Wildlife and conservation review 2002
and indeed welcomed, but it does still rely upon an inordinate degree of planning and number of
permissions.
In Scotland, a bat worker who had been bitten by a Daubenton's, sadly died of 'rabies' - or so the
papers said. Not quite the full story - in fact he contracted the rabies-like European Bat Lyssavirus,
a virus which has been detected in two British Daubenton's Bats in the past. With a degree of
common sense, EBL is not likely to be a problem, as post-exposure treatment is completely effective,
and immunization is also available. In the Netherlands, between 1987 and 1991, 174 people were
bitten by infected bats; all were treated successfully without developing any symptoms.
Unfortunately, the overwhelming news of the month was about oil - oil in the wrong place: the sea.
Off the Spanish coast, a single-hulled tanker the Prestige was damaged and sunk, with most of its
cargo on board but leaking. It was estimated that over the next few months, with oil still seeping
out, more than 50,000 British seabirds died, out of a total of some 200,000 casualties. Around the
same time, an unrelated five-mile slick was reported off the Suffolk coast, and this brought oiled
birds to Essex shores. The source was unknown, but it was suggested that it may have come from a
sunken, decaying wartime vessel. Then again, illegal discharges to sea are not unknown...
The maritime mayhem continued in December: on the 14th, a Norwegian car transporter the Tricolor
collided with another vessel east of Ramsgate, and sank. Two days later, the freighter Nicola ran
into the wreck, followed shortly afterwards by the Turkish fuel tanker Vicky (with 70,000 tonnes of
kerosene aboard). And to compound matters, in January 2003, a salvage tug holed the Tricolor,
leading to further oil spillage. All in all, a catalogue of disasters, one which certainly killed many
seabirds. Following the Prestige debacle, EU ministers were stung into action, resulting in proposals
to ban singlc-hullcd tankers in all European waters.
December started dull, mild and damp, and so the fungal season dragged on, with even Fly Agarics
still evident in places. Indicative of the conditions, on 1st December, there were still 75 species of
plant in flower in our garden, although admittedly it is coastal and so was not affected by the few
October frosts. An easterly wind set in after the first week, bringing the first taste of winter, including
the first frosts of the year for our coastal fringe. As temperatures dropped, an influx of Shelduck
and Wigeon arrived, presumably birds escaping freezing conditions on the Continent. But the
mild weather soon reasserted itself, and the sight of Hazel in full flower over Christmas proved a
fitting end to a remarkably mild year.
Up to 6 Bitterns were in the Lee Valley, part of a large arrival especially in the south-east 16
presumed wild Barnacle Geese were at Mersea, then Rainham; three Pale-bellied Brents and 4
White-fronts at Old Hall; and Black Brants were seen at several places from The Naze and Holland
Haven to the Colne and Crouch. A Green-winged Teal was at Tollesbury, and Smew were in good
numbers, including 6 at Abberton. At Walthamstow Reservoir, there were 4 Red-throated Divers
and 5 Bewick's Swans. A few small groups of Snow Buntings moved around the north-east coast,
with a Shore Lark at Cudmore Grove, Dartford Warblers at Colne Point and Rainham, and three
Firecrests in the Lee Valley.
Funded by English Nature's Species Recovery Project, Zoe Ringwood, as part of her PhD work on
Fisher's Estuarine Moth, commissioned a pilot study from the University of Birmingham into the
taxonomic status of Gortyna borelii lunata, from a molecular perspective. There has long been
some doubt about the real difference between the nominate subspecies and lunata, and indeed
between lunata from different parts of Europe. The results were not unequivocal, but the study
Essex Naturalist (New Series) 20 (2003)
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