Friends of Crossness - Thames Water

Friends of Crossness Nature Reserve Newsletter

Issue 10 / August 2007

Barn owls and squacco heronWelcome Hi, welcome to the tenth issue of the Crossness Nature Reserve newsletter. This has been a particularly busy and exciting quarter with lots going on on both the nature reserve and southern marshes.

May saw the arrival of a Squacco Heron on the new southern marsh wader scrape. This rare Mediterranean heron hasn’t been seen in London for over 140 years and subsequently drew a lot of bird watchers and a lot of national press attention. The Squacco stuck around for 11 days providing spectacularly close views from our purpose built viewing screen. Some great pictures can be seen on Page 9.

In June, we were able to confirm that the Barn Owls had once again bred on Crossness Nature Reserve. Five young were successfully raised and fledged – fantastic news for both this flagship species and for our award-winning site (Page 8).

June saw the launch of our education programme for local primary schools. These visits were hugely successful and taught Key Stage 2 pupils about the importance of habitats and wildlife. They learned identification skills, measuring & analytical skills, and were encouraged to think about species adaptation, predator-prey relationships and food chains, among other science-curriculum related issues (P.5).

In July, pupils from St Columbas School helped plant up the newly created pond on Crossness Southern Marsh. The project was carried out in partnership with Groundwork South Least London, and in just two short days, we manged to plant over 1000 aquatic plants to help increase biodiversity and to provide an attractive feature from the adjacent footpath.

There has been some great wildlife events and a number of volunteer task days this quarter. Lots of site work has been going on in the background. Particularly noticeable is the new palisade fence that is currently being erected to replace the concrete wall that runs alongside the protected area.

Ralph and Brenda Todd have kindly agreed to host another winter bird watch this year. This will take place on the reserve at 10.30 on the 24th November and will certainly be worth attending. I look forward to seeing some of you then, if not before.

Karen Sutton – Crossness Nature Reserve Manager

Squacco pictures by Dave Hutton. Used with kind permission

Wildlife records – March to June 2007 Species No. through-

out quarter Peak no. recorded

CES number captured Species No. through-

out quarter Peak no. recorded

CES number captured

Arctic tern 1 1 0 Lesser black-backed gulls 3 2 0 Bar tailed godwit 2 1 0 Lesser whitethroat 5 1 2 Barn owl 16 3 5 Linnet 46 30 1 Black headed gull 1221 600 0 Little egret 19 12 0 Black redstart 1 1 0 Little grebe 40 4 0 Black lined skimmer 2 1 0 Little ringed plover 11 1 0 Blackbirds 22 2 8 Long tailed tit 37 20 17 Blackcap 42 10 22 Magpie 75 15 0 Blue tailed damselflies 8 6 0 Mallard 158 15 0 Black-tailed godwit 2 2 0 Meadow brown butterflies 6 6 0 Blue tit 38 4 22 Meadow pipit 5 3 0 Broad bodied chaser 12 3 0 Mediterranean gull 1 1 0 Bullfinch 2 1 1 Merlin 2 1 0 Canada geese 140 15 0 Mistle thrush 4 3 0 Chaffinch 3 2 1 Moorhen 61 8 0 Chiffchaff 20 5 1 Mute swan 18 2 0 Cinnabar moth 1 1 0 Oystercatcher 6 3 0 Collared dove 7 4 0 Painted lady 4 3 0 Comma butterfly 4 2 0 Peacock butterfly 12 5 0 Common blue butterfly 5 2 0 Peregrine falcon 3 2 0 Common blue damselflies 12 10 0 Pheasant 21 2 0 Common buzzard 1 1 0 Pond skaters 18 10 0 Common sandpiper 1 1 0 Purple heron 1 1 0 Common tern 1 1 0 Red admiral 4 2 0 Coot 129 15 0 Red veined darter (possible) 1 1 0 Cormorant 4 4 0 Redshank 123 80 6 Crow 61 30 0 Redwing 1 1 0 Cuckoo 23 2 0 Reed bunting 55 8 6 Curlew sandpiper 1 1 0 Reed warbler 181 20 35 Dunlin 13 1 13 Ring necked parakeets 4 4 0 Dunnock 44 1 40 Ringed plover 3 2 0 Emperor dragonfly 9 2 0 Robin 27 3 23 Fieldfare 9 2 0 Rook 17 15 0 Fox 11 3 0 Sand martin 16 5 0 Gadwall 114 16 0 Sedge warbler 12 3 4 Garden warbler 5 4 1 Shelduck 209 100 0 Goldfinch 29 6 2 Shoveler 53 16 0 Grass snake 1 1 0 Skylark 62 4 1 Great crested grebe 4 1 0 Small tortoiseshells 5 3 0 Great spotted woodpecker 2 1 1 Small white butterflies 54 20 0 Great tit 76 5 60 Smooth newt 1 1 0 Greater black backed gulls 1 1 0 Snipe 4 1 0 Green sandpiper 5 1 0 Song thrush 15 1 9 Green veined white 2 1 0 Sparrowhawk 3 1 0 Green woodpecker 7 5 0 Squacco heron 6 1 0 Greenfinch 64 6 24 Starling 110 300 0 Greenland wheatear 1 1 0 Stickleback 40 20 0 Grey heron 52 5 0 Stonechat 12 2 0 Grey phalarope 2 1 0 Swallow 78 45 0 Grey plover 1 1 0 Swift 252 40 0 Grey wagtail 2 1 0 Teal 80 60 0 Greylag geese 14 2 0 Tortoiseshell butterfly 1 1 0 Hobby 4 1 0 Tufted duck 32 4 0 Holly Blue 2 1 0 Turnstone 3 2 0 House martin 111 50 0 Turtle doves 2 2 0 House sparrow 5 2 2 Water scorpions 11 2 0 Jack snipe 2 1 0 Water vole 2 1 0 Jay 13 5 3 Wheatear 6 2 0 Kestrel 23 3 0 Whitethroat 153 10 37 Lapwing 110 21 0 Willow warbler 4 1 2 Large skipper 1 1 0 Wood pigeon 52 20 0 Large white butterfly 6 6 0 Wren 77 15 26 Leech 3 1 0 Yellow legged gulls 2 2 0 Yellow wagtail 1 1 0 No. throughout quarter = total number of times species has been recorded during three month period. Peak no. = peak number of particular species seen at any one time (better indicator of number using the site). CES number captured (Constant Effort Site) = the number caught during the Dartford Ringing Group’s population monitoring

