April 2021

The heavy winter rains came to an end in mid January, but the standing water took two months to go away: none was left by April. The park remained heavily used, which is a great social and health benefit in lockdown times. Sadly, however, the heavy use has wrought significant damage not only to the grassland of the great field, but also to the ground flora of Horse Close Wood. The excessive clearance of ground vegetation around the glade as part of the National Grid Works has allowed a broad trampled area to be created below the trees to the east of the glade, joining up with the bluebell path and trampling a good number of bluebells. Hopefully, brambles and cow parsley will re-establish there as usage reduces. Recovery of the glade itself will be slow on the dry clayey soils there. Children's play has seen many of the recently-planted young trees broken, compounding the losses from drought in recent years. The fairground attractions were set up on the ex-bowling green in mid April. Nextdoor, on the active green, the morning activity is spreading the overnight worm casts. There was an Easter programme of watersports and other activities on the great field, leading to the park opening at 07:30.

I did the monthly bird count on the 15th. There was a record April count of five goldfinches, continuing the progressive increase of this species. It's the only finch that has increased over the 35-year study. In contrast, there was a single greenfinch singing in Ashen Grove Wood, so this species is just hanging in. Following their decline over the last 30 years, only a few starlings now breed in the area. The few that did were in tree holes in Horse Close Wood, but there were none there on this visit. It's possible that the clearance of ash trees there has reduced the number of nest sites, but stock doves continue to breed in the wood, so they seem still to be able to find nest sites. A few grey herons visit to feed around the edges of the lake and I had presumed they returned to breeding areas when not feeding, but I have just realised that there is a regularly used roost high up in a tree on the island which is white from the guano of roosting birds. This could be an incipient heronry. As last year, there was a single cormorant. In recent years the odd cormorant has been seen in late spring and summer, perhaps visiting from a nearby breeding colony, or perhaps immature individuals. This one was in first-year plumage, so it would be immature. Greylag counts are low in April as birds are dispersed for breeding, so the 35 birds confirms that this species remains at record numbers. A mute swan was sitting on a nest on the Wimbledon Club lakeshore, so the resident pair is breeding again this year. The first house martins used to be seen in April in the past but not in the last 20 years, so it was no surprise there were none visiting the lake.

The early spring flowers, sweet violet, hazel catkins and snowdrop, were over but a bigger range comes in late spring. Lesser celandine was in flower in the damp parts of the park and the first flowers of cuckoo pint and cow parsley were showing. The blossom of blackthorns made the shrubs easy to locate and the wild cherry on the south-east edge of Horse Close Wood stood out from the surrounds. There was no sign yet of the cuckoo flowers near the White pavilion. The weeping willows of the dam had bright new leaves. Hawthorns were leafing up, as were the odd early oak and ash. But the main colour was from the abundant flowers on the Norway maple just south-east of the Horse Close Wood car park.

The effect of spraying herbicide to control weeds in the public park was obvious, with yellowing-off below fencelines and around trees. Odly, however, the spraying extended also to places where we would otherwise enjoy native wildflowers, such as at the edge of the hedgerow on the golf course boundary north of the stadium, on the steep banks of the brook downstream of the cafe and on the equally steep bank beside the path down from the Home Park Road entrance. In the latter two places it would be preferable to allow wildflowers to establish to help stabilise these shaded areas with native species. I have been trying to establish pendulous sedge and stinking iris beside the path with little success given how dry this bank is, so the spraying will not help! On the positive side, the decrepit fencing around the tree planting on the south edge of Horse Close Wood car park has finally been removed.

Maintenance of the self-closing gates on the large children's play area was still wanting. The black gate by the White pavilion hasn't worked for many years, despite repeated promises that something would be done, and the yellow gate at the other end was first locked whilst awaiting repair, then the repair lasted one day only.

Fertilizer was being spread on the golf course greens. This risks the water quality of the lake, so the final cessation of golf should have a benefit there.

February 2021

I did the monthly bird count on the 11th on a cold day. There were large areas of ice around the edges of the lake and snow lying on the ground throughout the park. There was still much sign of wear and tear on the park in these lockdown times. There was still water lying in the low parts of Horse Close Wood.

