BRICKFIELDS MEADOW DOORSTOP GREEN

[davidb]

A tip out yesterday to Brickfields Meadow Doorstop Green situated in a corner between Tennison Road and Davidson Road in Croydon.

There wasn't much wild life. I saw two birds on the lake, a number of dragonflies and other insects. If any of them have come out I'll post them here later.

This is a panoramic view of the former quarry. It was stitched together in Lightroom but I cancelled the auto-crop so you'll see some white bits around the image.

[davidb]

Three more images:

[Mike Farley]

Croydon has a surprising amount of open space, around 8% of its total area is a figure I once heard but cannot verify. Certainly I was unaware of Broadlands Meadow, so thanks for bringing it to our attention. It looks like an interesting place to visit.

While searching to see how much green space exists in Croydon, I came across this map which can be viewed via the link below:

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q ... nOCVYEvV5l

[Peter Boughton]

That's a nice visualisation, though it'd be better without the golf courses. Also a shame it cuts off at the borough boundaries instead of including the nearby parts of Sutton/Bromley/Tandridge.

A direct link to the PDF version of the map is http://www.accs-croydon.co.uk/download/ ... 25/map.pdf (Also, there's a JPG version here.)

[Iggy]

On Tuesday afternoon, I popped over to Mitcham park near the large ponds.
With all the thistles and other flowering plants gone to seed, the butterflies have largely disappeared too. Just a few yellow flowers about with very few brown butterflies.
Here the dragon flies seem to prefer resting on the ground rather than the surrounding reeds which I prefer for photography.
Some men were rod fishing in the large ponds. Some birds on the water.
Sunny afternoon with some clouds.
Gave up after 20 minutes and went home.

[davidb]

It's Mitcham Common!

[Mike Farley]

That's a nice visualisation, though it'd be better without the golf courses. Also a shame it cuts off at the borough boundaries instead of including the nearby parts of Sutton/Bromley/Tandridge.

It worked well in the context of showing how much open space there is in the borough, which was the point I was making. There are even a number of SSSI locations within the boundary. Which all goes to show that there is more to the borough than the common perception. I expect that there are other options available which cover wider areas. As you mention, Croydon also seems to be well catered for when it comes to golf. I can think of at least half a dozen courses within a couple of miles radius of where I live. Not that I have any enthusiasm for the game, but they do count as open spaces.

Thanks also for adding the direct link which does not go through Google. I was aware of that when I posted but at the time had more pressing concerns. Primarily getting back to sleep.

[davidb]

You might also be interested in this link to LB of Croydon's A to Z of parks

https://www.croydon.gov.uk/leisure/park ... /parksatoz

[Mike Farley]

You might also be interested in this link to LB of Croydon's A to Z of parks

https://www.croydon.gov.uk/leisure/park ... /parksatoz

Thanks, that is useful. I discovered that Croydon also has a scheduled ancient monument, a bronze age barrow (allegedly) at the top of Croham Hurst. Why allegedly? One of the country's top archaeologists tells me that there is some doubt as to whether there was ever a barrow there, although there is evidence of longstanding human activity. For example, a partial bronze age axe head was discovered there many years ago.

As I say, there is more to Croydon than people realise and the area has a long history.

[Steve B]

On Sunday I went to Beddington Farmlands, which is accessible from Hackbridge Station, Beddington Park and Beddington Lane tram.

This is a new nature reserve intended to rival the Lee Valley Regional Park once completed in 2023. It is part of a controversial deal with Viridor who run the adjacent incinerator. Anyway, they have recently erected three bird hides with more to follow. There are no seats, they are basic metal constructions with a slit at eye height (for the average adult) with plenty of room for a camera. I had an excellent close up view of a heron and generally this looks like a promising location for the future on our doorstep.

More details at www.bnfr.org.uk including regular sighting updates, which suggest a good range of birds if you know where to look and when to go.