The park is home to diverse species, which live in its grasslands, woodlands and lake. 

​

The 'lake' is an old Victorian reservoir and the largest water body in Croydon. It attracts a lot of insects and therefore a lot of bats. Four species are regularly recorded: common and soprano pipistrelles, daubentons and noctules. We organise public bat walks around the lake in late summer, using bat detectors to identify species by their echolocation calls.

​

The park is also a hot spot for birds. Local birders identify more than 30 species each month, including raptors. Waterfowl can be seen on the lake throughout the year, some resident and others just temporary visitors. The birds include many varieties of ducks and geese together with great crested grebes, coots, moorhens and gulls. In the summer, migratory swifts and swallows swoop overhead for insects.

​

Our volunteering work aims to support the park’s diverse wildlife. For example, we reduce areas of bramble in the woodland to help create marginal habitats for butterflies and small mammals. We create log piles and dead hedges for insects and we have planted fruit trees, hedges and wildflower meadows. We also work with the council to reduce grass cutting in certain areas of the park in order to support more biodiversity. 

We are hoping to carry out more insect and butterfly surveys this year. If you’d like to get involved or share your wildlife monitoring experience with us, please get in touch.