The bat walk attendees (2 more arrived later)

Barn owl watching

Looking for bats from the shelter of the hide (later the venue for a snack-fest!)

Keeping out of the wind while waiting for bats to brave the elements

Crossness Nature Reserve bat walk Unfortunately, our nature reserve bat walk on Friday 20th July was a bit of a washout, bat wise, but we all had a good time nevertheless. The 20th July was not the warm balmy evening that you would expect in the height of summer, but instead a day of flash floods and heavy winds. Despite the heavy downpours earlier in the day, eleven Friends decided to brave the elements and visit Crossness Nature Reserve in the hope of seeing bats. Unfortunately, the bats decided not to brave the elements!! In all fairness, we did get brief contacts of a noctule bat and a soprano pipistrelle on the bat detectors, but this was late in the evening, from the warmth and comfort of the bird hide, and we didn’t actually see them; we simply got brief contacts (wet slapping sounds for the pip at 45khz, and a chip-chop for the noctule at 25khz) on the detectors (as they rested on the hide ledge while we drank coffee and stuffed our faces to keep warm). It was a very windy and chilly evening, and though we tried to target some of the more sheltered areas in the hope that the bats would be doing the same, our efforts were largely fruitless. So where were the bats? The truth is, they were probably foraging somewhere more sheltered and closer to home, or they may have been roosting somewhere nice and warm while we got rather cold looking for them. Bats, despite consumingsomewhere in the region of 3000 insects per night, have a rather special little mechanism known as torpor which they will use in periods of cold weather to conserve energy. Torpor allows bats to reduce their heart rate and energy consumption, and during deep torpor, bats can enter into an irregular pattern of breathing whereby they only require one breath per minute!! Fascinating little creatures aren’t they? In addition to this, their heart rate can decrease down to about 4 beats per minute. This is quite something when you consider that their hearts also need to operate at 1100 beats per minute when active and flying, due to the high oxygen demand during flight. The upside to the whole event was seeing a gorgeous barn owl, briefly, at the entrance to the nest box before it took off hunting at 21.35 – approximately half an hour after sunset. This coupled with good company and a midnight feast in the bird hide still made for a pleasurable evening. Another bat walk is scheduled this month (18th August) on the southern marshes for European Bat Weekend. Fingers crossed that we’ll see a bit more activity. Last years’ southern marsh bat walk was pretty successful: we saw lots of foraging activity from noctules, two species of pipistrelles and a Daubenton’s, so let’s hope for more of the same this year.

