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Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!

New forms of wildlife moving into our back gardens

After hearing tales of deer in Finsbury Park over the weekend and then spending a magic five minutes watching a greater spotted woodpecker feeding in my garden barely 10 feet from my kitchen window, I was fascinated to read this Guardian article on the previously 'exotic' wildlife of country places taking up residence in our parks and gardens. Insects, birds and mammals that once were hard to spot are now thriving in urban environments but its not all good news. Some non-native species are causing problems in British waterways and the boldness of some larger mammals like foxes are causing a bit of a headache for local authorities. 

Still, it was a wonderful thing to see a woodpecker, previously only glimpsed through binoculars in tree tops, sitting as bold as brass on my bird feeder. Finding hard to complain about that.

Read more: Urban Wildlife Invaders

Tags for Forum Posts: foxes, wildlife

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The foxes are getting very bold. One recently walked over my head across the kitchen Velux ceiling window, followed a week later by one pawing vigorously at the kitchen garden door glass whilst staring right at me.

Deer in Finsbury Park? Perhaps Muntjac coming down the railway line from Hadley Wood, or via another route?

I've had toads in my garden every year, often hibernating.

Has anyone else experienced the at times biblical number of frogs that heavy rain brings out around once a year along Harringay Passage?

Just looked at this thread for the first time. Several years ago early one Sunday morning I was handing over to my mate after a night shift at South Tottenham signal box. While we were exchanging the latest news and gossip something moving on the empty down platform caught my eye. It was a muntjac gingerly walking up the platform! We watched it as it walked off the platform end and crossed the bridge over Tottenham High Road and disappeared into the undergrowth in the triangle between the lines to Harringay, the lines from Seven Sisters to Hackney Downs and the single line curve linking the two. On Sundays in those days Gospel Oak - Barking trains didn't start until after 9am so it had a couple of hours to perhaps go further. We assumed that it had made its way up the Lea Valley Line from more rural parts and turned right at Tottenham South Junction! Although it could have been following the river and got onto the Barking - Gospel Oak Line through Walthamstow Reservoirs.

Nice story. Thanks for telling it to us.

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