This autumn, why not head to Beckton and enjoy all that Rat Park has to offer?
Nestled between the A13 dual carriageway and a string of pylons, this lakeside nature reserve is a great day out for all the family and offers the chance to get up close to an uparallelled range of rarely-seen wildlife.
Your unique Rat Park experience begins just beyond the gate where you can expect to be greeted by one of the local red foxes (Vulpes vulpes). These shy scavengers normally hide from sight during daylight hours, emerging only after dark to knock over a few bins and mate vigorously. But here in Rat Park they engage with visitors in a much friendlier manner, holding their ground in a brief feral stand-off before slinking silently into the undergrowth. And that's just the start of your adventure.
These cuddly creatures with bushy tails (Sciurus carolinensis) are often described as furry rats, although in fact they're nothing of the sort. They're grey squirrels, and while they may not be common in your local greenspace here at Rat Park they're everywhere, clambering up trees and hopping merrily across the grass. Should you be particularly fortunate they may come right up close, perhaps with a nut in their mouth or better still rising up on two legs to plead for food. The park's supply of acorns is alas low at present, but bring your own treats and they'll soon be begging to meet you.
Rest assured it won't be long before you bump into the park's star attraction, the ubiquitous brown rat. Even if you don't spot them scuttling by the lakeside you'll spot their cute little houses which are everywhere around the north end of the park. Each home is a small black plastic hideaway with a convenient hole in the front, carefully aligned in the hope that as many furry friends as possible will find their way inside. Every box has also been labelled with the name of the park's official sponsor - London Network for Pest Solutions - and filled with generous amounts of homely bait.
Not every creature at Rat Park is a rare treat. The grey heron (Ardea cinerea) is much too common a sight, forever perched by the lakeside or flapping off across the water. No visitor wants to be distracted by a tedious grey heron when they could be focused instead on interacting with rats, squirrels and pigeons. Indeed Rat Park boasts hundreds of pigeons (Columba domestica), the like of which are rarely seen collectively elsewhere. Be sure to head to the wooden jetty at feeding time to watch a hunched old lady summon the flock via the scattering of breadcrumbs.
Midday is the time to gather by the scratchy bench to watch the Parade of the Canada Geese (Branta canadensis). These unique birds have been trained to process in choreographed sequence up the slope by the litter bin before returning to the water past the missing lifebelt. In this image we see the touching moment when the second in line ducks down to peck the ground, which is invariably the highlight of the display. But it won't be the highlight of your visit because that'll be the startling moment you first set eyes on an actual rat.
There's one! As you'll discover when you visit they're pretty much everywhere, but here at last is a proper snapshot of an iconic brown rat (Rattus norvegicus). It appears to be attempting to hide behind a leaf, which is not necessarily a good look, but this provides an excellent opportunity to enjoy an unobstructed view of its long thin pink tail. Be sure to soak in the rare novelty of observing this special creature in its natural habitat - it's what you came to Beckton for.
Some of Rat Park's most exciting animals are to be found on the central lake. These assorted waterfowl include a variety of amazing ducks and also the near unique mute swan (Cygnus olor). Unfortunately the ubiquitous grey heron is back and has spoilt this photo by encroaching in the midst of the display, wings outstretched, but hopefully an annoying appearance by this ordinariest of beasts won't spoil your enjoyment when you visit.
In the unlikely event that you tire of looking at the animals, Rat Park also has an engrossing tree trail. Over 30 different species are planted along the path around the lake, each with a small green plaque to explain precisely what species of tree it is. These are both informative and educational, thereby helping to enhance any day out, except that several plaques are now missing so you may never discover what this bright orange tree is. Also that bloody heron is back again on the edge of the water, sorry, and this tedious bird is very much not what you came to Rat Park to see. But this is...
Look at the rat's cute pointy face, its smooth brown fur and its bright piercing eyes. Imagine its sharp jutting teeth and perhaps the many diseases it might be carrying. And this is just one of the delightful cuddly rodents to be spotted nipping out from leafy hideaways, sitting atop tree roots or scuttling across the grass. They're hard to miss, indeed after you've been here for a few minutes you'll be exclaiming "wow, I have never seen so many rats as this!" with incredulous glee. No wonder so many visitors leave happy and content, because there's nowhere else in London quite like Rat Park.
