Sad news that someone has cut 4-5 holes in the hedgerow at different points between the hide and the green bridge and even worse, then sprayed weed killer at each cut, the end result has been mass die back of nettles and shrubs.

This kind of act is hard to fathom, accept or explain, because the cutting clearly suggests it was done by someone wanting to view birds, so if they are a member it makes me sad such actions could be done by a so called supporter of LWT.

This has been reported on our WhatsApp groups and we ask everyone to remain vigilant and report anyone acting suspiciously, or if you witness vandalism contact Fraser Cottington and the police immediately.

With Covid-19 making it impossible for our members to enjoy the hides, offering any views into Lea Farm Lake has been impossible. It is still important to LWT that our members know the work of just a few has made a big and positive impact, the raft that was repaired and towed out by Alan Rymer and Ron Bryant and within 24 hours Terns were showing great interest, as of the last 2 weeks new fewer than 23 pairs have settled and should be hatching the first young any day. I took this short video when there were 18 bird settling in, a further 5 pairs squeezed themselves on shortly after.

On 7th of June, I was carrying out my usual security check of the hide, checking on Common Tern colony and carrying out a general quick check of everything. All spring an increasing number of Herring and Lesser Black-backed Gulls have been loafing on the shingle island from 06:00.

This time a 3CY Herring Gull had an orange ring on it’s left leg, with the number S3VT, I was able to send this information to the BTO’s EURING website and they came back with the details. The North Thames Gull Group ringed the bird at Ockendon landfill in Feb 2019. http://www.ntgg.org.uk/cgi-bin/map.cgi?p=recmap&t=r&r=GV77863

Fraser Cottington is now running a YouTube channel about the birds at Dinton, Lavell’s and Lea Farm Lake.

Visiting most mornings, he makes new videos about the latest birds, lasting between 4 and 13 minutes, at least those which can be filmed. For the many who are in lock down, it is offering a way to see what is going on and a refreshing insight into the regularly changing picture and Fraser is passionate about sharing his offering insights, fun, facts, history and knowledge of birds here.

Here is the link to his channel Find of The Day

Those unfamiliar with YouTube, millions of people use this platform to share experiences, educate, entertain and engage with the world.

Hi everyone, I am very excited to publish this summary of 2019’s amazing birds, please feel free to download this summary. I hope this inspires a great many of you to come and visit us and enjoy the stunning variety of species that drops in over the year. Click here to download the PDF https://lavells.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Bird-Report-2019-Final.pdf

We have fantastic news, this summer one of our newer volunteers – Giuliana Sinclair, will be walking the entire 140km length of The Ridgeway National Trail and is looking to raise funds for FOLL through sponsorship of her efforts!

Giuliana is hoping to raise sufficient funds to buy two new owl boxes, one for Barn Owls, one for Tawny, or Little Owls, complete with solar powered infrared night vision cameras and wireless data connections, so that we can all enjoy the experience of their family lives through our website, from the comfort of our own homes.

Please visit her website to find out more about Giuliana and her great efforts to help us to improve our reserve and increase our audience at https://mydonate.bt.com/fundraisers/walkforwildlife – share it on your Facebook pages, Twitter accounts and anywhere else you see fit to help Giuliana hit and exceed her target.

FOLL & Thames Water are very excited to report an exciting project to improve and expand important habitat at Lavell’s Lake. The project already started 17th October and involves excavating a huge new section 120 long by 25 metres deep of Phragmites reed bed, re-dig of the Tern scrape, new irrigation ditches, a brand new reinforced bund, culvert and solar powered pump to keep things perfect in sustained hot weather and a wonderful wet grass meadow.

A broad variety of wildlife will benefit from these improvements, in the winter Bittern, Reed Bunting, Cetti’s Warbler, Water Rail, Snipe, Jack Snipe, Little Egret, Grebes and dabbling ducks and in the summer many more Reed, Sedge & Cetti’s Warblers, Whitethroats in the newly established scrub too, and the wet grass meadow should prove highly appealing to Egrets and waders like Redshank, Oystercatcher and Lapwing.

It’s not just about the birds, a huge variety of insects, dragonflies and damsels, amphibians, fish, grass snakes, will all benefit.

Our lovely friends across the Loddon, Martin, Julie and Jack Jones were kind enough to share the exciting news that a Purple Emporer Butterfly had graced their garden early this week. It is a rare butterfly, last seen 2014 and it brings hope for all of us we might see one around.

Photographs thanks to Jack Jones

Prof Chris Perrins of Oxford University has asked everyone if we can contribute to his study of Mute Swan breeding attempts and success. His article can be found here Swan Productivity 2017

His email is chris.perrins@zoo.ox.ac.uk

We are urging everyone to call the police on 999 if you witness anyone taking drugs, under age drinking, or vandalizing any hides. Bittern hide has been targeted many times so far in 2017 and the police have been met with and plans discussed. The latest incident was the evening of 26th April and the drug users then left and drove off from the Lavell’s car park.

We wish to make it clear it is not advised to confront anyone, simply leave the hide and immediately call the police.

FOLL intends to have a security bridge, moat and gate built late in the summer and this should go a long way to resolving the ever worsening issues of drink and drug abuse and hide vandalism.