big bird flew out. Not being a birder, I thought it was probably a common partridge,
but looking in a book it was probably a juvenile as it was very speckly browns all over.
It has been a somewhat mixed summer so far, with warm spells and showery days.
And August is likely to bring more unsettled weather. I wonder what the fungus season
will be like?
Not a surfeit but a Lamprey nonetheless
Alan Roscoe Conservation Lecturer and Research Technician, Writtle College,
Lordship Road, Writtle, Chelmsford CM1 3RR. Email alan.roscoe@writtle.ac.uk
On 12 March Writtle College conservation students were undertaking a faunal survey
on the River Can near Warren Bridge just north of Writtle village at TL 679 072. A
member of staff, Ron Fryer, was assisting and managed to capture a lamprey in a
bucket. Sarah Burton, a student, took a 26 second video of the animal on her mobile
telephone. The animal's mouthparts were not examined on site but subsequent
examination of the footage, with particular reference to the dorsal fins, led to a tentative
identification of Brook Lamprey Lampetra planeri.
The video was sent to Huw Richards at the Kelvedon office of the Environment Agency
for determination. Huw confirmed the species as L. planeri and advised that the most
recent record of the species at that site (Warren Bridge is an EA monitoring site) was
of two individuals in 2001.
Natural England now recognises the species as 'uncommon' (Natural England, 2005)
and, although still widespread, the species has declined (JNCC, no date). The National
Biodiversity Network Gateway's (http://data.nbn.org.uk/) most recent record of the
species for grid square TL60 is from 1998.
Anecdotal evidence also suggests a decline in the abundance of Lamprey species
generally over recent decades so the presence of this animal was as welcome as it was
unexpected. The animal was subsequently re-found by Ron Fryer in exactly the same
place some two weeks later.
References
JNCC (no date) Brook lamprey [www document] http://www.jncc.gov.uk/
protectedsites/sacselection/species.asp?FeatureIntCode=S1096
NATURAL ENGLAND (2005) Environmental Stewardship, Farm Environment
Plan Guidance 007
http://www.naturalengland.org.uk/Images/esf007specieslist_tem6-6488.pdf
Essex Field Club Newsletter No. 60, September 2009 9