Colchester Natural History Society

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Watching Wildlife				Hillhouse Wood

September 2007

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STOP PRESS

Sightings of hobbies are being reported as these dashing small falcons head south for their winter quarters. On September 16 during the CNHS visit to the RSPB's Old Hall Marshes reserve at Tollesbury at least three were watched speeding through the reedbeds and marshy gullies catching dragonflies in the sunshine. Others have been seen along the coast taking advantage of a late flight period of dragonflies especially migrant hawkers.

On Monday, September 17 CNHS hon-secretary Brian Corben had one of the most notable butterfly recent records for NE Essex when he found a long-tailed blue(Lampides boeticus) in the kitcen of his home at 53 Stoneham Street, Coggeshall. Although the long-tailed blue has a widespread world distribution and is found in southern Europe and the Mediterranean area it is a rare immigrant to Britain and as far as can be ascertained, Brian's record is only the third for NE Essex to be authenticated, the other two date back to the 1930s.

His specimen, which he photographed and then brought to me to confirm the identification, was in very fresh condition and had apparently entered the house through an open window. After I confirmed the identification the butterfly was also photographed by Philip Smith before release. It is believed to be a genuine immigrant although there may be the possibility of emergence from a pupa resulting from importation of a larva with imported produce such as peas or beans from Africa where it is considered a pest species on leguminous crops. The Coggeshall specimen coincided with arrival of other immigrant butterflies from the Continent including clouded yellow and Camberwell Beauty butterflies and some migrant moths.

September is potentially an exciting month for wildlife watchers and field naturalists. There is a two-way passage of bird migrants with those species which have summered and bred with us heading south for the winter. Wading birds and wildfowl which have nested in the far north and in the Arctic tundras are also beginning to arrive to spend the winter months along our coasts and marshes or also moving through to winter in Africa or the Mediterranean.

The news in the closing week and 10 days of August was dominated by sightings of immigrant butterflies. Three Camberwell Beauties were reported at Colchester and nearby. The first was seen by Ernie Wells and his partner Pascale on the allotments at Irvine Road, Colchester on August 25 and Hugh Owen had another in his large garden at “Tawnies”, Hall Lane, Langenhoe on August 28 and succeeded in getting its picture before it departed. Also on August 28 another Camberwell Beauty was reported from a garden at Braiswick, Colchester. It seems that as in 2006, there was a sizeable immigration of this big and striking species from Scandinavia and the Baltic.

During the same period and into the first week of September there was
an influx of clouded yellow butterflies from southern Europe and the Mediterranean. Two were seen (and one photographed) by David Barnard at Old Hall Marshes HSPB reserve, Tollesbury, on August 27 and my wife Linda and I saw two at Fordham Hall Estate (Woodland Trust) on September 1. Others have been reported to me from Lawford and Mersea Island. Look for these dashing orange-yellow butterflies in fields of clover and lucerne as the females lay their eggs on these plants and the adults nectar on the blooms.

Prime site for watching migrant birds is Walton Naze. Whinchats and
wheatears are regularly seen passing through, using the reserve area
for feeding and shelter as they move south. Warblers stop over in the
scrub and blackberry bushes and lesser whitethroats are especially
fond of the brambles feeding on the ripe berries as well as the plentiful insects. Every year in September pied flycatchers are at the Naze and there's always a chance of seeing a wryneck moving along the coast from breeding areas in Scandinavia and the Baltic. The cliff area is best to look as they feed on ants and other insects there. We've lost our breeding pairs of wrynecks so all those seen in September are passage birds.

Wintering waders are back with us including black-tailed godwits some still in their cinnamon breeding colour. They nest in Iceland and thousands spend the winter months in Britain and western Europe. One of the best places to see them at close range is at Mistley Walls and you can use your car as a “hide” from now until early winter. Reservoir-watching is also good in September so a visit to Abberton should be on the cards. Possibles are black and white-winged black terns and little gulls as well as some waders such as common, wood and green sandpipers and ruff. For the big wader flocks go to Tollesbury Wick; East mersea, or the Walton Backwaters. The huge flocks of golden plovers, dunlin and knot are quite breathtaking especially their intricate aerial mass movements at the time of tidal changes.

Hobbies are being seen at local reservoirs and coastal marsh sites where there are plenty of late flying dragonflies as these swift-flying little falcons head south for winter.

Long-tailed blue butterfly: underside. A specimen of this rare immigrant was found in the kitchen of CNHS secretary Brian Corben on September 17 believed to be only the third confirmed record for NE Essex since the 1930s. Photo: Philip Smith

Three Camberwell Beauty butterflies were seen at Colchester and North Essex in late August, part of a sizeable immigration from northern Europe and the Baltic.

Photo: Ian Rose

Clouded yellow butterflies arrived in good numbers from the Continent in August and early September.

Underside: photo Joe Firmin

Pied flycatchers are among the migrant birds passing through the Walton Naze wooded area in September. Pictured: a female

Walton Naze is one of the best places to look for migrant birds in September with a chance of seeing a rare wryneck feeding on ants in the cliff area.

Black-tailed godwits are spectacular wading birds to be seen in the Stour and Orwell estuaries and also in Colne and Blackwater in September and October. They nest in Iceland and winter in western Europe. One pictured is in winter plumage but some now at Mistley are still in their cinnamon red nesting colour.