Wildlife and Conservation Review of 2000
Migrant birds in June included Osprey at Maldon, Common Crane at Steeple, Stone Curlew at
Colne Point, Spotted Crake at Rainham, and two Ortolan Buntings at Holland Haven, though
these were normal fare compared with a (sadly unconfirmed) Crested Lark at Tilbury, and an
escaped Hartlaub's Gull, a South African species, at Creekmouth.
One of the saddest events of the year was the death of Mollie Drake on June 21st. Mollie was a
stalwart of the conservation movement in south-east Essex, who kept a close eye on the birds and
other wildlife of the area, including the MoD range areas at Foulness, and was instrumental in
raising the profile of the Maplin Sands when it was threatened by airport development in the 1970s.
At the end of June, and well into July, persistent easterly winds set in, blowing gloom in off the North
Sea, keeping the coastal fringes especially cool and damp. That gave way eventually to heavy rain and
thunder before turning a little more summery towards the end of the month. It was the coolest and
wettest July for a decade, with 15 rainy days during the month. Only four days had more than 10
hours of sunshine, while three had none at all: a good July day should record 15 hours of sun. And night-
time temperatures were remarkably low, on several occasions dropping below 8°C. Not surprisingly,
moth trap catches were unprecedentedly low; taking evidence from my own trap, there were several
nights with as low as 30 species, whereas the seasonal average is more than 80.
But again, there was plenty of wildlife excitement to keep us warm. A Nightjar was found in the
unlikely location of Tilbury Docks, and after recuperation was released at Thorndon Park. Equally
out of place, a Manx Shearwater was on Walthamstow Reservoir. A White Stork at Abberton
must be treated as of unknown origin, given that is was wealing a black plastic ring with the yellow
letters AX on it) - the same bird then proceeded to tour the West Midlands and further south.
Returning waders included a Red-necked Phalarope and two Temminck's Stints at Old Hall, and
there were report of White-winged Black Tern at Hanningfield, up to 12 Hobbies over Berwick
Ponds, Honey Buzzard at Mucking and a couple of Ospreys. The Yellow-legged (Herring) Gull
flocks on the Thames started to build up in what is now the accustomed fashion, with peaks of 65 at
Purfleet and 106 at East Tilbury.
July also saw the first county-bred Silver-washed Fritillaries for several decades, when the progeny
of the 1999 reintroduction project in Markshall Wood emerged. While it is still early days, it was
a welcome sign of success for this exciting Biodiversity Action Plan project to restore the whole
woodland butterfly community to these woods.
Pam and Peter Wilson continued their outstanding borrowdyke surveys, undertaking a further 103
sections between Dovercourt and Dengie. Around the Blackwater Estuary, they found several locations
for two of the key brackish-water specialities. Starlet Sea-anemone Nematostella vectensis and
Lagoon Sea-slug Tenellia adspersa. The Tenellia records are especially notable: over the past three
summers they have recorded it at seven sites in north Essex. Prior to that, only six sites were known
(one in south Essex) in the whole of the UK over the past century. It is specially protected by law,
and so its discovery at Abbotts Hall provided yet another factor the EWT must take into account in
developing and implementing their managed realignment scheme. Other exciting records included
Paracymus aeneus, a very rare beetle known previously from one nearby Essex site since 1991, but
elsewhere only on the Isle of Wight; another beetle Berosus spinosus from Langenhoe, but otherwise
recorded in Essex only from Tollesbury Wick; and Eubranchus exiguus, a small sea-slug recorded
as new to Essex. One thing they did not record, probably much to their relief, was the Snapping
Turtle: a very large example of this American species, presumable discarded from captivity once it
grew too big, was taken from the River Colne at Rowhedge.
Essex Naturalist (New Series) 18 (2001)
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