Mabaker

Encouraging news for a change Nigello. Let's hope they survive.

Ditching pets comment was strange, I didn't want anyone thinking I wrote that. My two toms would be most offended!

Just to be clear it wasn't me who wrote any of that post after "to do list". I absolutely agree that it's governments which must take the lead.

One good thing is that XR once again has us all debating climate change. What has XR ever done to offer solutions you may ask, but highlighting the problems, like all governments' failure to cut fossil fuels, and calling for quicker action on renewables is one example. I'm sure that XR has been successful in nudging the Government in the right direction, although it is still going far too slowly. The fuel poverty crisis we are going through now is made worse by the Government's end to its insulation program, which just shows how timely and relevant Insulate Britain's campaign has been. I do believe we can all do something to help. Little changes made by us do have an impact. We can reduce meat consumption, plant trees or hedges and pull up the concrete if we are lucky enough to have a garden. For those of us with more cash resources, fit solar panels, buy an electric car if you need one. For those of us without the resources, governments have a huge role to play. Invest in good public transport infrastructure so that we dont need to drive so much. Invest in a program of insulation for social housing. Lets all think about how we can help..

Well Rockets, guess you didn't agree with the suffragettes then. If it wasn't for groups like XR and all those pressure groups that went before,the problems of climate change would be well down Government's "to do" list.

Agree with everything Sue says. For some people XR will never be seen to do the right thing. If they have camped without permission, they fall foul of the "rules are rules" camp. If in deed they did get permission from the Council, some people are still complaining about that. And what's all this nonsense about tyre slashing? I'm sure people's nearby cars will be quite safe.

I find it quite depressing to read such hostility about a group of people who are standing up for you and your children and grandchildren against the horrors of climate change and habitat distruction.We have just a few short years to turn this around and yet some contributers seem to be more bothered about possible minor disruptions in the park. You shouldn't assume that they will leave a mess for the Council to clear up or have a negative impact on the park. Instead of condemning them out of hand why not go down there and actually talk to them and listen to their point of view. You might actually come away with a different opinion of them.

Bus services in our part of London are inferior to other parts of London, which I've never understood. If anything, it should be better due to no tube service. Is it because the decision makers live north of the river?

Sparrows seem to me to be quite picky about where they hang out. I've noticed a gathering of sparrows at the bottom end of Friern Rd.

Good job Alice. Have you got email address? I can contact them too

The Council lists the reserve as being under management if Dawson's Hill Trust but that website appears to be dormant. Actually there are a couple of signs there. I'll check that for information.

Not emptied along Donkey Alley either, although that's nothing new!

Every time I walk through the top path along Dawson's Heights I've noticed that there are fewer bramble bushes. Some have been cut down but some hedges have been taken out completely. As the blackberry hedges provide food and shelter for wild life, I'm finding this hedge cull worrying. Does anyone know what's going on there?

Last night I heard the hooting of an owl from nearby Dawson's Heights. This was quite exciting for me because in all my born days I have never seen or heard an owl in the wild. I'm no expert but looking it up in my bird call app I think it might have been a tawny owl.

Ok. Thanks

I'm having trouble accessing this forum. I'm being blocked out and had to go to historical page to get in. Never had this problem before. Has the login changed?

For anyone interested in recording life events of plants and animals, e.g, first blooms, leaves etc, woodland trust are always looking for recorders for their database. The information is helpful in tracking the changes in seasons. Go to naturescalendar.woodlandtrust.org

Thanks for two posts endorsing my bird as black cap. That's what I'll record

Thanks for the suggestion. I thought it might be a black cap too but then wondered if could be a marsh tit.

So I've just been participating in the Great British Birdwatch and noted down robins, great and blue tits and wood pigeons, but there is one bird which came very briefly to the feeder which I've never seen before. It had a black cap and fawny brown body with no distinctive features apart from the head, about the same size as great tit. Does anyone have any ideas of what it could be? I'm in Donkey Alley and Dawson Heights is at the back.

There has been extensive renovations further down the hill and also one at the bottom of the hill but l have seen skips there so can't imagine that it comes from there. It's a mystery. It wasn't long ago that someone left bags of rubble there and we had to report it. If you look carefully, you can see debris still there from the last lot of flytipping

Truely worrying to see plans are to dig down two floors. Will this not cause subsidence to neighbouring properties and trees?

Thanks for advice. I have reported via 101 who referred my to council so filled in anti social complaint form. Ill see if I get any reply.