All posts by Chris Gibson

Therfield Heath & Hayley Wood

Britain's Wildlife

On the hottest day of the early May heatwave, I had a speaking engagement in Bourn, just west of Cambridge. And so I took the opportunity to visit a couple of the noted wildlife sites in the area…

Just over the border into Hertfordshire on the final slopes of the Chilterns is Therfield Heath. Renowned as one of the best UK sites for Pasqueflower, sadly I was a couple of weeks after the flowering peak, but it was still spectacular, the purple Pasques mingled with yellow Cowslips and blue Common Milkwort flowers, and harbouring several adult Cinnabar moths.

 

In the beechwood, the lime-green fresh leaves, newly emerged, already cast shade on the woodland floor, where many White Helleborines were just showing colour in the expanding flower buds (about two weeks too early for this one!).  But Sanicle was in full flower…

And then it was to Hayley Wood, made famous by Oliver Rackham, only the second time I have visited.

Actively coppiced, the ground flora is spectacular, with Greater Stitchwort, Yellow Archangel, Lesser Celandine, Bluebell and Bugle, together with Oxlips, again past their best, but always a delight and a real eco-geographic speciality of the claylands of the area of Cambridgeshire, Essex and Suffolk.

Quite a damp wood, sedges make up a good proportion of the rideside vegetation, with Wood Sedge and Lady’s Smock especially just bursting into flower, and in the shady interior, Woodland Hawthorn was blooming well.

Ash dieback has taken its toll on the wood, but dead wood becomes a resource, and King Alfred’s Cakes were sprouting everywhere.

Insects included click-beetles, scorpion-flies and munching Mottled Umber moth caterpillars…

… while singing Chiffchaffs, Willow Warblers and Blackcaps, with a single vocal Nightingale completed a lovely walk. Maybe it won’t be another 30 years before I return!

BOOK REVIEW Living with Lynx: sharing landscapes with big cats, wolves and bears, by Jonny Hanson

Reviews, Uncategorized

Living with Lynx: sharing landscapes with big cats, wolves and bears, by Jonny Hanson (Pelagic, 2025) ISBN: 9781784274955 £20

Reviewed by Dr Chris Gibson FBNA

Living with Lynx - Hanson - Pelagic Publishing - 9781784274955The whole topic of reintroduction of long-gone (or more specifically long-exterminated) predators fascinates me, and especially since my last years with Natural England, where I was responsible for liaison with the Lynx UK Trust in the run-up to an application for a licence (never granted) to release European Lynx in possibly suitable parts of our country.

I have spent much time in Lynx-country (and indeed the haunt of wolves and bears) on the continent, and seen only signs such as footprints of all three, apart from Brown Bears at an official feeding station. Nor have I expected to. But there is a visceral thrill about stepping into the unknown in the presence of large predators. Would it not be wonderful if we could experience that thrill within our own shores?

Well, many – most, even – of us in BNA might think so. But clearly others don’t necessarily, whether it be the natural prey of those predators, or the farmed equivalents thereof. And importantly, of course, the owners of those agricultural animals. Such questions form the backbone of this book, explored in depth, although I felt generally viewed from the perspective of modifying the predator presence or behaviour to suit the humans, rather than that of modifying the human presence or behaviour to suit the predators. Who was there first?

Nevertheless, the author covers important ground, from a highly informed perspective, in relevant parts of the world. For me, the dense text, lacking illustration and rather few subheads, is not easy to navigate, and I would not therefore turn to it as a manual of how to plan the approach to a large predator re-establishment and management programme.

The text comes to life in those sections where the author adopts a more conversational style, presumably verbatim, with those providing insights from their particular perspectives. As a counterpoint to the densely written passages, this makes for easier reading, though some could find the juxtaposition a little jarring. And again it means that anyone wanting a ‘reintroduction handbook’ might be disappointed: by their very nature conversations are not as information-rich as clearly crafted text.

For me, the most important paragraph is at the top of p. 127, a call to dial down the polarisation between different ‘sides’ in this debate, to employ a more nuanced approach – good advice in so many situations in a world dominated by the soundbite and social media. Unfortunately, ‘walking a mile in their shoes’ takes time, effort, and mutual willingness, all of which slows the whole process up. Which then increases the tendency for ‘guerilla reintroductions’ and the consequent pushback, such that ‘change nothing’ becomes the default.

Turning to the book itself, the cover is lovely, and oozes quality, although I think the production values of what is inside do not live up to that promise: it feels like a paperback in hardback’s clothing. The paper stock is commendably unbleached, but the typeface is for me insufficiently contrasty against the yellowish paper. Add the rather flimsy paper, through which the words from the reverse tend to bleed, those with visual limitations (such as me and my cataracts, at least when I started reading it) may find it hard going. In places, the text appears inexpertly laid out, as for example the single line of a new subsection orphaned at the bottom of p.71. Of course, no ‘blame’ for such things should be laid at the door of the author. And at least it is not a (physically) heavyweight tome, so if you are interested to explore what is a key issue of our nature-depleted times from every possible angle, working through it won’t place too much strain on your arms!

First published by British Naturalists’ Association.

The Wild Side of Beth Chatto Gardens: Wildside Walks start up again…

Beth Chatto Gardens, Britain's Wildlife, WildEssex, WildWivenhoe

It was a pleasure to recommence my Beth Chatto Gardens wildlife walks for visitors a few days ago. The sun was shining, and at least when sheltered from the chill north-easterly breeze, the garden was buzzing with both people and insects!

Perhaps the greatest insect activity was around the ponds, with marginal vegetation full of resting Alderflies, flittering Small Chinamark moths (moths with uniquely aquatic larvae), a couple of dashing Broad-bodied Chaser dragonflies and everywhere, damselflies: resting, flying and mating. There are now three species on the wing, Large Red, Blue-tailed and Azure Damselflies, leaving their exuviae – the empty nymphal shells – on the leaves of marginal plants like Bogbean.

