Richmond Park National Nature Reserve

London Europe's biggest busiest city at night buildings and streets are lit up for workers and revelers and yet there is one place that offers some sanctuary from the bustle and bright lights which when park until morning it's the darkest and quietest place in the capital this magical space provides peace and tranquility for millions of Londoners but it's also a home to thousands of wildlife species [Music] Richmond Park is the largest of London's Royal Parks but more than that it's a national nature reserve place to walk to contemplate and enjoy the natural world I've lived beside it for over 60 years and it's been an inspiration to me Richmond parks proximity to London has become its greatest challenge - just one of over five and a half million people who visit the park annually a number which is growing rapidly it means there is more and more pressure on the parks fabric and wildlife by understanding the rich nature and wildlife of the parks we can all help to protect it and keep it a very special place Richmond Park has many woods and spinners and visitors come to enjoy them and see the ancient trees the park has over 1,400 ancient or veteran trees mostly Oaks up to 800 years old this magnificent old oak tree was already centuries old when King Charles the first established the area we now know as Richmond Park as his hunting park in the first half of the 17th century oak trees like that like the park itself are home to hundreds of different species of animals and plants the old of the tree the greater the range of wildlife living there and in springtime the trees are filled with activity birds mammals insects and fungi lichen and spiders can all be found in and around Richmond's great trees [Music] the descendants of king charles's deer herd are still here centuries later today 600 red and fallow deer roam free in the park they have a profound impact on the whole of the parks ecology including the oak trees the deer we chop to eat the leaves on low-hanging branches of the Oaks giving them the characteristic Browse line about 6 feet above the ground in early summer a new generation of young deer arrives they take their first steps within 20 minutes of being born and will stay in hiding for the first weeks of life though they have no natural predators within the park the mothers see humans and especially dogs as a threat to their young dogs off leads may attack and even kill young deer so it's not surprising that their mothers can react very aggressively oak and other trees give food to the foraging gear and are also vital to hundreds of other species that depend on them and live amongst [Music] but the importance of the Oaks doesn't stop when the tree dies or branches are drop decaying wood is a fundamental habitat and a source of food for many small animals especially beetles the biggest beetle in the park is this wonderful creature a stag beetle in fact the park is one of the most important breeding sites for these magnificent creatures and the reason for that at least in part is the amount of dead wood that's allowed to accumulate on the ground the beetle larvae live in the rotting wood spending up to six years eating it and growing as large as possible when the adult beetles emerge from the Deadwood in late spring they will only live for a few weeks but their short lives will nonetheless be dramatic they're also known as oak ox and horse pinchers and it's easy to see why the male's enormous horns they use them for battling other males the gained access to females much as male deer use their answers after mating the females lay their eggs in the rotting wood carrying on the cycle because fallen Ward is home to stack beetles and many other small creatures it's very important that it shouldn't be removed or interfered with much better to allow it to lie where it is beetles and other insects provide food for many birds and over 50 species of birds nest in the park one of the most familiar and best-loved is the green woodpecker green woodpeckers raise up to seven chicks and the parents need to forage all day to find enough to eat for all the family unlike other woodpeckers greens only occasion they Peck trees in search of food they usually feed on the ground and are specialists in one particular insect that is abundant in the park yellow meadow ants each woodpecker can eat around 2,000 ants every day more if they have a large brood of young to feed these ants build distinctive mounds in the open grassland to cover their nests and absorb heat from the Sun which helps to incubate the developing eggs underground the mounds are delicate and easily damaged by people stepping or jumping on them the ant mounds are part of the park sensitive and legally protected acid grasslands which thrive on the parks poor soil in summer the grasslands are a wonderful sight with the profusion of colorful wildflowers and thousands of busy flying insects many of the wildflowers have lovely traditional names such as hair Bell also known as ladies temple or witches bells sheep sorrel and yellow torment o the root of which is used as a dye and in Hermel remedies they are an important source of nectar for hundreds of species of invertebrates including grasshoppers bumblebees honey and burrowing bees and many moths and butterflies surprisingly one of the biggest threats to the park's acid glass land is some dog feces hyper rich in nutrients and very damaging to the gaarsland another threat to the grasslands is Bracken which left alone can take over and destroy the grasslands fragile ecology the traditional way of controlling it is by rolling or crushing as a Richmond Park that means using these wonderful shower horses at the height of summer the park is alive with breeding birds which make use of the glut of insects to feed their young families of reed bunting and stone chat nest and feed and the bracken around the park between March and August the parks grasslands also host one of London's few remaining populations of skylarks Skylark numbers have fallen substantially in the last 20 years partly because they nests on the ground and are easily disturbed by people and particularly dogs of Leeds if their decline continues sadly their wonderful song may soon disappear from the park some birds are found in the park year round while others are seasonal visitors while some birds have fallen in numbers others have recently arrived and are not always welcome in particular the ring-necked parakeets originally from India this invasive bird believed to have been accidentally released