Profile avatar
maplelodgersrve.bsky.social
One of Hertfordshire's hidden secrets - a private nature reserve, home to a rich variety of wildlife including waterfowl, woodland birds, bats and butterflies.
33 posts 142 followers 220 following
Prolific Poster

Misbourne Meadow #Denham today A great example of a floodplain doing what floodplains are supposed to do And a demonstration of why they are invaluable. #flooding #ClimateChange

Egyptian Goose tries nest box for size! 😁 Photo by Paul Roberts @colnevalley.bsky.social @colnecan.bsky.social @hnhsoc.bsky.social @hertsbirds.bsky.social @rspb.bsky.social @rspbengland.bsky.social @britishbirds.bsky.social @waterbirdsociety.bsky.social #egyptiangoose #geese #birds

#hertsbirds

Many congratulations to Maple Lodge Conservation Society member, Barry Webb! @colnevalley.bsky.social @colnecan.bsky.social @hnhsoc.bsky.social #fungifriends #fungi #mycology www.facebook.com/groups/18843...

Valentine's Day Elfcups seen in Willow Walk on the reserve🙂 @colnevalley.bsky.social @colnecan.bsky.social @hnhsoc.bsky.social @britishnatureguide.bsky.social @britishecologicalsociety.org #fungifriends #fungi #mycology

A variety of bracket fungi could be seen on our Winter Walk & Talk yesterday - Hairy Curtain Crust (Stereum hirsutum), Turkeytail (Trametes versicolor) and Smoky Bracket (Bjerkandera adusta). @colnevalley.bsky.social @colnecan.bsky.social @hnhsoc.bsky.social #fungifriends #fungi

Our green belt is under attack piece by piece, the local authority is allowing warehousing not housing to be built on brown field sites locally which means more virgin greenbelt will be lost forever.

After being closed for years to facilitate sewerage repairs, the Paddock has now been re-opened! @colnevalley.bsky.social @colnecan.bsky.social @gwksouth.bsky.social @hnhsoc.bsky.social @hertsbirds.bsky.social

Wetlands are vitally important for waterbirds. 🦢 Research involving BTO suggests that the management of protected areas in Europe can aid wintering #waterbirds species in shifting their ranges north as the climate warms. 🌍 Read more ➡️ bit.ly/ResearchWater... #WorldWetlandsDay #Ornithology

Wetlands cover around 6% of the Earth’s land surface & are vital for human health & biodiversity. Yet these unique ecosystems are vanishing 3 times faster than forests. More on #WorldWetlandsDay: bit.ly/3cQYG1E

Heathrow's own depiction of the third runway. You can clearly see how it cuts into the last remaining bits of countryside west of the airport and the Colne Valley Regional Park. colnevalleypark.org.uk/heathrow-exp... #HeathrowExpansion

Ready for Spring! We've cut back the willow on the island opposite Long Hedge Hide and started laying nesting boards for Black-headed Gulls. Hopefully, we'll get terns too! @colnevalley.bsky.social @hnhsoc.bsky.social @hertsbirds.bsky.social @rspbengland.bsky.social @waterbirdsociety.bsky.social

Nature is not a blocker to growth. The UK Chancellor Rachel Reeves has claimed that 'The balance has gone too far in the direction of always protecting every bat and every newt.' But how can this statement be true when the UK is one of the most nature depleted countries in the world?🌍

We believe the Colne Valley Regional Park may well be the most threatened area of Green Belt in the country. Its unique position as a rare survival of 43sq miles of countryside and waterways on the very edge of London make it a valuable potential case study www.colnevalleypark.org.uk/green-belt-w...

Wiltshire? West Berkshire? No, this is Harmondsworth Moor in the Colne Valley Regional Park, and now set to become Heathrow's third runway. How can this be a price worth paying? colnevalleypark.org.uk/heathrow-exp... #HeathrowExpansion

Pair of stonechats, Woodoaks Farm near compost area. 11.40 #hertsbirds

RES has joined Bluesky! We are excited to share fascinating science, news, events & more. To start, we’re featuring the #LargeBlueButterfly 🦋 Our #Conservation Science team recently published ground-breaking findings on the dispersal rates of this #EndangeredSpecies 🔽 https://buff.ly/3Wz5QLU

This map of 1km square species totals has been created by Dean Cornish, using around 10k records submitted to the Herts Bird Club in 2024. Fully interactive version here: dcbirds.github.io/Total-Specie... Featured on the HBC website: www.hnhs.org/herts-bird-c... #hertsbirds

So it seems the Conservative leader and the Labour Government are both in favour of a 3rd runway at Heathrow. This will have a devastating effect on the CVRP and those that live in it.

A beautiful sky at Maple Lodge Nature Reserve, Maple Cross early this morning.

The new Herts Birds feed from @hertsbirds.bsky.social is now up and running. Just add the hashtag #hertsbirds to your post and it should appear on the feed. Please like, pin & repost. 🙏

Big Garden Birdwatch Storm Advice 💨 For for your count, check your local forecast for calmer weather. It looks like Sunday will be the best day for most of us. And above all, stay safe. Good counting, everyone! #BigGardenBirdWatch

The Colne Valley Regional Park and those that live within it will suffer if the government backs plans for Heathrow Expansion. www.colnevalleypark.org.uk/heathrow-exp...

