See us at our gazebo by the tea hut in Wanstead Park for all the information and updates from 10am each day. There will also be stalls from City of London (Epping Forest conservators), London Wildlife Trust, Friends of Wanstead Parklands (Sat. only), Transition Leytonstone (Sat. only). Just make your way to the events listed below. No need to book. Have fun.
Friday 20th June
9.15 pm Bat Walk meet at the Tea Hut Wanstead Park
Saturday 21st June
10am Invertebrate Walk – Meet up at Wren Gazebo near tea hut
1pm Butterfly Transect Walk – Meet up at Wren Gazebo
2.30 pm Wildflower Walk – Meet up at Wren Gazebo
3pm Minibeast Storytime – Temple Enclosure, Wanstead Park, 100 yards from gazebo
Sunday 22nd June
10am Pond Dipping – Meet up at Wren Gazebo
10am Bee & Wasp Walk – Meet up at Wren Gazebo
12 Noon Family Picnic – location to be confirmed, check at Gazebo
1pm Spider Survey – Meet up at Centre Road Car Park, Wanstead Flats (what3words went.feel.mile)
3.30 pm Lichen Walk – Meet up at Wren Gazebo
Most activities suitable for children accompanied by adults.
Wren AGM
For those unable to attend the Zoom Meeting the excellent talk from Tanith Cook on the Conservation Strategy for Epping Forest is available here:
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Butterfly Conservation
Volunteers needed to help Wren survey the butterfly populations in Wanstead Park this spring and summer.
A weekly walk over the same path (when good weather) to count each species of butterfly, help with butterfly identification will be available.
Several pairs of the iconic ground-nesting Skylark breed on Wanstead Flats. These birds represent the closest population of breeding larks to the centre of London but for how much longer? Nationally, the population of Skylarks has been in decline for decades so the Wren Group – in conjunction with the City of London Corporation – is determined to do all it can to protect their numbers locally. In 2021, and each year since, temporary fencing has been erected around two areas of the Flats. Between March and early September, this has meant that the birds – whose eggs and chicks are particularly vulnerable to disturbance – were protected from heavy human and canine footfall during the nesting season. This protection paid off handsomely last year with at least four young raised – the best breeding success for quite a few years.
We hope the larks repeat that success this year, and that we will begin to see the recolonisation of more areas of the Flats. In order to reduce the use of single-use plastic fencing, the City of London Corporation is this year experimenting with blue rope to demarcate the two areas people are politely being asked to keep out of. Please respect this fencing, the future of our larks may depend on it. If you see the rope being vandalised, please report to the police 101.
Missed the Wren AGM ?
A fasinating talk by Ben Murphy, Chair of the Epping Forest and Commons Committee, telling us about new developments in the management of the Forest is available here:
Volunteers needed to help Wren survey the butterfly populations in Wanstead Park this spring and summer.
