Rail work makes it tough to keep track of birds

11:19am Thursday 1st May 2008

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I AM writing about the decline of bird species from gardens in the area, according to the RSPB's recent Big Garden Birdwatch survey.

One of the biggest causes driving the decline is loss of habitat.

As well as front gardens lost to car ports and rear gardens lost to decking and patios, other factors must be held accountable.

For example, the amount of building work on so called "wasteland" sites by industrial developments such as the massive Royal Mail depot proposed on Thurrock marshes, and the expansion of "housing" developments without gardens along the Thames Corridor.

Another culprit is Network Rail Every morning while waiting for trains at Abbey Wood, it was delightful to see the small birds hopping among the brambles, either gathering nest materials, insects or berries for food, or sheltering from chilly blasts of wind.

All this has now changed. With absolute disregard to wildlife, all these shrubs have been removed, not just from adjacent to the end of the platform, but along extensive stretches of the railway track.

In some instances trees and larger shrubs have been ripped out, particularly between Woolwich Dockyard and Charlton, where the raised embankment seemed to be held together by the tree roots.

I can understand the need to keep leaves on the line to a minimum, but how big an issue are shrub leaves?

I would like there to be a real commitment by future developers to provide suitable habitats for all wildlife and that Network Rail or the Rail regulator rethink this irrational policy of stripping away all vegetation from embankments.

Sadly, I suspect I'm living in cloud cuckoo land.

JOHN MERRON

Abbey Wood