Overwintering butterflies are all but over, with only a female Brimstone and a couple of  Red Admirals seen during the morning. But spring emergers, like Holly Blues, Orange Tips, Green-veined Whites and Speckled Woods put on a good show…

… and there were several Green Hairstreaks among the pondside foliage, some by now looking very battered, although others in full iridescent green glory. A Painted Lady haunted the Reservoir Garden, perhaps presaging a good immigration year for them, and in the same area a vibrant, fresh male Common Blue ushered in a shard of summer.

During the daytime, it is possible to see both day-flying moths and night-flyers that have been disturbed from their place of shelter. The latter group was represented by a Water Ermine, almost pure white, a scarce moth in Essex found in wetland habitats especially in the north-eastern coastal fringes. And lovely day-flyer was a Small Yellow Underwing, more widespread inland in grassy places, but always a delight to see. Both are new species for the gardens, I believe… just a pity that both avoided being photographed!

No such problem with the caterpillars though, here a single Brown-tail, Mullein Moth on the Verbascum and seemingly everywhere on Euonymus, festoons of silk and associated defoliation from Spindle Ermine larvae. It looks dramatic, but the Spindle bushes will likely not be killed, and the moth may not reappear next year…

 

And looking at the few remaining Spindle leaves, I was pleased to find a new gall for the garden, a leaf-roll made by Spindle Leaf-edge Mites Stenacis euonymi. Not only new for the garden, but according to the National Biodiversity Network Atlas distribution map, scarce in the county with the only other Essex records coming from Hatfield Forest in the far west. As so often though, this might reflect under-recording rather than genuine rarity.

So much to see at every turn. A bunch of bugs (Cinnamon, Hairy Shield-, Green Shield- and Dock Bugs, plus the plant bug Harpocera thoracica)…

… the first nymphal Dark Bush-crickets I have seen this summer…

… a couple of soldier-beetles, Cantharis rustica and C. livida …

… and much, much more.

And finally, a trio of interesting  sawflies, a group of wasps without a ‘wasp-waist’ that have caterpillars that munch leaves. At rest on Iris leaves, there were Iris Sawflies, parents of the larvae that will be eating a raggedy hole in the leaf-blades in a month or two. The second, with a distinct black mark on its forewings, might well be the Dark Birch Fusehorn Arge fuscipes, a black species recorded at only 22 sites nationally. And then there was the red-tinged Tenthredo (probably T. colon, though some are very hard to tell apart). This was eating an Alderfly, interesting behaviour indeed: I had no idea they were predatory, joining our army of friends maintaining balance in the garden. I am used to seeing related species in showy flowers, but it seems that some at least may not be taking nectar as I assumed: they may equally be lying in wait for other insects to arrive. I learn something new every time I visit. And again, this seems not to be a common species (the NBN map shows no Essex localities), although the under-recording caveat certainly applies here.

This summer is already shaping up to be a good one for garden wildlife, with insects more obvious than the same time last year, although we could do with some rain before an intense drought sets in!

On top of all this, Chiffchaffs, Blackcaps and Robins were in full song, together with single Greenfinch, Goldcrest and Cetti’s Warbler, the latter being the first time I have ever heard the species around our garden. The new records keep on coming in!

The next couple of Wildlife Walks are planned for 20th June. If you are interested in joining me, please book through these links – 11am and 12am. And if moths are something you would like to know more about, there’s our Moth Morning the following day…

Back to Breckland: Cavenham and Knettishall Heaths

Britain's Wildlife

Back in the day when I lived in Norfolk, Breckland was a familiar stamping ground, a mix of dry heathland on sands over chalk, bisected by rivers and fens, and much clad in forestry: diverse habitats, with a range of rare and interesting inhabitants. Later on I worked there, on a conservation strategy for one of the iconic Breckland birds, Stone Curlew. Interesting times which saw me spending many fruitless hours trying to persuade the then MP about their charms. Her name; Liz Truss….

So, recently, heading to give a talk in Barton Mills, I enjoyed the opportunity to return to the Brecks, to a site I had not previously visited, Cavenham Heath NNR. A sunny day helped light up the range of heathland habitats, from Heather heath, to Gorse heath, to Birch heath, to grass heath and lichen heath.

I  was enveloped by the sound of singing birds, including Stonechats and Whitethroats, Cuckoos, Skylarks and Yellowhammers … broken only by the roar of US military planes overhead. Sadly, such is Breckland.

And just occasionally, the bubbling song of ‘real’ Curlews, mingling with the wild wailing of Stone Curlews … there are a few places where both can be heard together on these ancient heaths now maintained and managed by an army of Rabbits.

Other special wildlife included Sandpit Mining-bee Andrena barbilabris, Common Heath moth and a Copper Greenclock beetle Poecilus cupreus, while Small Coppers and Speckled Woods (among a total of ten species of butterfly) and very fresh Oak Apple galls provided a welcome splash of colour on what can be rather monochrome heaths, at least until the heathers bloom in late summer.

Plants included Field Mouse-ear and Spring Beauty, although exploration of the open heaths was rather curtailed by access closures due to breeding Stonies…

At the eastern end of the heath, the dry ground drops down to the River Lark, and a very different series of riparian and fenland habitats. The first few Large Red Damselflies were on the wing, and the songs of Cetti’s, Willow and Garden Warblers and Lesser Whitethroats were added to the soundscape.

A very good day out, and so it remained after dark, when stepping out from the village hall I was immersed once again in the weird wails of Stone Curlews.

__________________________________________________________________

A couple of weeks later, and I’m heading back to the Brecks to visit British Naturalists’ Association Chairman Steve Rutherford at his adopted nature reserve of Knettishall Heath. On the way there I took the opportunity to have a quick look in Redgrave & Lopham Fen, at the watershed of East Anglia, the Waveney flowing east straight to the North Sea and the Little Ouse, running west, towards the Wash.

A few kilometres down the Little Ouse is Knettishall Heath, as with Cavenhham a site previously unknown to me, where I was shown round by Steve and Sam, the Suffolk Wildlife Trust warden.

