Common Frog by Caroline Farrow

Dear EWG Newsletter Subscribers

This week’s Annual General Meeting has been a great opportunity to reflect on all we’ve achieved over the past year, as our new Secretary Emma Chard-Cumming summarises in the article below.

We are making great progress on all of our projects. The Beaver Project is going full steam ahead, if you missed the online Q&A session hosted by Zoologist and BBC Wildlife TV presenter Megan McCubbin you can watch the recording here. 

We’ve had a recent burst of activity to get the latest batch of swift boxes in place before the birds begin to return for the summer, the latest sites being at St Vincent’s, Brentside, and Gifford Schools.

Just today we had the fantastic news that we have hit our fundraising target for the Hedgehog Highways project.

As we reflect on such a productive past year, and the ambitious plans for the coming year, I want to say a huge thank you to all of you for supporting our projects by giving your time, knowledge, donations, and physical labour. We couldn’t do any of it without you!

Sean

Chair, Ealing Wildlife Group

You may have been following our Hedgehog Highways project which has been piloted in Hanwell and Pitshanger. We have been raising funds to extend the project into Acton, Northolt and Southall, to get as much community engagement as possible in helping this charismatic but threatened species thrive in Ealing. 

We are delighted that as of today we have hit our fundraising target! Due to the conditions of the Spacehive platform, it was essential that we hit our match fund target to secure the pledge of over £5,000 made by Ealing Council, along with all the generous donations of our supporters. 

A massive thank you goes to everyone who has donated so generously, along with our team of Hedgehog Volunteers who have worked on the project so far. 

It's not too late to contribute, the fundraising page will stay open until 25th April and any additional funds will be put to good use to support our spiny friends.

They say mighty Oaks from little Acorns grow, and nothing could be more true for EWG.

Last night we held our AGM at The Drayton Court Hotel, which kindly donated the space for free, enabling us to ensure your donations go to conservation projects.

I was totally in the dark about how much was going on at EWG until the Secretary’s role I took on in February required me to prepare the content for the AGM.

The amount of work that the small volunteer Leadership Team completed in 2022-23 was incredible, and they all managed to do it with day jobs, families and having a life! But they don’t do it alone, as they are supported by 180 volunteers without whom EWG would be unable to function to achieve this:

• 5,442 members in the Facebook group
• over 50 EWG-led events hosted
• some £15,000 spent on projects with just over £800 on group administration
• 23 Bat Walks held in 2022
• the Beavers are coming, and if you missed the online Q&A session hosted by Zoologist and BBC Wildlife TV presenter, Megan McCubbin, you can watch the recording here.
• opened our nature reserve at Costons Lane
• raised funding for all our current projects
• over 800 Harvest Mice released from our breeding programme
• 40 holes were drilled between gardens creating Hedgehog Highways
• five Barn Owl chicks fledged
• nearly 200 entries in our 6th annual photography competition
• three Peregrine chicks fledged and the joy of having the nest box live-streamed
• 142 Swift boxes were installed and five Swift streets created

Who would have imagined that list of achievements all started from a post in the "Hanwell Friends" Facebook group about arranging a Bat Walk…

Emma
Secretary, Ealing Wildlife Group

An upcoming Earthworm sampling day got the EWG team talking about the practice of collecting invertebrate specimens to gain data on biodiversity in a given area, its possible controversies, and value to conservation.

Alex Worsey, our new Data & Biodiversity Officer, explores this topic and takes an in-depth look at how we find out about what species exist around us. 

Our Harvest Mouse breeding and re-introduction programme continues to go from strength to strength and our next batch of 86 mice reared at Horsenden Farm will be ready for release in early May. They will be joined by approximately 100 Harvest Mice from Calderglen Zoo in Scotland where our original group came from, and 70-80 mice from our partners at Battersea Children’s Zoo.

The release will be taking place at Marnham Fields and Smiths Farm. We meet at 11:00 by the gate on the bend where Marnham Crescent joins Millet Road, Greenford, UB6 9SL.

Spring Bioblitz @ Costons Lane Nature Reserve

April 29, 09:00 - 21:00

Reserve entrance off Ruislip Road, across from Lidl Car Park, Greenford, UB6 8RS

Come and join us for a fun day of discovering just what lives in our EWG nature reserve. No experience is needed. Pop in at any point throughout the day.

Urban Peregrines Talk with Brandon Mak

May 4, 19:00 – 20:30

The Bluebell Centre, Perivale Wood, Sunley Gardens, UB6 7PE

Come and hear Brandon’s PhD research insights into the socio-ecology of urban raptors, including what he learned about our very own Freddie and Dusty raising their brood last year.

Annual Dawn Chorus Walk 2023 

May 6, 04:30 – 06:30 

Meet at The Fox Inn, Hanwell, W7 2PJ

Join Sean and the team for our annual Dawn Chorus walk to experience the wonder of morning birdsong.

Volunteer day @ Costons Lane Nature Reserve
May 13, 10:00 - 14:00
Reserve entrance off Ruislip Road, across from Lidl Car Park, Greenford, UB6 8RS

Hedgehog Habitat Creation
May 20, 10:00 - 12:30
Boles Meadow, down steps next to St Mary’s Church, Hanwell, W7 3BZ

Though starting to flower in April, this year our Bluebells will be at their best in May. Great Britain & Ireland have international importance for this iconic spring flower. Good places to see carpets locally included Perivale Wood (see Selborne Society for open days), Long Wood, Gutteridge Wood and the wild area at Kew Gardens. In gardens, the hybrid with Spanish Bluebell tends to be more common. Greater Stitchwort with attractive white flowers and Red Campion should also be out now in woods & hedge banks.

May blossom, the flowers of Hawthorn should also be at their peak at the start of the month and are worth checking for a variety of insects ... [read more]