January 2008

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Welcome to the first Watching Wildlife of 2008 and I wish all of my regular 'viewers' a happy New Year with lots of good wildlife watching and exciting discoveries.

It will be interesting to see how the local flora and fauna reacts to the extremes of weather encountered in 2007 which included the hottest (and driest) April on record and a wet and often windy summer. These climatic ups-and-downs had a noticeable effect on insect populations and those of us running garden moth lamps and traps recorded depressingly low numbers of species which, in more usual and stable conditions, are encountered in large numbers. There's no doubt that butterfly and moth larvae requiring fresh plant growth in spring on which to feed up and reach the pupa stage suffered badly from the abnormally dry conditions in March and April and the wet spells in July and into August had a detrimental effect on butterfly and moth emergences with limited warmth and sunshine for flying, pairing and feeding. Let's hope that things will be much better in 2008 end that there will be welcome recovery of populations and habitats.

January is a good time to visit countryside areas where there are still some stubble fields or where there are weedy, grassy sites where wintering flocks of buntings and finches can find plentiful supplies of seed. At the Woodland Trust’s Fordham Hall Estate, some large mixed, flocks of yellowhammers, reed buntings, greenfinches, goldfinches and linnets are enjoying, the seeds of millet and other plants provided for wintering birds. There can be as many as 40 or 50 yellowhammers in this colourful assembly, the males' bright yellow plumage shining in the winter sunshine. The presence also of many reed buntings is indicative of occupation for breeding in farmland especially where oilseed rape is grown. In winter reed buntings associate with yellowhammers and finches and there can be flocks of corn buntings away from coastal areas.

The Fordham Hall Estate with its large-scale tree planting in recent years is proving a notable haven for wintering and resident birds. The splendid hedges and groves of trees offer plenty of berries for the thrush family incuding fieldfares and redwings and in the grassy areas there are skylarks and meadow pipits. There are many paths on the estate for rewarding birdwatching walks when you can also see green and great-spotted woodpeckers, kestrels and sparrowhawks and, if lucky a little owl. Barn owls have already bred in provided boxes and more occupation can be expected. A remarkable ornithological development in Essex and nearby Suffolk has been the increasing number of breeding pairs of buzzards and there are all-year- round sightings. In fact the buzzard is probably more common in Essex than it has been at any time in the last 200 years. Probably our resident buzzards are joined in autumn by some birds from the Continent.

One of the New Year sounds which brings me cheer even when there is a cold wind blowing or a flurry of snowflakes is the bold fluty song of a male mistle thrush as he sways on the topmost branch of a tall tree earning his local name of stormcock from defiant notes in the teeth of a gale. Sadly this big, bold thrush is now in decline, as much as 35 percent over a period of 25 years, and is now included in an amber list of birds causing conservation concern. Mistle thrushes are powerful defenders of berry trees such as holly. Churring noisily they will send any would-be feeders packing. Mistles are very early nesters sometimes in late February and first week of March.

Abberton Reservoir boosts a big throng of wintering duck species and these lately include some smew, dapper little sawbill ducks, cousins of the goosanders currently present in good numbers. At the end of December I saw two duck smew, known as redheads from their rusty caps, off the Layer Breton causeway and at least one drake smew in his smart white and black-lined livery, has been reported.

Local moth recorders haven't much to report from their light traps in January although there are some early fliers such as the pale brindled beauty. As chairman of Essex Moth Group I'd like to remind members and anyone else interested in moths and their distribution that Essex Moth Group's annual meeting and exhibition will be held at venture Centre 2000, Bromley Road, Lawford on Saturday, February 23rd (10.30am-5pm). A full day's programme of illustrated talks and exhibits plus a lunch and refreshments (£5,pay on admission). If you are coming let me know on 01206 241389. Non members very welcome.

A male reed bunting, one of the bird species enjoying millet and weed seeds in one of the fields on the Woodland Trust's Estate at Fordham Hall.

A male yellowhammer. There are more than 50 in a mixed flock of buntings and finches feeding on millet and other seeds provided by the Woodland Trust on its Fordham Hall Estate, Fordham for wintering birds.

Several pairs of buzzards are now breeding in Essex and this bird of prey is commonly seen throughout the year in wooded areas of North East Essex.

New Year songster and early nester is the mistle thrush which sadly is in decline. It gets its local name of stormcock from its lusty singing from a treetop during gales.

Drake(front) and duck smew. Some of these dapper little sawbill ducks are currently at Abberton Reservoir.

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