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April 19th. Epping Forest (Birds) Sunday, 19th April, 1970,
proved to be a sunny and warm day for the Essex Field Club's
meeting in Epping Forest, which was held at Baldwin's Hill
and Great and Little Monks' Wood. Twenty-two members
attended this successful ornithological meeting. Members
were fortunate in being able to see four different kinds of
tits — blue, great, coal and marsh tits. In addition to
these woodland birds, nuthatches and tree-creepers were
observed.
Members remarked on the lack of real signs of Spring
after the recent cold spells during April, also only one
migrant bird was recorded, a solitary swallow.
At the end of the meeting 18 different species of
birds had been seen or heard. (Mike Parker)
May 3rd. Curtis Mill Green (Birds) Thirty-three members
attended this meeting and the sun shone brightly all day.
This area is one of the Sites of Special Scientific
Interests (SSSI) listed by the Essex Naturalists' Trust.
In the morning many birds were seen and heard; the
songs of willow-warblers, chiff-chaffs and black-cap were
heard loud and clear. Members were able to see, at close
quarters, a pair of coal-tits building a nest, and nearby a
tree-creeper was also seen. Large numbers of tree sparrows
were clearly seen in the brilliant sunshine. The cuckoo had,
by the end of the meeting, made its presence known.
In addition to the birds seen or heard,the trees were
showing the first signs of their fresh green colours.
Brimstone, peacock and tortoiseshell butterflies were also
seen in large numbers. At the end of the meeting, 35 birds
had been recorded, a good total for such a fine and sunny
day. (Mike Parker)