EWG@Costons Lane Nature Reserve

Thanks to the incredible volunteers we have already:

• Cleared rubble and bracken
• Planted native and ornamental flowers to help pollinators
• Installed a cabin to store equipment including bird feeders and houses, bat and bug homes, Hedgehog homes, and habitat features for frogs, toads, newts and reptiles such as Slow Worms – this will also be used as a teaching facility
• Installed log piles for rare Stag Beetles
• Reinstated the pond and provided trails around the site
• Encouraged native plants and managed native wildlife
• Installed a hide so people can come and observe the wildlife, take photos and learn about the wonders of the natural world
• Developed an interest in citizen science by hosting Bio Blitzes, enabling the community to help us record species for organisations like Greenspace Information for Greater London (GIGL), Bat Conservation Trust, London Wildlife Trust and RSPB
• Hosted school visits, and scouts groups, and opened our gate for community open days, plant sales, cake sales and a Festive Fayre

Our carpenter Nick Spellman built our bird hide, sponsored by Lyndsay Haywood, as a tribute to her late father Barrie William Haywood commemorated with a plaque on the front. Nick used reclaimed wooden pallets to build the hide and it is spacious and perfect to watch the bird feeding station, the pond, and the Red Kite feeding station! 

Our last big project was excavating the large pond at the bottom of the reserve. We had a few obstacles getting the pond started, the biggest were the lockdowns. We also had a further surprise challenge when a Thames Water pipe next to the reserve sprung a leak allowing water to pour into the reserve flooding the entire lower half of the site! It was too wet to allow the equipment in to dig an actual pond. It took until spring 2022 for the area to dry enough for work to begin and was dug that summer! Wildlife has moved in as we have frog spawn, Newt efts, Water beetles, dragonfly/sawfly/damselfly larvae in the pond and Kingfishers, Greenfinches, Grey Wagtails, Mallards, and moorhens around the edges!

Next to the cabin are three container ponds, two old water butts, and one bathtub! That’s where we had at least two tadpoles, water beetles, and some dragonfly larvae! Also up at the top of the reserve, we seem to have runoff or springs coming out of the ground. So we have directed this into a wetland area and a smaller pond, which we hope will become a haven for insects and amphibians. Over time the water makes its way to the bottom of the reserve, where it will eventually flow into the big pond.

After a lot of hard work from our team of dedicated volunteers, we officially open to the public on Sunday, 8 May 2022 with a celebration open day.

Almost 400 people attended the opening, toured the reserve, had cake and tea, got raffle tickets, and bought wildlife-friendly plants grown by our members. For the kids we had pond dipping from our bathtub pond, building a bug hotel and a wildlife treasure hunt!

We had an official opening ceremony with Central Greenford Counselor Dr Aysha Raza who cut the official bramble! Many thanks to Dr Raza for her fantastic and continued support of EWG and the reserve!

Now we are open what happens now? We open the site for as many volunteer days as we can and welcome the public to come in and explore. Weekday opening can be arranged with lots of prior notice and if someone is available. If we get more volunteers willing to be there on more days we will reevaluate the opening times (if you have some free time and are interested let us know!) We will keep everyone updated by blog, social media, and our Facebook group!

We also have regular Bio Blitzes where we look for all the reserve’s flora and fauna and document it. We also have seasonal events selling homemade cakes, crafts, and plants.

So come on down and take in the wildlife, see the birds from the hide, the tadpoles in the pond, the butterflies flitting among the flowers, and if you are very quiet and still, you might spot the Kingfisher or the Sparrowhawk!