Wildlife and Conservation Review of 2001
chipped the woody material and sent it to a biofuel power generator near Eye, Suffolk - here
surely is another mechanism for habitat management to be exploited by the conservation sector.
Readers of this article will know that Essex has a lot to offer the natural world. Unfortunately, it
also has more undesirable elements to offer. Four Essex men were arrested in north Norfolk in
the process of collecting eggs and disturbing rare breeding birds. They appeared in court later in
the summer, but sadly, as they admitted some of the charges, no custodial sentence was imposed (as
is now available under the CRoW Act), but at least substantial fines and electronic tagging sentences
were handed down.
Summer
Summery weather at last set in during June, with many hot days (peaking at 32°C) albeit interspersed
with occasional heavy rain storms, including an average month's worth on 15th/16th, leading to local
flooding. Nevertheless, it was the driest June since 1996, but where were the butterflies? In my
own garden, I saw just one (a Large White) all month, and numbers everywhere were generally
very depressed, presumably a result of earlier inclement weather.
Hot summer sun of course turns many people to thoughts of sitting on a beach, and a boost for one
Essex beach (Dovercourt) came in the form of the award of a European Blue Flag for the first
time. This success is testament to the work done by Tendring District Council to improve facilities,
and to investment by Anglian Water in clearing up sewage discharges to sea. Other people's thoughts
turn to sailing, nowhere more so than in the Walton Backwaters. But for those with tendencies to
excess, it was now time to watch out as the local authority wardening scheme launched its new
boat Limosa, a valuable addition to the protection of this last remnant of Essex coastal wilderness.
Essex FMD access restrictions were finally lifted fully on 22nd June, allowing us all out to resume
our natural istic tendencies. Perhaps borne of the frustration of the past months, surveyors were out
in force, and produced many important and interesting records. Terri Tarpey discovered the little-
known Ophrys apifera var. belgarum amongst more than a thousand 'normal' Bee Orchids at
Bulmer, on a set-aside area which was taken out of production some five or six years ago. In an
adjacent arable field, a season in which herbicide sprays had been missed resulted in a wonderful
display of Corn Marigolds, a flashback to near-forgotten sights (see plates 4 and 5). Making the
best use of happen chance, the seed was later harvested by a wildflower seed supplier. An EFC
Botany Group meeting at Brickles Wood, Matching, located Bird's-nest Orchid and lots of
Common Spotted-orchids, alongside the rather local Wild Liquorice and a White-legged
Damselfly, a surprising distance from its usual clean, flowing water habitat.
White-legged Damselflies also featured in the ongoing investigation of Hylands Park, co-ordinated
by Mark Hanson, where Geoffrey Wilkinson counted more than a hundred by the River Wid. Other
invertebrate highlights which suggest at the considerable potential of Hylands Park included the
shelled slug Testacella scutulum, a terrestrial leech (probably Trocheta subviridis) and a number
of scarce flies. Forming the northern boundary of the county, the River Stour downstream of
Bures has been discovered in recent years to support a population of the Scarce Chasers. Well,
this year they were seen again, in bigger numbers than ever, along with another very large population
ofWhite-legged Damselflies. The latter is featuring increasingly in Essex reports, perhaps a climate
indicator, or perhaps equally likely an indicator of improving river water quality. Remaining
with the insects, late June saw an influx of interesting immigrant moths, including four each of
Silver-barred and Red-necked Footman, although perhaps surprisingly there was relatively low
numbers of more traditional immigrants such as Silver Y and Rush Veneer.
Essex Naturalist (New Series) 19 (2002)
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