Ragwort pulling volunteer day – 26th July BEFORE…

Ragwort in Island Field before volunteers went on the pull for noxious weeds (it was much worse than is evident in these pictures – ask the volunteers!!)

…AFTER… A ragwort free Island Field… well the northern half anyway. We’ll tackle the other half next time.

…AND DURING! Working hard or larking around?

Perhaps I worked them too hard!!

Thank you so much Dave, Colin, Ken and Reg for doing such a fine job on a long hot day.

Your efforts are greatly appreciated.

School visits Crossness Nature Reserve

June saw the delivery of our first ever school visits. Some 180 primary school children passed through our gates during a two-week period to improve their science and environmental education. Ten and eleven year-old pupils from Normandy Primary, Jubilee Primary (3 different classes on different days), St Augustine of Cantebury Primary and Parkway Primary School, took part in pond-dipping, mini-beasting and owl pellet analysis and other activities.

Twelve worksheets were designed by Thames Water to help target the Key Stage 2 Science curriculum. From the education pack sent to schools prior to the visits, teachers were able to select a range of activity sheets that best suited what was being taught in the class. Most worksheets completed by pupils involved analysing habitats, looking at species adaptation and recognising predator-prey relationships.

The children had a great time, with pond dipping being a firm favourite. There was plenty of competition among the pupils as to who could fish out the most water scorpions, the biggest leech or largest fish. While mini-beasting, they got to catch a range of insects in bug pots and pooters, before studying them under a magnifying lense to draw them and think about their place in the food chain. Owl pellet analysis both excited and revolted the pupils. A collective ‘aahhhh’ followed the picture of one of our barn owl chicks, which was followed by a collective ‘urgh!’ when I held up one of the barn owl pellets (regurgitated undigested material largely consisting of bones and fur). Fortunately, I dissected one as an example; they just had to identify the small mammals that were eaten for the owl’s dinner from some pellets that had been previously dissected.

The children also got to go in the bird hide (the fact that it was concrete and appeared to them like an underground bunker made this all the more exciting) where they used binoculars to find both real and fake wildlife

(plastic creatures were planted around the scrape, some of which you’d expect to find there, i.e. frogs, heron, mallard, and other that you wouldn’t, i.e. red squirrel and badger, all of which got them thinking again about habitats and species adaptation).

Lunch was consumed in picnic fashion in the mini-beast area under the parasols, or in the ‘concrete bunker’ for added excitement, and as a treat at the end of the day, we went and petted the horses, feeding them apples and carrots that some of the children had saved from their lunchbox. On every occasion, while walking them back towards the coach at the end of the day, I’d ask what their favourite part of the day was. Without fail, this was met with ‘stroking the horses’!!! Pond dipping came a close second though and overall, they really enjoyed their visits.

The students from Parkway wrote a lovely collection of thank you letters that were an absolute joy to read. There were none of these scribbled handwritten letters that we used to do when I was at school; these were all typed up on computers with fancy fonts and formatting – how times have changed!! This was really nice and great to get such good feedback; it also gave an insight, after the event, on the parts of the day that were most enjoyed and appreciated by our young visitors and the parts that were the most educational.

I have to take this opportunity to thank a few people who were involved with the organising and/or delivery of our education visits. Brenda Parsons and Jean Tither from the Bexley Education Business Partnership, and Tracy Sacks (now left unfortunately) and Kristine Boudreau from Thames Water – thank you all so much for your invaluable help.

Normandy pupils petting the horses A Normandy Primary School pupils gets

a close look at a dragonfly nymph Normandy School learns about owl pellets and

what they can tell us about predator/prey relationships

Some of the Jubilee Primary School pupils enjoying pond dipping

Jubilee pupils have fun netting water scorpions and leeches

Exploring the log pile and learning the importance of even the smallest habitats for wildlife

I help St Augustines pupils with owl pellet

analysis in the mini-beast area A pupil from St Augustine of Canterbury Primary

School does a spot of pond dipping Pupils from Jubilee make use of the parasols

while looking at aquatic invertebrates on a hot day

Pupils from Parkway Primary on the pond-dipping platform

A Parkway pupil fishing an aquatic invertebrate from her net

Jubilee pupils undertake owl pellet analysis using the keys provided

Sign theft Unfortunately, our five new bespoke stainless steel interpretation boards on the Crossness Southern Marsh were all stolen in July. It seems that the current value of scrap metal (though these were far from being scrap – grrrr!!) had enticed people to come along, armed with angle grinders, and trek right through the marsh removing and stealing our signs. This is particularly sad as they cost us a lot of money, having been designed specifically to meet our requirements and to maintain a theme across the three local marshes (Erith, Crayford and Dartford). It was absolutely soul destroying to see the remaining stumps (now trip hazards – thank you!!!) where these great signs had previously been located, as such a lot of work had gone into their design, production and installation.

