Sydenham Hill Wood’s seasonal newsletter

In this issue: The benefits of volunteering Workday update The trouble with foraging And…ever heard the one about the elephant on Cox’s Walk?

Volunteers planting along the Ambrook,

July 2013 by K. Fekete (KF)

Protecting London’s wildlife for the future

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Bats, moths and owls wow the crowds On Friday 5

th July 2013 London Wildlife Trust were joined by 76 members

of the public to enjoy an evening of bats, tawny owls and moths. The event was filmed as a local feature for the BBC’s Summer of Wildlife and can be viewed online here. Most importantly we spotted a number of soprano pipistrelle bats and even glimpsed a tawny owl flying over the glade. The walk climaxed to the sound of a male and female tawny owl calling to one another in the canopy above the train tunnel. The event was a massive success and we’d like to thank everyone who came and also those who generously made donations towards our work.

Sydenham Hill Wood News

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£600 boost to Ambrook’s biodiversity

At the end of June volunteers showed immense dedication and graft to plant £600 worth of aquatic plants along the Ambrook in 2 days. Soft and hard rush, brooklime, meadowsweet, ragged robin and hemp agrimony will offer invertebrates a greater range of nectar sources and habitat alongside the ancient stream. This is another chunk of the SITA Trust funded Ambrook and Dewy Pond project which is set to conclude with the installation of a pond dipping platform in the autumn/winter. The Ambrook is a former tributary of the now ‘lost’ Effra which once ran through the heart of Brixton and Dulwich and is the subject of a London Wildlife Trust project to raise awareness about the old Thames tributary.

Great North Wood walk On Sunday 4th August London Wildlife Trust teamed up with Friends of One Tree Hill to retrace the old ways of the Great North Wood, a landscape of woods and commons that once stretched from Deptford to Selhurst. 40 walkers attended to pass from One Tree Hill to Crystal Palace Park via Brenchley Gardens, Wood Vale, Cox’s Walk, Sydenham Hill Wood, Dulwich Wood and Dulwich Upper Wood. This was more evidence that local interest in the rich natural and cultural history of the Great North Wood is growing.

True love at Dog Kennel Hill Wood 2013’s bat walk with the Friends of Dog Kennel Hill Wood is one that will live long in the memory. Common and soprano pipistrelles were recorded but they took second place on the wildlife podium next to the amazing and gooey sight of leopard slugs mating. The slugs pursued one another across a maturing ash tree, dangling from a thread of slime and entwining in a balletic fashion. The final movements of the act were the appearance of transparent and bluish sexual organs from the slugs’ heads, somewhat like a jelly fish.

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Badger cull is a tragic distraction As the first shots of the badger cull are reported, The Wildlife Trusts re-

state deep regret that Government is driving forward with a culling

policy. Paul Wilkinson, Head of Living Landscape for The Wildlife Trusts, said: “It is a sad day for the natural world. We deeply regret that badger culls are proceeding despite the strength of scientific and public opinion against them. No Wildlife Trust will allow culling on its land.

“Although we may not agree with this decision, indeed we disagree strongly with it, we shall continue to engage in two way dialogue with everyone on this issue. Anyone who feels duty bound to protest is urged to do so peacefully and respectfully, to the countryside and to the farming community.

Simon Nash, Chief Executive of Somerset Wildlife Trust, said: “We are very conscious of the hardship that bTB causes our farming community. However science clearly shows that a badger cull is not the solution to bTB and, in fact, the shooting of badgers could make the problem worse here in Somerset. This cull is a distraction and gets in the way of implementing the right mechanisms to control this disease through improved biosecurity and the roll out of cattle and badger vaccines – a view shared by many landowners here in Somerset.”

Roger Mortlock, Chief Executive of Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust, the first non-Government organisation in England to launch a badger vaccination programme, said: "The focus on free shooting badgers at the expense of other solutions to eradicating Bovine TB is polarising communities in Gloucestershire. We've invested in badger vaccination to demonstrate that there is another way. We believe this approach could easily be scaled up and are keen to work with local landowners looking for an alternative to culling.”

Paul Wilkinson continues: “We believe that the Government’s job is to lead, not to follow one part of its constituency blindly and not to ignore the many other constituencies with hundreds of thousands of supporters and decades of experience. This is not a respectful or engaging way to govern.

“Defra’s flawed badger cull policy is a tragic distraction from tackling this devastating disease. There are other options in which it should invest. It is regrettable that longer term solutions to the problem – cattle and badger vaccination, cattle movement controls and biosecurity - do not have wider and more active support from Government.

