September Bulletin
Na na na na na na na na BAT WALK!
Holy echolocation, Batman! On an evening in early September, a group of Friends of Greenwich Park set out after dusk in search of some of the Park's more elusive residents, writes Jamie Douglas.
As darkness fell, the familiar daytime sounds of the Park gave way to an unseen world of clicks, chirps and high-frequency calls. Fortunately, we were armed with bat-gadgets – our bat detectors – which translated these ultrasonic frequencies into sounds we could hear, allowing us to track bats as they swooped overhead against the darkling sky.
According to our detectors, we encountered an impressive five species during the walk: common pipistrelles and soprano pipistrelles darting along tree-lined paths in pursuit of insects; noctules and Leisler's noctules – some of the largest UK bat species; and a possible Nathusius' pipistrelle, a rarer migratory species. Further analysis of the sonogram recordings by the London Bat Group will help confirm whether this special visitor really did make an appearance!
We even saw the Caped Crusader himself, silhouetted against the illuminated towers of the Docklands … on second thoughts, it might have been the General Wolfe statue.
19 September 2026 is Batman Day. While the bats of Greenwich Park may not fight Gotham's villains, they are genuine nocturnal heroes in their own right, consuming vast numbers of insects and playing an important role in maintaining healthy ecosystems. Many thanks to everyone who joined us and to Mark Pritchard for leading the walk. They are a wonderful opportunity to discover the hidden nightlife of Greenwich Park and to unleash your inner Batman for an evening.
Pictures: Will Fox, Jamie Douglas
Wind in the Winnows
A warm welcome to autumn in The Queen's Orchard, writes Emma Paley. The sun has calmed his rays, and if you listen closely, you can hear the plants breathing a sigh of relief. A huge amount of energy was required over the summer months from all our fruit trees and vegetables. I believe they are feeling grateful for the change in the season. Now we can welcome in the beautiful sunrises which are to follow and the droplets of rain which make our plants so happy.
Here lies the plant of the month, our new obsession, Amaranthus caudatus, also known as love-lies-bleeding for its resemblance to droplets of blood – a plant of unrequited love in the language of flowers.
Rosemary with the amaranth
Amaranth was a staple in the Andean region until the Spanish came in the 1500s, who replaced it with wheat and barley. You may have seen amaranth used in bedding or as an ornamental plant; we are growing it as an edible for its highly nutritional value. Amaranth is high in protein, fibre, iron and magnesium. In the next few weeks, we will winnow the seeds to harvest the grain. Winnowing is an ancient agricultural technique used to clean the seeds by separating the chaff to produce a clean, edible grain. We will shake the amaranth in a shallow basket to allow the wind to blow away the lighter chaff. Come down and have a look at this beautiful plant when you have time.
Pip with aubergines (Black Egg and Long Purple varieties) and cosmos flowers (Kiiro, Cosmini Pink and Lemonade varieties) (left); Kimberly with a handful of courgettes (right).
The Autumn Event in the Queen's Orchard
Thank you to all those who came to The Autumn Event on Sunday 13 September in The Queen's Orchard. It was such a fun day with over 400 people connecting with the space in some way or other. It was so lovely to see people making wildflower seeds balls, families creating scarecrows together and people getting excited about seeds. A huge thank you to the volunteers – your support and help made the orchard look so beautiful and engaging. A big shout out to you all!
2026 bandstand concerts end on a high note!
This year’s bandstand concerts came to an end with performances from the Deptford Rascals, the Greenwich Concert Band, and Cold Shoulder. It was great to see hundreds of people enjoying the music, dancing, and tucking into their picnics!
Picture: Katherine Bohanna
Wildlife-themed music event with Helena Day
Helena Day invites you to the launch of her album When All the Birds Have Flown Away, a folk-fusion project raising awareness for Britain’s declining bird populations.
This nature-themed live music event will take place around a fire in a magical community garden space (located near Greenwich Park), sharing songs and stories in honour of our departing migratory birds. It’s going to be a really intimate evening, with plenty of moments to get to know one another between the music too.
When: Saturday 3rd October, 6pm – 10pm
Where: Plot 9, Restell Close
There are just 40 tickets available! You can sign up here.
Busy buzzy bees
The first bee survey took place on 19 August, with a follow-up on 16 September. The Bumblebee Conservation Trust designed a bee transect especially for the Park to count species seen or heard along a set walking path across the Park to estimate the total population size.
The next bee survey will be on Tuesday 13 October, 10:30 – 12:30, meeting at the Blackheath Gate. You can sign up here via Eventbrite.
Tilly Hopkins, from the Bumblebee Conservation Trust, setting up quadrants to do a base survey of wild flowers. More wild flowers will be planted to attract pollinators which should increase the bee population.
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Upcoming Events
🌳 Tree Walk 🌳
The Friends’ autumn tree walks will take place at 11am and 1pm on Sunday 27 September. The walks are for adults and children aged eight and over and will be led by our new guide, Andrea Griffiths.
They are free for members but you will need to book your place here. Meet at the Blackheath Gate.
🐦 Bird Walk 🐦
The next Bird Walk, led by Julia Holland, will take place on Sunday 27 September. Meet at the Blackheath Gate at 8:30am. Binoculars and cameras are recommended if you have them. The bird walk lasts for approximately two hours. No booking required.
You don’t have to be a Friend of Greenwich Park to attend the walk, but we always welcome new members and there are many benefits of being a Friend.
Please note that all walks are subject to weather conditions and may be cancelled by the Park in high winds.
🍄 Fungi Walk 🍄
Join us for fungi foraging, mycological meandering and mycorrhizal mysteries!
We'll explore the Fungi Kingdom, searching high and (especially) low for some striking examples within the Park. Learn how fungi play a vital role in ecology of the various park habitats and marvel at their many and varied forms.
Fungi Walks will take place on Monday 12 October and Wednesday 28 October. Walks take place from 10:30 to 12:00, starting from the Learning Centre, and are led by Mark Pritchard.
For 12 October, sign up here via Eventbrite.
For 28 October, sign up here via Eventbrite.
Please note that all walks are subject to weather conditions, and are restricted to adult members and accompanied children aged 10 and over. No dogs, please.
Tackling anti-social behaviour in the Park
Sadly there has been an increase in anti-social behaviour in the Park recently including dangerous cycling and criminal damage.
We can all help the Park by reporting incidents to 101 on the link: https://www.met.police.uk/ro/report/Using the online link is quicker than a phone call and will generate a crime reference number. This builds up a database of reported issues. The more reports the better as this will help demonstrate the need for security to keep our lovely Park safe.