into the wild in the 1950s can be seen and heard all over Richmond Park their cause drown out many native birds away nest in tree holes competing with woodpeckers not hatches and other birds the impacts of these invasive species on native wildlife is a problem as seen around the world when people leave the park and the gates are closed at the end of the day the path becomes especially important for nocturnal creatures that's emerged to forage on insect by moon the park is an exceptional site for bats and it's home to over half of the UK species including Pipistrel brown long-eared and the rare and wonderfully named matter is bat [Music] most bats require darkness no brighter than the full room and bats that hunt using echolocation need a quiet environment to be able to listen out for their train with increasing urbanization and development near the park light pollution and noise are growing problems for nocturnal wildlife what's toads bats and owls are all badly affected by increases in artificial lighting and noise at night the trick to all of the tawny owl may be hurt in the part but it's rarely seen in contrast the charismatic little owl is often seen foraging at dusk little our chicks hats in the early summer and after a few weeks they were believing the nests to explore the surroundings but are still reliant on their parents to bring them food unlike most owls the clouds are also seen in the daytime and as dawn breaks in summer there are hungry mouths to feed foraging goes on well after the parks gates reopen in the morning crucial to the park success as a haven for wildlife is water without water there can be no life an oak tree consumes about 200 gallons of it a day gear comes to the ponds to drink and relax [Music] [Music] there are about 30 bodies of standing water within the park as well as reedbeds and a flowing book [Music] we beds allow protection for waterfowl to safely rear chicks a pair of great crested Greaves will often be seen raising their brood in the early summer months and a healthy pond means a good supply of food for the chicks a lot of work needs to be carried out to keep the parks water sources healthy and thriving devily brook an ancient name which means originally beavers meadow runs through the park for two miles over the years it was straightened for drainage which destroyed wildlife habitats and made the brook almost sterile now experts and volunteers are helping to return the brook to a more natural winding shape planting trees and water plants and putting in temporary fencing to stop deer grazing the rivers vegetation this will encourage fish and other aquatic life attracting feeding kingfishers herons and wading birds [Music] the deer grow new answers every year and in autumn the male's come together for the annual rut the biggest and strongest compete for the right to mate with the parks females it's astonishing to see one of the UK's greatest natural spectacles so close to the centre of its capital but so many people want to watch or photograph the rut that it disturbs the deer sometimes rotting deer can attack people dogs that get too close especially when dogs are running off leaves autumn brings a wonderful rush of color to the trees of the park and the natural harvest of acorns sweet chestnuts and beech mast for the wildlife oak trees have been standing here for centuries but even after seven hundred years they are still producing acorns and a college of course are very important food for many different creatures jays woodpeckers squirrels mice and of course deer deer like goats will eat almost anything and we'll take picnic food and even litter that lies hidden in the grass which can cause severe digestion problems and even death as well as acorns and sweet chestnuts carpeting the ground colorful fungi emerge in the autumn the park has over 400 species of fungi many of them rare including fly agaric wild mushrooms and toadstools are not just good to look at they are another rich source of food for deer mice squirrels and insects they also help to clean up the environment mopping up bacteria and cleansing soil in preparation for the next year's new growth in spring [Music] Richmond Park is Londoners own special National Nature Reserve but it belongs to everybody and visitors have been coming here for centuries from all over the country and indeed beyond but now it's receiving some five and a half million visitors a year and steps have to be taken to protect it if we leave nothing behind and take nothing away if we in fact tread lightly Richmond Park will remain a paradise for us and our children our grandchildren to enjoy for many centuries to come [Music] there are simple things we could all do to help protect the park and its wildlife wild flowers trees nuts acorn and fungi are all essential food sources for birds bees and deer fallen wood is home to many insects please leave it where it is take home or clean up anything not naturally found in the park clear up after your dog take home your litter or put it in the bins provided so deer don't eat it give deer plenty of wound especially during birth thing and the rot keep your dog on a leave in sensitive areas and near animals if you're on foot stay on established paths and away from the ant hills if you're on a bike stay to the roads and bike trail and please don't light a fire or barbecue whether your visit to Richmond Park is once-in-a-lifetime or every day enjoy it and be inspired by its history beauty and wildlife please love it as I do and remember to tread lightly in Richmond Park [Music]

Channel: Friends of Richmond Park

Views: 365,750

Rating: 4.928112 out of 5

Keywords:

Id: LMGKSwqryso

Length: 20min 50sec (1250 seconds)

Published: Tue Apr 25 2017

Reddit Comments

[u/SheriffJohnStone]

"circling the park you'll find magnificent specimens of local wildlife. Here the silver hair male of the species draped in lycra and upon bicycles which cost a quarter of the annual wage of many local workers, battle for Strava supremacy, leaving a trail of discarded gel packets in their wake."

[u/greymutt]

A lovely film. It really is a special place.

[u/SurlyRed]

Excellent documentary. I learned recently that Richmond Park used to encompass Putney Common, and extended either side of Priory Lane and Beverley Brook to the Thames at Barnes. Its a shame that wasn't preserved, but I guess we should be grateful for what's left.

[u/DK-AME]

Wonderful clip, watched this doc before I went there for some photography and a first time. It really is a fantastic place, met a really cool German bloke there too.