In contrast with January, black-headed gulls were in low numbers, presumably having moved off to places without frozen soils. Carrion crows, an early breeder, were at their nests. There was a record count of crows, 135 birds being double any previous count. Perhaps this is related to "crow damage" that led the golf club to use explosive bird scarers in March, see next month's post. It could be that whatever grass chewing insect damaged turf on the golf course was responsible for this record count, the birds being attracted to the insect food at this lean time of year. Another early breeder, the Egyptian goose, was scattered around the park attending the big hollow trees where they nest. There was much drumming by a great-spotted woodpecker in Horse Close Wood and song thrushes singing in the southern part of the park. Woodpigeons were also in good numbers, so presumably still able to find food on the short grassland despite the snow. There were 20 redwings and a few blackbirds eating ivy fruit in Horse Close Wood. An important food at this lean time.

Hazels had catkins.

March 2021

I did the monthly bird count on the 20th and lake water sampling on the 22nd. 

Things are changing. There was a line-up of builder's bags of fine sand in the Horse Close Wood car park, but no notice to say what works are proposed there. So, it seems that something big is planned. I suspect that it will be a resurfacing of the car park which LB Merton see as important for money-earning events in the park. There were also various works being undertaken on on the northern section of the golf course. Visible throught he gate near the Wimbledon Park Road entrance is a ramp down from the road through the peripheral woodland strip. This looks like a access route, but what for? 

The public park gates were opened at 08:00.

Elsewhere on the golf course there were explosions every few minutes, which were still continuing on the 24th. These could be heard all over the public park and beyond. I'm told this was to scare off crows (perhaps jackdaws) which are tearing up the turf. However, the golf course has circulated a photograph showing typical turf damage by May beetles or leatherjackets. Birds can readily toss aside damaged turf to obtain their food below. So, the basic problem is that the turf has been damaged by insects and the birds are merely revealing that existing damage. The science behind such bird scaring is well-known and it shows that the method is rarely effective and cannot be restricted to the target species. So, the explosions have public park users up-in-arms, are not addressing the basic problem and are distressing to non-target species, including park users! The walk-in goose trap is still to be seen beside Owl copse on the golf course.  

Work was in progress in the athletics stadium to modify the screen around the hammer throw area, it was reported that this change was necessary to follow revised gudance following a serious safety incident on another site a few years ago.

A positive change was the large number of activities for children organised on the great field on a Saturday. Mini-sports of every kind and many participants. The biggest number were in the part of the great field north of the stadium.

Sadly, some young adults without children were using the play equipment in the children's play areas to attach their exercise kit and were exercising vigorously. One young lady I challenged said that she had permission to do this. I expect not, because distancing requirements mean that this limits access to the equipment by children. But her response was aggressive, so I left well alone.

Blackbirds were singing at 07:00 when the count began, but Song thrushes were silent, doubtless busy with nesting. House sparrows remain in single figures, still only 5% of the numbers that were found in the 1980s before the great decline in the 1990s. The long-term decline in wrens seems to be continuing, six birds being one of the lowest March counts in the 25 years. Last year's young mute swans have left the lake to join a non-breeding flock. The breeding pair doubtless saw them off and are now nesting on the Wimbledon Club lake shore. There may be a reduction in Canada goose numbers, 13 being lower than all but two previous March counts and below the recent March average of around 40 birds. The 10 Egyptian geese, however, is about average for recent March counts, and 45 greylags was the second highest March count. Common gulls belie their name locally, with just the one bird seen. Coot numbers remain high, 50 birds being the second highest count over the 35 years. The anglers will be pleased that there's no cormorants but, of course, this is because they depart to breed elsewhere in March.

Blackthorns were in full flower, allowing the odd bush scattered across Horse Close Wood to stand out and be noted. I cut back the blackthorns invading the long-grass verge between the tennis courts and the hedgerow planting beside the tube line boundary. This will allow Spring and Autumn mowing to keep the invaders at bay. Without this management, we will have woodland across this strip quite rapidly. Hawthorn leaf buds were breaking. The Japanese flowering cherries were in blossom. Weeping willow buds were breaking.

The clarity of the lake water was poor, as is typical at this time of year when increased light and temperature allow microscopic algae to thrive. I found several species of diatom and many Euglena. The latter was once considered an alga, but are now put in a group of their own. But the good sign was that three species of water flea were also in good numbers. These feed on the algae, so we can expect better water clarity by May.