Ealing Wildlife Group

We are a community of wildlife enthusiasts protecting, encouraging and celebrating nature through education, collaboration and conservation.

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New Chair Appointed

At our AGM in May, outgoing Chair, Dr Sean McCormack, and EWG officers were delighted to introduce Ben Barrett following his appointment as Chair.

Ben has lived in Ealing since 2019, having initially moved to London in 2003. He is a sustainability consultant, working mainly in sport, with a background in developing transformational strategy and delivering programme implementation for international organisations.

Welcome to the team, Ben!

Join the Team!

Want to get involved? We’re looking for a new team member to join us in a key volunteer role:

➡️ Costons Nature Reserve Leader – Take the helm at this special site, coordinating management activities and helping this haven for wildlife reach its full potential

Find out more here!

Spotlight Projects

The Ealing Beaver Project

Nestled in the serene environs of Paradise Fields in Greenford, Ealing, the Ealing Beaver Project is a groundbreaking initiative aimed at fostering urban human-beaver coexistence. As London’s first fully accessible urban beaver reintroduction site, we are dedicated to bringing people closer to nature right in the heart of the city. This is a joint project between Ealing Wildlife Group (EWG), Citizen Zoo, Ealing Council and Friends of Horsenden, supported by experts at the Beaver Trust and part-funded by the Mayor of London’s Rewild London 2 Fund.

Learn More!

Helping Our Hedgehogs

The Hedgehog is not only considered a gardener’s best friend, they’ve also won our hearts being Britain’s favourite UK animal, but they are in serious decline!

Ealing Wildlife Group runs the Hedgehog Highways project to boost the borough’s hedgehog population. A core aim of this project is to create connected corridors by which Ealing’s hedgehogs can travel to find food (a hedgehog can visit up to 40 gardens per night in search of food). The routes also allow hedgehogs to find mates, which is important to avoid inbreeding. By connecting as many gardens as possible, the project aims to create suitable habitat for hedgehogs across the borough.

Learn More!

EWG@Costons Lane Nature Reserve

Over the past four years, EWG has transformed the former Costons Lane allotments from a neglected site into a thriving wildlife sanctuary, through volunteer effort. We’ve created diverse habitats, including a wildlife garden, wildflower meadow, pond, hedgerow and woodland, demonstrating what community can achieve when they collaborate to care for shared spaces.

We hold volunteer days once a month at which everyone is welcome, whether you want to help out with the work or enjoy the reserve at leisure. In addition to our wild habitats, we have a bird hide overlooking the pond and a sunny deck to sit back and relax with a cup of tea.

You could spot foxes, woodpeckers, slow worms, newts, frogs, spiders, insects, dragonflies, butterflies, Red Kites, and all manner of pondlife.

Learn More!

Our Mission

We aim to inspire, educate and foster new connections between local people, neighbourhoods and the natural world.

We aim to highlight and protect our flora and fauna, and the natural habitats we are lucky to have on our doorsteps in Ealing.

We enjoy working with others and forging relationships with all stakeholders, groups and individuals working towards a common goal; protection of our natural spaces and the life they contain.

We provide an inclusive community of like-minded individuals who are all passionate about nature, keen to learn more about it and understand the importance of active conservation.

With several conservation projects happening throughout the Borough, including our own urban nature reserve in Greenford, we provide the opportunity for locals to get involved.

Relying on citizen science, our dedicated volunteers, local experts and amateur naturalists collect and submit data on the biodiversity of species across Ealing.

There is no formal or paid membership, so getting involved is simple. Join our very active Facebook Group, sign up for our newsletter and see our Events page for volunteer days, educational and fun activities, and community and social events.

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Our Latest Success Story

Look what EWG got because of YOU!

Whether you helped plant a tree, released a tiny Harvest Mouse, or continue to support each fortnight at Costons Lane Nature Reserve, this award is for you!

EALING WILDLIFE GROUP WOULD NOT, NOR COULD NOT EXIST WITHOUT ITS VOLUNTEERS!

Whatever the weather, at short notice, regardless of the task, you, our volunteers support us with enthusiasm, smiles, friendship and above all fun and love of Ealing‘s wildlife.

This award is for you, thank you!

EWG’s Impact Across the Borough of Ealing

5 Beavers reintroduced

130 Hedgehog Highway holes drilled

2200 Harvest Mice released

7 Peregrine chicks fledged

6 Barn Owl chicks fledged

160 Swift boxes erected

Latest Articles

Beaver munching on roots by peter shackle 1

Beavers in Paradise: Research shows how Ealing is shaping London’s Wild Future

The Ealing Beaver Project has been featured in a new open access, peer-reviewed academic article: “Beavers in paradise: Prefiguring London’s urban wilds”, published in Environment and Planning E: Nature and Space.

EWG welcomes Ben Barrett as new Chair

At our AGM in May, outgoing Chair, Dr Sean McCormack, and EWG officers were delighted to introduce Ben Barrett following his appointment as Chair. Ben …

Hedgehogs in an Ealing garden (Photo credit: Victoria Williams)

Would you like to help Ealing’s hedgehogs? Join our new volunteer team of Hedgehog Garden Coaches

Ealing Hedgehog Friends and Ealing Wildlife Group are joining forces to help turn Ealing’s gardens into safe refuges for hedgehogs

Sad news for our Peregrine Falcons

We’ve recently shared the exciting annual milestone of ringing the latest brood of Peregrine Falcon chicks at the hospital nest in Ealing. Sadly, however, we …

Hedgehog Advice

Ealing Hedgehog Friends was founded in 2023, to help support the rapidly declining population of native hedgehogs in our area. Like so many aspects of …

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