May 2007

Plenty of wildlife excitement in the merry springtime month of May. This year there’s been a lot of media coverage of early and, by usual standards, unseasonal appearances of blossoms and moth and butterfly sightings. Hawthorn bloom which in the past was considered a typical feature of the May countryside appeared as early as March in some areas. Temperatures in late March and April rose on some days to twice the average, sometimes reaching 23°C. One of the results was early appearances of butterflies not usually seen until May.

Green hairstreaks were being sighted in NE Essex in the second week of April and, even more surprising, was a rash of records of small coppers in one or two instances before the end of March. The normal time for small coppers is early to mid-May and in the case of green hairstreaks, mid-may into June. The remarkably early flights of small coppers has led to speculation that larvae resulting from a partial third brood could have pupated in late autumn and because of the warm conditions in early spring, a premature emergence took place.

One of the best places to see green hairstreaks in May is the Hilly Fields loval nature reserve, Colchester. The butterfly’s larvae feed on broom and gorse leaves and there are good patches of broom on the Hillies. The butterfly gets its name from the beautiful green on its wing undersides. The uppersides of the wings are brown. When the butterfly rests on fresh young green leaves it literally melts into the background, so good is its camouflage. Another good “hot spot” for green hairstreaks is Essex Wildlife Trust’s Fingringhoe Wick nature reserve where its larval foodplant is gorse.

May sees the arrival of swifts from their over-wintering areas. Again there were some very unusually early arrivals with a few sightings by mid April. Some swallows were back in nesting areas well before the end of April and by the end of April a good number of house martins had returned. This year chiffchaffs and blackcaps were well distributed in traditional breeding woodlands in April with blackcaps being particularly common. Lesser whitethroats were also early arrivals and outnumbering their relatives, the (common) whitethroats.

Nightingales were back in their north Essex strongholds by the end of April, notably the Roman River Valley woods, Fingringhoe Wick and Hillhouse Wood, West Bergholt. Cuckoos were reported from a number of places in the third week of April.

A star bird at Abberton Reservoir in April was a black-necked grebe in full breeding plumage. I watched it near the Layer-de-la-Haye causeway on April 24 and on the same day I saw two common terns, swallows and house martins at the reservoir as well as a Cetti’s warbler singing in the willow and sallow scrub near the Layer Breton causeway.

May sees the flowering of some of our attractive native wild orchids. There is a big colony of the green-winged orchid at Oxley Meadow EWT Reserve, Tolleshunt Knights. CNHS’s botanical recorder, Mrs Terri Tarpey, will be leading a count of the thousands of orchid blooms in the meadow on Tuesday May 8. Limited parking in the side road on your right coming from Colchester at TL 918149 so car sharing advised. Other notable species on this site include the adders tongue fern.

You may care to put in your diary Colchester Natural History Society’s coach trip to Bradfield Woods, near Bury St Edmunds, May 13. This Suffolk Wildlife Trust Reserve is ancient woodland and the extremely rich flora includes oxlips and several orchid species. Deer and dormice live here and it’s also a prime site for nightingales and warblers. A wettish site so best to bring your ‘wellies’ especially if there’s been some welcome rain. Non members welcome and if you are interested book with Carole Rogers on 01206 853942. Bookings can be accepted up to the day before. Coach leaves Colchester War Memorial at 8.30am.

Green hairstreaks area appearing unusually early this spring. They gettheir name from the leaf-green colour of their undersides (pictured).

Small copper butterflies are appearing unusually early this spring. Female pictured.

Swifts arrived early from wintering in Africa in some cases almost a month ahead of normal.

Black necked grebe in breeding plumage. One has recently been present at Abberton Reservoir.

Below Left :Green winged orchids can be seen in their thousands at Oxley Meadow Nature Reserve, Tolleshunt Knights in May. There’s a CNHS count in evening of May 8.

Below Right: Holly blue butterflies. Lots being seen in gardens and woodland. Females of the spring brood lay their eggs on holly flowers and buds. Male top, female bottom.

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