June 2007

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Summer again and the month ahead is peak time for so much of our local wildlife. Lots of young birds from first broods , summer’s wild flowers and main season appearances of many butterflies, moths, dragonflies, damselflies, beetles, bees and wasps. After the warm and dry April with some of the highest temperatures yet recorded for this month, May brought welcome rains accompanied very often by high winds.

Woodland flowers provided dazzling displays in April and into May, especially at Hillhouse Wood, West Bergholt which is managed by a group of volunteers, The Friends of Hillhouse Wood, for the Woodland Trust. The wood is also a stronghold for summering nightingales and at least four males have been singing in the wood in May as well as a good number in the Roman River Valley and at Essex Wildlife Trust’s Fingringhoe Wick Nature Reserve.

The exceptionally warm spring weather has brought out many insects early in the area woods, meadows and gardens. Common blue, small heath and brown argus butterflies, usually not seen in their first broods until June, were being reported in late April and during May. Some moth species such as the privet hawk moth, were coming to garden moth traps in the first two weeks of May when we normally expect to see them in June.

Damselflies were also being seen unusually early, among them the common blue, white-legged, large red damselfly and banded demoiselle with some of the dragonflies – four spotted chaser; hairy dragonfly; black-tailed skimmer and scarce chaser, the latter seen at Nayland in mid May when the previous earliest record was May 29.

Increasing numbers of local naturalists are taking a keen interest in dragonflies and damselflies so they are delighted that the much awaited new book on the “Dragonflies of Essex” has been published, written by CNHS Chairman Prof Ted Benton, and John Dobson of the Essex Field Club. The bulk of the species’ colour plates are by Ted Benton. Ted has a number of national and European books on butterflies, bumble bees and other insects to his credit and is co-author with myself of “The butterflies of Colchester and North East Essex” published by CNHS and still available. The Dragonflies of Essex (Lopinga Books/Essex Field Club) costs £20 and is available at some local bookshops, museums and wildlife centres or apply to John Dobson, 16 The Westerings, Bicknacre, Chelmsford, Essex (tel 01254 224405).

One of the most remarkable bird colonisation stories of recent years is the spread into the eastern counties of the common buzzard. The last Essex Bird Report covering the year 2005 published by Essex Birdwatching Society revealed that at least 28 pairs bred in the county and since then there has been a further expansion of range. I have regular sightings in the Colchester Area and in the Tendring Hundred and during a visit to Polstead, just over the border in Suffolk in April, I counted a total of six soaring birds. A very welcome development especially as rabbits form a major part of this fine big raptor’s diet.

However, on the debit side of bird populations is the drastic decline in the numbers of spotted flycatchers. This summer resident is on the Essex Red List and less than 40 nesting territories are reported. I failed to see a single spotted flycatcher in the Colchester area in 2006 even in those places which traditionally used to have nesting pairs, such as churchyards, walled gardens and old parkland trees. Please let me know of any 2007 sightings. The migrating flycatchers face many hazards on their way to and from breeding quarters both climatic and human. Also they are among the last of our summering birds to return and I recall that on a visit to the Camargue in southern France in mid May four years ago, I saw lots of spotted flycatchers only then on their northward journey to the UK and NW Europe.

Rose Chafer Survey - Can you help?

CNHS and Essex Field Club member Maria Fremlin is conducting a special survey into the distribution of the beautiful, jewel-like beetle, the rose chafer, in the Colchester area in association with Colchester Natural History Museum. Rose Chafers are 15 to 20mm, bright metallic green and almost coppery red depending on the angle viewed. They are active from April until August and can be found on flowers, feeding on nectar and pollen during warm, sunny days. Rose chafer larvae, greyish white, are C-shaped and develop in rotting organic matter such as compost heaps, leaf mould and manure heaps.

You can get a survey form from Maria Fremlin, 25 Ireton Road, Colchester, CO3 3A7 (tel: 01206 767746) or from Colchester Natural History Museum. Any sightings of the chafers or larvae welcomed. Also check out the website link http://maria.fremlin.org/cetonia_aurata/ for further photos and information.

STOP PRESS - 08/06/07

Painted ladies sighted - Evidence of an immigration of painted lady butterflies came in early June. On June 5 I saw a fresh one in my garden at West Bergholt and Philip Smith saw another on the same day in the Hilly Fields Local Nature Reserve, Colchester. These are likely immigrants from Southern Europe or North Africa.

Butterflies flying a good two weeks ahead of normal include the brown argus (pictured) and the common blue; Photo: David Barnard

Privet hawk moths are putting in an early appearance in moth traps or at MV lamps in the Colchester area. Some were seen in early May when they are mostly flying late May/June.

Damselflies and Dragonflies are appearing unusually early this year. Among the damselflies flying in the Colchester are since early May is the banded demoiselle.

The spread and breeding of the common buzzard in Essex and Suffolk in the past few years is an exciting and welcome development. They are recolonising the region fro the west.

The continuing decline of the spotted flycatcher as a summer visitor and breeding species is very worrying. Records urgently required of nesting pairs or even lone birds.

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