Links on Wanstead bird deaths

Jonathan Lethbridge’s Monday update at Wanstead Birder:

“Wanstead is still grabbing the news for all the wrong reasons. My patch has become a crime scene, and is also described as an East London Beauty Spot. Hmmmm… No more birds have died since Saturday. That unfortunate Pigeon on the ITN broadcast was the last one.”

Reports also at London Tonight (in video), BBC London news (text) and the London Evening Standard (text).

More poisoned birds die in Wanstead

Jonathan Lethbridge, of the Wanstead Birder blog, today reports that more birds have been found dead on Wanstead Flats after a suspected poisoning. He writes that he now has more accurate numbers of deaths – 79, rather than the 100 he thought yesterday.

[T]hat is still an awful lot. The majority are Crows… I spotted another dead bird in the water… and then commented to the others present that one of the Pigeons didn’t look at all well. This proved to be correct, and within a few minutes it was flapping its last on the bank, whilst a group of male Pigeons thoughtfully mated with it as it lay there helpless. The [ITN] film crew were there to capture its final moments… Actually seeing a Pigeon croaking is probably very pleasing to many Londoners…

Wanstead news roundup, 12.03.10; Brothel owner sentence cut, birds dying, and new houses

Atchara Nualpenyai who ran a brothel above Chicken Spot in Wanstead High St, in which she made Thai women – who had been trafficked to the UK – work off massive debts to her, and who was sentenced to six-and-a-half years in prison last year has had her sentence cut to five years by the Court of Appeal.

Birds have been dying on Wanstead Flats – and poisoning is suspected. More here.

A house between two other houses? An application has been made to build a new house between two other houses in Onslow Gardens on Wanstead’s Nightingale Estate in place of the existing two adjoining garages. If it’s approved, could it open the floodgates to any number of new houses being shoehorned in the gaps between Wanstead homes? The Wanstead Guardian has a picture and quotes from worried neighbours.

London Datastore, a group which aims to make as much public data free and usuable by the public, says it’s had an “amazing” meeting with Redbridge Council at which the council said they were ready to share lots of their data.

Harry Cohen, outgoing MP for Leyton and Wanstead, is being investigated by police over his expenses. Coverage here in the The Guardian, Daily Telegraph, and Daily Mail.

The Wanstead Guardian also ran a story on Wansteadium’s spotting of mistletoe in Charnwood Drive.

Bird poisoning in Wanstead

Jonathan Lethbridge, a faithful Wanstead birdwatcher and blogger, was among those who discovered a spate of dead birds this week at Alexandra Lake on Wanstead flats. The authorities are now investigating, especially after an Alsation dog died too. Jonathan wrote;

It is a deliberate case of bird-poisoning, and the eight Crows I found were just the start. They have been falling out of the trees almost constantly since Tuesday. I don’t have the exact figures yet, but so far the deaths include over 100 Crows, many Canada Geese, Coots, and particularly Moorhens, 2 Greylags, and some Pigeons.

The Wanstead Guardian is reporting that post mortems are being carried out on the bodies, and that staff from Natural England are testing the lake. The City of London corporation – which owns the lake – told the paper:

“There have been unexplained bird deaths on and around Alexandra Lake and we have also received details of the death of a dog that was taken for a walk in the area of the Lake on 8th March. The area has been cordoned off and warning signs have been erected.”