It looks as though we will have to review the material used for their replacements, probably resorting to timber (in the hope that they won’t be burned), plastic (ditto) or good old-fashioned concrete – oh, the joy of managing an urban nature reserve!

A tale of one fox and six penguins Following a volunteer workday at the beginning of June, where we cleared some vegetation at the southern end of the protected area, we enjoyed a few light refreshments in the bird hide. It didn’t all get eaten in one sitting, and returning to the feast several hours later, we were greeted with a peculiar sight: a fox running off with a 6 pack of penguins in its mouth!!! It turns out that he and his kin had had quite a feast in our absence, consuming sausage rolls, quiche, mini cornish pasties, chocolate chip muffins and all sorts (leaving wrappings and cartons strewn across the hide!!!). Somebody commented to me the other day about the glorious condition of the foxes around Crossness – proper bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, none of these mangy things you see elsehwhere – I wonder why??!! Our little fox even had the audacity to come back, presumably looking for more goodies, when somebody was sitting quietly in the hide!! I found this whole thing quite amusing (until I realised my favourite cookies had also been consumed, that is!!).

Pond planting with St Columbas SchoolOn the 4th and 5th July, seven pupils and two staff members from St Columbas Boys School helped plant 1,368 wetland plants on the recently created pond on Crossness Southern Marsh Pond Meadow.

The pond was created primarily as a horse drinking pool, but it had always been our aspiration to plant it up in order to create an aesthetic feature from the nearby footpath, and to attract an abundance of wildlife such as dragonflies and amphibians.

The planting project was undertaken in partnership with Groundwork South East London who helped fund the cost of the plants and associated fencing (to restrict horses grazing the banks, and wildfowl from eating the new plants).

The boys worked really hard to weed the banks and plant the plugs in just two short days. They had boundless energy and enthusiasm, and they loved getting wet and muddy which was a real bonus (though their parents might not have thought so). They worked really well as a team and their efforts went towards achieving their Youth Achievement Awards.

Hopefully, the pupils will return next year to see a pond with lush, vegetated margins, and an abundance of wildlife enjoying the fruits of their labour.

Many thanks for Sarah Smith of Groundwork SEL, and to the hardworking staff and pupils of St Columbas School

Barn owls at Crossness Nature Reserve Barn owls returned to breed at Crossness Nature Reserve this year, where they successfully raised five young in the pole-mounted nest box.

When they didn’t return in 2006, it was feared that one of them may have fallen foul to traffic on the adjacent dual carriageway (A2016) – road mortality is high in barn owls due to their low flight pattern. However, it seems that it may simply have been a reflection of a national trend due to it being a bad vole year (barn owls will choose not to have young if there is not enough food to support them). Thankfully, their return this year demonstrates good habitat quality at Crossness with plenty of foraging opportunities.

A number of sightings over the winter/early spring period alerted us to the fact that the owls were roosting at Crossness again this year, but breeding wasn’t confirmed until 11th May, when a dead owlet was found at the base of the nest box. The owlet was thought to be 2-3 weeks old, which would mean that it had hatched in late April. The incubation period is 4-5 weeks, so our owls subsequently layed eggs in March which is fairly early (usually April), but is consistent with the very mild weather that we were experiencing at that time.

On 3rd June, the Dartford Ringing Group ringed the young owlets for monitoring purposes. Five very healthy young were found in the box and seemed to be doing incredibly well. They were absolutely beautiful and laid completely still in the hand while being handled. One very fortunate member of the Friends Scheme, was lucky enough to witness one of the owlets fledging on 8th June.

The information below (based on information from The Barn Owl Trust – see www.barnowltrust.org.uk) outlines the barn owl annual life-cycle. It should be borne in mind though, that there is much variation in the timing, as demonstrated by our own owls, which nested early this year, presumably because of the mild weather and abundant prey.

