Some observations on changes in the wildlife of Epping Forest since 1939
what is very singular, it has within the last three years totally disappeared". Three years later he
again remarks that he has not seen one. But in 1885 Buxton writes that it is."... much more common
than the Whinchat; breeds on the open forest". By 1923 Buxton's son amends this (Buxton 1923)
to "Rare now''. In the last sixty years I have not seen a Stonechat on the Forest, although I have seen
the occasional Whinchat.
Of the Redstart Phoenicurus phoenicurus, Doubleday writes in 1832 "...arrived in immense numbers
this year ... the forest literally swarms with them." And, in 1885, Buxton writes it is now "..frequent
in summer". I think it could also be described in the 1940s as "frequent in summer". It bred then
throughout the central and northern parts of the Forest, even nesting in the 1960s as far south as the
scattered Hornbeams on the ridge of Chingford Golf Course (TQ388955) and pairs were widespread
in Fairmead Thicket, Bury Wood and Hawk Wood.
Today it is extinct as a breeding species in the Forest and Essex. Loss of nest sites, holes in the old
pollards, cannot really account for this loss. Neither can climate or changes in wintering quarters as
the populations in the west of Britain and farther north are relatively stable.
Old notes of Nightingale Luscinia megarhynchos numbers also make depressing reading when
compared with the situation now. On May 15th 19431 wrote "fewer Nightingales singing this morning
only twelve between Whitehall Plain, Chingford and Palmer's Bridge" (a distance of a mile!). Had
I gone on through Fairmead and Round Thicket to the 'Robin Hood' the expected number would
have been at least 20 plus.
Finches
Whereas Oak and Hornbeam predominate in the Forest on the London Clay, on the, drier and steeper
Claygate slopes, capped with Bagshot Sand and Pebble Gravel, the Beech Fagus sylvatica is usually
dominant, with Birch (mostly Belida pubescens) on the higher open heaths. In the 1940s the beeches
provided a 20-25m high canopy with little or no under-storey; usually just a carpet of dead leaves.
Sixty years ago under the closed beech canopy the woodland floor was a great winter feeding ground
for flocks of tits and finches. The year 1941 must have been a good year for beech-mast for I see I
noted in January 1942 a flock of over 400 Chaffinches Fringilla coelebs and Bramblings Fringilla
montifringilla feeding on Hill Wood under the beeches - 25% were Bramblings.
In the same area today and in many other places too, open sunny patches of regeneration are restarting
the cycle so that the beech woodland today is more open and diverse. Many of those great beeches
have gone or are going - storms, droughts and consequent stress having brought their life cycles to a
premature end. Brambles, birch and willow arc rapidly filling the gaps where the old trees grew,
while young Beeches are growing more slowly.
A bird associated with the canopy of Epping Forest is the Hawfinch. In the 1940s Hawfinches
Coccothraustes coccothraustes were quite common in the Forest. Once you knew their 'tic tic'
flight call you could find them every day. They were especially noisy in March and April when there
was much chasing in the top of the hornbeam canopy and creaky singing by the males. A summer
roost existed somewhere north of Connaught Water (TQ404954). Early morning observations
invariably produced small parties passing southwards down the River Ching valley. Maximum
numbers were 31 in one morning and 23 flying north in the evening. But the 'red-letter' Hawfinch
days were in February and March 1942 when a flock of up to 200 birds was frequently seen feeding
Essex Naturalist (New Series) 18 (2001)
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