Autumn is on its way

One of the first trees to change with the onset of Autumn is this one in the park and its started changing colour and dropping leave so its on its way you do get some nice colours over the next few week as the trees change

Two new power box have gone in this week by the lake ready for the new aeration scheme to  pump oxygen into the water as the fish were dying due to lake of oxygen they will float on the surface and be like mini fountains and have to be anchored down or the spin out of control. This should have been done as part of the restoration but wasnt done

A few Robins are collecting in the park just like Xmas. The cygnet no3 has been returned this week from the RSPCA after it had the fishing line in its mouth. The swans are now learning to flap their wings and normally the parents will chase them off but as dad is alone its more likely they will stay and dad will go and find a new mate return and then drive them off

More Cygnets hooked in fishing line

Last week saw 2 cygnets and a duck caught in fishing line the picture above show what came from one cygnets mouth and the duck is now in Stapley. So despite everyone best efforts this is not working. The problem is that people are going down all day feeding the swans which is good but its how you feed them that is causing the problems. They are now so tame they eat out of anyone's hand and this how they are being fed. People are doing this out of ignorance and think its very good but swans are wild life not pets. As they are so used to humans they think this is how they get food so they see fishermen and head over for food and as a result get caught in line. No Canada gees have been hooked as they are not hand fed.

This presents another problem its ok for the duck, squirrels etc to get very used to humans as they often stay in the park for life  but swans the father will sooner or later drive them away and they will leave and find new homes but believing food will come from humans so they will go to any one and of coarse some people arnt nice and may catch them for dinner or get hooked in more fishing line.

The problem is the hand feeding this must now stop they can be fed from the bridge or have food placed on the ground for them but humans must back off so they find food by natural foraging if this doesn't happen they will leave and be unable to survive in the wild. Problem is people now wont see that and they will eventually suffer as a result. All wildlife sanctuaries try to keep human contact to the minimum if creature are to return to the wild

above the power supply for the lake aeration is now in and this will bring more oxygen to the lake for fish wildlife etc  as fish have been dying due to lack of oxygen it was part of the original plan along with plants to help but never got done

Could You be KILLED in the Queens Park

Above is a lethal death trap in the park for  a long time the path at the end of the lake by the golf coarse has been very bad as its very narrow and slippery on one side is the lake and the other is a trench left by the restoration which for ages has been full of dirty stagnant water so either way you fell you would have got wet. But then the council decided to create a death trap and dumped a load of rubbish in the trench turning a wet pool into something lethal. click on the picture and take a close look at the metal very sharp rusty and just right to kill you. If you fall onto that your dead or very seriously injured. If that doesn't get you then there are bricks concrete slabs and other nasty's to crack your head open. The council have left it like this  and created the problem them selves. How can anyone say this complies with Health and Safety laws there can be no argument its deadly and they have done nothing about it the person who instructed this to be done could be criminally liable. Even though they know about this nothing has been done when anyone dies or get hurt they can come on this site for photographic evidence of the CEC H&S failings and win a compensation claim

The clock tower has had its 3rd renovation with new finials' this week the colour doesn't match but will fade in time

 

A new sign this week by the bandstand with a map and local details of the walks available locally part of the Sustrans project

The cygnets are doing well with no more fishing problems and are growing well the only real danger to them now comes from humans and fishing. The cygnet in Stapley may be able to come back in a couple of weeks lets hope it doesnt get driven off

Cygnets Hooked by Fishing line AGAIN

Once again the fishermen have injured more cygnets one above with a hook in its mouth and line trailing behind was spotted by the wildlife group https://www.facebook.com/groups/queensparkwildlife/ and action was taken to save it we hope that its not swallowed the line and has internal injuries. Once again the low life that do this don't report it to the RSPCA or anyone to get it help they run off and leave it to die a horrible painful death. The other cygnet is still at the RSPCA Stapley and still isn't out of the woods yet lets hope it pulls through.

Again there is a possibility that another has been caught in line tonight and the one below we are worried about its leg as it seems to be injured.