The approximate timing of a typical nest cycle:

Courtship - can start in February but is mainly in March

Young growing in nest - June and first half of July

Egg laying - first half of April Fledging - second half of July

Incubation - second half of April and 1st half of May

Young keep returning to the nest - first half of August

Hatching - second half of May Dispersal - second half of August to end of November

Used with permission from The Barn Owl Trust (www.barnowltrust.org.uk)

By early spring, pairs are usually spending a lot of their time in or around their intended nest site. In the two weeks leading up to egg laying, and until the clutch is complete, the male is present with the female at the nest site and is very vocal defending its mate against other males and leaving the nest only to hunt.

Most pairs lay their eggs in spring, with the average being around the beginning of May, however there is much annual and regional variation and with recent climate change, the first eggs are often laid in early April. Eggs in March are becoming quite common to (as was the case at Crossness), so the main breeding season is considered to be March to August inclusive.

Barn owls do not build a traditional nest, instead they make a shallow scrape in the previous years’ nest debris, or they break up a few recent pellets to create a soft layer. Where most birds don’t start to incubate their eggs until the clutch is complete, barn owls

begin incubation as soon as the first egg is laid; additional eggs are added every two to three days, which is why the young are seen at such different stages of progression, and why, as witnessed in this years’ SpringWatch, an older owlet will sometimes take a newly hatched owlet for its supper!

The average brood is 3.6, but where food is in short supply, a brood of two is not uncommon; six or seven young may be recorded in prey-rich habitat. By early summer the young are usually well grown. By nine weeks, most young have already made their first flights and by ten weeks they are able to fly pretty well. The earliest recorded prey capture was at 72 days old and by the owlets’ twelfth week they are getting much less food from the adults (from an average of four small mammals per night down to zero). During the day, recently fledged owlets usually roost within the nest site but during fine weather they sometimes try roosting in nearby trees. Dispersal normally starts at 11-12 weeks old and by 14 weeks almost all owlets have left their parents' home range.

About 10% of pairs will breed twice in one year (records do exist of triple-brooding, although this is rare). Second clutches are normally laid in July, sometimes in the same nest cavity and sometimes before the first brood has left! However, most second clutches are laid in an alternative nest place at the same site or nearby.

The dispersal period ends in late November. Post-fledging dispersal usually consists of a series of moves between temporary roost sites that are occupied between 3 and 15 weeks and are up to 1km apart. The average dispersal distance has been recorded as 12km (7.5 miles), though the majority move less than 10km.

As late autumn and winter progresses, the owls’ prey becomes less abundant and those small mammals that survive become less active. As a result, many barn owls will fail to find enough food and will die over the winter. Barn owls are poorly insulated and need extra energy during cold weather to make up for an increased loss of body heat. Increased winter rainfall is also a problem as barn owl feathers are very soft (an adaptation for silent flight) but not very water resistant, so hunting during rainfall is avoided. The summer rainfall this year could have a potentially devastating effect on barn owls this year; it’s probably fortunate that ours did lay early so that the young were reasonably experienced hunters before the serious July rains came. Here’s hoping that they were successful, and fingers crossed that we’re lucky enough to have barn owls return next year.

http://www.barnowltrust.org.uk/

Squacco heron arrives at Crossness after a 141 year absence from Greater London On Tuesday 29th May, a Squacco Heron arrived on the Crossness Southern Marsh wader scrape. This is a beautiful, rare bird in the UK which breeds in the Mediterranean and winters in Africa. Although they turn up in the UK from time to time, a squacco has not previously been recorded in the Greater London area since 1866, so this was really very exciting.

The squacco hung around the scrape for a week and a half, before it finally departed on Friday 8th June. The new viewing screen provided great views for the hundreds of birdwatchers that turned up from all over the country to see it. Often, this rare heron was just metres away from the screen, providing amazingly close and undisturbed views of the heron feasting on fish, amphibians and invertebrates.

The arrival of this bird made big news. It featured on the BBC London News; it made the front page on BBC News Online, and The Express, The Mail, The Evening Standard and several local papers also covered the story. In addition to this, the squacco featured quite heavily in the July issue of ‘Birdwatching’ magazine, where, in addition to the story and its listing in the monthly rarity section, photos of it were also used to promote the magazine’s digiscope DVD.

It was amazing to have such a rare bird turn up on this newly created scrape, and for people to be treated to such close views as a result of the purpose-built wildlife screen. Its arrival certainly put Crossness on the map, enticing a whole host of bird watchers who were also treated to sightings of a Purple Heron and a Quail during the same period – it’s amazing what shows up when you’ve got people who know what to look for on site!!

