News for July 2010

Exciting news of the silver-washed fritillary and white admiral

As well as the officially reintroduced colony of the silver-washed fritillary butterfly on the Marks Hall Estate, Coggeshall where up to 50 have been flying on sunny days in July at least two have been seen at Stour Wood RSPB reserve, Wrabness and Hugh Owen reports another at Donyland Wood, south of Colchester as well as a white admiral. Both species were present at Donyland until the 1960s. Phil Olley had a white admiral in his garden at Alresford on July 9(photo obtained) and David Barnard saw a white admiral in a small wood at Alresford in 2009. There are also reports of silver-washed fritillary sightings on the Danbury Ridge area and more white admiral reports from Tiptree and woodland in the Roman River Valley, the latter probably having spread from the colony at Friday Wood.

Water vole sightings

There have been good sightings of water voles at the Mill Pond in Thorrington as a result of mink control in Tendring. As recently as 2008 mink were regular visitors to the pond and water voles were never seen but thanks to local landowners and land managers, co-ordinated by Essex Wildlife Trust, mink have been removed and native wildlife such as wildfowl and water vole, are benefitting.

Mink are also being controlled on the River Colne from Gt Yeldham to Colchester with up to 50 animals removed in 2009-2010. Monitoring is ongoing following a recent translocation of nearly 300 water voles onto a stretch of river from Wakes Colne down to West Bergholt. A substantial number were released on the Woodland Trust's Fordham Hall nature reserve. Some of the water voles are being radio tracked over July and August to provide information about the success (or otherwise) of such projects.

One of the radio tracked water voles, rediscovered during surveys after the release. If you want to take part in radio tracking at weekends over July and August contact CNHS Mammal Recorder Darren Tansley for details.

If you see mink on the Colne, or anywhere in Essex then please contact CNHS Mammal Recorder, Darren Tansley at Essex Wildlife Trust on 01621 862995 or email darrent@essexwt.org.uk.

Latest sightings

By mid June meadow brown butterflies were flying plentifully in meadows and grassy waysides. They were particularly common on the wild flower meadows on the Fordham Hall Woodland Trust estate, Fordham, together with small heaths and common blues. Among the many wild flowers in bloom in the third week of June was a colony of bee orchids.

Male meadow brown butterfly. A common species in grassy places in late June and July. Photo: Joe Firmin

A hobby was seen near Hillhouse Wood, west Bergholt on May 23. Pairs have bred in the area in recent years.

Large numbers of banded demoiselle damselflies emerged along the Rivers Colne, Stour and in the Roman River Valley south of Colchester in the second week of May. These elegant damselflies are particularly common in the Cymberline Meadows beside the Colne at Colchester in Colchester Borough Council nature reserves.

Also the rare beautiful demoiselle is flying at West Bergholt and in the Roman River Valley. The two can be distinguished by the colour of the wings; dark throughout in the beautiful demoiselle males (see below) but with just a "thumbprint" on the banded demoiselle males (above).

Otters return to Tendring

The RIVERSEARCH Essex Otter survey, conducted annually, has revealed that otters have moved back on to the Holland Brook after an absence of nearly 30 years. Otters were extinct in the county by the time of the first Essex Otter Survey in 1986, although it is possible they had been extinct for a few years before that. In the intervening years, increased water quality has led to a gradual recolonisation of Essex from the Suffolk border, starting with the Rivers Stour and Colne in 1991.

Otter spraint (droppings) were also found at Beaumont Quay on Hamford Water. No otters have been seen here since 1998 when the last of two pairs that had been deliberately released in 1996, were killed in road traffic accidents. The last natural signs of otters were recorded in the late 1970s.

Below: Eurasian otter Lutra lutra is doing well in Essex. Photo Stuart Hutchings

Hoopoe seen at Wivenhoe

In April and early May, several hoopoes were reported from eastern and southern counties and one was seen at Wivenhoe. These exotic looking birds winter in Africa and breed mainly in southern Europe and Mediterranean countries but also occasionally in northern Europe and Britain. These are wind-drifted migrants classified as ‘overshots’ from their usual breeding areas.

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