Molly Gadenz of the Lower Regents Coalition writes: The Lower Regents Coalition is a volunteer group formed in June 2013 by two individuals who had a shared appreciation for their local stretch of the Regents Canal in Tower Hamlets. We run volunteer litter picks every month in partnership with Moo Canoes, the canoe and kayak hire in Limehouse Basin. We estimate we have run over 80 cleanup events where volunteers have collected over 1200 bags of rubbish from the canal. We will continue our regular cleanups but have expanded our goals with our ‘Greening the Regents’ project. This project involves…
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Butterflies are declining more rapidly in urban areas than in the countryside, a study published in the journal Ecological Indicators has revealed. But the majority of butterflies living in our towns and cities are emerging earlier and are on the wing for longer than the same species living in rural areas, the study by Butterfly Conservation, the University of Kent and the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (CEH) found. Urban parks, gardens and brownfield sites and farms act as important refuges for butterflies and other wildlife but in recent years these areas have come under increasing pressure from development, habitat…
As part of the Love the Lea project, Thames21 has funding to install five reed beds in the Lea Navigation, and they are taking the unusual step of asking local people to vote to decide where these reed beds will go. Ben Fenton of Thames21 explains: “We’ve launched our reedbed vote! Reedbeds are really great for rivers, they provide wildlife with food and places to live, and they act as natural filters removing pollutants from water! We’re giving you the chance to vote for where we put new reedbeds in the Lea Navigation! There are nine sites for you to…
Butterfly Conservation is looking for volunteers to count butterflies in their gardens for the Garden Butterfly Survey With temperatures due to rise this week, the first butterflies of the year should be appearing around now. Indeed, at least six species were seen in southern England during January, of which the most frequently-seen was the Red Admiral (see photo above). Long-running studies mean we know more about the UK’s butterflies than any other insect group in the world, with information dating back hundreds of years. Monitoring work usually takes place in the countryside, where our more elusive and endangered species take…
Jenny Hindson of Trees for Cities writes: Trees for Cities want to find out how they can help schools in Tower Hamlets to plant trees in their school grounds, or even somewhere nearby like a local park. We ask schools to please take 5 minutes to complete our short survey and tell us what the challenges are and how they can help. We are particularly interested to hear from schools who may never have ordered or planted the Woodland Trust’s free tree packs that are offered to schools annually. To say thank you for giving your input, we are offering…
Two gulls originating from the east were seen and photographed by local birdwatcher Tom Speller during January. The first was a Caspian Gull on East India Dock Basin on 18 January. A close relative of the Herring Gull, the Caspian Gull was only recognised as a distinct species a few years ago. It is a scarce visitor to Britain from eastern Europe and central Asia. A few are seen in London most winters, and there have been several reported in Newham and Greenwich this winter, but this might be the first time a Caspian Gull has been recorded in Tower…
Anna O’Connor from the Woodland Trust writes: It’s time to act! Our trees are under unprecedented threat from new pests and diseases from other parts of the world. These could have a devastating impact on our future economy, forestry industry, landscapes and biodiversity. Observatree aims to protect UK trees, woods and forests from existing or new pests and diseases. With advice from the UK Plant Health Risk Group, we focus on the ones of highest concern. The earlier these are spotted, the higher the chances that outbreaks can be eliminated or controlled. It’s all about citizen science A network of…
Ecology and Conservation Studies Society, Birkbeck Free Lecture series Spring 2017: six Friday evenings, 10th February to 17th March, 18:30 to 20:00. Lecture Theatre B34, Birkbeck, University of London, Torrington Street WC1. Much of our energy use involves the generation of “greenhouse gases” and the resulting climate change is harming nature, from the loss of sea ice for Polar Bears to the bleaching of coral in the tropics. As climate changes, species die out in places that become unsuitable and colonise newly available places, but not all are able to do this. These effects are predicted to be large, but…
Judith Garforth of the Woodland Trust writes: Have you seen a snowdrop yet this year? If you enjoy watching the seasons change, and are looking forward to spring, you can help the Woodland Trust and become a Nature’s Calendar recorder. Follow these three easy steps to take part in the Nature’s Calendar citizen science project: Choose a location that you visit regularly (at least once or twice a week). This could be your garden, your local park or woodland, some trees that you pass on your walk to work, your favourite dog walking route, or even the birds that you…
After three winters with only very low numbers, there’s a large invasion of Waxwings is taking place this winter. These spectacular pink starling-sized birds with a wacky crest breed in Scandinavia and Siberia, and a few appear in Britain every winter. But every few years they cross the North Sea in their thousands from Scandinavia, usually to escape a failure of the berry crop there. Large numbers appeared in Scotland in late autumn last year, but they have now started to spread south, and are appearing all over the country. There have been several small groups in London, with larger…