The problem is there is no end in site things are just getting worse with an almost daily problem and these are not kids fishing these are adults doing this. Nothing is being done to stop this happening. You can see below an illegal act not just park rules but its illegal to leave a rod unattended as it states on the licence https://www.gov.uk/fishing-licences/rod-limits if found by the environment agency  you can get a hefty fine and banned from fishing http://www.fisheries.co.uk/news/news/marshall.htm
Once kids start in the school hols things will be totally out of control and the CEC are doing nothing to help the situation they are covering up criminal acts when swans are attacked every incident with a swan attack should be reported to the police not covered up.
Something must be done I have heard of people suggesting vigilantly patrols and this must be condemned but people are shocked and upset by lack of response by the park

Going by other park rules in the uk the rules need to be changed
no ground baiting (the wildlife see this and come over then the angler doesn't lift the rod)
Clear notices of how to contact the bailiff so people can report problems and if they hook wildlife report it. The stupid £5 fee want increasing to a reasonable £30 then this would pay for more bailiffs
No catapults these are weapons and not suitable in the park as last week the kids were firing at wildlife.
Bailiffs to note who is on what peg and times and that person is responsible for the peg and to clean up after them ie no left line this would also give a clue as to who was fishing if wildlife are hurt.
No casting close to wildlife and rods to be lifted if wildlife come close

Apart form the cygnets there are a lot of baby ducks moorhens and rabbits to see in the park at this time

Wildlife Blood Bath Continues while CEC do nothing

Last Sat 12th,they  had to use a boat to reach a cygnet that was tangled in fishing line. On Mon 14th Derek, one of the bailiffs, had to untangle a cygnet from fishing line. What sort of fisherman hooks up cygnets then leaves them in horrendous pain to die instead of reporting it to the RSPCA or the bailiff they can be only described as low life. If you see anyone doing this report it straight away. Its very clear and proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that all these problems come from fishing which is what the wildlife group tried to stop https://www.facebook.com/groups/queensparkwildlife/

Once the kids come off school things can only get worse and CEC are not doing anything to solve the problem. Despite the bailiffs and people turning out to help these things are still happening so they have proved in effective. So far its only swans that have been the main victims but the Grebe on the lake this week is also a protect species. Part of the problem is fishermen using ground bate which the swans see and think its food then swim over and get caught as the fishermen wont lift their rods to save them. The bailiffs Tel number needs to be displayed all around the area so people can report problems. The low fee of £5 is stupid and should be £35 or so this would provide money for more bailiffs.     

Some new baby ducks on the lake this week lets hope they survive and below a mysterious egg floating in the water this week

Very heavy rain this week meant the sewer at the bottom of the lake over flowed into the lake

The boat house has had a face lift and some painting done to it

Two weeks ago the ANTS cleaned Cory walk and removed the rubbish and two week later the rubbish is still there now causing problems for mowing and rotting the grass so they have just moved rubbish around and solved nothing there is no reason they couldnt have done a proper job and used a wheel barrow to remove it all together

Ban Fishing in the Queens Park before all Cygnets Die

Call to ban fishing in the Queens Park after attacks on cygnets. The female swan died and the body was disposed of so no one could examine it but the pictures of the dead swan sent to lots of swan rescue centres believe the injury was from a fishing hook as it’s a unique wound and these are people that rescue swans every day. They cant be 100% as there is no body but they believe it to be the case.

Two cygnets were witnessed being attacked by fishermen purposely trying to hook them one did hook one. Another witness saw a fisherman hitting the swan with a landing net, a week ago a cygnet was rescued tangled in fishing line Sunday saw kids fishing and using a catapult to fire on cygnets and wild life. Today a cygnet has been caught in line again. Other witness have seen the attacked with spray cans. Fishermen have been seen kick at swans My dog was caught in a fishing hook left on the grass as have other dogs. Fishermen should have to be signed onto a peg then any problems they can be spoken to as its their responsibility

The injured cygnet has to wait until tomorrow for the RSPCA to rescue it lets hope its ok

All these are actual crimes swans enjoy statutory protection under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 and it is an offence to intentionally injure, take or kill a wild swan. As far as we can tell these crimes have been covered up and not reported to the Police which in its self may be a crime and CEC may be guilty of this.

Given this level of attacks the only sensible action is to ban fishing before we have a wildlife blood bath despite peoples efforts these crimes are increasing and measures to stop them are not working. Some swan rescue centres who have had this sort of problem hold the fishing club responsible and charge them £4,000 for every rescue and vets bill. All this when we are supposed to have responsible fishermen once the kids break up and we get swamped with then all hell will break loose. If action isn’t taken then people may start taking action against these people as the CEC sit back and do nothing again.

