Wildlife and conservation review 2003
surplus waters? If nothing else, market forces may come to the rescue, by making properties in
such areas effectively uninsurable.
As expected, freezing conditions on the Continent triggered substantial movements of birds.
Parties of White-fronted Geese moved around the county, with 40 at Walthamstow Marsh, 20 at
Old Hall Marshes and 10 at Holland Haven, while wader aggregations included 800 Golden
Plover at Waltham Cross, more than 100 Ruff at Old Hall and 108 Common Snipe at Cudmore
Grove. Bitterns in the Lee Valley numbered 9 or 10 birds, the tiny reedbed at Fishers Green at one
stage holding 7 individuals at a time when numbers in the south-east generally were very high,
having been displaced from mainland Europe.
Midwinter Little Gulls arc not unusual off the Essex coast (the southern North Sea is a major
wintering area), but a count of 95 past Walton Pier was exceptional, and Red-throated Divers
were equally numerous, up to 180 off the same stretch of coastline. The divers are a clear indication
of just how little we know of our offshore environment; aerial surveys as part of the environmental
assessment work for offshore wind farms revealed a total outer Thames population of perhaps
7500 birds (until recently, the total UK wintering population was thought to be only about 5000!).
Clearly, the birds we can see from land are only scratching the surface of what is really out there.
Southend Pier proved also to be a good diver locality, with three species regularly present
But other hard winter birds were surprisingly scarce. Just one Shore Lark was seen, at East Mersea,
and Waxwings, while widespread, were nowhere in numbers. On the raptor front, a Rough-legged
Buzzard put in appearances at Langenhoe and Great Holland Pits. And as if to underline the
mysteries of our weather, an unseasonal Sandwich Tern was in the Blackwater Estuary, while
there was again a Dartford Warbler amongst the Colne Point Suaeda scrub. How long will it be
before a pair of these lovely birds, still increasing rapidly in Suffolk, settles to breed in Essex?
On the wider conservation front, the EC published its proposals for the mid-term review of the
Common Agricultural Policy. These included the decoupling of subsidies from production, and
linking payments to the adoption of minimum environmental standards ('cross-compliance'). If
implemented, such proposals could have a wide-ranging impact in reversing the declines in farmland
wildlife which have been so apparent over the past few decades, though not surprisingly they did
not meet with universal approval.
February proved to be a more settled month, predominantly dry and sunny, with above-average
temperatures from the southerly air-flows, before high pressure moved in and produced a return to
frosty conditions at the end of the month. Bird-wise, the scene was still wintery, with Tundra Bean
Geese appearing at St Osyth (2) and Great Chesterford (8), Black-throated Divers inland at Ardleigh
and Hanningfield Reservoirs, and Waxwing numbers building up well, including 37 at Pitsea, and
25 in both Maldon and Basildon.
Up to 10 Slavonian Grebes were in the Blackwater Estuary, while Rainham produced 26 Rock and
5 Water Pipits, as well as another Dartford Warbler. The Rough-legged Buzzard lingered, though
often elusively, at Great Holland, a Red Kite wandered around the Wivenhoe/Fingringhoe area,
while a Raven over East Tilbury was a rare sighting indeed. Birds of transatlantic origins were
somewhat in evidence: a Green-winged Teal at Walthhamstow, Black Brants at the Naze and Old
Hall, and the familiar Ring-billed Gull remained at Westcliff all month. Less welcome were the
Ruddy Ducks at Hanningfield which peaked at 780 birds.
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Essex Naturalist (New Series) 21 (2004)