Top Posts & Pages
-
Recent Comments
Kevin Croucher on Brick by Brick’s South N… Kevin Croucher on Brick by Brick’s South N… Ben on Tiverton. Wakefield. Can South… Peter Underwood on Tiverton. Wakefield. Can South… insidecroydon on Tiverton. Wakefield. Can South… derekthrower on Brick by Brick’s South N…
Category Archives: Nature Notes
Sutton Ecology Centre summer activities, from Jul 25
Posted in Activities, Education, Environment, Nature Notes
Tagged River Wandle, Sutton, Sutton Ecology Centre
Leave a comment
Springwatch: Join us for our latest guided nature walk, May 21
Make the most of the wonderful natural habitats on your doorstep and join us on Saturday, May 21, for the latest Inside Croydon guided walk. It will be a return visit to local nature reserve Roundshaw Downs, and once again … Continue reading
Posted in Environment, Inside Croydon, Nature Notes, Walks, Wildlife
1 Comment
Walk in the Roundshaw woods and revel in splashes of colour
NATURE NOTES/MAY 2022: Early spring flowers and woodland walks are not-to-be-missed treats. Plus news of the next Inside Croydon guided walk later this month Part of the sheer joy of Roundshaw Downs is its diversity. As wide open and wonderful … Continue reading
Posted in Croydon parks, Environment, Nature Notes
Tagged Bourne Society, Croham Hurst, Dave Warburton, Littleheath Wood, Nature Notes, Roundshaw, Roundshaw Downs
3 Comments
Bumps and ‘bunkers’ to provide new homes for the small blue
NATURE NOTES/MAR 2022: Be careful what you wish for, as the February storms saw nature perform a handbrake turn before the first guided walk of our year-long nature watch project. By STEVEN DOWNES I’d muttered something about wanting the first … Continue reading
Posted in Croydon parks, Environment, Nature Notes, Wildlife
Tagged Dave Warburton, Roundshaw Downs, Sutton Biodiversity Team
2 Comments
Heard before they’re seen, skylarks soar back over Roundshaw
NATURE NOTES/FEB 2022: Our year-long photostory continues with some welcome arrivals and the first signs of spring. PLUS: Join us for a gentle ramble next month They’re back. I saw my first skylark of 2022 a week earlier. When I … Continue reading
Posted in Croydon parks, Environment, Nature Notes
Tagged Nature Notes, Roundshaw, Roundshaw Downs, The Paddock
1 Comment
Up on the Downs, watching for the missing signs of winter
NATURE NOTES/JAN 2022: The green, open spaces on our doorsteps are havens for a rich variety of wildlife. In the first of a year-long series of photostories, STEVEN DOWNES takes you for a walk Phew! What a scorcher! As no … Continue reading
Posted in Croydon parks, Environment, Nature Notes
Tagged Nature Notes, Roundshaw, Roundshaw Downs, The Paddock
1 Comment
How Coulsdon’s downland oasis is helping to save the planet
NATURE NOTES: The City of London rangers who look after Farthing Downs, Coulsdon Common and other precious green spaces are as hard at work over the bleak midwinter months as the rest of the year, including important projects to unlock … Continue reading
Posted in City Commons, Croydon parks, Education, Environment, Friends of Farthing Downs, Gardening, History, Nature Notes, South London Downs NNR, Wildlife
Tagged Brian Hope-Taylor, City Commons, Coulsdon, Coulsdon Common, Farthing Downs, Friends of Farthing Downs and Happy Valley, Happy Valley
1 Comment
There’s mushrooming interest in wildlife on local commons
NATURE NOTES: Winter visitors are eagerly awaited, while City Commons’ guided walks made some fascinating discoveries Winter birds, including redwing and fieldfare, are expected to start arriving on the green spaces in and around Farthing Downs, Coulsdon. These visitors fly … Continue reading
Posted in City Commons, Environment, Nature Notes
Tagged City Commons, Coulsdon Common, Farthing Downs, Kenley Common, Riddlesdown
Leave a comment
Goats settle in for their winter’s work at Riddlesdown Quarry
There are goats in Croydon. No kidding. That was the announcement made by City Commons yesterday, as goats were turned out to graze at Riddlesdown Quarry. City Commons is the part of the City of London Corporation which manages large … Continue reading
Posted in City Commons, Coulsdon, Croydon parks, Environment, Kenley, Nature Notes, New Addington, Old Coulsdon, Purley, Sanderstead, South London Downs NNR, Whitgift Foundation, Wildlife
Tagged City Commons, Downlands Trust, Riddlesdown, Riddlesdown Common, Riddlesdown Quarry, South London Downs
5 Comments
Murdoch the shire horse pulls his weight to help butterflies
Shire horse photographs by ANDREW SMITH Nature conservators were making hay while the sun shined yesterday, with Murdoch the shire horse returning for his now annual visit to Hutchinson’s Bank nature reserve just outside New Addington. As well as providing … Continue reading
Shire horses called in to help improve butterfly sanctuary
The butterfly conservation project at Hutchinson’s Bank nature reserve is calling up the cavalry later this month. Working shire horses – each weighing upwards of 1 ton – will be visiting the reserve near New Addington on Friday September 25, … Continue reading
