ED Nature Watch

[milk_over_spoons]

Not yet but that’s what I’ll do today. Thanks 

[AylwardS]

The Big Butterfly Count is running until 6 August. 

 

Does anyone know any good places locally to do the count?  Does Peckham Rye park have a wildflower meadow this year? Anything at Goose Green this year?

[Sue]

On 01/07/2023 at 11:12, milk_over_spoons said:

Not yet but that’s what I’ll do today. Thanks 

Wondering if anything came of this? Did the injured duck get any help?

[first mate]

@AylwardsS

There may be some areas over the Nunhead side. On the ED side there was a very large area that used to be allowed to grow each year but since Gala set up it is mowed and doubt much survives after a month of heavy machinery etc

Edited July 16, 2023 by first mate

[malumbu]

Remind me of the person who studies bugs in the area, they were featured on Countryfile a couple of years ago and were seen in small parks in the Peckham area finding microfauna.  May be relevant to the butterfly count.

[MrsR]

Bug man Jones who has a stall at Nunhead Cemetery open day may be able to help?

[AylwardS]

Thanks for possible places for the Big Butterfly Count. Places I looked today weren’t any good

[milk_over_spoons]

On 16/07/2023 at 08:27, Sue said:

Wondering if anything came of this? Did the injured duck get any help?

The park office replied and said they’d contacted RSPCA. The duck is still at the pond but his leg seems a bit better and have seen him swimming more!

[MrsR]

 

I expect lots of you Nature Lovers are aware.

Merlin Bird Id by Cornell Lab - Best App ever 🙂 

Will record birdsong live and tell you what is singing.   You can then find out all about them.

I have had 18 different birds in my garden.  

[malumbu]

Returning to my comment on bugs/butterflies  a lady called Penny Metal surveys a small park in Peckham where she has found over 500 species.  This featured on Springwatch (not Countryfile as I wrongly reported)

https://peckhampeculiar.tumblr.com/post/167080530692/bug-life

www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p09kd0km

Back to our garden as well as a family of starlings (which we never had before) we have now ten or so chirpy sparrows competing with the tits and goldfinches for the feeders (dunnocks too).  Never had sparrows around here, they were plentiful when I moved to London 30 years ago.  Bird food is now being consumed at twice the rate £££££  (10% off today at Garden Wildlife Direct)  https://www.gardenwildlifedirect.co.uk/

 

[vladi]

We have a few dunnocks, lots of tits ( all year round) and goldfinches ( in winter)  but would love to have a family of sparrows more than anything else. What is it you put in your feeders that attracts them?

Our  neighbour out the back has a wild/overgrown area which I thought would be great sparrow habitat,but no luck so far. Thought about putting up a nest box for them but our rear garden (away from the main road) faces South which is too sunny a location for nesting boxes I believe,

 

[rch]

My Twitter photos of a Magpie and a Fox socialising in Camberwell Old Cemetery made it into Southwark News:-

https://southwarknews.co.uk/area/southwark/fox-and-magpie-form-unlikely-friendship-in-camberwell-cemetery/

 

[RichH]

^^^ That's really interesting.  I'm not very far from Camberwell Old Cemetary and, just a few weeks ago, was surprised to see a Magpie taking a drink from one of my bird baths whilst a fox was lying very close by in full view.  Some days later I saw a fox and a neighbour's cat casually sitting only about 4ft. apart, each totally unconcerned about the presence of the other.  Formerly they'd have kept a much more respectful (and mutually safe) distance.

It's the friendliest, or at least the most tolerant, I've ever seen these species interact with one another.

My (totally unscientific) gut feeling is that it's because foxes are becoming less and less wild and predatory and surviving more by simply scavenging scraps of food left by us humans.  The result is that they don't hunt/chase or even bother investigating other animals in search of prey at all any more and merely routinely visit the regular spots where they're likely to find scrap food left by us.  The other animals will have observed this and follow the foxes around knowing that they're unlikely to be considered prey themselves and can just hoover up whatever remains or even feed alongside their former predators because food is so plentiful.

[Nigello]

17 hours ago, vladi said:

We have a few dunnocks, lots of tits ( all year round) and goldfinches ( in winter)  but would love to have a family of sparrows more than anything else. What is it you put in your feeders that attracts them?

Our  neighbour out the back has a wild/overgrown area which I thought would be great sparrow habitat,but no luck so far. Thought about putting up a nest box for them but our rear garden (away from the main road) faces South which is too sunny a location for nesting boxes I believe,

 

They love bog-standard suet balls with seeds in them and also will take cheese rinds and stale cake/bread. 

[Brian up the hill]

Just to let those who maybe interested know that this Sunday is the Sydenham Wood Open Day, 11:00-15:00.