“Expert scientists, who have studied the impacts of a badger cull in England on bovine TB for many years, have repeatedly stressed it will make no meaningful contribution to the management of the disease. The evidence demonstrates that culling runs the great risk of further spreading the disease from disrupted social groups of badgers.

“We will continue to do all we can to demonstrate the right solutions, including actively undertaking badger vaccination on our nature reserves and in the wider countryside in partnership with vets, farmers and landowners.”

The Wildlife Trusts urge members of the public who may come across dead badgers not to touch or remove them. Under no circumstances should people handle injured badgers – they can be very dangerous. If found, call the RSPCA on 0300 1234 999.

My volunteering

Tom Garriock charts his journey as a conservation volunteer

at Sydenham Hill Wood to the wilds of Exmoor (via Hungary)

Unfulfilled and dissatisfied in my London office job, it became increasingly clear to me that I both wanted and needed a change of direction. At the same time I became increasingly aware I was missing the connection to nature I had enjoyed since my childhood in rural Dorset. Identifying this lack, and the desire for change in my working life, was what first inspired me to consider a career in environmental conservation: could I find fulfilling work which could help me reconnect to the natural world at the same time? With this question in mind, I set off for my local nature reserve at Sydenham Hill Wood to volunteer for London Wildlife Trust.

Working with people who shared my passion for nature and wildlife, and surrounded by the inspiration for this passion, my initial experiences at Sydenham Hill Wood exceeded all expectations. What struck me most was the enormous sense of personal wellbeing I derived from being and working outdoors – in direct contrast to the restlessness I was feeling at work. Whatever task I was faced with, from litter picking to fencing to butterfly transects, I took great pride in the end result, and found opportunities for further learning at every turn.

Little egret in Hungary by Tom Garriock (TG)

This practical experience cemented my desire to pursue a career in conservation. Seeking new opportunities to learn and develop, I was lucky enough to be chosen to participate in a two week conservation training programme hosted by the Barn Owl Foundation in Hungary. Sensational wildlife, amazing habitats and fantastic company combined to create an unforgettable experience, and that’s before acknowledging how privileged I feel to have learned so much in so little time working with experts in their fields. Surveying barn owl nest boxes, searching for rare orchids, visiting restricted nature reserves, and caring for orphaned owl chicks were just some of the many highlights of a wonderful two weeks. From an avid birder’s point of view, white-tailed eagle, bee-eaters and bluethroat provided spectacular moments as well as the most frustrating photo opportunities!

Enthused by my experiences with London Wildlife Trust and the Hungarian Barn Owl Foundation, and equipped with a foundation of practical experience, I left my office job behind in June, and am currently volunteering full time with the National Trust on Exmoor. I’m learning something new every day, and have already benefitted from certificated training in use of chainsaws and pesticides. More importantly though, I feel connected to nature again – surrounded by stunning scenery and inspirational wildlife, from red deer to high brown fritillary butterflies. Working to protect this landscape and wildlife is physically demanding, spiritually stimulating and enormously fulfilling: my career in environmental conservation has begun in earnest!

Hungary by TG

The life aquatic

In May we encountered a disconcerting couple of weeks at Sydenham

Hill Wood, with a number of incidences of arson including three stolen

mopeds burnt out and dumped, but the Wood has seen worse down the

centuries (bombs anyone?) and the problems were swiftly dealt with.

Thanks to the College Ward police team for their support during the time.

June saw a big push from the volunteers as we planted £600 worth of

aquatic plants around the Ambrook. Hemp agrimony, water plantain, soft

and hard rush, water avens, meadow sweet, lesser spearwort, marsh

marigold, ragged robin, sweet flag, frogbit and water crow’s foot were

brought in as part of the SITA Trust funded Dewy and Ambrook project.

Not all the plants have taken and unfortunately duckweed appears likely

to have come in with them but many are doing well and have

established.

Working lunch by the water

by John Walsh (JW)

There is a period in mid-July where the Sydenham Hill Wood glade is full

with butterflies. Gatekeeper, meadow brown, speckled wood, large and

small skipper, large and small white, holly blue and the odd Jersey tiger

moth battle with hoverflies, bumble bees and other insects for a seat at the

at the table. Birds are in moult, their songs almost at an end as they recover

from the draining breeding season. Volunteers take to the paths on foot

to conduct the annual butterfly transect, and this year is a massive

improvement on 2012’s washout. Speckled wood has been recorded 40

times on one transect, an almost ever present around the straggly,

trampled grasses along Cox’s Walk. In August we were fortunate enough to

spot purple hairstreak butterflies as they travelled down from their usual oak

canopy dwelling to feed on the bramble’s honeydew.

The heat was turned up in August with one Thursday reaching 33 degrees

Celsius. Woodlands are a little cooler in summer and the breeze from the

Crescent Wood train tunnel was welcomed by all.

