Artist Joseph A. Griffiths is at the Egg tonight for the second of his open discussions around different themes suggested by the Exbury Egg project and its relationship to contemporary creative practice and sustainable living. Tonight’s discussion from 18.30 -21.30 is on Productivity/Output. Questioning the role of production in art practice in the context of consumerism and the environment. The meeting is held in the Egg and Joseph will be providing warming soup to those attending.

Two new calendars are full of perfect 2020 visions by Thamesmead photographer Paul Elliott and Ornithological Investigator JD Swann. Both are great value at £12 each. Paul’s calendar even records a certain large Egg floating on Southmere Lake in February’s picture. JD Swann focuses exclusively on our fabulous birds.

Paul and JD Swann will both be at the Winter Solstice Celebration at the Exbury Egg, Lakeside Centre, Bazalgette Way, SE2 9AN on Sunday December 22nd 2-5pm where, like me, you may want to buy one or both calendars as seasonal gifts.

If you can’t join us on the 22nd December, you can message Paul for a calendar on Instagram at respectedphotographylondon, while JD Swann can be contacted via Calum F Kerr on Facebook.

 

Calling people of Thamesmead. Hello! If you want a break from all the frenzy of Christmas come and chill out with us at our Winter Celebration with family storytelling at the Egg on Sunday afternoon Dec 22nd 2-5pm. All the details are on the attached invitation.

 

Just over two weeks ago we had an event beside the Exbury Egg at the Lakeside Centre to share swan food with the birds on Southmere Lake and for the launch of JD Swann’s Thamesmead Best Beaks artwork poster. 

Instructions on how, when and what to feed to the birds were distributed. However, our Thamesmead swans are hopelessly addicted to bread which isn’t good for them. It will take a lot of persuasion to get them onto more healthy options, but our information sheet makes a number of suggestions which can be tried out and is reproduced here.

The Eggman, a serious swan lover, made his own bespoke swan pellets from potato starch, rice four and vegetable puree that took three hours to make and three seconds to eat – but it made him feel good.

Small samples of commercial swan food were also given to visitors to feed the birds at the lakeside and favourable reports have been received!  Angelina and her two children reported that the swans “quickly ate it, and that it looked like it was as delicious as bread!”

More will be available as a seasonal gift to anyone attending the forthcoming Winter Solstice Celebration at the Exbury Egg on Sunday December 22nd 2-5pm. As the days get shorter and colder, the more we need to help.

 

As part of London City Airport’s plan to increase the number of daily flights by 35% to meet increased demand (up to 110 extra flight per day), they have graced the perimeter of Southmere Lake in Thamesmead with warnings to completely stop feeding the birds.  Perhaps we could all consider putting nature first and use the bus and train more instead? Then we would not have so much aircraft noise to bother us and could continue to enjoy the birdsong…

On Saturday 26 October at 2pm Bhajan Hunjen is leading an art and nature workshop at Thamesmead Library. It will be the Eggman’s pleasure to welcome everyone involved for a tour around the Egg during the course of the afternoon. All visitors will receive a gift of ‘swan food’ and a copy of JD Swann’s Thamesmead Best Beaks poster (please see previous posts).

An orchard for the enjoyment of local people was reportedly planted around twenty years ago on the edge of Crossness Park. However, after two walks in the area, all I could locate was an apple tree beside the Ridgeway Path. Does anyone know the Orchard?

My tree was in abundant fruit with a carpet of apples already on the ground for insects and birds. It tasted a bit like a Granny Smith; tart and acidic with a subtle sweet flavour and crisp, firm white flesh. Perhaps it’s a wilding grown up from a seed from a thrown away core, but not the kind of focused planting I was looking for.

Southmere Lake’s residents swans are in for a treat. On October 26th the Eggman will show local people how to make their own swan and duck feed and to take away free samples for the local ducks and swans.

We have all been encouraged from childhood to feed swans with bread and they have been fed this way for hundreds of years. It makes us feel good to connect with these beautiful creatures in this way, and provides the swans (and ducks) with a source of energy during the winter months when other food is scarce. However, we now know that there can be much better options. Bread has little nutritional value to swans – and seeds, peas, sweetcorn lettuce, rice, sultanas and apples are a much better bet.

Last year the Queen’s official swan marker David Barber, entered the debate and his advice was to feed them bread. But experts are really divided on this. As well as providing the birds with little nutrition, it also contributes to problems with the water, as they defecate more than normal and it contributes to contamination by green algae now present in Southmere Lake. The algae is bad for all the creatures living in the lake (not to mentions dogs if they swim in it) and if the spores get into the birds lungs, it will kill them. By clouding the water and by blocking out the sunlight, the algae prevents growth of the very weeds the swans need to feed on come Spring.

Mouldy bread can kill the birds too and this can be present in the stale bread many of us usually offer as feed (I’m sure I have been guilty myself).  It makes the actions of the Thamesmead bread fly tipper all the more horrific. Around 500 rotten loaves (not to mention their plastic wraps) were ‘offed into the water one Saturday morning a few weeks ago and had to be cleared up as a matter of urgency.

So please stop by the Egg from 12 noon to 6pm on Saturday October 26th outside the Lakeside Centre, Bazalgette Way, Thamesmead SE2 9AN. See the food being made and take away a sample as well as a recipe sheet to DIY layer.

At the same time, JD Swann the renowned Ornithological Investigator will new launching his fabulous Thamesmead Best Beaks Poster, the result of research carried out with local people over the Summer. Stop by to collect a free signed poster and your swan food recipe card and sample.

 

 

 

 

 

As weirdly wonderful Thamesmead is redeveloped and perhaps grows more prosperous, the litter shows signs of moving upscale too.