One of my first impressions was how much quieter it was than Cavenham, away from the flightlines of Mildenhall and Lakenheath Airfields. I could hear the birds without interruption! My second impression was how diverse the structure of the reserve is, and how all the people from all the cars of the car parks could simply disappear into the landscape.

It is remarkable to think that until SWT took control in 2012, much of this area was under blocks of conifer plantation, and those bits that weren’t were overrun with dog walkers as it was a country park (where access generally takes priority over nature).

Habitat restoration and management, along with effective public engagement now sees this bit of the Brecks returning to the rich, diverse heathland state it was in the early 20th century, with breeding Woodlarks, Stonechats and Curlews, while apparently Nightjars are also there along with Stone Curlews feeding at night.

We didn’t have chance to spend too much time tracking down wildlife, and indeed for insects it was very much on the cool side. But it was good to find Hound’s-tongue in flower, carpets of Mouse-eared Hawkweed not yet in bloom and localized patches of Mossy Stonecrop, only recently recorded at the site.

And a couple of interesting plant-interactions, the Anther Smut Ustilago violacea, a fungus that takes over the pollen-dispersal structures of campions and best of all, hot off the presses and kindly flagged for us by another very sharp-eyed warden David, galls of the gall-midge Geocrypta galii on Lady’s Bedstraw, a new record for the reserve, and (at least according the the National Biodiversity Network Atlas) new to the Suffolk Brecks, with just four localities shown in and around the Norfolk Brecks.

Never say never in Breckland. It always changes, has always changed. Indeed its biogeographic character was established by shifting agriculture and cultivation. And even after longer-term interruption to these cycles, such as under the deathly blanket of commercial conifers, if you give nature a chance it will return. Knettishall is proof of that! And I am sure I shall be back….

Eleanor’s photos – Wivenhoe waterfront and Colchester

Eleanor's photos, Travel by Rail, WildEssex, WildWivenhoe

Granddaughter Eleanor’s photos have featured before in these blogs – see here, here and here – and rightly so. But this is the first one of hers exclusively. No captions or commentary, just enjoy Wivenhoe waterfront, Colchester St Botolph’s and Castle Park in the sun, as seen through the eyes of an inquisitive seven-year-old. Indulgent maybe, but I am a very #ProudPapa!

The Leafy Suburbs: Dulwich Village

Britain's Wildlife, Travel by Rail

A day visit to south London was in order this week to catch up with the Tirzah Garwood exhibition in its last month at Dulwich Picture Gallery, somewhere we had never before been to. Upon arrival at West Dulwich station, it was straight across the road into Stephanie’s café for coffee and a cake in charming, quirky surroundings.

The exhibition was the centrepiece of our afternoon, and what an excellent one it was! Tirzah Garwood was the (shamefully) lesser-known spouse to Eric Ravilious, and had the knack of capturing dream-like tableaux in a naïve style in a range of media, including remarkably detailed wood engravings, as well as simply beautiful marbled papers (my favourites!).

But either side of this of course we were out and about, in the Picture Gallery garden, and in the parks either side. In fact, although Dulwich Park is the famous one, it was Belair Park that interested us most, a little less manicured and formulaic. Nevertheless, Dulwich Park had some impressive ornamental plantings, with Kolkwitzia especially beautiful and scenting the air.

Wildlife-wise though, there was only the Box Moth caterpillars demolishing the Box bushes, and of course the ever-present Rose-ringed Parakeets and Grey Squirrels, testament to the multicultural diversity of the city! The same theme was apparent throughout our day…

Belair Park had lots more to offer: views to central London; dead wood, harbouring all sorts of boring beetles no doubt; and a pond with basking Pond Slider terrapins, kindly pointed out by a friendly dog walker. These seem to be the Yellow-bellied Slider, a less frequent introduction from the USA it seems than the Red-eared subspecies.

In the lovely warm sunshine, welcome after days of cool northerlies, insects were out a-basking, especially hoverflies and Dock Bugs, but also our first Dryophilocoris flavoquadrimaculatus (bug) and Nematopogon swammerdamella (micromoth) of the summer.

And spiders too: a Xysticus crabbie just waiting, and Cucumber Spiders hanging around, in one case with some success…

Many of the Oak trees were bedecked with huge Oak Apple galls, larger and more numerous wherever we have been than ever this year it feels; Elm leaves had mite galls; and Horse-chestnuts in both flamboyant fresh flower and producing hordes of minimorsels for the birds – Horse-chestnut Leaf-miner moths.

And a surprising plant in one of the damp sedgy low ways, was Buttonweed, a native of South Africa that is sometimes naturalized in such areas, although especially in coastal spots. In parts of southern Europe it now dominates whole swathes of coastlands, the only place I have seen it previously.

In the Gallery garden, there were some lovely trees, including a remarkably sculptural Tulip-tree, perhaps the inspiration for one of the actual sculptures?

Basking insects were also of a feature of this garden, especially lots of ladybirds, including the declining Two-spotted alongside its potential nemesis, the Harlequin (although the numbers of Rose Aphids would seem to be a much more viable food resource).

Viburnum beetle larvae munched away on the Viburnum leaves, creating a latticework that speaks volumes about the positive ecological management of the garden…no pesticides and poisons here!

There was Closterotomus trivialis, a plant bug new to Britain (from the Mediterranean) since 2009, a nymph Toad Bug with its distinctive rear-end brush of bristles, and a gall on the leaves of North American Red Oak. This is a sign of infection by the fungus Taphrina caerulescens, a gall that is shown in only thirty or so places on the National Biodiversity Network map (and not at Dulwich), although as so often this probably reflects under-recording rather than rarity.

And finally it was just up the road to round off the day with a good meal at the Crown & Greyhound, a historic 18th century hostelry that apparently once was the was the beating heart of the Dulwich literary and poetic world: drinking in the footsteps of Charles Dickens, Laurie Lee and Ivor Cutler, under the magnificently ornate ceiling!

