and Smew as well as Canada Geese and Greylag Geese. Our next stop was at a point where we could view a small island. There was a number of people already looking towards this island and we soon found out why - there where two, possibly three Long-eared Owls sitting in the bushes and on branches of trees. They could easily be seen with or without bins.

After the excitement of all that we continued on our way spotting Blue Tits, Great Tits, Long-tailed Tits, Wren, Robin, hearing Greater Spotted Woodpecker and Green Woodpecker and seeing a flock of about 100 Lapwing flying over.

By now we where all feeling a bit peckish, so it was time for lunch and we were still watching the Greenfinch, Chaffinch and Dunnock while we sat and ate our sandwiches. After lunch some of the group left, but most of us set off - lead by Paul - to see if we could possibly get a glimpse of a Bittern. We had been told that one or two had been seen at the Pochard Hide, so off we went. There were a great number of bird watchers in the hide so we had to wait some time to get a seat. One by one we emerged from the hide having not seen the elusive bird, although Gill thought she might have seen it. They really can be difficult to see camouflaged amongst the reeds.

Even though we hadn't seen a Bittern, we had seen a good variety of birds on a very enjoyable trip.

Sunday 4th March - Practical Work in Wanstead Park
Geoff, Les, Martin, Jennifer, Paul, Mark and Don turned up on a cold but bright day. We started by doing a light litter pick from the Temple across the Plain to the Northumberland Avenue gate, and east along the Park fence. After a cup of tea at the kiosk we went to Warren Wood. In the corner between the the Glade and the Ornamental Water lots of fallen dead wood was blocking some paths and making the area very unsightly. A general tidy up (not too tidy!) was undertaken, with some of the material used to delineate the tracks through the wood.

Sunday 11th March - Canal Walk
Due to the current Foot and Mouth Disease crisis we postponed our walk in the countryside near Abridge and instead did a canal walk from Three Mills at Bromley by Bow to Limehouse Basin and on to Victoria Park. We began by briefly looking at the House Mill and the Clock Mill before walking between the River Lee and the Lea Navigation to Bow Locks. From there we walked the Limehouse Cut - an early canal built in the 1770s. According to historians(!) and an information board, the idea of this was to cut out the loop around the Isle of Dogs for shipping, but this doesn't make sense to me as it's just about as far looping up the Lee and along the cut as the loop is. More likely it was to shorten the distance into and out of London for boats using the Lea rather than the Thames. A few of us bothered to climb a new flight of steps up to Violet Road to view the rather fine old Spratts buildings - the rest sat on the steps. Lunch at Limehouse Basin - somewhat lacking in seating - then joining the Regents Canal together with Michael Pallin (opposite direction) to walk the towpath as far as Vicky Park where there appeared to be a considerable degree of exhaustion requiring sustenance in the cafeteria. I suppose this level of exhaustion is not surprising since we'd walked - what four miles? - along a towpath!

Saturday 21st April - Regents Canal Walk
The planned walk from Heybridge Basin was cancelled because of the Foot and Mouth disease crisis and instead we walked along the Regents Canal from Mile End towards Islington. Those of us that hadn't crossed the Mile End Road by way of the new overpass on our last walk here did so this time. It is a cycle/footpath - these separated by a narrow hedge - approached by way of an attractive grassy hill with many wild-flowers and planted daffodils - airy and green compared to the busy roads below. We walked along the canal to where we left off last month at the junction of the Regents Canal and the Hertford Union Canal, near to Victoria Park and continued through Hackney as far as the Islington Tunnel. There, as there is no towpath through the tunnel, we climbed out of the cutting and had coffee and cakes in Islington. We wandered through Camden Passage and its antique shops and stalls, had a look at the variety of building styles in nearby streets, and made our way to the remnants of the New River. The New River is an artificial waterway dug in the 17th century to supply water from springs at Amwell and Chadwell in Hertfordshire to London. Later the River Lee became the main source of drinking water, and with the construction of the London Ring Main, the New River had become increasingly redundant. The New River Action Group campaigned for the closed section of the New River to be opened - wherever practicable - to the public, and Thames Water have opened paths and provided signposts, information boards and seats.We walked the stretch that is open from Islington to Canonbury, and returned by bus to Mile End.

