Nature Conservation Lewisham

Get involved in Lewisham's parks and nature reserves


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Bat, Moth and Owl Prowl, Sydenham Hill Wood, Friday 7 July, 9pm-11pm

2016_04_11 LWT pipistrelle bat ©LWT

Pipistrelle bat © London Wildlife Trust

Guided bat walk in Sydenham Hill Wood

Meet at the Crescent Wood Road entrance.

Join the London Wildlife Trust for a guided walk of Sydenham Hill Wood to discover bats, moths and tawny owls. Using bat detectors, our site warden and volunteers will reveal a hidden, nocturnal world in urban south London.

Sydenham Hill Wood is part ancient woodland, one of the largest remaining fragments of the Great North Wood which once stretched from Deptford to Selhurst. The following species have been recorded at the Wood: soprano pipistrelle, common pipisrelle, nathusius pipistrelle, brown long-eared, natterer’s, Leisler’s, noctule and serotine.

Tawny owls are known to breed in the Wood and the local area and can be heard calling in daylight hours as well as in the deep of night. Males call ‘twoo’ and females ‘ke-wick’.

We will have a moth trap in the main glade to exhibit some of the many beautiful species which can be found in the Wood.

This is a free walk, a minimum donation of £2 towards our work is recommended

If you love Sydenham Hill Wood please help us protect it in the long term by becoming a London Wildlife Trust member.

Venue location

Meet inside the Crescent Wood Road gate,
Sydenham Hill Wood and Cox’s Walk,
Southwark,
Greater London,
SE26 6LS

Grid reference
TQ344725


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Wildflower Walk Sunday 25 June, 2pm-4pm

Red Campion ©Daniel Greenwood

Red Campion ©Daniel Greenwood

Guided walk looking at the diverse plant communities in this urban secondary/ancient woodland.

Please note booking is essential for this event

Join the Sydenham Hill Wood Conservation Officer and our volunteers for a guided wildflower walk. Please note this is not a foraging event. The Wood is a remnant of the once vast Great North Wood which stretched from Deptford to Selhurst, a wildwood that colonised the landscape after the end of the Ice Age 10,000 years ago.

The Wood has undergone much change and disturbance in the past 150 years meaning that the plant communities have changed and adapted to the conditions enforced upon them by man. Many of the Wood’s most common plants are colonisers of disturbed ground. The now closed Crystal Palace High Level railway allowed for the arrival of spectacular plants like rosebay willowherb, which is a mainstay of the Wood’s main glade in summer.

Attendees require no knowledge prior to the walk but an appreciation of conservation and the pressures on urban wildlife are important to bear in mind. Wildflowers are threatened at the Wood by trampling in sensitive areas, nutrification from dog fouling and the impacts of thoughtless foraging. These are all topics which will be discussed during the walk.

For your own safety please wear clothing suitable for the conditions, including sturdy footwear.

If there is inclement weather the walk will be postponed to a later date.

This is a free walk, donations to London Wildlife Trust are welcome.

Details

Location:  Inside the Crescent Wood Road entrance by the notice board,
Sydenham HIll Wood, London, London, SE15 4EE

Contact: Daniel Greewood -Tel: 0207 252 9186 email – dgreenwood@wildlondon.org.uk


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How to be a curious entomologist

How to be a Curious Entomologist

Insects are everywhere. They are so many, and so varied — fascinating, beautiful, mysterious, bizarre. Through their mind-boggling biodiversity they offer us a window into the ecological complexity of life on Earth, and give us a powerful insight of the workings of the natural world. But their small size means they can easily be overlooked or ignored. However it doesn’t take much specialist equipment to have a closer look.

Using simple methods and materials provided, this 1-day workshop will look at techniques to find and observe a wide variety of different insects, then how to preserve sample specimens for examination under the microscope.

In the morning, we’ll tour the reserve, finding and discussing the many different insect groups — looking at their structure, behaviour, life histories, and some easy identification pointers. In the afternoon, during the laboratory session, there will be the opportunity to look at some in more detail, and consider how studying insects can contribute to our understanding of nature, and the contribution it can make through citizen science.

Curious? Why curious? Entomologists might, at first, seem a bit eccentric, but they pursue their study of the natural world with a passion fuelled by curiosity.

Richard Jones is an acclaimed expert entomologist, a fellow of the Royal Entomological Society and a former President of the British Entomological and Natural History Society. He writes regularly for BBC Wildlife, Countryfile, Gardeners’ World and Sunday Times. He has written several books on insects, including Extreme Insects, The Little Book of Nits, House Guests — House Pests, and Call of Nature — The Secret Life of Dung.

  • 86% of participants of this course in 2016 evaluated it as excellent & 14% as good
  • 76% said it was excellent value for money and 24% said they would have happily paid more than £35 for the experience.


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Evening Tree Walk at Sydenham Hill Wood, Wednesday 31 May, 7pm-9pm

Sydenham Hill Wood © London Wildlife Trust

Guided tree walk in Sydenham Hill Wood to uncover the ancient landscape of the Great North Wood.

Join our Sydenham Hill Wood Conservation Officer for a guided tree walk as part of London Tree Week. As one of the largest remnants of the Great North Wood, the Wood has a fascinating range of native tree species which indicate the ancient lineage of the habitats.

By identifying the trees and understanding why they are there, a rich natural and cultural history can be uncovered, pointing to a landscape formed after the Ice Age ended some 10,000 years ago and redrawn over the centuries by human industry and settlement.

The trees of Sydenham Hill Wood provide habitat of metropolitan importance to London, with species like the great spotted woodpecker, nuthatch, stock dove and tree creeper dependent on the Wood’s populations of sessile oaks to survive.

Need to know

Please wear study footwear fit for uneven paths with gentle inclines, as well as clothing suitable for the conditions.

If there is prolonged heavy rain, thunderstorms or high winds the walk will be postponed to a later date.

This is a free walk, a minimum donation of £2 towards our work is recommended


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Community Engagement Officer Post at Beckenham Place Park

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The squirrel at Beckenham Place Park

Be at the heart of transforming Beckenham Place Park

Could you be at the heart of transforming Beckenham Place Park?  A new job is going for a Community Engagement Officer.  More details can be found on the London Borough Lewisham website.

The role

The planned regeneration will physical transform the park, injecting much needed investment and providing a wealth of new facilities. The Community Engagement Officer’s role is to ensure the open space becomes a thriving hub for a wide range of activities, community events and volunteering opportunities.

This role is temporary until December 2021.

What they’re looking for

An enthusiastic individual who is passionate about getting communities outdoors, and can relate easily to people of all ages and from all walks of life. You will also need to be organised, adept at using social media, and able to manage small scale finances effectively.

Closing date

Sunday, 18th June 2017, 23:59pm


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New Cross Gate Cuttings volunteer days with The London Wildlife Trust

Related image

New Cross Gate Cutting © London Wildlife Trust

 

A great way to get involved with the London Wildlife Trust in Lewisham is to become a conservation volunteer to make a real difference for wildlife in your local area, learn new skills and to gain a deeper understanding of woodland ecology. They have monthly conservation workdays at New Cross Gate Cutting on the following dates:

  • Saturday 27th May
  • Saturday 17th June
  • Saturday 22nd July
  • Saturday 19th August
  • Saturday 23rd September

For more information or to book a place on a workday please email Sam Bentley-Toon