The Wild Side of Essex: the Colne Valley and Chalkney Wood at Bluebell time

Britain's Wildlife, WildEssex

This summer I am launching a new series of ‘Wild Side of Essex’ day walks for Naturetrek, and at the end of April, we had the first walk from Chappel. Commendably, one client arrived by train! This walk is a round walk, taking all day, going up the valley and back along the hilltops, and it certainly felt as though we had had a good walk, at least in part to the very warm, sunny weather.

Starting with historic buildings and the church topped with a typical north Essex wood-clad steeple, there was a range of interesting plants around the churchyard wall: Greater Celandine, Red Valerian, Goat’s-beard and Salsify, mostly non-native garden escapes but all attracting insect attention.

Especially productive in this respect was Green Alkanet, with many a Dark-edged Beefly taking the nectar:

Walking up the valley, past trees filled with Mistletoe, we took every opportunity to look at the River Colne, its clear, flowing waters filled with aquatic vegetation and shoals of Rudd, the banks with last year’s Small Teasel heads and the first few Large Red Damselflies.

And along the length, a series of former mills to tap the energy of the flowing waters, each home to Grey Wagtails, with Canada and Greylag Geese and a Little Egret in the more open stretches, while a couple of Red Kites and at least four territorial pairs of Buzzards circled overhead.

While the valley meadows are not especially diverse, they do have plenty of Dandelions, food for bees, hoverflies and butterflies such as Orange Tip and Green-veined White, and the wetter patches have stands of several sedge species as well as Cuckooflower.

The hedgerows crossing the open landscape are really quite impressive, especially with Hawthorn now coming into bloom. Common and Lesser Whitethroats sang from the thicker hedges, while a Mistle Thrush strutted around. At least four males of the latter were heard singing from the wood and copses on the flanks of the valley.

 

Large, old trees in the valley provided all sorts of interest. A dead Ash was covered in woodpecker workings and sprouted colonies of King Alfred’s Cakes, while a living but hollow Willow buzzed to the sound a wild Honeybee nest, and many of the low-hanging Oaks featured smart new rosy Oak Apple galls.

 

And then there was Chalkney Wood, an absolute delight. Rescued from being choked to death by planted conifers some thirty years ago when the Forestry Commission was persuaded to remove the planted tress ahead of their scheduled rotation. Now one would never know, as regrowth of the old coppice stools and natural regeneration has all but eradicated any sign of this unseemly blip in the history of an ancient wood: it even has many of the indicator plants of age, like Bugle, Town-hall-clock and Yellow Pimpernel.

In fact it is probably 20 years since I was last there at this time of year, and to say my gob was smacked would be an understatement: especially in the eastern half of the wood, a sea of Bluebells, studded with Wild Garlic, the still air allowing the build up of such a sweet fragrance, a feast for all the senses..

Returning along the tops, catching a welcome breeze given the ferocity of the sun, there were a few wet springs, featuring Giant Horsetails and Stinging Nettles, the latter often adorned with Hairy Shield-bugs and Cinnamon Bugs.

The last stage of the circuit took us along a series of lanes, almost holloways, with botanically-rich hedgebanks, featuring a varied palette of Primrose, Red Campion, Greater Stitchwort, Germander Speedwell, Wild Arum and Star-of-Bethlehem, and several Speckled Woods in the dappled shade.

And in a final flourish we rounded the last bend and emerged from the trees to be faced with one of the Seven Wonders of Essex, the mid-19th century marvel that is Chappel Viaduct, some 6 million bricks forming 32 spans that rise to 23m. And still support passenger trains to this day! In the lowering light, the shadows and vistas were simply lovely, as much a part of the psyche of old Essex as the Bluebells of Chalkney Wood.

 

 

The Wild Side of Beth Chatto Gardens: …and they’re off!

Beth Chatto Gardens, Britain's Wildlife, WildEssex, WildWivenhoe

Three weeks since I last managed to get to the Beth Chatto Gardens. And three weeks at this time of year is a very long time. Especially after some lovely sunny weather, interspersed with cool easterlies and a couple of decent showers, Spring has been comprehensively erased from the scene, with just the late species tulips and anemones in the Gravel Garden hanging on.

So many flowers now coming into their own, almost all providing nectar and/or pollen to feed our insects, the garden is simply stunning…

And the fresh green leaves are both basking spots for warming up and food for the next generation of some: it was an emergence day for Solomon’s Seal Sawflies… but despite last summer’s defoliation, the plants have sprung anew. A lesson for all who might be tempted to turn to the poison sprays. Another sign of our approach to gardening with wildlife in mind is the number of Song Thrushes we have, two or three pairs where give years ago there were none, testament to our avoidance of molluscicides.

For no apparent reason, one individual plant was the focus of bug biodiversity today: a single Helleborus argutifolius was home to half a dozen Green Shield-bugs, two Hairy Shield-bugs and a Rhopalus subrufus scentless plant pug (named to reflect the fact that the related shield bugs aka stink bugs, often emit smelly defensive chemicals.) None of these were noticed elsewhere, and none have known dependencies on this plant, so why it was such a star is one of those delightful mysteries of nature.

In an hour round the garden, there were six species of butterfly, here Large and Green-veined Whites, along with Brimstone, Orange Tip. Peacock and Speckled Wood. Sadly no Green Hairstreaks – my favourite butterfly – often quite abundant from now until mid May, though they have been reported by the gardeners over the last ten days.

And in another sign that summer is icumen in, today saw my first local damselflies of the season, as always Large Red Damselflies, resting on the pondside foliage having just emerged from their aquatic nymphal life.

The starting gun of summer has been fired, and that will be reinforced over the forecast heatwave in the next few days. Do come and see what our garden can offer:  plants, wildlife, tea and cake! All my events are listed here Beth Chatto Gardens – activities and events | Chris Gibson Wildlife, including this coming Bank Holiday weekend. Exceptionally, the garden is open both Sunday and Monday, and among the many special activities planned, on Sunday you can find me in the Nursery at 11am, 1pm and 3pm talking about ‘Gardening for Wildlife’.