The bird itself was beautiful, with its lovely warm buff colouring and its distinctive white underwings in flight. Of course, there’s that gorgeous crest and the blue bill with black tip, which shows that this was a male in breeding plumage.

I must thank several people for their help during this period: Ralph Todd for alerting me to the squacco’s arrival, for putting the word round and for dropping everything to be interviewed by the BBC for a TV interview; Eric Brown for getting the BBC interested in the first place and for covering the story in his ‘Wild Things’ column in the Kentish Times; John Archer for keeping me updated and informed of the various sightings when I was unable to get to site myself; and Mick Southcott for the generous use of his photos in the press releases and newsletter. Many thanks also to Dave Hutton and Andrew Moon for permission to use their fantastic photos in this newsletter edition. It was a busy period for me while preparing for the school visits that occurred in the second week of the squacco’s presence, as a result of which I was unable to get to the southern marsh myself as much as I would have liked, so I am really very grateful to these people for being my eyes, ears and informers during this time – thank you so much.

Photo by Mick Southcott Photo by Mick Southcott

Photo by Andrew Moon

Photo by Dave Hutton Photo by Mick Southcott (look at that lovely crest!!) Photo by Mick Southcott

Photo by Mick Southcott

Photo by Mick Southcott

The BBC filming bird watchers at the viewing screen. Photo by Brenda Todd

The squacco in context. Photo by Brenda Todd

Ralph Todd is interviewed by the BBC. Photo by Brenda Todd

Bird watchers viewing the rare squacco. Photo by Thames Water

Birdsong identification workshop

Looking for the elusive garden warbler that could

be heard but not seen Taking notes on birdsong recognition The feast in the hide that they really came along

for – the birdsong workshop was just a ruse!!

We held a birdsong identification workshop on Friday 11th May on Crossness Nature Reserve. Andy Waller, a great ornithologist, kindly hosted the event for us and I changed the format slightly from last year’s event (hosted by Dominic Couzins). This year, we provided some birdsong identification sheets

which listed the species we were most likely to see or hear. We held a 30-45 minute workshop in the birdhide, whereby we listened to the songs and calls of birds on CD and made notes of any distinctive features that might help us recognise them in the field. We then took our new-found knowledge

onto the reserve and identified as many species as we could by sound alone.

We recorded reed warbler, sedge warbler, reed bunting, garden warbler, blackcap, greenfinch, skylark, whitethroat, swift, swallow and house martin, wren, cuckoo, wheatear, pheasant, kestrel, heron, canada geese, greylag geese, mallard, robin, goldfinch, moorhen, little grebe and gadwall.

Seven people attended this early event and went away with more knowledge than they had arrived with (well, I know I did anyway!!). The workshop in the hide at the beginning really helped us identify what we should be listening out for and certainly made the fieldwork a whole lost easier – certainly a

format I intend repeating.

We wrapped the event up nicely with a nice feast in the birdhide, from which we could hear nesting reed warblers in the reed-fringed scrape.

Dragonfly and butterfly walk (3rd July)

Black-tailed skimmer

Blue-tailed damselfly

Broad-bodied chaser

Meadow brown

Brown argus

Small white

We held a dragonfly and butterfly walk in early July, led by Andrew Waller. Ten of us attended with the in-tention of seeing lots of odonata around the reserve, but unfortunately, the previous heavy rains and the wind that we experienced on the day, meant that activity was unfortunately very minimal. We only saw three dragonfly species: blue-tailed damselfly, emperor drag-onfly and common darter. There were a considerable number of blue-tailed damselflies that were active around the pond, and the em-peror and darter species were mostly seen flying around the wader scrape. We had a bit more luck with butterfly species, but even these were difficult to spot on this windy day. We did however see small whites, green-veined whites, red admiral, peacock, meadow brown, a probable ringlet (brief sighting) and a skipper species (probably large skipper) that was seen in front of the bird hide.

These fabulous photos were not taken at the event, but they were all taken on Crossness Nature Reserve by David Pressland. Dave, many thanks for allowing us to use them in the newsletter.

