A green oasis just minutes from the heart of the capital

If you find yourself in the nation’s capital in the run-up to Christmas, or at any time for that matter, there are few better ways to take a break from the shopping, sightseeing, or work, than slipping away to Barnes and the WWT’s London Wetland Centre. Situated on the south bank of the Thames, it has, as you would expect, pools and scrapes that attract wildfowl, waders and gulls. There are nationally significant numbers of wintering Gadwall and Shoveler, and expect to see Wigeon and Teal, too, as well as the resident Mallards, Tufted Ducks, Great Crested and Little Grebes, and Coots.

If you have plenty of patience, you might also be rewarded with views of Bitterns – up to six have overwintered some years – and Water Rails, while the reedbeds also hold Cetti’s Warblers, and, on occasion in winter, Bearded Tits.

In spring, Sand Martins nest in the purpose-built bank, and waders passing through during migration periods can include Redshank, Lapwing, Blacktailed Godwit, Greenshank and Green Sandpiper. Little Ringed Plovers nest on the reserve, and Common Terns also breed, using rafts on the main lake.

At all times, keep an eye open for raptors – Kestrel and Sparrowhawk are fairly likely, Hobbies are often seen during summer, hunting dragonflies, as well as hirundines, while Merlins pass through on migration, Buzzards and Red Kites drift over regularly, and Peregrines visit from their nest site on a nearby hospital. Their prey can include the colourful and noisy Ringnecked Parakeets that have colonised this and pretty much every other part of London.