We took part in the Birdwatch yesterday (Sunday 25th) between 2 and 3 pm – and were thankful that it wasn’t raining as forecast. At it turns out, we were able to document an above average number of birds, as summarised above. Overall, 1 Blackbird, 5 Blue tits, 1 Goldfinch, 4 Great Tits, 1 Long-tailed Tit, 7 Magpies, 4 Robins, 5 Wood Pigeons, 1 Goldcrest, and 1 Wren.
The pond, first installed in 2016, was in need of repair. The liner had perished, and the pond was no longer holding water. With funding obtained from the Kenneth White Legacy Award we were able to commission the charity Froglife to carry out this work which was completed on a damp and muddy Thursday 22 January. We are so grateful to the team from Froglife and to the extra volunteer-power from the London Blue Chain! It will take a while…
A gallery of lovely autumnal views of the Green. I woke early last Wednesday and went into the Green to take some photographs.
If you have visited the Green recently, you may have noticed that it is all dried up! This is due to the pond liner having worn out. The good news is that it will soon be refurbished. Last year, we applied successfully for funding from the Kenneth White Legacy Award and in January 2026 we will be helped by a team from Froglife. Froglife is a brilliant national charity that works to conserve amphibians and reptiles and the habitats they…
There are a number of fruit trees on the Green. This year, for the first time, we have been getting a decent crop of pears – the pear tree is adjacent to the Labyrinth. While the blackberries haven’t done so well this year from the point of view of human consumption, hopefully they have been appreciated by the birds and other creatures for whom these are food sources. Elderberries are ripe and do keep an eye on the plums in…
Even though the pond is due for refurbishment later this year, it is full of new life. Lots of frog spawn and an abundance of frogs! Come and take a look! (The more you look at these photographs, the more frogs you’ll see!) Lots of other colourful signs of spring, also.
Spring is definitely my favourite season! Change in the form of new growth can be so rapid. Currently we have lots of bluebells – we have a mix of English and Spanish on the Green – the lilac is out, and we also spotted a couple of isolated cowslips. I was particularly pleased to see that the site that had been damaged last year is now flourishing. It had been set on fire by person or persons unknown. But the…
The snowdrops we planted last year made a showing a few weeks back. This was lovely to see. Daffodils are currently in bloom and there are many other early signs of spring. Sadly though much of the Green is muddy and in places water logged. Over the last year, areas that were grassy – notably our designated area of meadowland and our central seating area – have become progressively depleted of grass and are now in poor condition. The Friends…
A new addition to the Green – a smart insect hotel gifted to us by Dr Quetta Kaye and safely installed! Let’s see who moves in.
Lots of frog and frogspawn sightings in our pond – do come and take a look! These are common frogs. One way you can tell that these are frogs rather than toads is by their spawn which appears in cloudy clumps. You can find out more about telling frogs and toads apart by reading this Woodland Trust article.