Reports

[treasurer] [birds] [botanical] [mammals] [invertebrates]

Summary of the Chairman’s Report 2005

Peter Douch, the outgoing chairman, reported that 2005 had again been a busy one for the Society, with nine Tuesday evening walks several weekend walks and surveys, some interesting talks and five coach trips.

CNHS had reinforced its connection with the Woodland Trust at Fordham Hall Estate when warden Geoff Sinclair gave an informative talk in the spring. Darren Tansley had subsequently arranged for Dr. Simone Bullion, the regional expert on the hazel dormouse, to talk about its conservation in our area.

We had bought a digital projector for the Society and Darren Tansley had put up a website for us which was a model of good practice of its type. The Society had contributed to Jerry Bowdrey's project of restoring the wildlife garden at the museum which would blossom into a big success this spring and summer. It had included the highest standards of accessibility for a project of its type. Probably the most important activity for CNHS from 2005 was still in preparation, the new edition of the Society's transactions, 'Nature in North East Essex'. All members would receive a free copy of what would be a cornucopia of local natural history featuring birds, beetles, butterflies, bees, moths, mice, metereology and marshes, and many other topics of interest. He congratulated and thanked all of the hard working and talented naturalists in the Society who have contributed their work and especially editor Joe Firmin and the designer Darren Tansley.

He thanked the two members of the committee who were standing down, Helen Wiegand and Monica Taylor and explained that this would be his last report as chairman, as he would be standing down after six years. He thanked all the officers and committee members he had worked with and other members who had helped CNHS in various ways over the period, especially the President, Joe Firmin. Lastly, he said that CNHS was not just impressive when producing scientific publications, but also, just as much, when it is having its Christmas social: "We are a learned Society and a group of colleagues and friends, which is just as important". He wished his successor, Ted Benton, as much satisfaction in the role as he had enjoyed.

Peter Douch

Summary of the Treasurer’s Report 2005

David Barnard reported that the income and expenditure account for the year showed a deficit of £790.48. He explained that the main reasons for this were the purchase of a digital projector (£655.51), losses on the year's coach trip account (£484) and the cost of the website (£262.17).

On the other hand the Christmas social event had been well attended making a surplus of £343.60 and the Society's two trophies had been revalued for insurance purposes and found to be worth £1,300 more than the previous value. He had arranged for them and the digital projector to be insured against damage and loss. The balance sheet now showed that the Society's assets were worth £12,062.63 at the end of November, 2005.

Membership had showed a slight decline on the good previous year and the sale of CNHS books was also down, but this was only to be expected as it was now three years since the main publication, the 'Butterflies of Colchester', had first been offered for sale.

He reported that both the recent CNHS grant-aided projects, 'Meeting Small Mammals' and the Wildlife Garden restoration, had been satisfactorily completed and accounts sent to the grant givers

Lastly he especially thanked Membership Secretary Diana Mueller, coach organiser Carole Rogers and the Honorary Auditor Avis Sharpe for their work.

David Barnard

Bird Report Highlights 2005

Many species of bird are continuing to struggle in maintaining numbers and the now usual candidates stand out locally. These include lesser spotted woodpecker, nuthatch, marsh and willow tit.

There are some encouraging signs, however, with stubble and set-aside, together with game cover/forage plots of maize, providing a welcome attraction to sparrows, finches and buntings during the lean winter period. One such field borders Gosbecks Park where at least twenty corn buntings can be seen with one hundred or more chaffinches and other finches, plus a calling quail in mid-August. My own observations would suggest that turtle dove numbers have improved slightly. I also saw or heard more cuckoos than in recent years. Hawfinches, another very localises and difficult to observe species, have been reported from the Roman River Valley in recent weeks.

The buzzard continues to make progress in its eastward spread and two might have bred in the Braxted area. Other raptors seen in our area have included red kites and at least two ospreys, one of which spent a month at Abberton Reservoir during the autumn. A ferruginous duck spent some time at Abberton in the spring and with low water levels during the autumn many waders turned up.

My ability to keep pace with the vast amount of information being made available by e-mail is limited by time constraints. I therefore suggest you refer to copies of the Essex Bird Report as it becomes available. The 2004 edition will be published soon.

John Thorogood, Bird Recorder

Botanical Report 2005

Peter Douch gave the Botanical Report for 2005 on behalf of Terri Tarpey, the official botanical recorder. She had him to mention a few of her most important botanical discoveries of the last year. At Old Hall Marshes she found fine-leaved water dropwort, little mouse-ear and crested hair grass, all rare or scarce species, and on some heathland near Friday Woods, where members of the public are seldom allowed, she has found heath milkwort, last seen in our area twenty-five years ago. Working with Jerry Heath, the former natural museum curator, bulbous foxtail grass had been located at a second site nearby, following its rediscovery last year. Before then it had long been thought extinct in Essex.

Terri had reported that her botanical database of all plants in our area has grown again and now contained over 280,000 records. She has also ventured into recording bryophytes - mosses and liverworts, with a preliminary survey at Daws Hall Marsh. Back in May Terri had led the botanical recording in a biological 'blitz' in the graveyard and land surrounding the church at Elmstead Market. A total of 97 botanical species were identified that day, which made it a significantly rich site.

