Eaglesfield Field Park. Pond Dipping and Pond Maintenance Project on 19th May 2013
Finally, spring (and the sunshine) has arrived and we continue the development and tidy up of the Eaglesfield Park pond area and not forgetting facilitating pond dipping for the younger ones amongst us.
The pond life seems to be flourishing, including newts, frogs, water boatmen, water skaters and dragonflies. Of course, you may also find other interesting creatures that we have not yet been able to identify.
If you have not been to the Eaglesfield Park pond for a while the first thing you will notice is that it has “greened up” well but we need to reduce the invasive “weeds” and grass. We want to give the wildflower seeds that we planted last year a chance to flourish.
By now it is old news that there are up to a dozen ducks that regularly visit the pond. There have also been sightings of bats hunting around the pond.
If you were able to make it last year to some of our tidy up and planting sessions we would like to thank you for your support and hard work in transforming, what was once a forgotten part of Eaglesfield Park, into a beautiful focal point for wildlife and the local community.
Eaglesfield Park Pond Dipping
Pond Dipping is always a great hit with children and adults alike. We are never disappointed as the children (and adults) always manage to pull out creatures of interest from the pond. Of course, it is done so that we do not harm the creatures in any way and they are always put back into the pond at the end of the session. Please watch the short video, which gives you some idea about what pond dipping is all about. Please be patient because the video starts off with some footage of the pond before showing the actual pond dipping activity.
Pond clean up and maintenance at Eaglesfield Park
Today members of Eaglesfield Park and other volunteers met for the first time this year to start the important work of maintaining the meadow around the pond. We were lucky to be guided by one of the members who came equipped with an organised file with pictures and names. We were confident that we would only pull up unwanted weeds and not any of the precious wildflowers we planted last year.
What are we still waiting for?
Here is what a member of the Friends of Eaglesfield Park committee had to say:
“I have lived on Shooters Hill all my life and have been a member of Friends of Eaglesfield Park (FOEP) since it was set up in 2006. I remember the pond as a beauty spot that everyone visited but which over the years became overgrown, a dumping area and eventually a dried up scrub. In fact many people did not realise the pond had ever existed! I do hope you agree with me that the restored wildlife pond and meadow is a wonderful opportunity to study nature in a tranquil setting.”
You may be one of the people who did not realise there was a pond in Eaglesfield Park. Well, that is about to be changed because we are still working with the Royal Borough of Greenwich and the lottery fund to put up signs around the park and pond area. This will include directions from Shooters Hill and Foxcroft as well as information boards advising people what they will find in the park. This will be an exciting phase of the pond project because it means that we will become visible.
Next Eaglesfield Park pond dipping event
Eaglesfield Park Neighbourhood Watch Scheme: 2013 Community Fete
Saturday 15 June 1 pm to 4 pm