Reduced price entry tickets are available online: Entrance – Beth Chatto’s Plants & Gardens

 

Spring in Menorca: a photoblog….

Overseas Tours - Menorca

Over the years, my tours to Menorca have been a mix of autumn and spring trips. Each season has its delights: in autumn the second spring of flowering bulbs and an array of exciting, often large insects; in spring the island in full bloom, but fewer and smaller insects; and always the birds, both resident and migratory, plus exciting geology and lovely landscapes.

This year, winter rains have filled the wetlands and greened the fields. Swathes of Crown Daisies, sheets of Tassel Hyacinths and Wild Gladioli and banks of Italian Sainfoin lit up every wild patch of the island…

… and orchids almost everywhere. Pyramidal, Sawfly, Mirror, Small-flowered Tongue and Bumblebee were the commonest, with fewer Sombre Bee, Yellow Bee and Violet Bird’s-nest, and only dead examples of Giant and Balearic Orchids – pretty much all that we can expect to see on Menorca at this time of year.

Parasitic plants are held deep in my affections, so the various broomrapes, plus bartsias and their relatives were good to see, along with Cytinus ruber at its usual site (possibly first reported by Honeyguide), and seemingly extending its occupancy of Cistus albidus therein.

Most of the endemic plants of the island were not yet in flower – for them it is best in May – but Balearic Dragon Arum, together with Senecio rodriguezii and the Menorcan endemic variety palaui of Rosemary gave us plenty to look at, together with a wider range of specialities in the garden of the S’Albufera des Grau visitor centre. Here is one of the most spectacular Balearic endemics, but one that is only sparsely found on Menorca, the unique, shrubby, wavy-leaved St John’s-wort Hypericum balearicum.

So many plants, it was sometimes difficult to know which way to turn. The additional photos below are just a selection! Navigate to the full report (see end of this blog) to find the names of everything we found.

Despite the absence of significant landfalls, migrant birds trickled through, with a scattering of northern migrants – Common Redstart, Wood Warbler and Pied Flycatcher, for example – together with the first few Turtle Doves, Bee-eaters and a Golden Oriole, although the latter two heard only. Large water birds were moving through, with three Spoonbills and a Glossy Ibis at Son Bou and at the end of the week small parties of  Glossies and Grey Herons flying past Binidali and next day in the pools at Tirant.

There were also the locally resident Hoopoes, Stone Curlews and Booted Eagles; Blue Rock Thrushes, Yellow-legged and Audouin’s Gulls; Egyptian Vultures, Black-winged Stilts, Rock Doves and Stonechats to brighten up even the dullest days.

Our group had several keen insect-spotters, so we found plenty of interest, from Violet Oil-beetle, Balearic Scorpion, Crimson Speckled and Striped Hawk-moths and both Migratory and Egyptian Locusts, among an array of butterflies, bugs, and spiders.

At Torre d’en Gaumes , there was the large larva of a Hummingbird Hawk-moth, but most spectacular of all was the pashapillar of Sa Roca, a Two-tailed Pasha at its largest, just starting to spin its silken pupation cradle.

And as is so often the case, our visit contributed useful biodiversity information, with a sighting of a bug possibly new to the island (Odontotarsus caudatus, in the Balearics shown only from a single site in Mallorca on available maps), plus several things that may be rather new arrivals (at least according to the maps in the books), such as Two-spotted Mammoth-wasp and Sicilian Leaf-cutter, both locally very abundant and quite spectacular.

Turning to water creatures, this was the first time we have noticed the North American Blue-clawed Crabs in the salt pools of Es Grau, a species that is spreading round the Mediterranean, causing some ecological concerns while creating opportunities for novel fisheries. And then, the most remarkable sight: recent easterly winds had pushed millions of By-the-wind Sailors onto the beach at Es Grau, each one being the sail and core of a jellyfish-like colonial hydrozoan.

Then a few days later, the same at Binidali Cove…except that had the few days extra putrefaction, and the smell was considerable! But on this beach, both a blue tideline and a red one, the latter being probably from deposited foraminifera.

With a round up of this sort there always things that don’t fit into the previous categories, so here are a few, from Hermann’s Tortoise to Italian Wall Lizard, and pointy snails to sun-splashed lichens.

All this and our lovely base, Matxani Gran. Highly recommended!

And finally the vistas and landscapes throughout the island, for me the gem of the Mediterranean.

As always with Honeyguide tours (and uniquely so), each participant on every tour pays a surcharge which goes directly to conservation projects in the places we visit. From our Menorcan trips, we support GOB Menorca – Grupo Balear de Ornitología y Defensa de la Naturaleza, the Birdlife Partner and main environmental voluntary body in the Balearics. We were pleased to welcome Margarita, GOB Menorca President, with Carlos (Past President) and his wife Deborah, for an informal evening of chat, food and delights: see this on the Honeyguide blog site.

This is, as a matter of personal choice, likely to be my final overseas tour as guide, and what a swansong Menorca provided! Of all the tours in all the places I have led, I am most proud of having been able to facilitate significant contributions of funds to GOB, for me the best voluntary conservation body in Europe, that delivers so much with so few resources.

For more information about GOB Menorca and its work, please visit english.gobmenorca.com

If you enjoyed reading this and would like to know more detail about the trip, there is also a fully illustrated report, available here Menorca 2025 and on the Honeyguide website honeyguide.co.uk.

#WildWivenhoeWalks: botanical highlights along the sea-wall from Wivenhoe – saltmarsh, grazing marsh and block paving!

Britain's Wildlife, Bug & Botany Walks, WildEssex, WildWivenhoe

A lovely walk was had by our group on a dull and rather chilly morning along the sea wall of Barrier Marsh, downstream of Wivenhoe in late April.