Posted in Croydon parks, Environment, Hutchinson's Bank, Nature Notes, Wildlife
Tagged Hutchinson's Bank, New Addington, Operation Centaur
Leave a comment
Save the Lapwings walk, Beddington Farmlands, Aug 29
Posted in Croydon parks, Environment, Peter Alfrey, Waste incinerator, Wildlife
Tagged Beddington Farmlands
Leave a comment
Plea to council for action as birds slaughtered at nature reserve
Viridor, the operators of the polluting waste incinerator at Beddington Lane, have been accused of allowing an environmental slaughter in the neighbouring wetland nature reserve which they are supposed to manage. Nesting pairs of endangered bird species have been disturbed … Continue reading
Guided Winter Walk, Hutchinson’s Bank New Addington, Jan 11
Posted in Croydon parks, Environment, Nature Notes, New Addington, Walks, Wildlife
Tagged Brilliant Butterflies, Hutchinson's Bank
Leave a comment
Beddington Farmlands come alive as wildlife winter wonderland
The cold fingers of winter might be touching us as we head into November, but as local naturalist PETER ALFREY observes, the wildlife sanctuary at Beddington Farmlands is full of life Following lots of rain and the recent habitat improvements … Continue reading
Posted in Environment, Peter Alfrey, Waste incinerator, Wildlife
Tagged Beddington Farmlands, Beddington Lane incinerator, Peter Alfrey, Viridor
1 Comment
Beddington Farmlands council demonstration, Sutton, Oct 8
Posted in Environment, Peter Alfrey, Waste incinerator, Wildlife
Tagged Beddington Farmlands, Sutton Council
Leave a comment
SPECIAL OFFER: Take a walk on the wild side with Peter Alfrey
Inside Croydon is delighted to team up with noted local conservationist Peter Alfrey for our next guided walk, a midsummer wildlife ramble, on the morning of Sunday, June 23. We will spend a couple of hours exploring one of the … Continue reading
Posted in Environment, Inside Croydon, Outside Croydon, Peter Alfrey, Walks, Wildlife
Tagged Peter Alfrey, Walks
Leave a comment
Bird-watchers are on the look-out in annual species count
JOHN BIRKETT, of the RSPB Croydon group, spotted his first swallow of the summer at the weekend. He’s now preparing himself for a very long day on Thursday. Here, he explains why. Photos by JOHN FLYNN This month sees the … Continue reading
Protestors meet Greta Thunberg and bring XR closer to home
At least two local residents were arrested in the past week as part of the Extinction Rebellion demonstrations across central London, which saw members of a group from Sutton meet Greta Thunberg, the Swedish teenager who has captured the attention … Continue reading
Industrialisation of Beddington reserve is killing off wildlife
PAUL LUSHION, our environment correspondent, reports on how a 6,000-signature petition is about to be handed to a council leader demanding that they do their job to protect south London’s biggest nature reserve The Beddington Farmlands nature reserve, just the … Continue reading
RSPB investigation launched after two Wandle egrets killed
Wildlife wardens from the RSPB are investigating what one conservationist has described as “an unusual cluster” of two dead and one injured little egrets from the River Wandle and Beddington Farmlands in the past week. The birds do not appear … Continue reading
Posted in Croydon parks, Environment, Peter Alfrey, Wildlife
Tagged Beddington, Beddington Farmlands, Peter Alfrey, River Wandle, RSPB
2 Comments
Coulsdon’s blooming wildlife is chalking up a summer success
NATURE NOTES: It has been a long and very hot summer. After reading Ken Towl’s latest jaunt through Happy Valley, MOIRA O’DONNELL set off with her field guide to plants and butterflies and armed with her camera to find how … Continue reading
Posted in City Commons, Coulsdon, Croydon parks, Environment, Moira O'Donnell, Nature Notes, Wildlife
Tagged City Commons, Coulsdon, Farthing Down, Happy Valley, Moira O'Donnell
1 Comment
Lambert: ‘Disgrace’ of Sutton’s destruction of green spaces
Thanks to Brexit, MEPs are now an endangered species. Tomorrow morning one of them, Jean Lambert, London’s Green Party representative to the European Parliament, will be visiting the River Wandle in Beddington to highlight the plight of local wildlife and … Continue reading
Birdwatchers cock-a-hoopoe over rare sighting at Beddington
Bird watchers and naturalists lit up social media at the weekend after a sighting of a hoopoe at a reserve in south London. It was the first confirmed sighting for 50 years at Beddington Farmlands nature reserve of the bird, … Continue reading
Posted in Environment, Peter Alfrey, Wildlife
Tagged Beddington Farmlands, Hoopoe, Peter Alfrey
Leave a comment
Sutton official in bid to oust conservationist from science group
BELLE MONT reports on an attempt by a council official to intimidate an environmentalist’s opposition to Viridor’s poor performance over the Beddington wetlands A senior council official responsible for Sutton’s environmental policy is demanding that a local conservationist should quit … Continue reading
