An intrepid crew braved the 8 degree temperatures to record heritage and other features along the river wall of the Filter beds. There are many niches used by wildlife, which will be tidied away if the marina and moorings are developed. This includes the old barges, which provide multiple opportunities for nesting birds, as well as shelter, night roosts etc. The river wall is a solid mass of ivy berries, indicating the abundance of pollinating insects, which must have been busy during the autumn. In turn, this will provide food and shelter through the winter for thrushes, blackbirds, blackcaps and wood pigeons . We saw wrens, robins and a foraging tit flock as we cruised along the wall.
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| Spanish broom and ivy along the river wall Thames. |
It may look untidy to us, but this is what ecology looks like, these are ecological niches. The structure, density and variety of vegetation is habitat for insect prey and pollinators and offers shelter during bad weather or from predators. Look closely and there is a shelf where moorhen can perch and missing mortar where pellitory- of - the - wall and gipsywort take root.
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| mistletoe on trees in Home Park, Barge Walk |
and above all, when viewing the opposite side of the river (at Barge Walk), it becomes apparent that this is the darkest and most undisturbed location along the Thames in the London Region.
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