Quite unintentionally, the theme of Native/Non-native developed as we looked at various plants in flower along our route.  Hard to avoid at this time of year is Alexanders, a robust plant which is not a native, though a long-term inhabitant, brought here by the Romans (being fully edible), and is rather contentious, being thought of as a thug by some.  The current climate suits it well and it now flowers from March, just at the time when our insects are waking and need sustenance.  Our ‘native’ plants are often not in flower so early in the year, but our insects are up and going earlier and earlier due to the collapse of our climate, with our mild winters and so need this plant to survive. On sunny days particularly it is alive with insects of all sorts – not so today given the cool wind.

Cow Parsley, once thought of as the harbinger of a richness of summer beasties, was only just coming into flower …. too late for the modern first flush of insects.

So the discussion had begun – does it matter if a plant is ‘native’ or is an introduction?  The answer is an emphatic No!! – if a plant can provide for our pollinators when they need pollen/nectar then, with just a few exceptions, they should be welcomed. Other non-natives that certainly pay for their keep in our countryside included Three-cornered Leek and Large Mediterranean Spurge.

As we walked we looked at various plants, starting with English Scurvygrass, the first inkling of summer and autumn saltmarsh shades.

Along the sea wall there were plenty of buttercups, all showing the downturned sepals characteristic of Bulbous Buttercup and very few others, although the photo shows a potential pitfall – those on the left are fresher flowers and the sepals have yet to turn down…

Not in flower, but readily identifiable by the ‘scrunch and sniff’ test was Sea Wormwood, on the seaward face of the sea wall, bearing the scent of absinthe, apparently. So, one in the eye for the apps there!

The block paving around the Barrier also produced a fascinating variety of small, white flowered crucifers (Brassicaceae), all very similar in flower but easily differentiated by their seed pods: long and cylindrical (Thale Cress); short, fat and heart-shaped with a septum at right angles to the plane of flattening (Shepherd’s Purse); and short and oval, with a septum along the plane of flattening (Common Whitlow-grass)…

And finally, a real surprise. While we have found Cornsalad sporadically as a colonist of block paving hereabouts, we found lots today, sheets of it, more than we have ever seen before:

An excursion down into Barrier Marsh was interesting from the historical point of view (the path, ‘The Chase’, originally belonged to the otherwise landlocked Elmstead Market and was their access to the water for trading purposes). Also the many, many anthills are fascinating  – much more numerous and larger on one side of the path than on the other, the disparity due to the side nearest Wivenhoe being commissioned as agricultural land during the war and used to grow vegetables – so their numbers only began building since the 1940s as opposed to 400+ years ago on the other side.  The anthills weren’t really flowering at their best just yet – each is a microcosm with its own community of tiny flowers which are aided by the warmth and well-drained soil produced by the activities of the ant colony below and will certainly be worth a look after the forecast heatwave next week.

However, one of the nationally scarce plants of that marsh, Divided Sedge, was in full flower, forming very dense swards, and led naturally to a discussion about the differences between grasses, sedges and rushes, and then the diversity of flower structures in the grasses, an important part of their identification, as covered in Chris’s new book…

As usual Jude was on the lookout for insects.  Not a huge amount on the wing given the cool conditions, but a couple of interesting beetles were discovered.  Neon-striped Tortoise-beetles were on Sea Beet next to their holes, a regular spot to find them, from now for the next month, but a beastie we have never found elsewhere in the area. And on the same plant, a couple of 24-spot Ladybirds, next to some ‘grazings’ – maybe they’d had their dinner first to get the strength for their subsequent activity!

And a couple of things with very different ways of not being eaten: the caterpillars of Brown-tail moth, largely protected by irritant hairs, and a micromoth Notocelia cynosbatella, basically a bird-dropping!

While we don’t focus especially on birds, treating them on a par with all other wonders of nature, they certainly made their presence known, with singing Cetti’s Warblers, Whitethroats, Lesser Whitethroats, single fairly distant Nightingale and Cuckoo, and a swooping Swallow. So all in all, a very varied couple of hours, and as usual we would like to thank everyone who joined us for our amble for their interest and involvement.

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By way of a prologue, to reinforce what we wrote above about the enduring value of Alexanders to early insects, it is worth going back fewer than 24 hours, when we walked from Colchester to Wivenhoe along the trail. The weather could hardly have been more different: calm, sunny and really rather warm. And the Alexanders was buzzing with all manner of insects. Most obviously it was the St Mark’s Flies, emerging a day before their appointed date, all dangly legs and carrying their loads of pollen in their abundant hairs.

There were also numerous nomad wasps zipping around, together with a more stately Box Bug, our first of the year. And an Alderfly hiding under one of the leaves.

And then the specials. Firstly, the grass bug Stenodema calcarata: although not rare locally, we don’t see this with any regularity. And then the Plain-winged Spring Bee-grabber Myopa testacea, again not uncommon nationally but it would appear with only two previous records in north-east Essex.

Alexanders is truly a bedrock of biodiversity!

Maldon: the waterworld of mid-Essex

Britain's Wildlife, Travel by Bus, Travel by Rail, WildEssex

Maldon is one of those places we rarely visit, mainly because it is no longer on the railway network. But every time we have, we have thought it would be good to explore it in more depth by staying overnight. So for our April short break, encompassing my birthday, we did just that via train to Witham, then bus to Maldon. Actually we got off at Heybridge, right next to its attractive historic church, in part going back to the 12th Century, now sadly beset with roaring traffic. And closed. Although the Primrose-filled garden with Bee-flies was some compensation…

From there we walked along the towpath of the Chelmer & Blackwater Navigation, right out to its end at Heybridge Basin.

Clear blue skies above meant sun, but any April warmth was robbed by a keen easterly wind, tempered only in the lee of the canalside hedge. Sallow and Blackthorn were in full bloom, the latter sprinkling entire landscapes with snow-dust, while Dandelions and White Dead-nettles added their resources to the insect-scape.

And in the sheltered spots the insects were out taking full advantage, the first big emergence we have seen this year. These included the familiar spring species like Dark-edged Bee-fly and Peacock, newly emerged aquatic beasties such as Alder-flies, a few things like Pied Shield-bug that we see only occasionally, and an array of early mining-bees, notoriously hard to identify, but here probably including Andrena trimmerana and A. bicolor. 