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Tom and Ken go for a ride (DG)

The problem with foraging in London’s remnant woodlands

Each summer, when all the spring flowers have come and gone, it is only then

that we can take stock of how well colonies have fared during the year. One of

the questions for many people who hold Sydenham Hill Wood’s wildlife close to

their heart is how the wild garlic is getting on. This isn’t a question of a crop

suitable for foraging but quite the opposite. In 2013 the ramsons (as wild garlic is

also known) have taken a battering and it is time that something has to be said

about the impact a small minority of visitors – quite possibly unaware of the

consequences – are having on this ancient woodland indicator species.

An unusual case occurred in May when a local deli advertised ramsons picked

from the local woodlands. It is highly likely that this was a mistake and done

without any understanding of the legal or environmental implications, but foraging

and then selling on without the landowners permission constitutes theft. This was

different to stolen mopeds, but the issue needs to be addressed in London.

Wood anemone takes one hundred

years to spread two metres (DG)

In Dorset you will find hedge banks covered with wild garlic where foraging will

have no real long term impact and is an important aspect of how people in more

rural areas engage with nature. In Sydenham Hill Wood the situation is completely

different. The surrounding area is densely populated and if the amount of visitors

foraging wild garlic – never with permission from London Wildlife Trust – does not

curtail there will be a long term decline in this plant that has been growing here

ever since populations arrived, possibly thousands of years ago, having survived

the development in the Victorian era. The situation has been worsened by a trend

in popular TV cooking shows to forage wild garlic and in London the impact is

much greater than in rural areas. The same goes for our tiny relic populations of

wood anemone, a wildflower which takes 100 years to spread 2 metres and will not

be able to return steadily if picked when in flower or trampled. Often the damage is

not intended, it’s part of our culture to pick flowers, but loss of ancient woodlands

and meadows has meant a loss of native wild plants, as well as a change in

attitude towards wildflowers or ‘weeds’. An increase in human population and

insensitive land management after the Second World War has meant our impact

on the environment is greater than ever. Wildlife needs our help to recover.

Foraging harms Sydenham Hill Wood’s

indigenous wild garlic populations (DG)

The day Archie the elephant packed his trunk and said goodbye to the circus

Jerry Green recounts an incredible and unusual incident on

Cox’s Walk that has largely been forgotten

Among the latest acquisitions at the Crystal Palace museum which stands at the

top of Anerley Hill is an item found above the doorway of an old cottage in

Somerset. It's an elephant's rib. The elephant's name was Charlie, who was shot

dead at Crystal Palace in February 1900 after killing a circus worker who had

mistreated him. Unfortunately Charlie, who was aged about 50, had, three years

earlier, killed another employee of Mr Lord George Sanger's circus who had also

mistreated him. Charlie and another elephant named Archie both broke free of

their chains in the incident. But while Charlie was content to remain in the Crystal

Palace (in the south nave of the actual building!) Archie saw his chance of

freedom.

TRUNK MUSIC? The 4pm afternoon concert is about to start when Archie, who was also known as HRH having been ridden by the Prince of Wales in India, enters the concert room in the Palace and starts smashing up cane-bottomed chairs stacked in half dozens, causing those in the room to find various avenues of escape. Archie then goes through the glass door into the refreshment room of J Lyons and Co where he knocks over tables 'like ninepins'. Immediately after getting into the Palace grounds Archie went across the fair field and made for the North Tower, getting out on the Sydenham Road. By now it was dark. Followed by officials and a growing number of excited pedestrians, his next stop was Sydenham Hill and then Cox's Walk - named after Francis Cox – where at 4.30pm the station master at Lordship Lane looked out of a window and saw him. Archie decided not to cross a wooden bridge over the railway line and passed the station yard without incident. With his dogged, heavy, lurching gait Archie plodded on towards London Road. A not very stout iron railing which barred his way was snapped 'like a twig'. Travelling along a footpath running parallel to a railway line Archie arrived at the gates of the Horniman Museum......! A NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM? "There is really no saying how an elephant ordinarily views a turnstile" the South London Press noted. Archie chose instead to uproot an adjacent iron railing. "This was broken and uprooted with a methodical violence that stamped Archie as quite a competent craftsman." the South London Press reported. The elephant was now in the museum grounds and there was concern he might try and get into the museum, so it was with a sigh of relief onlookers saw him turn tail and go diagonally across the grounds through a shrubbery and into Westwood Park. Finding there was no way out of Westwood Park Archie demolished more iron railings, headed into Bevers Grounds and Devonshire Road before the SLP reported him moving on to Honor Oak Park but he eventually ended up in Beckenham. One of his next ports of call was Newlands Park, Sydenham where a Mr Arthur Doyle was quietly reading in his drawing room when bang went the front gate. Hearing shouts of "He's gone in there" Mr Doyle got up to see who 'he' was and was about to open the front door. Hearing the rattling of a chain, a crash and a scream he decided instead to ask from a window on the first landing what it all meant. "His visit, happily, was not a long one" Mr Doyle reported. "He came in the front gate and went out through the side fence , carrying about ten feet of it away. "He left us to make calls in Beckenham." The Beckenham Journal of Saturday February 24th 1900 reported how, on arriving in Beckenham, Archie crossed the South Eastern; and London, Chatham and Dover railway lines scaring two signalman and almost causing a railway disaster had not the driver of a passing train pulled up in time. The elephant, then leaving Penge on the right, went along Copers Cope Road, Beckenham and, on finding a sandpit, rested there during the early hours of the morning watched over by a circus worker. The Beckenham Journal, reporting the incident on the same day as the SLP noted that "Such big game seldom comes the way of the ordinary sportsman. "Numbers of people congregated in Copers Cope Road and other thoroughfares and some brought their guns with them hoping to get a

