Thursday, August 20, 2009

Green Flag status

In the process of dashing between London and Wales I completely forgot to post that the Russia Dock Woodland has been awarded Green Flag status. We are really terribly pleased!

Here's the news update that I put on the Friends of RDW website, penned by Chairman Steve Cornish:

We are pleased to announce that Russia Dock Woodland was successful in its bid to be awarded Green Flag Status this week. The woodlands was officially awarded this coveted honour on the 23rd of this month at the awards ceremony in Bournemouth.

This is all due to the combined hard work and commitment of Southwark Councils Parks Dept, the Friends of Russia Dock Woodland group, Stave Hill Ecological Park (managed by the Trust for Urban Ecology), Quadron services, and of course the general public.

The Friends of Russia Dock Woodland is in its sixth year. Many woodlands users will remember back in the early days when the ponds were bone dry with no natural water supply. Now instead of bed spreads, bike frames and Tesco supermarket trolleys in the ponds, we have, fish, turtles, frogs, toads, newts, which attract the kingfishers, herons, and bats. This is all due to the refurbishment of the wind turbine back in 2003 which now pumps fresh underground water from the Aquifer 200 feet below Rotherhithe.

There are well over 100 bird and bat boxes in the woodlands that have been made and erected by the pupils of bacons school.

Plus as reported in the Southwark news over the last three years all the five footbridges throughout the woodlands have now been named after the five junior schools on the peninsula - Redriff, Peter Hillls, Alfred Salter, Albion Street, and St Johns. All these school's have made their own sculptures with the help and guidance of Kevin Boys the local surrey docks farm blacksmith.

We now have hundreds of new visitors to the woodlands every week which we feel is simply because it is a place of tranquillity where the wildlife comes first and people can relax with their families.


Tuesday, August 18, 2009

A bit of off-topic silliness

Someone pointed out an Internet project to me which is so daft that it made me a) smile and b) contribute. Just for fun here are my contributions to the website onemilliongiraffes.com
http://www.onemilliongiraffes.com/

In the final one on this page (actually the first one I sketched) I forgot to give the poor sod ears in the version that I submitted to the onemilliongiraffes website! I added them later.




Monday, August 17, 2009

More from August 15th 2009



Elder



Fennel plant, butterfly sanctuary



Blackberries by the punnet-load!
My neighbours have already made blackberry jelly with some of them.




Yellow flag pods. These are fabulous when they
break open and you can see the huge chestnut coloured seeds inside.




Great Willowherb


Sunday, August 16, 2009

Grebes on Greenland Dock

The Grebes are still on the pontoon at the inlet to The Lakes (Norway Dock). One was tending the disgraceful nest, while the other was taking the adolescent out for a quick tour. The coots were out and about two, with three adolescent chicks, all making the most amazing din.





Saturday, August 15, 2009

Wales Yo-Yo

Here are some of today's snaps. I managed to go out in the only hour or so when there was almost no sunshine!
 
If you want to see a bigger version of any image just click on the photo.
I came back via the Surrey Docks Farm, which was busy with lots of parents and children around the place. It is great to see that the sculptures which used to be just outside the farm have now been brought within the Thames Path gates and look absolutely excellent. I didn't take any photos because they were covered in children at the time, but they really fit in perfectly.






Sanfoin



Ladybird or Harlequin, I'm not sure which although I suspect the latter




I need to look this one up. It was prolific in the wet areas of the
Downtown Pond, just to the side of the bridge




Teasel





Bright colours in the Butterfly Sanctuary



Sanfoin again.
I just love the markings on the petals.