Wildlife and Conservation Review of 2000
Bradwell, Great Wakering and Paglesham - of the uncommon oil-beetle Meloe proscarabaeus, a
southern European species seemingly spreading here. The verges of the A12 were bathed in white
after the 10th, as the Early Scurvy-grass came into flower earlier than ever. A Stoat in ermine at
Abberton seemed very out of place, until the last few days of March when spring shuddered to a halt,
and indeed seemed to go into reverse as the harbingers of summer shut up or moved back south. The
Abberton area also benefited from a couple of Otter records, further evidence of consolidation in
the county, albeit a bit worrying as it is often said that a visible Otter is an unhappy Otter.
The north Essex Little Egret roost peaked at 27 birds during March; increased diurnal activity was
noted at the site, but with no direct evidence of breeding. Winter lingerers included three Ring-
billed Gulls, and a Snow Bunting turned up far inland at Walthamstow; other birds of inland interest
included Jack Snipe, Ruff and Black-tailed Godwit at Cornmill Meadows in the Lee Valley,
reinforcing the status of the valley as a cross-country fly way. Migrant songbirds included Firecrests
on three days at Bradwell, and notably early records of several species: Swallow (5th), Sedge
Warbler (25th), Reed Warbler and Whitethroat (26th), Cuckoo (27th) and Nightingale (30th). At
the other end of the popularity spectrum, amorphous fungus-like brownish blobs found at Belhus
Country Park were identified as the possibly overlooked terrestrial blue-green alga Nostoc commune,
following close on a record in February from Skreens Wood at Roxwell.
March was also a productive period for Governmental announcements. A housing policy document
marginally reduced the identified need for housing in the south-east, from 55,000 to 43,000 new
houses, and significantly recommended that developments should be at a higher density than
previously, and focussed upon brownfield sites. While this may seem a welcome move from some
perspectives, it was a worrying policy shift in places such as south Essex, where much of the
biodiversity, including invertebrate assemblages of national importance, are found in such sites.
In many ways it would be preferable to release Green Belt land, much of which is devoid of wildlife
interest, to fulfil identified needs.
Much more welcome was the publication of the Countryside & Rights of Way (CRoW) Bill,
which proposed significantly enhanced protection for Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs), as
well as increased opportunities for public access to the countryside - the so-called 'right to roam'.
Given the political and land-owning sensitivities, especially in relation to increased access, it was
destined for a convoluted passage through the legislative process.
Even more controversial though was the announcement of trial sites for the release of Genetically
Modified crops. One of the first tranche was a site for herbicide-tolerant Rape at St Osyth, close to
the Colne Point National Nature Reserve. English Nature and the RSPB supported the principle of
such trials, aimed at identifying the possible farmland biodiversity impacts of GM crops and their
management, but this trial was subsequently withdrawn as a result of great local concern. Local
concerns at a subsequent site near Wivenhoe resulted in the crop being trashed by protestors. And
the GM proponents suffered a considerable blow when Advanta, a seed company, revealed that
some of their allegedly GM-free seed was contaminated with GM seed. Their claims that seed with
less than 1% GM could be classed as 'GM-free' made a very strong case for always reading the
small print.
April proved to be cold and very wet, the fourth wettest on record, as a series of active Atlantic
fronts crossed the country. Indeed, early April was one of the coldest periods of the winter, and
resulted in snow in mid-month; the average temperature was 1°C below the long-term average.
While Essex suffered none of the blizzards of elsewhere in the country, we did receive a considerable
Essex Naturalist (New Series) 18 (2001)
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