Wildlife and Conservation Review of 2000
clear from the photo, and the two close relatives can probably be ruled out on geographical grounds;
this represente only the second British record, the first since 1872 in Kent.
Rather less exotic, but arguably of greater conservation significance, Graham Bailey was monitoring
the Graylings at Grays Chalk Pit, and came upon numerous larvae of Small Ranunculus feeding
upon the flowerheads of Prickly Lettuce. He then moved on to East Tilbury and Stanford-le-Hope,
and at both sites again located the moth. So the Thames-side recolonisation continues apace, and
begs the question as to whether we are overlooking them in the north of the county. After all, Landguard
Point, just across the water in Suffolk, recorded its second adult in two years during 2000.
Summer is of course the silly season, with light-hearted news items to the fore. One such concerned
Ruddy Ducks, when their success in wooing White-hcadcd Duck females was revealed: the possession
of an eight-inch penis. As big as that of an Ostrich - size clearly matters! But therein lies their
downfall as the only threat they pose is through hybridisation. Initial reports of the cull suggested
that in was progressing better than expected, with a quarter of the UK population shot over the
past year. In addition, 60 Ruddies and 51 hybrids had been shot in Spain, with others in Portugal,
Morocco and France, while in the Netherlands, the law has been changed to permit culling there. So
the signs are that White-headed Ducks may have a future, albeit with an inferiority complex!
Other welcome news in July was the long-awaited completion by the RSPB of their purchase of
Rainham Marshes, 350 hectares of SSSI, after years of campaign ing. It looks set to become London's
largest wetland reserve, at the not inconsiderable cost of £1.1 million before even considering the
resources needed to knock it into shape. Management is urgently needed to realise its wildlife potential
- from breeding and wintering wetland and farmland birds to Water Voles and rare plants - and to
develop visitor facilities. But still there remains a thorn in their side, the remaining 80 hectares of the
site, owned by Havering Council, who are still intent on its development. The struggle goes on.
The RSPB is not interested only in birds - it does take its overall wildlife responsibilities seriously,
and has embarked upon a biodiversity survey programme on its reserves. Two particular findings
of note were the first record of Great Crested Newt for Stour Wood, and the wasp Cerceris
quinquefasciata at Rainham.
Elsewhere on the Thames, news broke of major development proposal for Shellhaven - the 'next
big port development', to construct an international trade terminal on the site of the former oil
refinery. As always it was heralded by promises of (unrealistically?) huge numbers of jobs and
consequent economic growth. But of course there are the down-sides, especially the enviromnental
concerns which must be addressed before permission is granted. The Thames is after all an
internationally important estuary, and various aspects of the proposed development - not least the
dredging of perhaps 30 million cubic metres of the estuary bed - may well have effects upon this
interest. Such concerns will have to be satisfied if the requirements of European legislation are to be
met: either that, or the Government must decide that there are imperative reasons of overriding
public importance in favour of the proposal. And if so, compensatory measures will be required.
At last, August saw the arrival of relatively summery weather, with warmer, drier and sunnier
conditions than we had become accustomed to. Essex fared better than many other parts of the
country, and had only half the average monthly rainfall. And that was taking into account a brief
interlude on the 21st, when an incredible mix of weather spread across the country, from torrential
rain to tornadoes, and hail as deep as snow.
Essex Naturalist (New Series) 18 (2001)
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