Main picture: The Marbled White Butterfly is now in flight in large numbers in Richmond Park
Photograph: Nigel Jackman
Litter picking the Beverley Brook
Photograph: Stephen Russell
The Friends Beverley Brook litter picking team were in operation last Friday at the deer gate by Robin Hood Gate. They collected 100 bottles and cans and, for the first time, a garden parasol. They inferred that someone must have had a bad day on the adjacent golf course as they picked up the head of a driver. Shaft not found! Four bags of litter were collected.
A pecking order amongst our gulls and terns
Delightful Common Terns bred in small numbers at Upper Pen Pond in most years from 2011 onwards. From 2018 life became much harder for them as Black-headed Gulls bred in the Park for the first time, competing for space on the tern rafts now removed and on the island. The gulls seemingly increased in number each year until, unexpectedly, this season was all change again when a pair of Herring Gulls nested on the island. Bigger and more aggressive they succeeded in discouraging a single tern or other gull from nesting there. A red-listed species they hatched two chicks, another first for the Park, but the chicks did not survive and their parents departed soon after. The presence of the Herring Gulls was probably the deciding factor in the departure of the other species, although the supply of food in Upper Pen Pond would have been depleted when fish were removed during last year’s drainage. It will be interesting to see what happens in 2026.
Richmond Park Bus named as one of Britain’s Top 10 Quirky Bus Routes
The Bus and Train User website has placed Richmond Park’s bus at Number 6 in its Top 10 quirky bus routes. To learn more about the bus journey read the website.
Britain’s Top 10 Quirky Bus Routes: 6 Royal Parks RP1 – BusAndTrainUser
Bus route and map: Free minibus service in Richmond Park | The Royal Parks
Richmond Park named as most popular park in the UK
Richmond Park has been named as the most popular park in the UK. This is based on the average park rating on Tripadviser, Google searches and the number of Instagram and TikTok posts.