Early May observations

I missed May Day. The one day of the year that I feel worthy of celebrating, and I wasn't in Cornwall, but in the Lake District. I even forgot it was happening until part-way through the day, and then didn't even get celebratory fish-and-chips.

But to get on to the ecological issues – I was in the Lake District, it was continually warm and sunny, and if this was to go on there won't be a lake district. I've never been in a mountain area of Britain where the ground underfoot on the hills was so dry.

So – being there, I missed a few days here, but returned to find that not only had I missed May Day, but I'd missed the peak of the May. The blossom was almost over, peaked and finished by the end of April. Cast your clouts! Also over were the Bluebells, so those people who had asked whether 6th May would be too late must've found they were. The Lilac in Aldersbrook Exchange Lands was also past its best, although strangely, that in my garden was glorious and is only now fading (12th May). Plant of the moment in my perception is Cow Parsley – not well thought of by some – but I like to see the extent of it, the snowy covering and the smell. It's nice to walk along the edge of River Wood near the Roding with the cow parsley on either side. It's a happy plant for insects, too, with lots of flying things favouring the flowers.

To get down to details – I spent quite a bit of time not in Wanstead Park or elsewhere, but in my garden. There are still hosts of things visiting the honeysuckle - bees and hoverflies of various species, as well as blue and white butterflies and Large Red Damselflies Pyrrhosoma nymphula. In fact, my garden is infested with Large Red Damselflies, and I spent about three hours on 9th May watching one emerge from my garden pond as a larva and fly of as an adult. If the one I saw the next day was actually the same one I'd watched the day before – then it had joined its mates in their invasion of my garden. The best don't-mess-with-me individual in the garden at present is a hoverfly of the species Helophilus pendulus that sits on the edge of the pond and see off anything up to three times its size that flies near. It hasn't tried to see me off yet, but then we have an understanding. I seem to have got an understanding not only with the obvious Robin that checks out whether I'm unearthing food for it, but also some Great Tits that feed a few feet from me, a pair of Blackbirds that don't seem too bothered that I'm there – and a very young Fox that stands and watches me, decides that it doesn't want to walk past me on route to the Flats, makes to use the alternative route around the small pond, but is more wary of a chair than of me. The Great Tits bred in a corner of my roof-top; how the young got on I don't know - but there was a very interested Carrion Crow about.

Blue damselflies are beginning to make an appearance in the garden. Blue-tailed were in late April, and Azure now in early May. Lots of ladybirds - particularly the inevitable Harlequin in their various colour-forms, but particularly conspicuous in their deep black colour. 14-spot Ladybirds are also numerous; these are quite small and perhaps they are numerous because they either don't make a fulfilling meal for a Harlequin, or have a bad taste. What is missing are the 2-spot and 7-spot natives.

In Wanstead Park, the pair of Egyptian Geese had six ducklings (yes – these geese are strictly ducks), but a couple of days later, the ducklings were gone – probably eaten (see here). There were still a pair of Gadwall on the Ornamental Waters on 9th May, and a few Coots, Mallard and Canada Geese had youngsters – but only a few, and I suspect that a lot of offspring are getting eaten. I glimpsed a large Grass Snake by Heronry Pond on the same day; it was there and gone, but the brief view was of a military-green snake of considerable proportions, and I'm guessing at up to a few feet long. Across the lake, on a low nest, a Great Crested Grebe was hunkered down – whether on eggs or young I don't know. There are two pairs of Swan on the lake – those at the east end as defensive as ever and apparently the male has been awarded the name Hannibal. I don't know whether this is on account of his military might or the fact that last year he led his flock across the embankment between this lake and the Perch Pond, where there is a Swan sitting on another nest.

The west end of Heronry Pond has what looks to be another swan on the nest, but it's hard to see. This end of the lake has been a riot of activity. The frog tadpoles are sometimes so thickly assembles that they'd likely make a nice marmalade, and damselfly activity is plentiful. I tentatively identified a number of spider species that I found here – and both myself and a friend were mystified by a creature that was sitting on a reed stem looking like an emerging dragonfly. It turned out to be a trick of perception and light. It was in fact a common spider, Tetragnatha extensa. The cause of intermittent water-disturbance hereabouts was difficult to ascertain, but eventually turned out to be shoals of Minnows. I have no knowledge of fish species, but photographs are often a useful way of being able to look something up after the event.