Saturday 28th April - Birds and Bluebells in Wanstead Park. Report by Jennifer Charter
We all met at the gate in Northumberland Avenue. I was pleased to see so many people - 14 in all - especially as the weather had been so bad.

Earlier I had worked out the route that the walk would take, trying to avoid as much mud as possible. We set out across the Plain to the large orange rubbish skip where we saw Red Dead-nettle and Green Alkanet. We then walked through Chalet Wood to see a haze of Bluebells; how much better they would have looked with some sun on them! We crossed the Glade where we saw a Red Admiral butterfly and some of the Group saw a Speckled Wood butterfly. Dogs Mercury and Ground Ivy were in flower along the edge of Warren Wood and lots more Bluebells. Chiff-chaff, Blackcap, Wren, Robin and Great and Blue Tits were heard as we walked through the wood to the Ornamental Water. Heron and Cormorants were seen between Rook Island and Lincoln Island - and then it rained again!!! Luckily we were all prepared for it. We made our way to see the wild Daffodils in bloom on Lincoln Island. There were a lot more this year since members of the Wren Group cleared the undergrowth around them. We continued to Florries Hill to see the Wood Anemones, and more Bluebells in Warren Wood.

Saving the best to last, we walked to Chalet Wood where we saw more Wood Anemones, Herb Robert, and a magnificent specimen of Wild Arum (Cuckoo Pint). We then had one of the best views of Bluebells in Wanstead Park; if only the sun had been out the perfume would have been wonderful. We went our separate ways between the avenue of Sweet Chestnut Trees, and some of the Group finished up at the Kiosk with a cup of tea or coffee and a cake. We all agreed that it had been a very good walk.

Sunday 6th May - Woods and Warblers - Wanstead Flats and Park
An annual walk with Richard Baker looking out for the regular species of Warbler that have recently returned from their winter holidays. The walk usually finds some other birds and plants as well!

Sunday 20th May - Hampstead Heath
Seven of us met at Stratford to take the Silverlink train to Gospel Oak for a walk led by Norman Olley.
The heath was lush and green with an abundance of blossom - not as muddy underfoot as one would have expected after recent heavy rains. We visited a nicely set information centre before making our way to Parliament Hill, stopping to enjoy the views and catch our breath! Flying very high above were three Cormorants. Arriving at Highgate Ponds, not only were the ducks enjoying their natural habitat but a man had ventured in - also mad keen! Grebes, Mallard, Tufted ducks, Swans and Coots were around; a pleasant sight was a female coot with three young chicks, plus she was sitting on four eggs which would soon hatch.

We continued our walk to Kenwood House where lunch was eaten. The gardens were alive with Rhododendrons and Azaleas of magnificent colours, and a small corner of Spring Beauty was a delightful sight. I had not visited the next part of the walk, which is called Hampstead Heath Extension. We passed through some nice woodland to the Great Wall and into Hampstead Garden Suburb with its two churches; one a Free Church, domed and with a Byzantine feel, the other an Anglican Church with a tower and named after St Jude. We looked at the house of Henrietta Barnett, whose idea it was for the estate to be created.
At this point four of us made our way to Golders Green Station to return home while the others continued the walk, making their way back to Gospel Oak via the North End and the Viaduct Pond.

Birds noted along the route included Kestrel, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Long-tailed Tit, Chiffchaff, Willow Warbler, Blackcap, Sedge Warbler, Green Woodpecker, Great Spotted Woodpecker and Dunnock. Plants noted included Pink Purslane, Ramsons, Pignut and Meadowsweet. Butterflies were Whites, Brimstone, Small Tortoisehell and Peacock.

Thanks to Norman and the folks who turned up.

Vivienne James

Saturday 16th June - Barnes Wetland Centre
A return visit to the Wetland Centre, built on the site of the former Barns Elms reservoirs. The 105 acres is designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). Over five years the site has been transformed by the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust from 43 hectares of concrete reservoirs into a diverse wetland reserve and visitor attraction.
Jim Brown

Wednesday 27th June - Eastbrookend Country Park and Dagenham Chase.
An afternoon visit to this country park and nature reserve in Dagenham. We hadn't really advertised this one so only four people turned up.

