The Wren Conservation and Wildlife Group

Below are some of the events that took place during 2005...

Sunday 9th January - Practical Work. Clearing unwanted saplings from The Plain, the area between the Temple and the Perch Pond.

Sunday 16th January - Highgate Cemetery. This burial place of the famous, dating from 1840, is also extremely rich in wildlife with 9 snail species alone! A visit was also made to that other Corporation of London site, Hampstead Heath. The leader was Norman Olley.

Sunday 6th February - Practical Work. This was a joint session with the Newham Conservation Volunteers Group and the Corporation of London, We helped to clear scrub at the Tarzy, which is the woodland area at the corner of Wanstead High St and New Wanstead.

Saturday 19th March - Richmond Park. At over 2,500 acres, London's largest Site of Special Scientific Interest. This was a good time of year to see unusual tree profiles, with opportunities to photograph the red and fallow deer herds. The leader was George Washington.

Sunday 6th March - Practical Work - Scrub clearance Wanstead Flats with Corporation of London staff and other volunteer groups.

Saturday 19th March - Chislehurst Caves. Dramatic caves on south London/Kent border with 22 miles of passages. I it was an ammunition store in the Great War for the Woolwich Arsenal, and in WWI used as a public air mid shelter but also with much wildlife interest in the surrounding woods. We had a tour of caves, followed by a walk led by George Washington in the nearby countryside on a very warm and sunny day.

Sunday 4th April - Practical Work. Clearance work in Heronry Pond. An attempt was made to clear some of the alien, invasive weed Hydrocotyle ranunculoides from the western end near where the overflow from the Shoulder of Mutton Pond enters the lake.

Wednesday 6th April - AGM. 7.30 at Wanstead House, where a new Chairman was elected, plus for the first time in years, a Secretary for the Group. Thanks to Martin Leech for his work as Publicity Officer, who stood down as a committee member; to Peter Williams for his work as Chair of the Group over the last couple of years; welcome to George Washington and the other new members of the Committee.

Sunday 17th April - Lakehouse Lake Project Fun Day. This fun day was organised by the Lakehouse Lake Group, and the WREN Group was invited to have a stall and display. From 1pm until 6pm, as well as stalls in the Lord Rookwood, pond dipping, and games for children took place by Jubilee Pond.

Saturday 23rd April - Bluebell Walk. We met at 2pm at the Gate at Northumberland Avenue entrance to the Park for our traditional Springtime walk in Wanstead Park, Led by Jennifer Charter we visited Chalet Wood - one of the best sites in the area for these wonderful flowers.

Sunday 2nd May - Litter picking along paths on a walk that took us through a variety of habitats in Wanstead Park.

Saturday 15th May - Wanstead Park. Looking at the waterfowl and other birds on a walk around the ponds in Wanstead Park led by Jennifer Charter. Meet 10.30 at the Kiosk.

Sunday 5th June - Practical Work. Members from both the WREN Group and the Lake House Project worked on
cutting back over-vigorous shrubs at the site of special scientific interest on Wanstead Flats.

Thursday 9th June - A Bat Walk in Wanstead Park was led by Richard Oakman starting at 7pm.

Saturday 25th June - Waterfowl and other wildlife at the Wetlands Centre, Barnes. A small number of group members met at l0am by main entrance at Stratford Station to visit the London Wetlands Centre.

Saturday 2nd July - Music in the Park at the Temple in Wanstead Park was not organised by the WREN Group but we didl have our stand there from 2pm until 6pm..

Sunday 3rd July - Practical Work. Opening up paths in Warren Wood. Meet l0am at the Temple.

Saturday 9th July - Butterflies and other wildlife in Hockley Wood with Bill Parish.

Saturday 30th July - Tarzy Wood Festival. The Group again set up a stall, this time at Tarzy Wood in the High Street, Wanstead. The displays were to attempt to bring to the attention of the local people that Tarzy Wood actually exists, and that things live there and people can visit it!

Saturday 6th August - Butterflies and other wildlife in Wanstead Park on a walk led by Jennifer Charter. 15 people turned up for this walk on a sunny afternoon. The number of butterflies to be seen was somewhat disappointing, but a variety of other wildlife was pointed out or enquired about. Before starting, we looked at the Ruddy Ducks and a Heron on the Heronry Pond, then moved off across the Plain to look at the Harebells. Chalet Wood provided us with Speckled Wood butterflies dancing in the sunlit areas, and the Glade provided Lady's Bedstraw, Large White, Common Blue, many Gatekeepers, and a few Shield Bugs. The sun trap by the Grotto was lacking in butterfly species, but did provide a Painted Lady and a variety of Damselflies. Cinnabar Moth larvae by the Ornamental Waters, plus lots of Damselflies and a few Dragonflies, before entering the Sewage Works site. There was a desire for tea at this point, so we retired to the kiosk.

Sunday 1st August - Practical Work. The Creeping Pennywort at the western end of Heronry Pond did not warrant clearing on this occasion, so instead some clearance was done in Chalet Wood.

Saturday 20th August - Jubilee Pond. A joint walk by the WREN Group and the Lakehouse Lake Project led by Paul Ferris and Fred Wanless proved to be a successful couple of hours, with a group of about fifteen making their way around the pond and concentrating on the various wildflowers that have become established there.

