Wildlife Circus

Fly-fishing the Hogsmill   It is interesting to see the river from a different perspective: the Hogsmill is popular with anglers at this time of year; although it is unusual to see someone fly- fishing. A chub has just been caught on bread and it looks a good size. Trout are sometimes seen in the Hogsmill and can sit in the weir notch by the school. Our own Richard Jefferies in his book 'Nature Near London'  remarked on the Hogsmill trout as far up as Tolworth Hall Bridge (now the A240). chub    This fish was carefully unhooked and orientated in the swim where it soon finds it way - probably to the next father and son - sitting further upstream. These anglers have caught the 'ghost' koi within the last two weeks and appear to be the second successful pair to catch the pond-escapee in the last few days. Ghost koi are a British invention. They were produced by accident in the early 80’s when a farmer allowed a mirror carp and a koi to spawn together. The offspri...

The last day of May, I went to see if I could find the black redstart that had been widely reported, no luck but it will turn up again on one of the old buildings. The lush vegetation was looking beautiful between the Filter Beds at Seething Wells. I made a note of the breeding birds: goldfinches twinkling away, blue tits gathering food, sand martins flying over the FB's (only two this year unfortunately) moorhens and some scruffy little coot chicks entangled in the algal blooms.   Proud parents were showing off their four Canada chicks; they can cover a lot of ground in a short space of time they were soon feeding on water pepper and bistort gleaned from  the ziggerat-sided basins. A song thrush sang from the wharf alongside greenfinches as well as the seasonal chiff chaff; although this year all numbers are down, reflecting not only the topsy-turvy Spring but also the continued tumble in insect numbers (even seed eating birds are dependent on insects to feed their youn...

    Mink are seen dispersing at this time of year.  The River Mole is unfortunately a reservoir for this species from where they move up the Thames and onto the Hogsmill. Mink are known to be breeding in the borough, possibly at more than one location. It is regularly seen swimming around Raven’s Ait, usually at dusk. They have been  seen under the bridge at Charter Quay since its construction. Rivers must be mink-free for two years before translocation of water voles is permitted; as this species is considered a voracious predator of the water vole. Nick with a mink skin This is a mink skin which gives a good indication of size of the animal. Mink footprint traps have been installed along local waterways. They have a clay base in order to look for footprints which are indicative of their presence. There have been a number of sightings recently some of along the Hogsmill and Thames: The path at Hogsmill O.S. is being improved by the Lower Moles and tw...

 Members of the Richmond Biodiversity Partnership enjoyed a walkover of the paddocks at Hampton Court Park (aka Home Park) to see the newly created wetland habitats- including  sluices to aid control of the Longford River-  installed over the last two years. Part of good stewardship of the wildlife in this  oasis- is the control of mink - prevalent in this catchment, particularly in the river Mole and our stretch of  the Thames.   Male mink skin The  skins emphasised the size difference between  the male and female, with the latter able to gain access to a water vole burrow.The wildlife officer demonstrated the use of the mink rafts, which are in use at many wetland sites in  south-west London. mink raft with the lid off    This one is missing the roof to demonstrate the wet clay, which serves to reveal footprints of the visiting animals, to warn of the possible presence of mink. We were told that the rafts are no longer ...

  Kingston Riverside is changing fast and it's latest residents will make more demands on the riverside environment. This will mean an increase in light pollution, whether it is due to light spillage from these windows or by an increase in lighting specification brought about by the inevitable health and safety requirements. Trees are always casualties of the latter and some are exhibiting the painted spots identifying their future execution. There is a new pathway onto Canbury Gardens and wear and tear suggests that here will be the next tarmacadam or bonded gravel pathway. And so more of the natural environment is eroded as the urban gradient increases. 4lb bream caught today       Part of the challenge is to enlist residents in support of local environmental protection. Some wildlife is obvious, such as the large bream regularly caught by fishermen and the small fish sought by kingfishers, as well as the cormorants and Egyptian Geese that  turn Ste...

June and the few patches of grassland that haven't succumbed to ash invasion on the eastern and northern slopes, show remnants of chalk grassland plants. There are three species of scabious, none of which are known elsewhere in the borough. An evening visit by boat to count the Daubenton's bats, found none emerging from the tunnel on this occasion.  However there was a good showing of noctule bats over the filter beds,  as well as a Leisler's bat closer to Taggs Boatyard. The start of the fishing season and an increase in nocturnal observers has led to a number of MINK sightings. This includes along the  river wall at Seething Wells, let us know if you see them. An unusual number of May fly species including Ephemera danica  or Green drake have been noted on vegetation and even on the pavement around the town centre. Ephemera danica usually has a two year life cycle, however recent work has shown that in the warmer waters of Southern England it is able to comp...