The new wildlife group have people looking after the swans as best they can and you can join in and help save the swans on facebook https://www.facebook.com/groups/1502881536594395/

Anyone seeing attacks on swans should call the Police as its a criminal offence lets get the Police down and prosecute these people it will deter others from doing it

The post for CCTV are going in complete with pre configured graffiti

This may help to some degree with problems but only if people take action on what is seen. Below the fence broken by kids going fishing, they had fun playing with the boats last week and were on the boat hut

Lots of young rabbits about if you walk about the park

Three Attacks by Fishermen on Swans in Queens Park

 

After the horrific Death of the mother swan who had 7 signets in the Queens Park which is still a mystery more attacks have happened this week. We heard disturbing news off a bailiff fisherman. He has witnessed twice in one day, two males fishing who purposely dangled bait in front of the cygnets and caught them up. The bailiff had to untangle them and threaten the males involved. Another witness told me how he had seen a fisherman hitting a swan with a keep net so that is a total of 3 attacks in one day. The mothers death is still a mystery as its claimed by the press that the RSPCA have no knowledge of it but it was quoted on Face Book that the park had called them and it was the wardens who had made the call but speaking to them this week they said they hadn't made a call and knew nothing about the dead swan. The body has disappeared and a request to the park were it went hasnt been answered. A vet who specialises in swans looked at our photo and said with out the body he cant be sure but it looked like a human attack from the photo as there were no canine teeth marks.

Legal status

As native wild birds, swans enjoy statutory protection under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 and it is an offence to intentionally injure, take or kill a wild swan. 

The Act similarly protects the eggs and nests of swans. It is an offence to take or possess the egg of a wild mute swan, or to damage or destroy the nest of a mute swan whilst in use or being built. Unfortunately, swans and their nests are sometimes a target for vandals. 

Anyone seeing an offence against swans or other wildlife is encouraged to contact their police Wildlife Liaison Officer through their local police station.

There is history at the Queens Park of swan abuse with vandals stealing and smashing their eggs and no one does anything about it but now a new wildlife conservation group has been formed and the first meeting will be in the Queens Park pavilion Sun 6th July if you want to help save the wildlife in the park come along. You may wish to ask your local councillor why the CEC isnt doing anything to protect the wildlife as they have a duty of care. Since the attacks they have taken no action to patrol the park or get the Police in to investigate.

There are other problems in the park this week kids covered the CCTV on the bowling hut and then rode bikes all over the green. Above the Gulf War memorial that was regenerated by the ANTS now has all the new plants dying do to the fact that they plants have been left and have not been watered in hot weather. Its no good putting these things in then just leaving them to rot they need care in the early stages.

Further dead fish have been seen in the lake

 

People in Danger in the Queens Park?

Lots of complaints about the main path by the lake which is thick with smelly goose dropping which can be toxic to children and dogs. The CEC has failed in its duty of care leaving this in such a state

Canada geese feces can be hazardous to people's health, but usually only when inhaled or ingested. Walking past geese feces, or even lounging near them on the beach is likely safe for healthy people. However, the elderly, children, and pregnant or breastfeeding women are particularly susceptible to health risks posed by parasites that inhabit Canada geese feces. At even higher risk are those with weak immune systems, such as people with HIV/AIDS, chemotherapy recipients, and recent organ donors and recipients. Similarly, people with gastrointestinal (GI) problems, such as ulcers and irritable bowel disease, are also at increased risk, since they, too, cannot easily combat parasites from Canada geese feces.

Geese feces usually contain the parasites cryptosporidium, giardia, coliform, and campylobacter. Cryptosporidium poses the most serious health hazard, since it causes cryptosporidiosis, an illness with the following symptoms:

• watery diarrhea
• dehydration
• weight loss
• stomach cramps or pain
• fever
• nausea
• vomiting

Save the wildlife

There are still 6 signets left and we have lots of people watching out for them after the mysterious death of the mother. The controversy roles on with claims made by the press that the RSPCA no nothing about the death  even though the park made this statement on  Face book  Sadly Swan found dead on the lake this morning. RSCPA notified. All indications are eaten, possibly by a fox, no indication of being ravished by dog. Hence previous assumption removed off the web as unnecessary. However, mum may possibly find it difficult to look after all her young, so please all keep monitoring them and help. She has plenty of food thank you to all. Thank you Waynne also for your prompt call.