One well-known town councillor threatened to shoot Archie but was told: "Don't fire. You'll only make him worse." The Journal commented: "He did not appear vicious and would probably have done less damage had he not been hunted. "Many continued to take part in the hunt until two or three in the morning." Some of the circus men kept the animal well in sight during the night. Archie moved on to Hayes where he enjoyed a good breakfast courtesy of a haystack at Marshall's farm. He then doubled back towards Barnet Wood. (Records in Bromley local studies library show a J E Marshall at Hook Farm, Bromley Common for that year.) He was enticed out of Barnet Wood after the circus brought four elephants down to help take him back. A crowd of between 200 and 300 witnessed his capture despite what was miserable weather. "He was the object of much interest on his way home" the Journal added. His pursuers had been out on horses for 16 hours. Directly he got back home Archie picked up a trunkful of hay and began eating it "with an air of indifference as though he had just been out for a stroll and had come in to tea as usual" said the Journal. But it was not until the Monday that many residents knew of the tragedy at the Crystal Palace. The Journal trumpeted: "The unfortunate occurrence should be a warning to all circus and menagerie attendants many of whom, it is well known, are accustomed to tease or cause pain to the captives without any reason whatsoever." The unfortunate Charlie had been given a loaf of bread containing four ounces of potassium cyanide. In the south nave he sank into a dazed state against a statue called 'Sleeping Student', was shepherded back to his stable and shot at 10.10pm. The inquest into the labourer who died - Emmanuel Cook Baker, aged 31 also known as 'Chippy' Woods was held in the People's Hall, Arpley Road (town not given but probably Penge). Witnesses had seen Baker pick up a lance used in the Sudan and said he was going to "pay Charlie for striking him." He lunged at Charlie who, becoming infuriated, burst away from his chain, seized Baker with his trunk, threw him to the ground then trampled on him. Sanger told the inquest he had discharged the man but had re-employed him as a labourer 16 months later. A keeper who wrote from his hospital bed said Baker had "got no more than he deserved" - to cries of 'Hear, Hear!' from the jury. Charlie was stuffed. Four skilled butchers spent six hours skinning his carcass. Charlie was given to the Crystal Palace Company and displayed in the Palace's natural history section where he perished in the fire of 1936. Sanger's grandson was sent to deal with all the people whose properties had been damaged. These included the home of one man where Charlie had walked into his conservatory on one side and then out the other while he was sitting listening to his wife playing 'Just a song at twilight' on the piano. Sources: Beckenham Journal Saturday February 24th 1900; South London Press Saturday

February 24th 1900; The Sanger Story by George Sanger Coleman as told to John Lukens, White

Lion Publishers 1974; Imperial War Museum archives. Copyright Jerry Green 2013 reproduced

with the author's permission

Fungi walks

Protecting London’s wildlife for the future

Registered Charity Number: 283895

Booking essential. Spaces limited. Sydenham Hill Wood & Cox’s Walk Sunday 13

th & 27

th October 2013 at 12:00

Contact dgreenwood@wildlondon.org.uk Please note this is not a foraging event. Please DO NOT forage fungi at

Sydenham Hill Wood (Local Nature Reserve) and Cox’s Walk

All plants and animals in the nature reserve are protected

Visit London Wildlife Trust online: www.wildlondon.org.uk www.facebook.com/londonwildlifetrust www.twitter.com/wildlondon

Learn about Sydenham Hill Wood’s diverse fungi

© David Warwick 2013