Activities include:

Pond dipping (11:00-12:30 and 13:30-14:30)

Bug hunting (as above)

Childrens’ crafts (11:00-15:00)

Face painting unfortunately cancelled as the face painter can no longer make it. 

Tree trail (all day)

Caterpillar carving

Cake stall.

 

Edited July 19, 2023 by Brian up the hill

[Sue]

23 hours ago, vladi said:

We have a few dunnocks, lots of tits ( all year round) and goldfinches ( in winter)  but would love to have a family of sparrows more than anything else. What is it you put in your feeders that attracts them?

Our  neighbour out the back has a wild/overgrown area which I thought would be great sparrow habitat,but no luck so far. Thought about putting up a nest box for them but our rear garden (away from the main road) faces South which is too sunny a location for nesting boxes I believe,

Whereabouts are you?

I live in a road off North Cross Road and I get a flock of up to thirty sparrows (the most I have ever counted at once) coming to feed (but not much else 🤣)

Also some  nest in a rambling rose at the back of my (very small) garden and I get a lot of young sparrows. I don't use nest boxes.

I have two hanging feeders and a window feeder, and they come to all of them.

I usually use a mixed seed mix (no grow) but sometimes just sunflower seeds/hearts.

I do have a lot of cover for the birds - mostly various  roses and honeysuckle, with some ivy, clematis  and jasmine at the back.

Maybe sparrows will find your garden eventually. I rarely get tits or goldfinches, so you are lucky to be attracting those!

Edited July 18, 2023 by Sue
Add information

[rch]

19 hours ago, RichH said:

^^^ That's really interesting.  I'm not very far from Camberwell Old Cemetary and, just a few weeks ago, was surprised to see a Magpie taking a drink from one of my bird baths whilst a fox was lying very close by in full view.  Some days later I saw a fox and a neighbour's cat casually sitting only about 4ft. apart, each totally unconcerned about the presence of the other.  Formerly they'd have kept a much more respectful (and mutually safe) distance.

It's the friendliest, or at least the most tolerant, I've ever seen these species interact with one another.

My (totally unscientific) gut feeling is that it's because foxes are becoming less and less wild and predatory and surviving more by simply scavenging scraps of food left by us humans.  The result is that they don't hunt/chase or even bother investigating other animals in search of prey at all any more and merely routinely visit the regular spots where they're likely to find scrap food left by us.  The other animals will have observed this and follow the foxes around knowing that they're unlikely to be considered prey themselves and can just hoover up whatever remains or even feed alongside their former predators because food is so plentiful.

Thanks for your comments, RichH. I totally agree with your theory that foxes are becoming more urban… I regularly see a fox strolling along the section of Melbourne Grove where I live and can hear them breeding in the road junction outside my house. 

I suspect this will get more common as apparently foxes like resting in long grass, which is now becoming more common with the council’s climate friendly reduction in mowing the grass in public parks.

I also see regular magpies, crows, and jays hanging around the rooftops and street lights here.

As I don’t have a garden, it’s quite nice interacting with wildlife in the roads… which is also one reason why I visit Camberwell Old Cemetery, as there is more wildlife interaction there than in the local parks.

[Sue]

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/jul/20/uk-horticulturalists-moth-friendly-gardens-tatton-park-flower-show?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other

Interesting article about the importance of moths as pollinators, and how to plant more night scented flowers to attract moths (also to make the garden even more lovely to sit in at night!)

Also about how some plants often considered as "weeds" are important for caterpillars etc.

Edited July 20, 2023 by Sue
Adding info

[Nigello]

I saw a brown grasshopper, about 2” long, on my window frame today, which although is close to lots of foliage and not far at all from trees, is far from grass. It surprised me to see it there. 

[wolis]

Just found these two Jersey Moths in our garden.  Barry Rd area.

[Nigello]

4 hours ago, wolis said:

Just found these two Jersey Moths in our garden.  Barry Rd area.

Yes - I saw the first one I’ve seen this year more than a week ago. Lovely things 

[Brian up the hill]

This might be interesting for those who enjoy the local nature reserves and those who haven’t discovered them yet…..

 

[Mabaker]

I saw a couple of bats up Dawson's Heights. Dust as dusk is arriving. It made my day. I think I might buy a bat detector 

[Nigello]

I’d like to see a bat in SE15/21/22 but haven’t yet. 
I did see, though, three cormorants sitting on a branch hanging over the water from the island in the lake in D Park this morning. Two were there yesterday when I walked past. 

[malumbu]

Bats at Horniman Gardens, and they may be seen in the general locality.  Horniman used to arrange bat spotting but can't find anything on line and this may well have been cut years ago.