Today is the 6th day of #30DaysWild! Annual challenge from the UK Wildlife Trusts.

A short walk around the beautiful Bushy Ruff park today. Spotted many insects on bushes and plants surrounding the lake. Saw a lovely Flower Crab Spider on a Bramble flower. Still lots of Flower Beetles, Ladybirds and other spiders.

New species I saw today;

• Blue Water-Speedwell (Veronica anagallis-aquatica)
• Pellucid Hover Fly (Volucella pellucens)

(a full list of everything I saw can be found here; https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?on=2024-06-06&place_id=any&user_id=happybird44&verifiable=any)

Today is the 5th day of #30DaysWild! Annual challenge from the UK Wildlife Trusts.

Pressed for time today, moving furniture and driving back home. The short walk was from Tower of London, through St Katherine Docks to Wapping. Passing by the Tower there was one small area off the path that had a lot of Ladybird larva and pupa. No waterbirds around the Docks. In Wapping by the canal the Cygnets were a little bigger and their Father was being very protective driving away dogs and ducks. The flowers still had many bees and butterflies. And the Collared dove was still on it's nest.

New species I saw today;

• Black Horehound (Ballota nigra)

(a full list of everything I saw can be found here; https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?on=2024-06-05&place_id=any&user_id=happybird44&verifiable=any)

Today is the 4th day of #30DaysWild! Annual challenge from the UK Wildlife Trusts.

I visited Spittlefields City Farm today. While the farm animals were nice and well looked after there, I looked around to see what wild creatures I could find and found quite a few. I was particularly pleased to spot some Ladybird larva and a small spider wrapping it's lunch. There is a small population of rare Great Crested Newts on this farm, but this area was closed to visitors.

New species I saw today;

• Japanese Creeper (Parthenocissus tricuspidata) AKA Boston Ivy
• Woolly Apple Aphid (Eriosoma lanigerum)
• Orchard Grass (Dactylis glomerata) AKA Cock's-Foot
• Common European Yellowjacket (Vespula vulgaris) AKA Common Wasp
• Long-bodied Cellar Spider (Pholcus phalangioides)

(a full list of everything I saw can be found here; https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?on=2024-06-04&place_id=any&user_id=happybird44&verifiable=any)

Today is the 3rd day of #30DaysWild! Annual challenge from the UK Wildlife Trusts.

I spent some time sitting and wandering around an old churchyard near Shadwell Overground/DLR station. I was a quiet place with quite a lot of wildlife, but was also a cut through for people on their way to work. I saw a few new species, one (an ichneumon wasp), seemed to be everywhere I went.

A little history of St George's-in-the-East Churchyard (also known as St George's Gardens).
In 1876 part of the churchyard was combined with burial grounds of the nearby Wesleyan Chapel to create St George's Gardens, which opened as a public garden in 1877. Headstones were generally moved to the perimeter and the new layout included a Rectors Walk and Lime Avenue. The garden was restored and re-opened in 2008.

The Metropolitan Borough of Stepney Nature Study Museum
The original mortuary building in the grounds fell out of use and by 1904 , was converted to a Nature Study Museum, a branch of the Whitechapel Museum. Containing stuffed animals and archaeological specimens the museum was a huge success, attracting up to 1,000 visitors per day in the Summer months according to the church’s website.

It closed during the Second World War, and although to have been a temporary closure, it has never reopened. Now in disrepair, a restoration project has been proposed.
http://www.stgitehistory.org.uk/naturesstudy.html
http://www.stgitehistory.org.uk/media/kulpamortuary.pdf

At lunchtime I spent a few minutes at a patch of grass and trees around the East End of Millwall Dock.

New species I saw today;

• Common Poppy (Papaver rhoeas)
• Amblyteles armatorius
• Miner's Lettuce (Claytonia perfoliata) AKA Springbeauty
• Bird's-eye Speedwell (Veronica persica) AKA Common Field-speedwell
• Fool's Watercress (Apium nodiflorum)
• Trailing Bellflower (Campanula poscharskyana)

(a full list of everything I saw can be found here; https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?on=2024-06-03&place_id=any&user_id=happybird44&verifiable=any)

Today is the 2nd day of #30DaysWild! Annual challenge from the UK Wildlife Trusts.

I went to the pond by Hackney City farm to watch, and to see which creatures came and went. No newts to be seen today, but a lot of sparrows were in the trees and amongst the reeds. They were bathing, drinking and catching insects, all the while being very noisy. Good to see so many of them. There were a few Dragonflies and Damselflies about. I walked back via a couple of small parks and saw some Butterflies, Bees and more sparrows.

New species I saw today;

• Large Red Damselfly
• Broad-bodied Chaser
• Small White
• Common Mallow Pear-shaped Weevil (Malvapion malvae)

(a full list of everything I saw can be found here; https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?on=2024-06-02&place_id=any&user_id=happybird44&verifiable=any)

Today is the 1st day of #30DaysWild! Annual challenge from the UK Wildlife Trusts.

I decided to go down to Wapping by the River Thames in London to see what I could find. Despite being rather windy and overcast I saw some insects, birds (including one of my personal favourites, a Jay), a Ladybird Pupa, a couple of butterflies and lots of pollinators. I saw some fast flying house martins (too quick to photograph) but I did catch one sitting in it's nest. I also looked up as I was walking under a tree and was surprised to see a Collared-Dove sitting on her nest.

New species I saw today;

• Eurasian Collared-Dove
• Dunnock
• Red-barred Tortrix

(a full list of everything I saw can be found here; https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?on=2024-06-01&place_id=any&user_id=happybird44&verifiable=any)

I took a short walk today in my lunch break to Mudchute park and farm. I only took my phone so no great pictures. Everywhere was very green, but rather cold and no insects that I noticed. The crows were rather shy - I only managed to photograph a couple, but I was able to photograph a lot of magpies. One cheeky squirrel was inside the cage for the Geese - I got a couple of nice pictures. Around the far side of the park behind the allotments I found a tree full of titmice, Blue tits, Great tits and Long-tailed tits. Sadly I wasn't able to photograph any with my phone.