Queens Park wildlife conservation group

The group was setup after the death of a swan and other wildlife the aims and objectives are.

Urgent need for ramps onto all islands on the lake so wildlife can escape onto them away from human and natural predators

Islands to be planted with wildlife friendly plants to provide cover and suitable nesting

Lake plants need to be planted to provide to oxygenate the water and provide nesting for wildlife reed beds are needed in the middle of the lake for protected species that cant nest on land ie Grebe

Make the park more wildlife friendly by planting suitable bushes and plants to encourage wild life which fits in with the schools education programme

After a serious dog attack last year we were promised a dog control order which hasn’t been actioned dogs off the lead are a major problem as they attack wildlife and children the order is of no use unless dog wardens enforce it. The remaining swan was attacked last week by a dog off the lead.

Small water holes to be placed around park for wildlife to drink from as most can drink from the lake.

Log piles and bee hotel to get more insects in the park cost nothing and helpful for children’s education.

There will be a meeting in the park pavilion on Sunday 6th July 2pm all invited

There has been a lot of dead fish in the lake estimates between 50-100 and experts say this is down to failure of the CEC not providing plants for the lake or a fountain to oxygenate the lake. Its believed they all died due to lake of oxygen. This is all despite Cllr Jones promising last year to do all he could to protect the wildlife in the park they have failed to get the dog control order requested last year and no effort has been made to do anything for wildlife 

Signet Disappeared

After the death of the swan last week this week a signet has gone missing and its reported today that there are 100 dead fish in the lake. A member of swan watch witnessed a staffy type dog attack the remaining swan while it was off the lead. What is going on when will someone do something?

The Wagtails are about on the lake catching flies for their young and there is also baby moorhens on the lake they are very tiny and vulnerable

More illegal fishing below these came with big dogs and fished at the wrong end of the lake with bread which the ducks were trying to eat as it was floating make you wonder about these and the dogs?

Lots of Baby Wildlife

Some improvements have gone on this week with all gates getting the shields which dont seem to make much sense as they show canal boats on them?

New bike stands up near the bandstand which were put on the playing field then removed and put in the park they must have had the map upside down.

Danger

At the end of the lake were there is a mini lake the council have chucked rubbish in it for what purpose I dont know as its just dumped there and just make it worse not better. What is a muddy hole full of water has now been turned into a death trap. You can see there is rusty metal that is razor sharp so fall on that or catch it with your leg and it could cut you in half, add to that the concrete and its a lot more dangerous than if they had left it alone

Lots of Babies about with ducks Canadian Geese and of coarse the swans

Mum has been out on the grass sun bating with her babies

 

The babies are sticking close together in the water lets hope this year they survive as last year they got a few months old and after being hooked by fishermen the last 3 disappeared in mysterious circumstances. As a swan and eggs have been removed from a local site we need to keep our eye out for anyone messing with them.

Having a swim with mum

First baby Ducks this year

The first baby ducks appeared this week with the mother of 5 chicks swimming around. How long will they last as people watched on Sunday as kids in a boat chased them all over the lake trying to run the chicks over and the staff never saw anything. The boat have duel hulls so they can run   them over and kill them with the paddle blades

 

An obscure notice went up by Tipkinder bridge were no one will see it but what does it mean? how fast is fast how large is large how small is small It defines nothing total waste of money

Once again fishing gives problems spot the illegal activity above. This is often happening and highly illegal leaving a rod unattended and often its happens while the fisherman goes to relive himself in the bushes which is also illegal. The offence is worse in the park   as should a swan or wildlife be caught in an unattended line it could drag it all around the lake and suffer a lot of pain and suffering. It now closed season but that didnt stop 7 fishing anyway. Its up for review at the next friends meeting and so far there hasnt been a lot of fishing due to the weather etc so given all the problems once kids are off school they arnt going to cope

FRIENDS MEETING

Monday, 12^th May, 2014 6.00pm

At the Pickle Jar Lakeside Pavilion Queens Park, Crewe

Agenda

1. Apologies

2. Minutes of Last Meeting

3. Matters Arising

4. Chairpersons Update

5. Burma Star Island

6. Events Diary

7. Queens Park Angling Review

8. ANTs Review

9. Queens Park – ‘vote’ re web page

Any Other Business