On the Shoulder of Mutton, there is no sign that I can see of swans nesting. Perhaps the pair that usually nest here are the ones on west Heronry? If so, why have they moved? What is encouraging on the Shoulder is that there are this year two Reed Warblers in the Phragmites. Pete Saunders expressed some concern about this patch of reed, as it can be very invasive; it's nice to have – the Reed Warblers prove that – but needs to be kept in check. That last statement is quite apt for Wanstead Park – there is a lot that needs to be kept in check, but some things I note are being checked out of existence - that's another matter, though! When I visited – like the Lake District – the stream input to the pond was dry.; I walked along it from the troll bridge (it's a very small troll – it's a very small bridge) and only when I neared the lake did I get muddy boots. Did spot a few Newts, though.

By Alexandra Lake on the Flats the wildfowl seem to be doing a bit better in bringing off young than in the Park. There a few cootlets and moorhen-lings (or is it the other way round?). Also, Canada Geese have got goslings, and one pair of Greylags had two little-uns and another pair had four even littler-uns on 11th May. There was the sound of two - I think – Reed Warblers at the SW corner, and some Common Whitethroats in the vicinity. Chiffchaffs are generally plentiful, as are Blackcaps, and Willow Warblers seem more plentiful than last year. I don't report too much on birds, 'cos there are a lot of people out there doing a lot more observations and a lot more reporting of all the strangers that turn up than I do.

As the weather is turning just a bit in the last couple of days, let's see what happens next.

Paul Ferris, 12^th May 2011

Some records from early May :

Azure Damselfly Coenagrion puella by Heronry Pond in Wanstead Park on 4th May

Large Red Damselfly Phyrrosoma nymphula by Heronry Pond in Wanstead Park on 4th May

Broad-bodied Chaser dragonfly Libellula depressa by Heronry Pond in Wanstead Park on 4th May (first sighting this year)

Small Copper in Wanstead Park, 4th May (first sighting this year)

Small Tortoiseshell in Wanstead Park, 4th May

Holly Blue in the garden, 4th May and daily

aphids Microlophium carnosum in the garden on 5th May (first sighting this year)

a bee, possibly Nomada flava in the garden on 5th May

Harlequin Ladybird Harmonia axyridis in the garden on 5th May

a mirid bug Dryophilocoris flavoquadrimaculatus in the garden on 5th May (first sighting this year)

a sawfly possibly Arge cyanocrocea in the garden on 5th May (first sighting this year)

Red Wasp Vespula rufa in the garden on 5th May (first sighting this year, and first record)

a hoverfly Eristalis tenax in the garden on 6th May

Small Red-eyed Damselfly Erythromma viridulum by the Ornamental Waters in Wanstead Park on 10th May (first sighting this year)

City of London "bombshell" over Wanstead Park grant process - a press release from Wanstead Parklands Community Project

Local activists in the Wanstead Parklands Community Project have expressed "shock and frustration" at the decision by the City of London to postpone a decision on applying for a lottery grant to help restore the much-loved open space.

After months of work, and a public consultation in which hundreds of people took part, it had been widely expected that the City would apply to the Heritage Lottery Fund in the current round, which has an August deadline. A landmark Conservation Statement, with local input, was published recently. This set out high level priorities for the park, and was expected to be the basis for the bid.

However, Epping Forest Superintendent Paul Thomson last week informed the group that the application would not be going ahead at this stage.

"The report requires further work to fully brief the relevant City of London committees on the substantial projected costs of the Conservation Management Plan, and importantly the capital and onward revenue implications of any potential Heritage Lottery bid.

The City of London remains committed to finding a solution to the many issues raised in the Conservation Statement. This solution must be based on a identifying a viable and sustainable way forward for the Park, which undoubtedly will require a significant coalition of local and national partners," said Superintendent Thomson.

WPCP spokesman Ralph Potter responded -

"We feel incredibly disappointed and let down - particularly as the Conservation Statement is a fine piece of work that many local people contributed to creating. At a time when the government is promoting its concept of a "Big Society", stressing local people taking more responsibility for their communities, this announcement feels like a real kick in the teeth - especially given the huge local interest this project has generated.

The Superintendent has said there are particular concerns about the significant cost of match funding, the unknown cost of repairing the lake system and the long term management costs of the park. Of course, these are valid points. However, none of them can have come as a surprise, which makes this last-minute volte-face particularly concerning.

I'm told that the City will seek funding internally to produce a detailed Conservation Management Plan which will identify the costs. Of course, we will seek to make a constructive input to this. Unfortunately, as yet we have no information about how, or on what time-scale, this is now to happen. Our fear is that, if momentum is lost, it could take years to secure the funding let alone actually produce the plan.

