Our next walk - Sunday 23rd June

It looks as though we're going to have typical Bank Holiday weather for our visit to Bow Creek on Sunday but a bit of rain or even snow hasn't put off our intrepid nature watchers yet, in fact adverse weather conditions are often when you get to see the unexpected and there is a place to shelter and plan our next walk if it gets too wet. I'm looking forward to introducing you all to Bow Creek Ecology Park, apart from being a very pretty place it is teeming with wildlife, it is the only place in London where I have spotted a bearded tit.
So wellies and macs on for Sunday, bring a sandwhich and drink if you'd like, we shall meet at 1pm by the bus stop outside HARCA head office at Chrisp Street and get a bus to Canning Town, please try not to be late, I shall bring pond dipping nets and monoculars. See you the nature watchers.

Join us for an adventure in Bow Creek on Sunday May 26th

Pond Dipping in Tower Hamlets cemetery Park - Saturday April 20th

Meet 2pm at Soanes Centre - just inside the cemetery park

Fran and I attended the City Bridge Trust Diamond Jubilee Growing Localities awards last evening at The Barbican. As Fran mentioned in our last post, Poplar Nature Watch Club (PNWC) got to the finals but we didn't win in the end. Though it's a shame to miss out on the funds, which would have helped the club grow, we could only celebrate those who did win. There were some truly inspiring projects - ones which had  managed to reach out and connect with their communities on a large scale.. PNWC offers its congratulations to all the winners - WELL DONE!

Exciting news.

A few months ago Nick Martin of Poplar HARCA's Green Network put our Naturewatch Club forward for the City Bridge Trust's Diamond Jubilee Programme, Growing Localities Awards, we were seconded by Kenneth Greenaway at Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park a huge thankyou to them both for believing in our little group we have made it to the short list! The awards ceremony will be on April the 11th at the Barbican Centre, if we are lucky enough to win we will be able to buy all the equipment our club needs for forthcoming adventures with nature, so fingers crossed everybody but even getting to the final is an achievement there were many entrants.

Mile End Ecology Ponds

Thankyou to the intrepid nature watchers who braved the weather to join me for a visit to the ecology ponds at Mile End Park today. We were fortunate that the rain eased off in time for us to try a little pond dipping, we didn't find very much just a few water snails, a small water beetle and a tiny fish, probably a stickleback, but spring is about to burst forth in a few weeks the trees and bushes have tiny buds all over them and some trees already have blossom. Of course we were accompanied by the calls of small birds constantly, they know spring isn't far off and are starting to pair up and find nest sites.

When we have our next walk on the 20th of April there will be a lot more wildlife to see, we have decided to revisit the Cemetery Park to see what has changed, the last time we were there it was covered in a layer of snow I suspect it will be bursting with new life. I look forward to seeing you there, we will meet at 2pm outside the Soanes Centre and I will bring the pond dipping gear, meanwhile remember to keep your ears and eyes open you can tell us about the wonderful things you have seen when we all meet again.

Pond Dipping March 16th 2013

Hello friends,

The second Naturewatch Walk on January the 19th was very well attended and we were treated to just the right amount of snow to make the Cemetery Park even prettier and as ever there were plenty of birds to make an appearance, green woodpecker, robin and wren to name just a few. We will be meeting again on the 16th of March at 2 pm outside Mile End tube and making our way to the ecology ponds in Mile End Park, just beside the Regents Canal and before Roman Road. We are going to try some pond dipping as well as watching for birds. If you are bringing small children please watch them carefully around the water, I can't swim! I'm looking forward to seeing you all for our next adventure, spring is in the air already and there are snowdrop, crocus and daffodils flowering on plenty of our green spaces and birds everywhere, in the last couple of days I have seen greenfinch, goldfinch and longtailed tit in respectable numbers. Keep your ears and eyes open there's so much to see, have fun.