Palisade fencing The concrete fence that divides the protected area of the nature reserve from the adjacent Public Footpath 1, will be replaced this month (August) with palisade fencing (the type of metal fencing that is on the keycode gate). This will enhance security on Crossness Nature Reserve and Crossness Sewage Treatment Works, improve health and safety (as the concrete fence is coming down in places) and the replacement fence will provide a more aesthetically pleasing structure to the ‘prison camp’ style fencing that we have in place currently. Work begins at the north end (by Great Breach Dyke Pumping Station) on Monday 13th August. The contractors will work there way south towards Eastern Way, replacing the fence that runs alongside the reedbed. Work is anticipated to take over a month to complete. This should not provide too much disruption to your visits, and the fenceline will remain secure at all times. The contractors are aware that they are working on a public footpath and will maintain access at all times, but please do get in touch if you experience any problems – thanks.

Key code lock There have recently been a number of problems with the keycode gate leading to the ‘Protected Area.’ It does not always engage fully when closed, meaning that the gate remains open from the inside (with a turn of the knob). While this should not be a problem (since it remains locked on the outside), non-members have been seen putting their hands through the palisade fence and opening the gate from the inside. My hope is that the fencing contractors can add a couple of palisade rails to decrease the space in which people are squeezing their arms through which should put a stop to this. However, in the meantime, there is something that we can do to lock the gate. Once closed, if you press ‘C’, this clears all previous entries and will sometimes engage the lock securely, otherwise press a number on the keypad (6 usually works for me) until you hear an audible click, and this should do the trick.

Forthcoming 2007 events

Crossness Nature Reserve These events are on offer to members of the Friends scheme, and to friends and family

Date Event Meeting details

Fri May 11 BIRDSONG IDENTIFICATION WORKSHOP with Andrew Waller. This workshop will begin with an indoor (bird hide) teaching session listening to recorded bird sounds, followed by a walk around the reserve identifying birds by their calls. This event is being opened up to anybody wishing to come along, not just to members of the Friends scheme, so do feel free to promote this event more widely to friends and family. Some light refreshments provided. Please bring stout shoes and outdoor clothing.

8.30am in the bird hide The Norman Road gate will be open from 8.15 to enable vehicle access.

Sun June 3 PRACTICAL CONSERVATION DAY FOR LONDON SUSTAINABILITY WEEK – Vegetation management. Tools and gloves supplied, but do feel free to bring billhooks, sickles and scythes if you have them. Light refreshments supplied.

10am at the gate to the protected area

Tues July 3 DRAGONFLY AND BUTTERFLY WALK with Andrew Waller. Please bring clothing suitable for the weather conditions. Binoculars are useful for this event. Refreshements provided.


Fri July 20 BAT WALK with site warden. Please bring torches and clothing suitable for the weather conditions.

8pm at entrance to the protected area

Thurs July 26 PRACTICAL CONSERVATION DAY ROOT OUT RAGWORT – Ragwort control (toxic to livestock) on Crossness Nature Reserve. Gloves supplied. Refreshments supplied.


Sat Nov 24 WINTER BIRD WALK with Ralph and Brenda Todd. Please bring binoculars, though some are available for loan if required. Refreshments provided.

10.30am at the gate to the protected area

Crossness Nature Reserve

Viewing platform Kissing gatesWind pump

Bird hide

Sand Martin wall

Bat cave

Wader scrape & shingle islandStiles

Protected area

Site access Site features

Trees/scrub

WaterbodiesPublic footpath

Path in protected area

Reedbed

Boardwalk

Public footpath & cycleway

EAST PADDOCK

PAR

SLEY

FIE

LD

WEST PADDOCK

Thames Pathwayto Erith

Thames Pathway to Thamesmead

River Thames

ISLAND FIELD

Nor

man

Roa

d

Eastern Way (A2016)

GREA

T BR

EACH

LAG

OO

N

NORMAN ROAD FIELD

LAGOON FIELD

SEA WALL FIELD

STABLE PADDOCK

Great Breach Dyke North

Great Breach Dyke East

Great Breach Dyke West

Power lines

Wader Scrape

Reedbed Dyke

Hide Dyke

Education pond

Mini-beast area

Great BreachPumping Station North Dyke

Lay-by with potential for 1–2 parked cars

West Paddock Ditch

Horse Head Ditch

180 401 601

Buses

Forthcoming 2007 events

Crossness Southern Marshes These events are on offer to anybody wishing to come along, including members of the

Friends scheme, their friends and family, community members and groups

Date Event Meeting details

Sat Aug 11 MOTH SURVEY ON NATIONAL MOTH NIGHT with expert entomologist Colin Plant. We have been running this popular event for a couple of years now and there is always much to see and learn. Refreshments provided, usually in the comfort of Colin’s camper!! Be prepared for a late one (though people are free to leave earlier of course) as it won’t be dark until 9pm or later.

