256
BROAD FEATURES OF THE ORNITHOLOGY
OF ESSEX.
By WILLIAM E. GLEGG. F.Z.S., M.B.O.U.
[Read 27th January, 1940.]
ESSEX is one of the larger of the English counties and has
an area of about 1,542 square miles, but it is small when
compared with Yorkshire, the largest, which claims 6,150 square
miles. There is not much geological variation over the county,
as it is mainly composed of clay, London Clay in the southern
and Boulder Clay in the northern half. There are, however,
small outcrops of Chalk in the north-west and at Purfleet in the
south. As one would expect, such similarity of soil does not
produce marked ornithological features. The occurrence of the
Corn-Bunting in the north-west may be associated with the
Chalk of that part of the county and, although indirectly, this
formation is responsible for many Jackdaws at Purfleet.
In taking a view of the county we realize that it is mainly a
land of fields, hedgerows and hedgerow trees, according to the
Government statistics of 1927 three-quarters of the total area
being under cultivation, so that we do not expect to find through
the greater part of our district sharp differences in the types
of species. The woods in 1924 were said to cover about 47 square
miles, and among the more important are Epping Forest, Writtle
High Woods, Hatfield Forest and the woods near Hockley.
Those of Epping and Hatfield are best suited to bird-life, as
they possess very old trees and open bush-clad spaces. A
feature of Epping Forest is the many hornbeam trees, which
have been pollarded, these being responsible for the many
Hawfinches which have inhabited the wood. Essex has a
limited amount of heath-land, but there are many commons
of varying size scattered over the county; some are bare grass-
land, while others are more or less covered with gorse. Nazeing-
wood is a fine example of the former and Danbury of the latter.
Another feature which plays its part in adding to the classes
of birds is the many old parks which add so much beauty to
the landscape, such as Weald and Easton. Fresh water covers
about seventeen square miles and includes the rivers, artificial
lakes, as at Gosfield, and the Lea Valley Reservoirs, the last-