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My
journey to work takes me directly over Wimbledon Common and Richmond Park,
either by bicycle or on foot, and what a joy that early morning trip has
been during the summer and autumn. In September and October it has been
particularly enlivened by the rutting season, with roaring red deer stags at
close proximity adding a certain frisson to what has become my
habitual 7.00 am stroll.
Richmond
offers an amazing spectrum of flora and fauna which testifies to its long
history as a haven for nature. It was Charles I who first enclosed the 1000
hectares of parkland inside its eight mile wall in 1637, when he moved his
court to Richmond Palace to escape the plague in London. True to form, this
unfortunate monarch managed to excite the fury of the local population –
landowners, claiming grazing rights, had to be compensated for the loss of
their common land, and the centuries’ old right of ordinary people to access
the park had to be restored.
Charles introduced 2000 deer and the park remains home to 300 red and 350
fallow deer. The contrast between the majestic dominant red breed and the
delightful bambi-like charm of their fallow cousins could hardly be
greater. The deer are a crucial lynch pin in the ecology of the park. It
is a common sight to see a couple of jackdaws standing on the back of a
mighty Royal stag feeding on the parasites deep in his hide, unfazed by the
great six-pointed antlers only inches away. Of the many species of beetle
recorded in the park, one is a specialist which lives only on deer dung.
The
management of Richmond has created a marvellous natural resource on our
doorstep. There must be few places where, within a relatively small space,
grassland, wildflower meadow, ponds and wetlands, planned gardens and
woodland sit in such close proximity and combine to create a natural habitat
of such diversity. The variety of trees encompasses everything from the
naturally occurring birch to exotic varieties introduced by 19th
century collectors to a huge assortment of old English oaks, about 1200 of
them significantly older than the enclosed park and some dating back 1000
years or more.
These trees, both living and dead, provide a habitat for a uniquely diverse
wildlife population. Over 1000 species of beetle are recorded in the park,
including the nationally endangered stag beetle, which, at up to 7cm in
length can look fierce, but isn’t. In their turn, they contribute to the
ecology by breaking down old wood and restoring important nutrients to the
soil. The ancient trees host a large array of fungi which sustains not only
ants and other insects but also bats, of which no fewer than nine species
can be found here.
Insects and invertebrates abound, and include over 100 species of spider and
a similar number of different bees and wasps, although most of the latter
are too small to be easily seen. Over 500 species of butterflies and moths
have been recorded, of which about 20 are under threat of extinction. Of
these, one species occurs only in Richmond Park and Wimbledon Common.
Insects, invertebrates and other usually invisible life forms down to the
humble slug provide sustenance for the range of larger and arguably more
exciting animals, like frogs and toads, weasels and stoats, and a wide range
of rodents, including the once fast disappearing water vole. And, of
course, the bird life is exciting, varied and prolific.
About 150 bird species have been recorded here in the last 10 years, of
which no fewer than 63 breed in the park. Among them are greater and lesser
spotted woodpeckers, and green woodpeckers which are found in particular
abundance – you will see several of them on almost any visit to the park.
Most walkers are responsible and pay attention to the signs telling them to
stay away from designated areas; one result of this has been that ground
nesting birds have re-established themselves, particularly in the grasslands
around the Pen Ponds, where the once rare skylark is nesting again.
Around the Pen Ponds, the two great man-made fishing lakes created in 1746,
there is a huge variety of water fowl, of which mute swans, moorhen, coot,
and Canada geese together with various native duck species are the most
obvious, but the ponds are also home to great crested grebe and such
interesting winter visitors as goldeneye and other tree nesting ducks. And
the water fowl in the duck pond in the Isabella Plantation is second to
none.
I
recommend the early morning in Richmond Park to anyone as a place to observe
the changing seasons – roll on the winter when there will be yet another set
of wild visitors to watch!
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