Sunday 4th - Forest Festival. The WREN Groups stand was just one among a wide variety of stands that combined to make this the biggest event of its kind during the year.

Monday 12th - A nature tour in the City of London Cemetery (Route 3). Looking at the wildlife and other things of interest, this walk was planned to be suitable for wheelchair users and visually impaired people as well as able-bodied individuals.

Saturday 17th and Sunday 18th - Open House Weekend. The Temple in Wanstead Park was open for this annual event and the WREN Group was kindly offered the opportunity to set up the display stand. Manned by Jennifer and Paul, the building was visited by something like 400 people on the Sunday, and our stand was at least briefly visited by some of them!

Sunday 18th - Wanstead Festival. The festival display stall was shared with the Woodford Photographic Society and manned by George Washington and Martin Leech

Sunday 25th - Empress Avenue Allotments Open Day. The WREN Group participated in this event by setting up the display stall and leading bug-hunt walks.

Sunday 2nd - Practical Work in Wanstead Park.
Meet at l0am by the north end (the end furthest from the public toilets) of the Temple in Wanstead Park.
Contact: Les Rice. Tel: 8519 2439

Sunday 2nd - Interesting Trees in Wanstead Park. George and Jennifer led a walk for dogs (and their owners), with a particular emphasis on the Park's trees!

Sunday l6th - Bow Back-Rivers Walk. Ten of us took a walk from Bromley-by-Bow Station to look at the wildlife (and other things) around the Bow Back-Rivers. Led by Tim & Stacey Burdsey on a lovely day, we went via Bow Locks, past the Three Mills and the Long Wall, to the Greenway and north to Old Ford Lock. We returned to the Bow area by way of the Lea Navigation towpath. Among the quite considerable amount of wildlife we encountered were Peacock and White butterflies, two species of Dragonfly, some aberrant 7-spot Ladybirds, an unidentified but spectacular Shield Bug, Dwarf Elder (Danes Blood), Fig Trees, Great Crested Grebe, Kingfisher and a dead and thus very Mute Swan - it had hit overhead power lines and plummeted to hit the road by Bow Bridge. An extra pity, because we'd just been told that the power lines were going to be put underground at incredible cost in preparation for the Olympics. Too late for the swan! A very enjoyable walk.

Saturday 29th - Some History and a Mystery. Meeting at I0am at Stratford Station or at 10.30-ish at Loughton Underground station, George Washington led a ramble (for the energetic) in Epping Forest looking for the Lost Pond and the Castle Tree.

Sunday 6th - Practical Work in Wanstead Park. Meet at 10am by the north end (the end furthest from the public toilets) of the Temple in Wanstead Park.

Saturday 26th - A walk "Somewhere" in London. Led by Norman Olley.

Sunday 4th - Practical Work in Wanstead Park. Meet at l0am by the north end (the end furthest from the public toilets) of the Temple in Wanstead Park.
Contact: Les Rice. Tel: 8519 2439

Friday 9th - WREN Group Christmas Get-together. This was open to all members of the Group and it was nice to see so may people attend - much better than previous meeting at a pub. Thanks to Richard for allowing us to use his house and the electric organ. The majority of those who turned up were members of a few years or recent joiners, but Richard brought out a book used to record those who had attended practical work sessions back in the early 80s. Of those in the house, Richard, Jane Exall - who has just rejoined - and Paul Ferris showed up from then! Jennifer Charter was also there; also a long time member, though not involved with practical work back then. Also present was our Norfolk-dwelling member, Lesley Davis, who had been a member of Richard's associated group of Young Ornithologists in the 70s and early 80s. So, some ancient history back to haunt... Excellent evening. (Paul Ferris)

Monday 26th - Boxing Day walk in Wanstead Park. We met by the Kiosk (Tea Hut) at 2pm for a stroll, on a wintery day, just following some rain and a bit of hail. But it was sunny as we started the walk, looking at the birds on the Heronry Pond. A Cormorant had just flown, and there were the inevitable cluster of Coots, a few Moorhen and Mallard, a pair of Mute Swans with their (large) offspring and some Black-headed Gulls. Further on, we looked at Shoveler, Tufted Duck, a single Lesser Black-back and a couple of Dabchicks. Stopping to talk about some aspects of the Park, we spotted a Grey Wagtail and then - just opposite where we were standing, a Kingfisher perched in some Gorse. Some of us had difficulty seeing it at first, because - expecting the blue - we were seeing the orange breast.

We looked at the Shoulder of Mutton Pond - including a misidentification (by me) of a Cormorant. It was a lump of wood. Just touching on Reservoir Wood to discuss the lake system, we looked at the Repton Oak, then back to the Shoulder of Mutton to see a beautiful, complete and double rainbow across the lake and over St. Mary's Wanstead. That in itself was worth going out for.Along the south edge of the Heronry Pond, we watched as two Kingfishers flew past, more Shoveler and Dabchick and back to the Tea-hut. Other sightings included: Blue Tit, Wood Pigeon, Blackbird, Carrion Crow, Magpie and Robin as well as a Brown Rat and Grey Squirrels.

(Paul Ferris)

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Rainbow over the Shoulder of Mutton Pond, Wanstead Park 26 December 2005