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Watch out for wildlife
by Rob Bullock

It’s quite easy to feel that our area is a bit of a dump, we look around and see shabby or derelict buildings, we look down and see litter and dog mess. But if we look out and about, particularly at this time of year there are other things to see.

Open spaces almost encircle Burngreave. The River Don and the canal, Parkwood Springs, Roe Wood, Osgathorpe Park, Grimesthorpe Allotments and Smiths Field provide diverse habitats for wildlife as good as any in the city.

A friend who lives close to Roe Wood took part in a bird survey for the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds. In one hour in January twenty two different species visited her garden, and over the year she has seen over thirty species, some rare and others unusual in an inner-city garden. Similar numbers have also been seen in and around Burngreave Cemetery.

Sit in the garden of The Gardeners Rest on Neepsend Lane and you’re likely to see kingfishers darting along the river and at dusk a heron, big and beautiful, coming in to roost. By the riverbank on the Wicker people fishing quietly watch as foxes and other mammals go about their business.

Hopefully, with thoughtful improvements to our parks and open spaces as part of the regeneration of our area, wildlife will become more a part of the heart of Burngreave. What happens to the litter and dog mess is up to us.