I have recently found myself a small amount of paid employment (hooray!), and it all involves working with children in an amazing environment (hurrah!): the London Wetland Centre. I know I’ve raved about this gorgeous urban oasis in the past, but I’ve discovered more and more to love about the Centre in the last few months, so there’ll be plenty to share. I started volunteering for the education team some months ago, helping out with and leading such activities as pond dipping, story-telling, arts and crafts, and themed walks around the grounds. I’ve had close encounters with all sorts of beasts, ranging from gammarid shrimp and three-spined sticklebacks to slow worms, viviparous lizards, and water voles, not to mention the children! A few photographic highlights of my work follow:
Marsh frog
Pelophylax ridibundus (Pallas, 1771)
Ranidae; Anura; Amphibia; Chordata
Wild at London Wetland Centre
May 2011
Northern water vole
Arvicola amphibius (Linnaeus, 1758)
Cricetidae; Rodentia; Mammalia; Chordata
Wild at London Wetland Centre
June 2011
Early marsh orchids
Dactylorhiza incarnata (L.) Soo
Orchidaceae; Asparagales; Liliopsida; Angiospermae
London Wetland Centre
June 2011
Female tufted duck with ducklings
Aythya fuligula (Linnaeus, 1758)
Anatidae; Anseriformes; Aves; Chordata
Wild at London Wetland Centre
June 2011
Slow worm
Anguis fragilis Linnaeus, 1758
Anguidae; Squamata; Sauropsida; Chordata
Wild at London Wetland Centre
June 2011
Gravid female viviparous lizard
Zootoca vivipara (Von Jacquin, 1787)
Lacertidae; Squamata; Sauropsida; Chordata
Wild at London Wetland Centre
June 2011
Blue-winged goose
Cyanochen cyanopterus (Rüppell, 1845)
Anatidae; Anseriformes; Aves; Chordata
London Wetland Centre
July 2011
Female mallard (with mallard duckling and adopted tufted ducks)
Anas platyrhynchos Linnaeus, 1758 (tufted duck: see above)
Anatidae; Anseriformes; Aves; Chordata
Wild at London Wetland Centre
July 2011
Highland cattle with a West London backdrop
Bos taurus Linnaeus, 1758
Bovidae; Cetartiodactyla; Mammalia; Chordata
London Wetland Centre
July 2011
The prominent purple flowers belong to purple loosestrife, Lythrum salicaria L.; Lythraceae; Myrtales; Magnoliopsida; Angiospermae.
White-faced whistling-duck ducklings
Dendrocygna viduata (Linnaeus, 1766)
Dendrocygnidae; Anseriformes; Aves; Chordata
London Wetland Centre
August 2011
Dead grass snake
Natrix natrix (Linnaeus, 1758)
Colubridae; Squamata; Sauropsida; Chordata
London Wetland Centre
August 2011
I’m currently working on preserving the specimen of this skeleton.
Chinese mitten crab
Eriocheir sinensis Milne-Edwards, 1853
Varunidae; Decapoda; Malacostraca; Arthropoda
Wild at London Wetland Centre
September 2011
This animal was found by a volunteer on the path early in the morning. It was likely caught by a heron or other bird and dropped. It was still alive, although only just, by 9 a.m., when I photographed it. Its fate was decided by the grounds team, that it should be humanely dispatched. Chinese mitten crabs are, as their name suggests, not native to the UK and are classed as an invasive species. This means that live individuals may not legally be introduced to a wild setting, and applies to other species such as grey squirrels and rose-ringed parakeets.
My current work at the Centre is mostly centred around the events planned for the upcoming autumn half-term. The Yuk! Show will run daily throughout the half term, inviting children to discover the gory and revolting side of nature. I’ve spent some of my work days doing things I’d never thought I’d do: creating and painting replica droppings and bones, and painting a giant papier-mâché owl pellet (for those who don’t know, this is the regurgitated mass of fur, feathers, and bones chucked up by birds such as owls). I have high hopes for the Yuk! Show and I hope it’s worth all the effort me and my colleagues have put into it!
For more information on upcoming events at the London Wetland Centre, please visit the website here.
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