Sunday 15th July - Hadleigh Castle Country Park.
Bill Parrish lead a walk to look at the butterflies and other wildlife of the hills overlooking the Thames Estuary. A better than expected day as far as the weather was concerned, and a good day for butterflies for the nine of us that journeyed their. Plenty of Marbled Whites, Ringlets, Gatekeepers, Large Whites, Small Whites, Meadow Browns, Small Skippers, Essex Skippers, a few Commas, a Peacock and a Small Tortoiseshell, plus lots of White-letter Hairstreaks were our Butterflies. There were also plenty of Six-spot Burnet Moths and a few caterpillars of Cinnabar Moth. We saw Roesel's Bush Cricket, and in the ponds near the marshes, a number of vivid green frogs. These were basking in warm sunshine, slightly smaller than the average Common Frog, and were presumably either Edible Frogs or Pool Frogs. Does anybody know?We didn't take much note of birds, but saw Kestrel, Carrion Crow, Woodpigeon, Great Tit and Heron and heard Chiff-chaff, Blackcap, Green Woodpecker and Skylark. There were also cows.

Sunday 22nd July - Dragonfly and Butterfly Walk at Waltham Abbey.
Eleven people met for our annual trip to the Dragonfly Reserve at Waltham Abbey. The weather forecast promised it to be brighter than it was, and although by no means a bad day, cloud kept the dragonflies and butterflies down, so it was a bit disappointing. We managed to see Blue-tailed and Azure Damselflies and after lunch by the iron bridge we had good views of a White-legged Damselfly and both male and female Banded Demoiselles. These latter are lovely creatures and always a pleasure to see in flight or at rest. We continued our walk on the east side of the bridge - a slightly different route this year - to look for butterflies and began by finding a male Demoiselle sitting nearly at ground level and obliging us with an excellent photo opportunity. There were birds around - Yellowhammers, Skylarks and Chiffchaffs were singing and some of us heard and a couple of us saw some Goldcrests. As we walked back towards the cars the sun eventually came out and immediately there were lots of dragonflies - particularly the large Brown Hawker and some Emperors - and butterflies. Butterfly species were Small White, Small Skipper, Essex Skipper, Holly Blue, Gatekeeper, Comma and Speckled Wood (plus a few Six-spot Burnet moths). We encountered lots of Roesel's Bush Crickets plus an Oak Bush Cricket on an Ash. So it turned out all right after all and we glimpsed a Green Sandpiper on the final stretch.

Saturday 4th August - Heybridge Basin.
Seven of us travelled by car to Heybridge Basin near Maldon in Essex for a walk led by Geoff Bosher along the sea wall. It was a lovely day for walking - bright and with magnificent cloud formations in a blue sky. A variety of birds were seen, starting with House Sparrows, Swallows and Woodpigeons and then Linnets, House Martins Kestrel, Cormorants, Black-headed Gulls and Common Terns as well as Mute Swans, Little Grebes, Oyster-catchers and Redshank. There were plenty of Gatekeeper butterflies, quite a few Small Whites, a Red Admiral, a Common Blue and a Painted Lady, plus Burnet Moths. Plants noted that we do not normally find in our own area included Restharrow, Marsh Samphire, Sea Lavender and Seablite.

Saturday 11th August - A Walk in the Park.
Jennifer Charter led a stroll around Wanstead Park, just seeing what there is to be seen.

Sunday 26th August - Walk in the Abridge area.
Eight Wren Group members set out in 3 cars and a van to Lambourne End where we started our walk, beginning in Hainault Forest. Leaving the forest we tried to follow the public footpath across the golf course, but the way was not clear and we lost the path. Eventually the route was found and after leaving the golf course we spotted a herd of geese guarding a farmhouse. Passing through a field of maize we went along a lane past mysterious dwellings with cars and vans, which looked as though it might be owned by gypsies or East End gangsters. Up a bridle path next, to a field of horses and flocks of crows and into Havering Country Park where we had a brief stop to admire several horses grazing beyond a fence. We continued beside an electric fence across a field to a stile covered in nettles and brambles. Passing Ivy Cottage, with its tennis court in the middle of nowhere, we crossed a road to continue over another stile and along a grass track up a hill to reach another farm. By this time it had begun to rain, so we hurried along past Stapleford Abbotts School to the church where we sheltered in the porch and ate our lunch. Dashing to the "Rabbits" pub we all revived over a drink.

