‘Utterly appalling’: anger over swimmers in Hampstead Heath wildlife ponds | Birds

Nature teams have pleaded with swimmers to present wildlife a large berth after dozens of individuals swam in a nature pond on Hampstead Heath amongst nests of child birds.

Swans and their 12-day-old cygnets have been disturbed by hordes of splashing revellers within the north London park on Monday as London reached report 35C temperatures. In one video, a swan was seen poking an unhatched egg with its beak after it fell into the water in the course of the chaos.

Conservationists responded with dismay after a video was shared on social media of the scenes, which the City of London known as “utterly appalling”.

Coots, moorhens and swans have been seen guarding their eggs and younger as folks obliviously splashed round them. There are giant indicators across the pond urging folks to not swim as it’s a wildlife conservation space.

The unseasonably scorching climate has meant that individuals have been going into water sources en masse to chill off. This has coincided with the nesting season for water birds. London’s outside swimming ponds and lidos have been busy and booked up in the course of the heatwave, which means some folks went to swim in unauthorised areas.

The RSPB stated it was “a crucial time of year for breeding birds which just want to nest and care for their young in peace”.

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The fowl charity urged folks to swim in authorised, lifeguarded areas relatively than nature reserves. “Along with the dangers of swimming in unauthorised places, there is a significant risk of disturbing wildlife. Many species are already under huge pressure and disturbance can make a parent abandon their nest, putting eggs and chicks at risk. Everyone has a part to play in protecting nature so we’d urge people to be responsible and give birds and other wildlife plenty of space when outdoors this summer,” it stated.

Swans of Hampstead Heath, the Instagram account that raised the alarm in regards to the birds, posted: “We are currently in peak nesting season. There are still eggs waiting to hatch, ducklings and chicks only days/weeks old, and for the first time in years, swans have successfully nested on this pond, with cygnets now just 13 days old. Restricting these birds to a small section at the back of the pond makes it incredibly difficult for them to access the natural food they need to survive.”

When nests are disturbed, the grownup birds usually flee, leaving their younger to be eaten by predators or die of hunger.

The chair of the City of London Corporation’s Hampstead Heath, Highgate Wood and Queen’s Park committee, alderman Gregory Jones KC, stated: “The recent conduct of some visitors swimming in non-lifeguarded ponds is utterly appalling. Entering other non-lifeguarded water bodies is extremely dangerous, against our bylaws, and causes significant harm to wildlife habitats.

“We always seek to engage with visitors first, but the constabulary will take enforcement action where necessary, including issuing fines or making arrests.”

The nature campaigner and barrister Paul Powesland stated: “I am not defending the people in the video, but scenes like this are an almost inevitable consequence of the destruction of outdoor lidos and the poisoning of rivers across London. It’s madness for a city the size of London to have only one set of wild swimming ponds; conveniently located in one of the wealthiest areas.”

There have, nevertheless, been warnings of chilly water shock and drownings as lakes, rivers and the ocean are a lot colder than the air temperatures at current.