8.30pm (or make your way to Crossness Southern Marsh earlier if you wish to help set up) at Southmere Lake/Lakeside car park off Belvedere Road

Sat Aug 18 BAT WALK TO CELEBRATE EUROPEAN BAT WEEKEND with site warden. Please bring torches and clothing suitable for the weather conditions.

8.15pm at Southmere Lake/Lakeside car park off Belvedere Road

Tues Sept 18 HEALTH WALK with site warden for the Green Chain Walking Festival. The route will lead from Southmere Lake to the Crossness Southern Marsh footpath (1.5km), take us through Crossness Nature Reserve, along the Riverside Walk and down the Ridgeway back to the Southmere Lake. This is approximately a 4km walk which we estimate to take around 2 hours. Please be advised that Public Footpath 1 requires crossing a stile, walking up and over a bank which leads to the Eastern Way (A2016) dual carriageway, and crossing the A2016. Please wear stout, comfortable walking shoes; clothing appropriate for the weather conditions; and please bring a bottle of water.

7pm at the Southmere Lake/Lakeside car park (Belvedere Road, Abbey Wood).

Crossness Southern Marshes

Ditches

Reedbed

Permisive footpath

Fencing

Contractor access gate

Public access gate

Wader scrapes

Culvert ditch crossings

Footbridge

Ponds/horse drinking pools

Viewpoints

Belvedere Road

GREAT BREACH PADDOCK

SOUTH DYKE PADDOCK

MAIN PADDOCK

LITTLE PADDOCK

POND MEADOW

LONG MEADOW

Existing public footpath leading to Crossness

Nature Reserve & Thames Pathway

Eastern Way (A2016)Eastern Way Dyke East

Eastern Way Dyke West

Erith Marsh Dyke West

Belvedere RoadPath Ditch

THE WETLAND

Erith Marsh Dyke East

Erith Marsh Dyke South

SALINE MEADOW

Hedge

Getting to Crossness Nature Reserve

Thames Pathway Entrance

Norman Road Entrance

Eastern Way Entrance

Belvedere Road Entrance

Nor

man

Roa

d

Eastern Way (A2016)

East

ern

Way

(A20

16)

Eastern Way (A2016)

Carlyle Road

Yarnton Way

Eyns

ham

Dr

ive

Harrow Manor Way

Crossway

Belve

dere

Roa

d

Crossw

ayCrossway

Thamesbank Place

River Thames

Thames Pathway to Erith

Thames Pathway to Plumstead

& Woolwich

P

Crossness Sewage Treatment Works

1.3km from Thamesview Golf Course to Crossness Nature Reserve

1km from the Ridgeway Path to Crossness Nature Reserve

238m nature trail including 67m boardwalk

The Ridgeway Path4km (2.5 mile) walk from Plumstead to Crossness along the Southern Outfall Sewer Embankment

Thamesview Golf CourseParking, toilets &refreshments

Summerton Way

The Crossness Beam Engines Trust Museum

Crossness Incinerator

Buses

180 401 601

401 472177229

Buses

1

2

3

4

Viewing platform

Stiles

Protected area

Crossness Nature Reserve

Site access

Public footpath

Path in protected area

Public footpath & cycleway

Boardwalk

1

23

4

Getting to Crossness Southern Marshes

Southmere Lake

Belvedere Road

Thames Water Crossness STW

Yarnton Way

Sewell Road

Ampleforth

Road

Harrow

Manorway

EASTERN WAY

HAR

RO

W M

ANO

RW

AY

Lakeside Complex

Footpath to Crossness Southern Marsh kissing gate entrance

Southmere Park

Southmere Green

Woodland Way

Crossness Southern Marshes

P

Hartslock Drive

ENTRANCE

Recommended route for Crossness Southern Marshes: Park at the Lakeside Complex, walk alongside the lake and through Southmere Park to the top right corner. Cross over the dry ditch crossing (close to tethered horses) and head for the kissing gate on the left leading to Crossness Southern Marshes

Correspondence Send any correspondence, including ideas for reserve management, species monitoring and community events to:

Karen Sutton (Crossness Nature Reserve Manager) Thames Water

Crossness Sewage Treatment Works Nature Reserve Office

Belvedere Road Abbey Wood

London SE2 9AQ Email: [email protected]

Friends of Crossness - Thames Water

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