A few personal highlights from 2015 at Beddington Farmlands:
BIRDING HIGHLIGHTS
Displaying Teals in January
Bullfinches in the nets in January
A wintering Garganey!
A steady raptor passage in spring including this interesting (very) pale morph Common Buzzard
3 Ring Ouzels in one tree during an exciting fall of migrants in April
Stone Curlew found by Glenn Jones. The first site record since 1982. My 216th bird species for the site.
Northern Wheatear- overall a pretty good passage of summer migrants
Some great successes in the breeding season with three pairs of Mute Swans....
Breeding Shelducks
The best year on record for Tufted Ducks
The first successful breeding of Great Crested Grebe
Peregrines bred locally and the young were seen feeding over the farmlands
The autumn migration is heralded by the arrival of Green Sandpipers
Spotted Flycatcher- a good showing this autumn
Little Owl
Dartford Warbler- a classic late autumn local scarce migrant
Serin! A first for the farmlands- the 257th species for the farmlands
Iceland Gull in December
BUGGING AND OTHER WILDLIFE HIGHLIGHTS
Oak Beauty- a site first in March
Dotted Chestnut- a site first in April
Neoascia interrupta- a new hoverfly for the site. We've now got a local list of 61 hoverfly species.
Cowslips- have colonised the Southern Mound
Leucozona lucorum - another new hoverfly species
Orellia falcata- a site first
Vestal- a new species for the farmlands
Bordered Sallow- a first for the site
Hornet Moths- in Hackbridge in summer
CONSERVATION
Maintenance works were carried out to the lakes in January
Ploughing of the mounds in spring for seeding of new restoration habitats
Additional tree planting
New entrance under construction
New entrance finished. Excellent work coordinated by local company Bioregional.
The Bird group Wildlfower meadow
Regular bird and wildlife walks
Rain gardens in Hackbridge near the farmlands entrance- all part of the integration of the local urban area to the reserve and the wider Wandle Valley Regional park
Wildflower strips on the road sides in Hackbridge
Wildlife Gardening in town
Great work by Alan and the Church Ground's Project- another local village biodiversity project
Even producing food in the local green spaces- this crop from Silverdale Estate
The 2014 Bird and Wildlife Report ready by early autumn. For more details on Beddington Farmlands see the annual reports and web spaces.
BEDDINGTON FARM BIRD GROUP
and here's the latest on the on going incinerator issue which is due to escalate in 2016: Holy Smoke and Sian Berry takes on fight
2 comments:
Lovely and interesting photos.
Thank you Anne :-)
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