Adding some observations from the Tuesday evening walks and local surveys, Peter said a good range of habitats had been covered including arable margins, dry and wet grassland, freshwater and saltwater marsh and woodland. Among the more notable finds were the water violets Hottonia palustris at Assington and the small teasels Dipsacus piosus at Chappell viaduct. At Ferry Marsh, Wivenhoe, there had been lots of dittander Lepidium latifolium in the fleets and many of the saltmarsh flora had been present. At Gosbecks the small nettle Urtica urens, which nevertheless had a big sting, had been noticed along with many of the now less common arable weeds including hop trefoil Trifolium campestre and a spectacular single plant of Onopordum acanthium, cotton thistle. High Woods yielded three species of equisetums from the one visit - field, marsh and great horsetail. At Layer Marney Park the not often encountered in our area stone parsley Sison amomum had been noticed. He reminded those present that Terri is always interested in hearing from people who have seen interesting plants, even if they are not totally sure of the exact species. She could sometimes find time to check potentially valuable sightings.

Terri Tarpey, Botanical Recorder

Mammal Report 2005

The Essex and Suffolk Dormouse Project (featured in the new edition of Nature in North East Essex) has continued to expand our knowledge of the distribution of this charismatic small mammal in our region. Populations have been confirmed in several locations where they had not formally been recorded before including Marks Hall, Coggeshall; Chalkney Wood, Earls Colne; Assington Mill, Assington as well as outside our area in the urban sprawl of Southend and Billericay! There is still a puzzling lack of records from the Essex bank of the River Stour, even though woods on the Suffolk side hold populations and further work will be carried out this year installing monitoring tubes and nest boxes in other possible locations.

More recently CNHS members helped River Colne Countryside Project officer Simon Amstutz and the local BTCV group with the construction of an artificial otter holt on the River Colne. This project is on land now owned by the Woodland Trust at Fordham Hall, the second largest woodland planting project in Britain at the current time. The River flows along a 2km boundary to the south of the site and otter signs have been regularly found under the road bridge, but happily within 8 weeks of the holt’s construction otters have taken up occupation. Simon Amstutz reports that spraint and signs have been found. This is important as animals will soon be looking for suitable breeding and feeding locations and shelters like this provide adults with useful stopping off points in what can be 25km territories.

Reports of other animals in our area continue with four species of bat recorded roosting in bunkers at Marks Hall, Coggeshall, in February. These included brown long eared, daubentons, natterers and one individual of the much scarcer barbastelle bats. Marks Hall is the site of regular monitoring throughout the year and it was encouraging to find nearly 100 individuals roosting in specially adapted ‘bat bricks’ installed to mimic crevice conditions.

The fate of water voles in the CHNS area remains precarious, but there could be the first signs of recovery after a substantial and ongoing effort to exclude mink, a voracious predator of water voles, from the river Stour and Colne catchments. A new water vole colony has been confirmed to the west of our area. Mink numbers have dipped considerably over the last 4 years although they still pose a significant threat due to their presence in the open countryside. In Suffolk we have discovered new populations in the most unlikely places such as partly dried out arable field ditches. An Essex ‘Water for Wildlife’ project may be on the cards and cannot come too soon. We are still the only county in our region that does not have a County project officer caring for our threatened river wildlife.

Finally anecdotal evidence of an increase in sightings of weasels in certain areas is certainly backed up by my own experience this year. A resurgence in myxomatosis could be responsible. Weasels, like any other predator, react to an abundance of prey by increasing in numbers, and while a healthy rabbit is a hard animal for a weasel to predate, they do take very young, or sick animals. Any records gratefully received.

Darren Tansley, Mammal Recorder

Invertebrate Report 2005

2005 was an exciting year for invertebrate finds in the area, with several discoveries, changes in status and new arrivals lending further weight to theories of global warming.

I am indebted to Joe Firmin for information on Lepidoptera during the year. The Biological Action Plan butterfly Silver-Washed Fritillary introduction at Marks Hall continues to enjoy success with courtship, mating and egg-laying being observed in July and August. A dozen new adults from Sussex were released to add to the genetic diversity of the colony. The Wood White was less successful and none were seen, but further releases are planned for 2006. White Admirals continue to recolonise lost ground from their Wrabness and Friday Wood strongholds. Sightings were reported from Marks Hall, High Woods and two sites in Tendring.

The Essex Moth Group continued its surveys and its successful annual meeting at Lawford. Two CNHS members, Hugh Owen and David Scott, both have breeding colonies of the rare White-Spotted Pinion on their land and the former was home to the first recorded Essex larva of the moth. Other notable records included Dusky Hook Tip and Toadflax Brocade from Kirby, Ruddy Carpet and Rest Harrow at Black Notley, Small Ranunculus at Dovercourt and Jaywick, Bordered Straw at West Bergholt and Convolvulus Hawk at Cudmore Grove.

The Harlequin Ladybird got off to a slow start after the winter, with one at Lexden Park in June. However, by late summer numbers had increased renewing fears that this voracious alien species is becoming established here. Beetle discovery of the century must go to Nigel Cuming, who discovered a colony of the striking weevil Rhynchites auratus near Colchester. The last previous sighting of this species in Britain was in 1839 in Kent and it was thought to be extinct here. The same site also supports other scarce species and further surveys will be undertaken in 2006.

The striking wasp spider Argiope bruennichi reappeared at several sites in the Colchester area and in some places in late summer its egg cases were found, giving hope of a good brood for 2006.

The first north Essex record of the alien snail Hygromia cinctella came from Colchester’s roman wall, and the native snail Cochlichella acuta from Harwich was new to Essex, although possibly introduced accidentally on boats or trailers.

However, these interesting discoveries should not make us complacent. Threats to invertebrate conservation have never been greater and habitat protection and management still remain the most effective method for their conservation.

I look forward to your records this year!

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