Recent history is littered with the bleached bones of plans for Wanstead Park which never came to fruition. There are undoubtedly many people who will suspect that, once again, the issue of what to do with this unique historic landscape has been kicked into the long grass. The Superintendent and the consultants running the project have sought to assure us that all is far from lost. I look forward to seeing some evidence soon that they are right."

12 May 2011

The Egyptian Goose Family

On 4th May, Wanstead Park was presented with six goslings by the pair of Egyptian Geese that have taken up residence there since last year.

Strictly, they were six ducklings, as Egyptian Geese are actually ducks - but that's a bit pedantic considering the six cute and fluffy, light-and-dark youngsters that I found sitting on a floating log near the bottom of the Glade, together with mum up close and dad keeping his eyes open.

It had been thought that they were nesting, as only one was typically to be seen in the preceding weeks, but sharp-eyed Pete Saunders reported to me that he had spotted their nest in a lopped ash on the east side of the Ornamental Waters, about 40 feet up in the hollow tree.

I was lucky to get some photographs on 4th, as by the 6th, the youngsters were not seen and have quite possibly been eaten. What took them is unknown, but there are a variety of predators in the area that could have done. These include the now-regular patrols of Lesser Black-backed Gulls - plus, apparently, some Herring Gulls - Carrion Crows which seem to be becoming adept at grabbing young water-birds, Pike - and the Mink. The last is a definite possibility as such a creature would at this time of year be having a right feast on many young water-birds in the Park. Perhaps it might be an idea to try to trap it - professionally, of course?

Paul Ferris, 6th May, 2011

What's happening in late April ?

...and what has happened over the last couple of weeks? Well - lots! It has been one of the nicest Springs that I can remember, and the peculiarly warm weather that we had up until about the 26th helped a lot. The blossom has been lovely, with all manner of trees and flowers showing particularly well.

As it has been so warm and sunny on so many days, I was able to spend quite a bit of time looking just around my garden - which catches the Sun from morning 'till early afternoon, then becomes a bit shady. This has been a rewarding exercise, and an indication of just how much wildlife there is to be seen in a relatively unremarkable garden. I have found that the leaves of honeysuckle have been particularly good for both attracting and observing insects; they seem to like basking in the sunshine.

Perhaps the most notable find here was the sawfly Zaraea lonicerae which turned out to be a first for Essex. More about that is available here. However, it isn't just the "rare" things that are notable - it is nice just to see the first occurrence of the year of regulars, or have the opportunity to discover species new to me, although they may in fact be quite common.

Melecta albifronsSo: there were numbers of Honey Bees Apis mellifera quite early - certainly 11th April, and other bees such as the Hairy-footed flower bee Anthophora plumipes - particularly the almost-all-black females with a distinctively long tongue - which I started seeing from about 8th April. As well as these, there were also the cuckoo-bee of this species, Melecta albifrons. Of course, earlier still had been the questing bumble-bees Bombus terrestris. The Bee-fly Bombylius major - a furry fly that looks like a bee - also paid a lot of visits to my garden (and elsewhere) during April and I saw more of those this year than I've ever seen before.

Holly BlueSpeckled Wood butterflies were common visitors, again from early April, and I would say that this is now the commonest butterfly to visit the garden. The first blue - a Holly Blue - was seen a few days before 19th April when I was able to get a photograph, and then Peacocks made rapid visits, and both Small and Green-veined Whites were seen from 11th April. A day-flying moth Pyrausta aurata that's quite a regular feature of the garden turned up on the 23rd April.

Pyrausta aurata

Hoverflies were much in evidence, and these included the small but distinctive Baccha elongata, which I'd never seen before and another new one - a tiny species which I believe is Pipizella viduata. Other species were Episyrphus balteatus, the big Myathropa florea, Sphaerophoria scripta, possibly Eupeodes luniger and possibly Melanostoma scalare. You can tell from the possibly's that my skills in identifying these is limited - but I'm unwilling to capture them to do detailed examination. That's true also of the flies that turn up - although a distinctive new one was the Golden Dung-Fly which I believe is Scathophaga stercoraria.

As has been usual over the last couple of years, the first Damsel-fly is the Large Red Pyrrhosoma nymphula, which I saw on the 23rd. Away from the garden, in Wanstead Park, as well as Large Reds also on 23rd were Blue-tailed Damselflies Ischnura elegans and the first Dragonfly - a fast-moving blue species slightly smaller than an Emperor. Standing at the west end of Heronry Pond in the afternoon, teneral damselflies were making their first flights with their silvery-wings glistening in the sunshine.

