River Dipping with the Thames Explorer Trust

A chance to discover the wonderful wildlife of the river

The River Thames is the cleanest urban river in the world and a major wildlife corridor through our city. Thames Explorer will help people to explore London’s largest natural space by helping them discover living things and how healthy the river is. At low-tide wonderful wildlife on the Thames foreshore is revealed amongst the pebbles.

River dipping is great fun and involves using nets and spotter sheets to catch and identify river creatures such as crabs, shrimps, and leaches. Wading into the shallows of the Thames can result in the catching of fish such as Flounders, Eels and Sticklebacks; there are 125 species of fish in the Thames.

There is plenty of bird life to spot along the Thames including Swans, Herons and Cormorants. Creatures of the deep can be viewed in the Thames aquarium in the Pier House. Thames Wildlife is a good indicator of a healthy river particularly invertebrate species that are sensitive to pollution. Exploring the Thames riverside will provide a chance to find out about flooding and how people have used and changed the river both in the past and at present.

Discover the wonderful wildlife of the Thames with the Thames Explorer Trust at The Pier House, Chiswick, W4 2UG on Monday 22 August at 12 noon to 2 pm

Cost is £8 per adult and £5 per child, payable on the day. All children must be accompanied by adults. Booking online is essential.

This event will give people of all ages (over 5’s) an opportunity to venture onto the Thames foreshore and learn how to identify river wildlife.

August 16, 2016