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WILDLIFE REVIEW OF THE YEAR
Wildlife and Conservation Review of 1999
CHRIS GIBSON
J Dove House Cottage, Oakley Road, Dovercourt COl2 5DR
Introduction
Fittingly perhaps, the last year of the 20th Century proved to be one of the hottest ever, described as
the warmest or second-warmest on record, according to where measurements were taken, and coming
hard on the heels of several other record-breaking years during the 1990s. If any more evidence
were needed, surely this provides conclusive proof of the disruption to our planet resulting from the
past two hundred years of atmospheric abuse. Climate change on the scale we are now witnessing
has never before been witnessed by modern humans, and the impacts on our wildlife are almost
impossible to overstate. The wildlife report for 2099 is likely to be very different from that presented
here; our coastal marshes may have almost disappeared, the bird life of Essex almost unrecognisable.
Already weare seeing Mediterranean Gulls and Little Egrets as year-round features, and who knows
what next? Hoopoes and Sardinian Warblers as typical late- 21s1 Century garden birds? Food for
thought, and cause for great concern for those of us who love Essex as it is now.
As in the 1998 report, I am grateful for the many observers whose records form the bulk of this
report. Where well-known common names apply to a species, I have generally not given the scientific
equivalent. Acknowledgment is also due to the numerous regular publications whose reports 1 have
freely plundered, especially British Wildlife, Birdwatching, Birdwatch and Atropos. With respect to
birds, I should again stress that the reports included here are not a definitive record. That is the
rightful role of the Essex Bird Report, which during 1999 was again awarded the accolade of Best
Annual Bird Report by British Birds - for the fifth time in eight years. Congratulations must go to the
editors and the Essex Birdwatching Society in general.
Winter
In general, January and February were mild, wet and windy, with few cold snaps to make it feel like
a real winter. The wettest January since 1988 was due to a succession of Atlantic fronts crossing the
country, bringing rain and numerous flood alerts, although Essex was not so badly affected as many
other parts of Britain. It was also remarkably mild, 1.4 C above average, with sunshine totals above
average despite the rain. This prompted the early emergence of overwintering butterflies. Peacock.
Red Admiral and Small Tortoiseshell were all seen on the first day of the year, and regularly
thereafter on the warmer days, when temperatures peaked at 15 C. The first Brimstones were noted
before the end of the month, along with a sprinkling of presumed migrant Painted Ladies, following
southerly winds. Such early sightings are now becoming almost the norm, and do beg questions
about possible disruption of their life cycles, especially when wintry conditions follow in the spring,
as in 1998.
Essex Naturalist (New Series) 17 (2000)