London Wetland Centre

Polar explorer Robert Falcon Scott wrote to his wife about their only child — who he of course did not get to see grow up — “make the boy interested in natural history if you can; it is better than games.” This is a statue of that child grown up, Peter Markham Scott (1909-1989), naturalist, ornithologist, campaigner, who founded the precursor organization of the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust, which runs the very impressive London Wetland Centre, close to the heart of London at the site of the old Barn Elms Water Works.

I met Mark Wilkinson of The Badger’s Eye here a couple of weeks ago and we had a very enjoyable morning touring the grounds and spying through the hides.One of the hides was three stories high, and had an elevator. This is partially what I mean by most impressive; the facilities were awe-inspiring.Black-headed gull above, Lapwing below.Mark, who I only knew through the internet before this, proved to be a delight. At a loss for knowing most of the species of birds, I found him to be a perfect guide to the day’s sightings. Indeed, his badger’s eye picked out a rare Water Vole (Arvicola amphibius) dog-paddling (?) swiftly for the reeds. A species much reduced by imported American Mink gone feral, these Muskrat-sized mammals inspired Kenneth Grahame’s debonaire Ratty. The water-sleek critter was too quick for either of our cameras.An artificial Sand Martin (Riparia riparia) nest bank, complete with CCTV (of which London is positively saturated). Sand Martins, like our Bank Swallows, depend on often ephemeral sandy banks to dig their nests in. The cam in one of the nests looked upon a tunnel that seemed abandoned until an adult bird shot in, then the young ones exploded into view, vying for the yummy insects provided by the parent.A few head of cattle were grazing, helping to keep the meadows in order.The bat house.Egyptian Goose, introduced as ornamental wildfowl and gone feral.An easy Tube ride to Hammersmith, then hop on a bus that goes right to the centre.