About Les

We thought we'd let Les introduce himself.....

Hello!  I am Les Evans-Hill and I am delighted to have taken on the role of Bird Recorder for the Commons.  I have been a regular visitor to the Commons since 2011 and have been resident here since August 2014 when I moved to London from Lulworth in Dorset having met my wife, Angela, who I am sure many of you know as she is part of the team that manages the Commons.  

I have worked for the Dorset-based charity Butterfly Conservation since 2006, managing the National Moth Recording Scheme and more latterly the Butterflies of the New Millennium. These combined databases contain around 60 million records and is thought to be the largest invertebrate database in the world.

I have a lifelong interest in nature and conservation which started with birds around 1972, followed by an interest in moths and butterflies which started in the early 1990s. I have recently started to record other diverse insect groups such as true flies (hoverflies and parasitic flies), sawflies (which are not true flies, but related to wasps) and some solitary wasp groups. I also casually record other orders such as beetles and dragonflies.

I have big shoes to step into, not only taking over from Adrian but also the incredible work that Dave Wills carried out before him.  My objective is to expand the bi-monthly bird newsletter to include significant records of any flora or fauna that are observed on the Commons. The regularity of the new newsletter will depend on factors such as the number and significance of records submitted.

I look forward to meeting many of you out on the Commons or at any of the regular nature inspired walks and talks that are organised by Wimbledon and Putney Commons.

Recent highlights

Some recent interesting Commons records include:

A report of a Hoopoe near Kingsmere;
A Treecreeper family group;
Up to 5 Red Kite observed during a ‘Sky-watch’;
A very tame adult male Kestrel;
Common Turn, Rushmere
Common Lizards;
Stag Beetles;
Purple Emperor butterfly - Putney Heath;
Marbled White - one on The Plain and one on Putney Heath
Bee and Pyramidal Orchids, plus a Marsh-orchid species.

I also recently retrieved a sawfly road casualty, an Alder Wood-wasp, which is by all accounts a good London record.

Following the recent Weekend of Nature held on the Commons, I will include a list of the species recorded during the event in the next Nature Notes Newsletter.

Monitoring and Recording

WPCC are very much focusing on conservation and the team has expanded with a new team member - Sarah Murton is our new Conservation Ranger and will support Peter Haldane, the Conservation and Engagement Officer.  Sarah has worked in our Maintenance Team for a number of years and brings some excellent knowledge, experience and ecological skills with her.  This role will allow the Conservation Team to expand their work with volunteers and also with more formal recording, monitoring and mapping.

This will give us the opportunity for a much more robust evidence based approach to managing the Commons, particularly given the changing climate and ecological crisis that is upon us.  

Many of the records that are included in our reports come from you - the vistors to the Commons.  Without your ad hoc records, our level of knowledge on our wildlife would be far less comprehensive and it would be great if you could continue to send in your sightings.  

To facilitate recording, we have set up a "Nature Notes" page on our website which provides a simple form to enter your sightings.  Alternatively, records can still be submitted via e-mail and all details can be found on the website: Nature Notes

All records we receive will contribute to the Commons Annual Monitoring Report. 

Records will also be forwarded to external organisations such as Butterfly Conservation, British Dragonfly Society, the Surrey and London Bird Clubs and Local Records Centres. If you do not wish your records to be forwarded, please advise the Ranger’s Office.

For those of you who use social media, there is a Wimbledon and Putney Commons Nature Notes Facebook group where lots of great information is shared.

I look forward to receiving your records!

What constitutes a significant record?

We are not looking for records of “common or garden” birds, for example. The list of birds we are interested in and their current  status on the Commons can be found in the Commons Annual Monitoring Report.  We are also particularly interested in records of Stag Beetle and Common Lizard.

However, if you think your sighting of any flora or fauna may be of interest, please do send it in.  If a photograph can be provided alongside your record so much the better.

Purple Emporer Putney Heath