Misumena vatiaOne of the notable features in Wanstead Park on that day and days either side were the immense numbers of Long-horned Moths flying around Sycamore and Limes. There were also a number of spiders to be seen by the lake-side, and my tentative identifications are Cercidia prominens, Larinioides patagiatus, Pardosa proxima and more certainly Tetragnatha extensa and certainly Misumena vatia. For arachnophobes, it might be worth mentioning that to a small extent - I still am, though this has been tempered by just looking at them.

I'd had a few enquiries via the website about visiting the bluebells in the Park; when the best time is is always a bit difficult to ascertain. This year, they were early into flower and when I looked after a rainstorm on 23rd, they seemed past their best. I have a suspicion that those in Chalet Wood are a victim of their own success, for the paths seem wider, people were standing in them to photograph them, there was a couple laying in them, with two large dogs running wild amongst them. The notices explaining the problems with these sort of activities were in place - I am pleased to say - but perhaps some appropriate delineation of paths from flowers might be in order in future?

Ending on a somewhat negative note itself doesn't seem quite appropriate, so I shall just finish by saying that it has been a lovely Spring. May Day is just a few days hence, so let's hope it is an equally lovely Summer.

Paul Ferris, 28th April 2011

Objection to MBDC lodged with House of Lords

The local Campaign to prevent the Metropolitan Police using Wanstead Flats as a base (MBDC Mustering, Briefing and Deployment Centre) during the 2012 London Olympics has moved to the House of Lords.

To enable the base to be established lawfully, Parliament has to amend the 1878 Epping Forest Act which does not allow any non-recreational or leisure based activity in the Forest (which includes Wanstead Flats).

Instead of promoting an amending Act, the Government has opted to use the device of a Legislative Reform Order, made possible by an Act passed by the last Labour Government in 2006, which was intended to address minor issues in current legislation without requiring full debate in Parliament.

The Legislative Reform (Epping Forest) Order 2011 is a draft order which would enable the Metropolitan Police to build a temporary muster station on land in Epping Forest (Wanstead Flats) and use it for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The MBDC would be dismantled after the Games. The order has to be approved by both Houses of Parliament before it can have effect.

Objectors have lodged eight petitions for consideration by the Hybrid Instruments Committee of the House of Lords which consists of eight Peers.

Two petitions are from local councils - Newham and Waltham Forest.
One is from a local conservation body, The Wren Conservation and Wildlife Group.
Three are from individuals.
One is presented by 36 residents who live in the roads next to the designated area for the MBDC.
One is from the Save the Wanstead Flats campaign group, which organised a petition signed by 1600+ local people, which was presented in December to Redbridge Council, the planning authority for the Flats.

You can read the petitions on the House of Lords website at the following link http://www.parliament.uk/business/committees/committees-a-z/lords-select/hybrid-instruments-committee/

The petitions had to be lodged in the House of Lords by Monday April 4. The Home Office has to respond to the petitions by today Monday April 18. Petitioners will have then till Monday May 9 to respond in turn to the Government's response to the petitions.

The main objections to allowing the Police Base on Wanstead Flats are:

It would cause unacceptable noise and traffic and other nuisance to local residents and pose a serious threat of a terrorist attack, being a more vulnerable alternative target than the Olympic Site itself, as it is surrounded by open land that will be difficult to police. It is a “sitting duck”

It would damage severely the breeding and feeding habits of protected species of birds- skylarks and meadow pipits- the risks to which were inadequately assessed by government-commissioned research. There is a strong likelihood of the permanent destruction of this irreplaceable habitat, the closest to the centre of London.

The police base would create an easy precedent for an unknown range of future requests for non-leisure use of the Flats and Forest .

The police made inadequate efforts to find a more suitable site more distant from residential areas, presumably for economic reasons, and falsified the risks to local residents in their consultation events.

The Home Office consultation in 2010 was delayed, shortened and quoted the wrong section of the 1878 Act and so is invalid.

Petitioners would be appalled if the House of Lords failed to give these objections full and serious consideration and look forward to the opportunity to press their case in person to the Hybrid Instruments Committee or a Select Committee later in the summer, if the HIC itself does not refuse to approve the order forthwith.

From Press Release - Monday 18th April 2011

Page 19 of 36

News of wildlife and other issues

Early May observations

City of London "bombshell" over Wanstead Park grant process - a press release from Wanstead Parklands Community Project

The Egyptian Goose Family

What's happening in late April ?

Objection to MBDC lodged with House of Lords