Woodlarks and Waders: Crane Valley Partnership Projects

Woodlarks and Waders is a volunteer group that works in the waterways across the Borough of Hillingdon. Its aim is to create better habitats for wildlife and plants, through activities such as scrub management, pond creation and maintenance, riverfly monitoring, and litter picking. It is one of the few volunteer groups that works on the Eastern arm of the Yeading Brook river, and some of the volunteers have been involved for over 10 years! Their work has led to a noticeable reduction in the amount of litter found in the areas where they work – although they note that there is always some litter to be picked.

Woodlarks and Waders received two grants from the 2024/25 Crane Valley Community Fund. The first was used to purchase new tools, including waders for work in rivers, extendible rakes, loppers, and refreshments to reward their hard work. The new waders, which the volunteers found to be of high quality, allow for better mobility when working in rivers. I got to see the new waders in action and was impressed by the speed at which the volunteers cleared a large blockage in the river caused by a fallen branch, whilst remaining undeterred by the wind and rain. It was lovely to see such a dedicated team of volunteers!

The second grant was used to purchase equipment for monitoring wildlife activity, including bat detectors, a camera trap and a torch for newt and bat surveys. Whilst the group had conducted surveys in the past, the updated equipment allows for better data collection. The camera trap especially will allow them to monitor the changes in biodiversity before and after the contractor work at Spider Park, Ruislip, where a natural meander is being reintroduced in the Yeading Brook. You can find out more about this project here: New year start for Spider Park river restoration project – Hillingdon Council. Additionally, the camera trap also supports Waterlife Recovery Trust’s mink trap project and ZSL’s water vole reintroduction efforts, as any camera sightings of mink or water voles will be reported to these organisations. They also hope to use this new equipment to run newt surveys and bat walks.

The group found the application process to the Crane Valley Community Fund straightforward. Whilst they commented that the application process, once accepted, required a lot of diligence on specifics, they found that communication from the Crane Valley Partnership was helpful and prompt. For their second grant, the group struggled with managing the costs of equipment, as prices had risen after their application was submitted. As a result, they ended up purchasing only Magenta 4 bat detectors, rather than a mix of Magenta 4 and 5 detectors, since they were cheaper. They also found a camera trap on sale which brought the costs down.

If you would like to learn more about Woodlarks and Waders, or are interested in joining the group, please email dknezevic@hillingdon.gov.uk.

There were huge amounts of frog spawn in the pond, indicating a thriving ecosystem. (based on site visit 19/03/2024)

Volunteers cleared a pond of excesses algae using the new extendible rakes (based on site visit 19/03/2024).

Volunteers clearing a large blockage in the river due to a fallen tree branch, in their new waders. (based on site visit 19/03/2024)