London Wildlife Trust - Peregrines, parakeets and rain gardens

Wild London Lates – The Future Nature of London Parakeets, zebra mussels and devil shrimps are now part and parcel of London’s fauna; but what does their presence say for the future of nature? For the latest in our Wild London Lates series of talks at the Coal House Café, we welcome Mathew Frith, Director of Conservation at London Wildlife Trust. He will be talking about species that have arrived in the city relatively recently, and what impact they might have on the future nature of London. The talk on Thurs 1st March costs £10 (+ booking fee). Includes a cash bar. Find out more. All profits from events at Woodberry Wetlands support our wildlife conservation work and free public access to our nature reserves across London. Peregrine falcons, a London success story Peregrines are cliff dwellers, but they are rapidly adapting to the soaring spires of cathedrals, churches and modern high-rise architecture of our urban environment. As many as 30 pairs of peregrines now breed across London; look for them on or above Tate Modern, Battersea Power Station, Charing Cross Hospital in Hammersmith and, of course, the Houses of Parliament. As well as this stunning image of a peregrine (above, with thanks to Jo Wheeler) seen flying high above Walthamstow Wetlands, we have also recently recorded footage of a peregrine using the electricity pylons as a 'plucking post'.  Read more and watch the video here. Tell Heritage Lottery Fund how funding wildlife makes a difference Heritage Lottery Fund want to hear from you about how they should direct their funding over the next five years. We need your help to make sure HLF hear loud and clear that wildlife and wild places - our natural heritage - are a high priority. The support London Wildlife Trust has received from Heritage Lottery Fund has been transformational; without it our Woodberry Wetlands, Great North Wood and Urban Urchins projects, to name just a few, wouldn't be possible. The short public survey can be found here, and the deadline for completing it is 22nd March 2018. Thank you for standing up for wildlife! Work to start on restoring stream for wildlife London Wildlife Trust has been awarded £100,000 to help uncover a culverted stream at Oak Hill Wood in Barnet, thanks to a new fund set up by Mayor of London Sadiq Khan. The Trust will work with the Environment Agency to restore a 200m section of stream that feeds into Pymmes Brook in Barnet, helping reduce flood risk and provide new wetland habitats. By opening up a culvert and creating a new ditch line, we can greatly improve water quality.  Work gets underway this spring and is due to finish by the end of the year. There will be volunteering opportunities if you'd like to help shape the project. Read more here. Members' only event: The role of rain gardens in London's adaption to climate change What makes a rain garden different to a pond? How can these special gardens make London better adapted to climate change? How are they linked to the ‘lost’ River Effra? And how can you go about creating your own? Become a member today and join us at an inspiring members' only evening on Thursday 8th March to learn all about rain gardnes with London Wildlife Trust's Community Sustainable Drainage Systems officer Rachel Dowse. There'll be a chance to make your own mini rain garden for your windowsill! Book your space today. Can you help us inspire young people? Are you aged 16-25? Share your thoughts about messages for young audiences. As we shape our new Keeping It Wild project, aiming to enthuse more young people about the wildlife that lives around us, we'd love to hear your thoughts about how to encourage teenagers and young adults to take an interest in London’s wildlife and conservation. At this 'ideas lab' session on Saturday 3rd March at Camley Street Natural Park in King's Cross, all participants will be given a £10 gift voucher and free pizza! Sign up here. Exhibition: Author Robert Macfarlane's words and Jackie Morris’s watercolours celebrate the wildlife names fading from use. Now on at the Foundling Museum. Live music: Introducing Sunset Sounds, our new acoustic music programme at the Coal House Café. Find out more and book tickets here. Volunteer: Could you help monitor the health of the River Cray? Join us for this free riverfly training session in Bexley on Friday 23rd March. Sign up here. Wildlife events coming up in March In March we're hosting wild weekends, hedgehog discovery days and aquatic invertebrate workshops. Visit our website for our full list of upcoming walks, talks and other events. Image credits: Val Borrell, Paula Trovalusci, Jo Wheeler, Tomosv Brangwyn, Hounslow & Twickenham Woodcraft Folk, Ian Alexander