And then basking in the warmth of April (known appropriately as aprication) there were numerous Nursery-web Spiders and an Oak Eggar moth caterpillar.

The waters of the canal had Mallards, Moorhens and Mute Swans; overhead half a dozen Mediterranean Gulls yowling in transit to the adjacent gravel pits; and everywhere bird song: lots of Chiffchaffs and Blackcaps, five or so Cetti’s Warblers and a couple of hesitant Willow Warblers, the latter probably very fresh arrivals.

After a lovely lunch in the Jolly Sailor, we kept walking round the sea wall, by now in the teeth of the cold wind. So no insects, even on the Alexanders, but lovely views over Heybridge Gravel Pits and, as we rounded the bend, of Maldon with its distinctive profile, set on a hill with three very different church outlines, fringed by the rigging of the iconic sailing barges.

And as it was coming up to high tide, estuary birds were congregating in front of us, especially Black-tailed Godwits in full rust breeding plumage, about to depart for Iceland, and Brent Geese, soon to Siberia.

The final part of our circuit alongside Heybridge Creek was through the industrial park, but before long we were sitting with a welcome drink outside the Muddy Duck…

… contemplating our ascent up the hill to our destination, the historic Blue Boar Hotel, a very comfortable coaching inn, complete with the uneven floors that are par for the course in such an old building. A fine place to spend a couple of nights, with good breakfasts and local beer in the tap room.

Next day, more sun, and more waterside walking, this time upstream of the town, to Beeleigh.  The circular walk starts along the lower slopes of the Maldon hill, looking over the tidal river with Teals and Redshanks, going through Blackthorn-sparkled scrub with vocal Blackcaps, through spiny holloways, and across springs erupting with the mushroom-like, spore-bearing spikes of Giant Horsetail.

 

Passing Beeleigh Abbey, where the landscape still bears the ravages of Dutch Elm Disease, it was pleasing to see the new owners’ investment in landscape and ecological restoration with newly planted and newly laid hedge-lines: singing Yellowhammer and Stock Dove bear witness to the recovering wildlife.

Before long we arrived at the meeting of the waters, where two of the main rivers of Essex, the Chelmer and Blackwater, converge, interlinked with the navigation and other minor waterbodies and mill races, and arrive at the head of the tidal estuary. And at low tide, a world of waterfalls over weirs, bridges and locks, rushing waters and still backwaters, Grey Wagtails and a Kingfisher…

With all this moving water, not surprisingly in historic times, the energy of the landscape was harnessed by mills, a powerhouse of which the remnants are still to be seen:

But such human intrusions are a minor part of the landscape hereabouts, dominated by reedbeds and riverine woodland, just crying out for Beavers!

The rivers were lined by last year’s skeletal Giant Hogweed and Teasels, with fresh flowers of Evergreen Alkanet, Common Dog-violet and Ground-ivy coming through, attracting more Peacocks, Red Admirals, Commas and Dark-edged Bee-flies, with Honeybees drinking from the damp paths.

And so we headed back alongside the golf-course, under the by-pass, and into Maldon’s newest nature reserve, Ironworks Meadow, a lovely grass and wetland complex abutting the retail and industrial area, established by community action.

That just leaves Maldon itself. Did I mention it is on a hill? Must be just about the steepest in Essex. In the past, having always driven up it, we simply didn’t notice the wonderful array of historic buildings. But walking up, the architecture and history were a good excuse to rest the flatlanders’ legs!

Working down the High Street, first to All Saint’s Church with its apparently unique triangular tower, although really appreciable only from the inside …

… past the Moot Hall, to the former St Peter’s Church, now home to the Maeldune Heritage Centre (including the tapestry commemorating the Battle of Maldon and other key historical moments in the town) and on the first floor the absolutely wonderful Thomas Plume’s Library. What a remarkable, unheralded treasure of books from the 16th and 17th Centuries, left to the town by Dr Thomas Plume (1630-1704) in a purpose-built premises on the site of the old church. If you want to be enraptured, go there when it is open and get a tour from one of the incredibly knowledgeable librarians  – our guide clearly loves her charges and her role in safeguarding then for the future with a passion.

Heading onwards down the High Street, past Salt Italian restaurant where we had a really excellent meal one evening, we ducked down first to the more industrial river frontage …

…before moving round to the Hythe and another distinctive church/seamark, St Mary the Virgin, perched above the waterfront.

We have never found it open before, and at first glance the inside was rather disappointing compared with the glorious mishmash exterior structure…

.. until we saw the window, THE window, commemorating the Battle of Maldon, with the sun coming straight in creating these remarkable patchworks of colour.

And so onto the quay, a drink in the Queen’s Head, a look at the sailing barges …

… and a final wander out to the end of the promenade, to the statue of Byrhtnoth, leader of the Anglo-Saxon forces who snatched defeat from the jaws of victory against the Vikings nearby in 991. A pivotal moment in the history of our islands, this has been covered in epic poety, writing and art, but for me never better than in the song ‘The Battle of Maldon’ by Leaves’ Eyes.

A fine end to three days of wall-to-wall sunshine, already with plans to return when Beeleigh Abbey gardens are open, and to walk out to the Mundon Oaks!

Cromer before the crowds: sea frets, Alexanders and some lovely sunshine!

Britain's Wildlife, Travel by Rail

Our March short break began before it had even really started – as we went to the station to catch the train to Cromer, piles of last year’s dead Hollyhocks were spawning a big emergence of overwintered Firebugs – proof if any was needed that garden clippings are best kept in the garden whenever possible…

And so it was up to Cromer, across the flatscapes of East Anglia. We have a fondness for out-of-season seaside resorts (see Blackpool, this time last year), especially just before the season starts, when they are a hive of activity, the smell of paint and slosh of whitewash, the clank of scaffolding, but without the crowds.