In the afternoon, after crossing a stream and more fields, we went straight across Stapleford Aerodrome flight-path. Luckily there were no planes flying. We battled through more nettles to enter a damp and misty wood and eventually came to Lambourne Church where we admired the old Norman doorway and the interesting interior. The rain continued non-stop as we trudged over yet more fields and a broken stile to enter another wood. At the exit it was decided that it would be better to continue down the road to Lambourne End, as the rain looked set in for the day. Although everyone was wet, most agreed that it had been a good walk - apart from the weather.

Norman Olley

Sunday 30th September - Fungus Foray in City of London Cemetery
Richard Baker lead one of his popular walks looking for and identifying where possible fungi in the cemetery.

Sunday 7th October - Practical Work in Wanstead Park
Four members of the Wren Group turned up for practical work in Wanstead Park. We concentrated on Chalet Wood, where a film company had left logs burnt and scattered about after a filming stint. We gathered them up and made two wildlife piles out of them nearby. When we had finished, the wood looked tidy and should provide a much better environment for the show of bluebells in the spring. Thanks to those who turned up.

Les Rice

Sunday 7th October - Fungus Foray in Reservoir Wood and Bush Wood
A fungus foray with Richard Baker, this time in two areas of Epping Forest near to Wanstead Park. Sadly, no-one other than Richard turned up for this walk!

Saturday 3rd November - Fungus Foray in City of London Cemetery
Only a couple of Wren Group members joined this walk with Richard Baker and quite a number of people from the Essex Field Club including some real experts. The weather was really nice, and there were lots of fungi about, though mostly small ones. These however included some lovely colours, and apparently some exciting new species in this part of Essex. A pleasure to be out on this walk.

Paul Ferris

Sunday 4th November - Practical Work in Wanstead Park
Five Group members attended for a bramble bash. We cleared a path by the Heronry Pond that had become blocked by bramble growth. This path lies on the north side of the mound between Northumberland Avenue and the lake. About 100 metres of path was cleared, thanks to the volunteers who braved the thorns and prickles. These practical work sessions are very enjoyable and rewarding to participate in, and we just wish that more people would participate.

Les Rice

Sunday 2nd December - Practical Work in Wanstead Park
Continuing our work to improve the prime site for Wood Anemones in the Park, eight of us attended to clear sycamore and fallen trees from the area known as Florries Hill at the north end of Warren Wood. We did not advertise that we would be getting the boat out to deal with brambles on the Daffodil site on Lincoln Island, so while five worked on the planned site, the other three went across to the island and worked there.

Wednesday 12th December - Christmas Social
The annual Christmas Social of the Group was held in The George public house in Wanstead, and eight of us turned up for a couple of hours of pleasant chat.

Wednesday 26th December - Boxing Day Walk
A sunny and clear afternoon, but cold - and that is perhaps why only eight people and two dogs (not whippets) assembled for a stroll around the Park. We started by looking at the ducks on the Heronry Pond, and compared to the last few years there was a good number and variety to be seen. Not too many birds of other types seen as we walked towards the Ornamental Water, and by 3.30 when we got back to the starting point there were only threee of us left, the others having had to return home to families and the like. It was actually quite a nice walk - but lack of enthusiasm by so many group members means that we probably won't be repeating the excursion next year.

Friday 28th December - Syon Park
A few members of the group made an unadvertised visit to Syon Park near Brentford. The idea was to see if the park might offer a place to visit as part of our 2002 programme; sometime in the summer perhaps. It is not too difficult to get to: a choice of trains to Gunnersbury then a fairly short bus ride to the park. The original entrance gates off the old A4 road are imposing, but no longer used. Instead a walk of a couple of hundred yards down a lane leads to a large car parking area in the middle of the park's multiple attractions. We looked briefly at first at the magnificent Conservatory, a warm relief from the bright but cold day, and walked past banana plants and palm trees. Outside, the prospect of some magnificent specimens of trees - the only one that we noted was a Dawn Redwood. We spent most of our time in the London Butterfly House, and that is well worth a visit. To walk amongst free-flying exotic butterflies, finding some of their caterpillars and watching leaf-cutter ants going about their business was an experience. Associated with the butterfly house is an exotic bird aviary and an insect house. Outside, as the afternoon wore on, we were treated to flights of (wild) Ring-necked Parakeets presumably flying to their roost-site. Definitely worth a return visit!