Before we move on to our next Wednesday series, here’s a recap…
10 places to encounter London’s animal life
10 places to encounter London’s animal life…10.. Hanwell Zoo…
Hanwell Zoo in London’s west is, like Golder’s Hill Zoo, one of the city’s smaller zoos.
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10 places to encounter London’s animal life…9. Walthamstow Wetlands…
This 211 hectare site in east London, managed by Thames Water, is one of the largest urban wetland in Europe.
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10 places to encounter London’s animal life…8. Epping Forest…
This 6,000 acre woodland and pasture habitat, located on the north-eastern outskirts of London, is famous for its ancient and veteran trees – numbering almost 55,000 – but is also home to a range of wildlife.
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10 places to encounter London’s animal life…7. Kew Gardens…
Famous for it’s flora, Kew Gardens is also home to some unusual animal life including Chinese water dragons who live in the warm environments of the glasshouses.
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Other animals in the gardens include foxes, hedgehogs and birds including green and great-spotted woodpeckers, mute swans, Canada geese, mallards, ring-necked parakeets, kingfishers, tawny owls, moorhens, and stock doves.
And, of course, the gardens are home to a myriad of insects including bees, butterflies and dragonflies as well as aquatic life including frogs, newts and fish.
WHERE: Kew Gardens (nearest Tube station is Kew Gardens); WHEN: 10am to 7pm (last entry 6pm) daily; COST: £25 adults/£8 children 16 and under (children under four free) (cheaper tickets for online bookings and during off-peak period from 1st November to 31st January); WEBSITE: www.kew.org.
10 places to encounter London’s animal life…6. The River Thames…
The River Thames is home to a range of wildlife as it winds through London including several thousand seals which have been spotted at locations across the city’s span.
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10 places to encounter London’s animal life…5. Golders Hill Park Zoo…
Not to be confused with the much larger ZSL London Zoo, this small zoo in Golders Hill Park on the north-western side of Hampstead Heath is home to a number of exotic species including ring-tailed lemurs, red-necked wallabies and kookaburras.
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10 places to encounter London’s animal life…4. Bushy Park…
Famous for its herd of Red and Fallow deer, the expansive Bushy Park in south-west London is also a haven for many other kinds of wildlife – from birds and fish to insects and small mammals.
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10 places to encounter London’s animal life…3. WWT London Wetland Centre…
This year celebrating its 25th anniversary, the 105 acre site on the west bank of the River Thames at Barnes known as the WWT London Wetland Centre is a waterway-studded oasis not far from the heart of London.
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The centre, which is managed by the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust (founded by Sir Peter Scott in the 1940s), first opened in 2000 on the site which had previously been home to several small reservoirs which had been there since the 1880s.
The reservoirs had been converted into wetland habitats (the work included removing an unexploded bomb from World War II), creating what was, at the time, the largest man-made wetland in any capital city. Sir David Attenborough, who has reportedly described the site as an “extra lung for Londoners”, officially opened the centre, initially known as the Barn Elms Wetland Centre.
In 2002, a significant area of the site – some 29 hectares (72 acres) – was declared a Site of Special Scientific Interest by Natural England.
The site is home to a diverse range of wildlife including all manner of birdlife and insects as well as a couple of Asian short-clawed otters, the smallest of all 13 species of otters around the world, and a colony of water voles.
The wide variety of birdlife at the sanctuary – more than 250 species have been recorded – includes American wood ducks, white-faced whistling ducks, Hawaiian geese (nenes) and cranes as well as lapwings, common terns, pochards, sand martins, and reed warblers.
Insects found at the site include moths, dragonflies, crickets, grasshoppers and beetles and during summer months, two of Britain’s rarest bat species – the Leisler’s bat and Nathusius’ pipistrelle – are also often detected hunting over wetlands.
Along with six hides for watching and photographing the wildlife, the site also includes an adventure play area with a zip line, a water play area, a “mud kitchen”, a ‘Wild Walk’ featuring balance beams and bridges, and special pools for “pond dipping”.
The centre also boasts a discovery centre with interactive displays and a cafe. It holds a range of activities each week including walks, photography workshops and special tours, such as a British Sign Language tour.
WHERE: WWT London Wetland Centre, Queen Elizabeth Walk, Barnes (nearest railway station is Barnes Bridge); WHEN: 10am to 5:30pm daily (until the end of October); COST: Adults from £16.29/Junior (3-17 years) from £10.58/Family from £45.81; WEBSITE: www.wwt.org.uk/wetland-centres/london
10 places to encounter London’s animal life…2. Mudchute Park and Farm…
There are a number of “city farms” in London and one of the largest is Mudchute Park and Farm on the Isle of Dogs.
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10 places to encounter London’s animal life…1. Deer in Richmond Park…
We start a new series looking at places to encounter (at a distance, for some), London’s wildfire and we start by heading west to Richmond Park.
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