Putting on the make-up is of course so much more than cosmetic: the unforgiving wind and salty air corrodes the very fabric of the town, threatening livelihoods but producing ample subjects for the camera:

Think Cromer, think crabs – and yes of course I had plenty, including a sumptuous sandwich from the Crab Pot Café. And then think Pier, dominating the view from any stretch of the shoreline:

The beach provides the sounds of nature, gulls calling, waves swishing up the sand and rattling the flints, which in turn become the building blocks of the town.

The church, as much a seamark as a place of worship, was worth a visit for its stained glass which suffused the columns with pastel shades as the sun streamed through:

And so to our hotel, the Cliftonville, a place we had decided to stay in after a drink there last summer amid the Art Nouveau styling. And we were not at all disappointed – our top-floor room with an uninterrupted sea view was simply outstanding, and one we would like to return to as a base for exploring the Norfolk coast by train and bus.

Breakfast and lunch, too, made the stay memorable, but prize of place food-wise must go to the Red Lion Hotel where we ate one evening, a memorable meal of fine dining but substantial portions – for me, crab risotto and cod; for Jude, rigatoni with goat’s cheese and butternut squash. A little more expensive than we normally pay, but really worth it for one of the very best meals we have had in our years of monthly short breaks.

From our room, and indeed all along the seafront, the view of the North Sea and its offshore wind farms was both ever-changing but reassuringly constant. And the gardens along the front, at least in sunshine, buzzed with bees, including  Hairy-footed Flower-bees visiting Rosemary. The other insects along the front, including on the hotel windows, were numerous Birch Catkin Bugs, presumably a spring emergence, but from where? Not a birch tree in sight!

The first day was grey and cold, the second promised to be much sunnier and warmer. So it was out on the train to Sheringham, breakfast as we passed through the flinty town, and down to the beach. Turnstones flocked on the rocks, a Greater Black-backed Gull defended its fish carcase against the diminutive Herrings, the sun was shining and it was already very warm, but offshore to the west hung a sea fret…

So we headed east along the beach, taking in the glacial geology on the way, boulder clay, sands and chalk rafts, the mobility colonised by Colt’s-foot, the flowers opening to welcome Spring.

As we continued towards West Runton the beach started to steam, tendrils of fog rising up from the sand. And looking behind, the wall of fret was upon us. Colour was sucked out of the world, and our destination disappeared, leaving the revetments as stark sculptures worthy of Easter Island or Antony Gormley. Totally ethereal, and although the blue dot on the phone offered some reassurance, it felt not without a frisson of some primordial danger as the fret moved around, shapeshifting on a whim.

But still the beach announced its geological provenance, with platforms of chalk emerging from the sand, and many huge beach flints, including some in the mysterious bowl-shaped form of a paramoudra.

Once at West Runton though, it was back onto dry ground, albeit with fog swirling, building and fading at every turn. We had seen from the map the intriguing prospect of Beeston Regis Church, marooned among the caravan sites, though finding it in the fog was more by luck than anything….

The church was simple and pleasant, with some ornate wooden mouldings as a counterpoint to the calm interior.

And on the churchyard wall, there was Henbit Dead-nettle alongside its more common relative and Hairy Bittercress …

… while along the lanes as we dropped down to West Runton, there were flowering willows, both male and female catkins providing sustenance to bumblebees and hoverflies; White Comfrey; Tree Lupins complete with big, fat aphids and their camp followers; and everywhere Alexanders…

And so into the Village Inn for a welcome pitstop!

From there it was back along the cliff top, at least in those places where the Norfolk Coast Path hasn’t fallen into the sea and isn’t blocked by unfriendly fences. The fog still rolled in, creating frost-bows from certain vantage points, while sandy soils up high gave the feel of perched sand dunes, the turf stained red with Mossy Stonecrop and acid-green by Early Meadow-grass.

After an ice-cream stop in East Runton, it was then back onto the beach for the final stretch back to Cromer. In the by now hot sunshine, waves rolled and lapped gently to shore and several pairs of Fulmars canoodled in their cliffed retreats.

For our final day, we headed east from the town, where it feels much more wrapped up in maritime history …

… out and up to Cromer Lighthouse, giving the lie to the assumption that Norfolk is flat! Rolling hills, all part of the moraine from the endpoint of the last ice advance, clad in the richness of flowering gorse and with woods, including lots of Holm Oak over a ground layer of Alexanders. Just a pity the weather had closed in a bit, leaving the views back over the town rather hazy.

All that was left was to find our way down to the beach via the precipitous steps, through the goblin-forest wilderness of twisted Sycamores and again Alexanders, along with Hart’s-tongue Fern, and salt-pruned, skeletal scrub.

Our purpose? To try and locate the Banksy artwork on a concrete groyne. Which we did, just, with the help of a friendly passer-by, although sadly time and tide have taken their toll and the social comment about the prevalence of second homes and overpriced beach huts in a place like this are now lost. I say ‘sadly’, but Banksy probably knew it wouldn’t last, and wanted it that way, their ultimate comment on the impermanence and futility of art?

Which just leaves me with a paean to Alexanders, already mentioned several times, and abundant (to some, overabundant) along this coastal belt.

But to those who decry the ‘aggressive’ spread of this non-native plant, I would say ‘what would early-emerging insects do without it?’ As climate collapse continues apace, insects are now active at times they never were before, active and needing sustenance. Which the ‘native’ British countryside simply cannot do. As a bridge betwen eras (the one to come being especially uncertain), Alexanders helps sustain life.

And so it was for our stay, from fungal rust galls to ants, Honeybees, hoverflies and Gorse Shield-bug…

… right through to the mining bees, iconic insects that nest on the nearby sandy cliff slopes, including the rare (but increasing) Early Colletes (aka Bunny Bee).

For other blogs extolling the virtues of Alexanders, see Lockdown diary: In praise of Alexanders… | Chris Gibson Wildlife and Alexanders: the interloper our countryside needs… | Chris Gibson Wildlife .

That was a surprisingly fun short break, to a place we knew already, but staying there helped us to more than scratch the surface, to find the real Cromer. Roll on the next in our series … only five days to wait!