6
RECORDERS NEEDED AT A NEW ESSEX RESERVE
In May 1 made contact with a group of residents campaigning for a local nature reserve
on a former plotland adjoining Noak Bridge Village (TQ 699905). 1 had a slight
acquaintance with this site having stopped there occasionally years ago to botanise on
regular trips to and from Southend from Romford via the "scenic route". 1 knew that it
then had a range of Essex flora but assumed that it had all been built over. 1 was
surprised to discover that a large area remained and supported an exceptionally interesting
fauna.
Briefly, after foiling attempts to drain a large marshy pond, the residents campaign
resulted in the support of English Nature for a stage 1 survey. The Commission for New
Towns engaged the Penny Anderson Consultancy in May 1993 and the site was
subsequently recognised as a Site of Importance for Nature Conservation (SINC) at
county level and of national importance for amphibians and reptiles. Surprisingly, apart
from this recent activity there appears to have been little expert interest in the site.
The land is on the extreme fringe of the Basildon New Town area and although zoned for
development the Commission for New Towns has agreed in principle to release land to
EWT for a nature reserve. The boundaries are still under negotiation. The local group
fear that these will be drawn too tightly to conserve the complete existing assemblage and
that the important reptile and amphibian populations will be threatened by the loss of
areas across which they disperse and return to hibernation sites. Part of this area is
former grassland now almost totally scrubbed over but still producing orchid spikes in
one small patch of light. Field ants survive nearby.
The main puipose of this brief report is to request help in recording the existing fauna to
assist management planning, hopefully before decisions are taken which result in habitat
loss and literally set reduced boundaries in concrete.
Expertise on flora, amphibians and reptiles is in place; several snake hibernation sites are
known and monitoring is in hand. However the site is rich in virtually all orders and few
are recorded at all. Most mammals occur, from badgers to bats. The site supports a good
variety of wintering and breeding birds. In 1993 19 species of butterfly were identified.
Dragon and Damselflies included the Emerald Damselfly Lestes sponsa and the Large
Red Damselfly Pyrrhosoma nymphula. Three species of bush cricket were noted
including Roesel's Metrioptera roeselii. Invertebrates as a group are noticeably abundant
and diverse, thriving in a variety of glades and rides within a mix of young oak woodland,
scrub, and rough grassland. Service trees occur in several places and there are standing
dead trees. Ground conditions vary progressively from very dry through marsh to open
water and include a sandy area with a "heathy" character. Invertebrate recording was
begun on a small scale last year and light trapping is planned for 1994, but a range of
specialist input is desirable to build up a meaningful assessment.
Anyone able to offer assistance is requested to contact the Noak Bridge Conservation
Group before initial visit via:- Betty Haynes, 185 Crouch St, Noak Bridge Village,
Billericay, Essex (Tel: 0268 531365).
Phil Butler