Wildlife and conservation review 2002
result of a general reduction in adult survival rate, combined with poor breeding performance in
suburban habitats. It also looked at another declining bird, the 'Common' Starling. It seems some
2/3 of all starlings are dependent upon gardens, and the sharpest falls were in (suboptimal) woodland
habitat. The major cause of decline seems to be reduced survival of young birds, largely as a result
of the loss of autumn food supplies, which in turn is related to agricultural changes. These findings
confirm the view that to conserve these 'garden' birds, we need to look after the whole environment.
Autumn
Rather than autumn. September turned out to be the most summery month of the year. High pressure
reigned, bringing generally warm and dry weather, apart from the 9th, when all areas suffered a
deluge. Thereafter, there was no measurable rain until 11th October. On the 23rd, an earthquake
struck, centred on the Midlands, but felt at least in west Essex. Although not on the scale of the
1884 Colchester earthquake, it does indicate our area may not be as stable geologically as we
assume. So what possessed anyone to build Bradwell nuclear power station where it is?
Two possible Essex bird 'firsts' turned up early in the month, in the form of a Yellow-breasted
Bunting at Colne Point on the 8th, and an Elegant Tern past Canvey on the 10th and 13th. The old
favourite Ring-billed Gull returned to Westcliff, and a number of eastern migrants included Red-
backed Shrikes, Wrynecks, Barred Warblers and a Red-breasted Flycatcher. At The Naze on the 1st,
there were remarkable counts of 82 Lesser and 52 Common Whitethroats. Three Pectoral Sandpipers
were seen at Rainham and Old Hall, giving the RSPB a monopoly of this species, and off both
Canvey and Walton, sea watches produced four species of skua, three of shearwater (including a
Balearic), Leach's Petrel and four Sabine's Gulls. And on the migrant moth front, a Golden Twin-
spot appeared at Kirby-le-Soken and a Striped Hawk-moth at Lawford.
On 19th September, Rick Vonk, RSPB warden for the Stour Estuary, reported a fresh adult White
Admiral, rather a surprise as it is not supposed to be double-brood ed. This month also saw the start
of the fungus season, despite the dry conditions: at Belhus Woods, a foray produced the uncommon
Macrolepiota konradii, while at Hatfield Forest, Creolophns cirrhatus and Ganoderma lucidum
were found on the same decaying stump.
The 22nd saw some 400,000 'countryfolk' and their supporters descending on London for the 'March
for Liberty and Livelihood'. It was organised by the Countryside Alliance, but was hijacked by
the pro-hunting lobby, thus drawing the focus away from more deserving issues, such as rural
crime, lack of investment and agricultural pay.
The most significant publishing event of the year was the launch of the New Atlas of the British &
Irish Flora - a truly landmark volume, allowing for the first time a comparison of trends for most
species which were mapped for the first Atlas, forty years ago. The results are striking, if not
entirely unexpected: on average, native species have changed little, but archaeophytes (long-
established aliens, such as arable 'weeds') have declined seriously, and neophytes (recent aliens)
have increased alarmingly; northern species have declined in the south, as a result of habitat loss
and climate change; many plants of grassland, wetland and heathland have shown serious declines;
and nitrogen-loving species have increased, as a sign of the over-fertilisation of our countryside.
The drought continued until mid-October, then broke with a vengeance. On the 15th, a day of
severe weather led to several reports of tornadoes, and a particularly nasty little depression moved
over us on the 27th, bringing gusty winds, up to 80mph, and many fallen trees. What is especially
Essex Naturalist (New Series) 20 (2003)
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