Congratulations to Maple Lodge Conservation Society member, Barry Webb, who won the Fungi & Slime Mould category for the 4th year in a row (!) with his photo of Earpick fungus. www.cupoty.com/winners-6 @bbcspringwatch.bsky.social @colnevalley.bsky.social @hnhsoc.bsky.social #fungi #slimemoulds

There is an ongoing sewage leak along Maple Lodge Close, Maple Cross, Thames Water are in attendance but have been unable to rectify the situation as of yet, right next to Maple Lodge NR 🤦🏻

BREAKING NEWS - for the first time, emergency use of Cruiser SB - which contains the bee-killing neonicotinoid thiamethoxam has NOT been approved! 🐝 #SaveTheBees

Hello to @hertsbirds.bsky.social who have joined Bluesky. Do check out their profile, find out about the upcoming Herts Bird Club Annual Conference and use the hashtag #HertsBirds in your posts.

I photographed this drake Teal earlier today while visiting Maple Lodge NR, follow the ebird link to view my full checklist ebird.org/checklist/S2...

Jan 22. Pynesfield North Lake nr Maple Cross: 1 FERRUGINOUS DUCK, first winter male #hertsbirds

The first Elfcups of the year - Scarlet or Ruby (can only be determined under a microscope). Photo by Neil Shepherd. @colnevalley.bsky.social @hnhsoc.bsky.social @chilternsnature.bsky.social #fungi #nature

Comma Corner used to be a sun trap teeming with insects. It was devastated when sewerage repair work meant the hedge had to be removed. We have just finished planting a new hedge. We must now wait for it to grow! @treesforlife.bsky.social @colnevalley.bsky.social #insects #bees #butterflies

A frosty morning at the reserve. Photo by Stewart Easterbrook. @treesforlife.bsky.social @wetwoodlands.bsky.social @colnevalley.bsky.social @hnhsoc.bsky.social #woodland

Have you ever walked the Colne Valley Trail? It runs through some of the most attractive areas of the Colne Valley Regional Park and provides excellent views of the River Colne, lakes and the Grand Union Canal. #Rickmansworth #Uxbridge #Colnbrook www.colnevalleypark.org.uk/things-to-do...

Red-necked Grebe still at Denham on Harefield No.4 lake at 1.45 p.m. #londonbirds #ukbirds #ukbirding @birdguides.bsky.social @rarebirder.bsky.social @ldnwildlifetrust.bsky.social

An evening visit to Woodoaks Farm, Maple Cross provided interesting views of a copulating pair of Red Fox at the market garden area, hopefully we will see cubs in the coming months. @colnevalley.bsky.social

Some short-eared owls are over-wintering near me so I thought it would be rude not to pay them a visit. Light wasn't the best but owls always bring a smile to peoples faces. #birds #ukbirding #owls

We have six objectives: • To maintain and enhance the landscape • To safeguard the countryside • To conserve and enhance bio-diversity • To provide opportunities for countryside recreation • To achieve a vibrant and sustainable rural economy www.colnevalleypark.org.uk/whats-special/

Would you like to go on a wildlife walk organised by @Hillingdon in #Ruislip Woods at 10am on Monday 20th January? Visit the Woodland Centre after and see the interactive displays. More details here... #RuislipLido #GetOutside #GoodCompany #exercise

Only 11 British chalk streams have any legal protections, and they often fall short! @SarahGreenLD's bill would deliver proper protections for our rarest river habitats. The 2nd reading is this Friday (17/01), is your MP going? Tag them below #SaveOurChalkStreams @bbowt.bsky.social 📷 M Bailey

If you are a local group collecting #litter in & around aquatic environments, please contact [email protected] & get what you pick recycled. Let's get the tonnes of plastic collected around our waterways sent to #recycling Not landfill nor incineration www.colnecan.org.uk/index.php/th...

@maplelodgersrve.bsky.social - a very quick visit this freezing afternoon produced very few birds. 3 Stock Doves seen up close always nice.

Many in the environmental movement are leaving X. Where are they going instead? By me, for the @theecologist.bsky.social. @katharinehayhoe.com @markavery.bsky.social @bsky.app @georgemonbiot.bsky.social theecologist.org/2025/jan/07/...

Grey Squirrel @maplelodgersrve.bsky.social #squirrel #rodent #mammal

We have submitted evidence to the Environmental Audit Committee calling for #government to properly value what the countryside on the edge of cities can offer for people; so that if building in the #GreenBelt does happen, it improves what remains www.colnevalleypark.org.uk/wp-content/u...

I'm signed up to count two local gull roosts. Can you help count a local Gull roost?

Christmas time at the reserve 😉

🦊 NEW ANIMATION 🦊 Time to end the Boxing Day hunts and ban ‘trail hunting’ for good! REPOST if you agree! 🎤 @chrisgpackham.bsky.social @benjaminfallow.bsky.social

Duelling Red Kites. Photo by Steve Beasant. #birds #birdsofprey #redkites