A few personal highlights (and low lights) from the local patch this year. A year in pictures.
For more background on this see:
http://peteralfreybirdingnotebook.blogspot.co.uk/p/whats-it-all-about.html
The year started off with a January cold snap
Adult Caspian Gull
Beddington Birders in the freezer
The winter never seemed to end with spring delayed by several weeks
Finally spring arrived in late April ( A Bee-fly)
A singing male Wood Warbler was one of the spring highlights
It was a good year for Garden Warblers - with two pairs breeding on site
The first of several local community walks in late April- this one with the local ramblers
The Bird Group took part in the Local authority led Garden Wildlife Showcase promoting wildlife gardening (on how to turn your own green space into a mini nature reserve)
Bird group and local community members were involved in planting wildlfower meadows (above ) and bulb planting (below) in the nature reserve and along the adjacent wildlife/green corridors
Wildflower strips were put in along the local road verges
The development control committee met in April to decide on the Incinerator proposal which attracted local protests
Viridor (land managers) did some minimal restoration work ahead of the DCC meeting to pretend they were actually doing something for wildlife and the restoration. Some (most) of the trees died due to not being maintained/ watered during the summer drought.
The Incinerator got permission in May despite the lack of adequate mitigation, complete failure of the current conservation management plan, delay in public access and lack of honouring previous planning conditions
Red-rumped Swallow- incredibly one of two birds this spring
Poplar Kitten- one of many great looking moths recorded during regularly moth trapping
New habitats were planted up on the entrance to the nature reserve by local community members
Toadflax Brocade- another new moth species for the site
The Bird Group had an exhibition and did a presentation at the Wandle Conference
High summer biodiversity recording (by day)
Recording biodiversity (by night) - moth trapping
Six Spot Burnets had a great year- and benefited from the new restoration (absolute minimal work by Viridor) of the southern mound
Green Sandpiper- as usual numbers peaked in early autumn
The new bird and wildlife report for 2012 was published in July. Sponsored by Viridor who argued about the costs and refused to pay the full amount (despite the high quality production and the great PR for them).
Kent Black Arches in July- another first for the site
The Bird Group did another exhibition at the Carshalton Environmental Fair
Bird Group members also took part in the Local authority Bioblitz event
Chalkhill Blue- a first for Beddington Farmlands- a wanderer from the chalk downlands
Broad-bodied Chaser
Chocolate Tip- another first for the site
Purple Loose-strife on the Northern lake in August (natural vegetation that has grown up)
August Thorn
Bird Group and local community members (Paul Pickering, Stop the Incinerator chair person above) were interviewed for BBC and ITV news in August ahead the GLA approval of the Incinerator
Early autumn local community bird and wildlife walk
Common Redstart in the obs garden
Biodiversity planting in the obs garden
December moth- another first for Beddington
Data from the Tree Sparrow projects reveal the species is on the brink of local extinction- part of the overall near complete failure of the current conservation management plan
VIRIDOR PROFITS
Group PBT £200.5M and Viridor £57.6M
VIRIDOR
MAKING MONEY OUT OF DESTROYING THE WILDLIFE OF SOUTH LONDON
MAKING MONEY BY ABUSING THE GOOD WILL OF THE LOCAL COMMUNITY
MAKING MONEY BY PROMISING SOCIAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL IMPROVEMENT AS PART OF PLANNING PERMISSIONS AND THEN DEFAULTING ON ALL THOSE PROMISES
MAKING A MOCKERY OF DEMOCRACY
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