Jetties help declining species in London

Over the past two winters, a team of 10 volunteer birdwatchers have been synchronising their watches, donning their winter clothing, and heading out to their designated jetty to count all the roosting wading birds from east London down to Thurrock in Essex. London Wildlife Trust is impressed with the results. On one day in December 2010, 588 Black-tailed Godwits and 415 Lapwings — both UK Priority bird species — were observed using five of the 12 known jetties in the area. Coordinator Dave Morrison said "It's really exciting that these threatened birds are now seen so far up the Thames as London; it shows the importance of the Inner Thames. They are taking advantage from feeding on the exposed mudflats at low tide in the winter months, and then rely on these jetties as roosts to wait out the high tide until they are able to forage again."

Lapwing (Photo: Mustafa Sozen)

As vacant land has become scarcer in east London, wading birds have begun to use redundant riverine structures such as jetties, which provide a safe predator-free refuge. In November 2011, the Environment Agency kindly commissioned a boat trip so Dave Morrison and Paul Hawkins could conduct a thorough survey of the all the structures from the best vantage point, the middle of the Thames itself. The trip proved fruitful as a further three roosts were identified that were unknown beforehand. London Wildlife Trust are now looking to work alongside Dave and other stakeholders to understand further the importance of these structures and to help safeguard key jetties against decommissioning or disturbance. London Wildlife Trust's Conservation Officer for Barking Riverside, Francesca Barker, said "It will be great if we can work with the respective landowners to help highlight the importance of the jetties to London's wading bird population, and then safeguard them as a bird refuge. Barking Riverside Ltd, one of the key landowners, has already agreed to hand over their jetty for roosting and nesting birds, which will help secure the adjacent mudflats as a well-used resource for the benefit of wildlife and people."