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Written and Designed by © Brian Ecott |
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NATURE DIARY |
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November - December 2011 |
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HOME DIARY INDEX JANUARY - MARCH APRIL - JUNE JULY - AUGUST SEPTEMBER - OCTOBER NOVEMBER - DECEMBER |
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Up to 50% of forest species depend on veteran trees and deadwood for their survival. Deadwood provides habitat, shelter and food source for birds, bats and other mammals and is particularly important for the less visible majority of forest dwelling species: insects, especially beetles, fungi and lichens. Although the role of deadwood in proper functioning of forests is more and more recognized, the view that a "clean" forest is a healthy forest still persists. Other common myths about negative impacts of deadwood are: "over-aged forests are a problem", "dead trees harbour diseases", "only young is beautiful!". |
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"The Woodland Trust are destroying my generation's future. At school we learnt about old oak trees importance to bats, birds and woodpeckers. This is wrong and bad of managers to do this." Munya, age 10.
Details: Circumference 3.58m and diameter 1.14m all measurements at1.2m along the cut down trunk.
Above and below left: Main trunk shows a healthy tree with a little die-back in a couple of branches. 30th November 2011. The Woodland Trust lost the Nightingale through clearance, now the Lesser and Greater woodpeckers' habitats are being destroyed, along with rare mosses and lichens. |
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"Welcome to Disneyland Hainault." Regular doggy walker. Is this the way to manage Ancient woodland or Wood pasture? Why are the users and local population not informed in advance of this work? Where is it in the Management plan? What is the cost? Would the money be better spent in dealing with more essential work like ditching to prevent last year's floods, or cutting the Common BEFORE the ragwort and thistles have seeded. "What have the Woodland Trust got against the Hainault Forest Oaks and standing timber." Chigwell Row Villager. "As everyone knows, oak has more insects and probably more birds and lichens associated with it than any other tree, but these are not equally associated with all oaks. Some of them require woodland oaks or coppiced oaks; above all, old rotten, and dead oaks are the particular habitat of much of the tree's fauna and flora." Oliver Rackham (2003) ANCIENT WOODLAND New Edition. |
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Photographs © Peter Comber 28th December 2011. |
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Fairlop Oak 1813 Published by J. Clay Daniel Day and friends at Fairlop c1760 | ||||||||||||||||
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September - October 2011 |
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Common puffballs Lycoperdon perlatum 12th September 2011 |
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Shaggy parasol Macrolepiota rhacodes 12th September 2011 |
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HOME JANUARY - MARCH APRIL - JUNE JULY - AUGUST SEPTEMBER - OCTOBER NOVEMBER - DECEMBER |
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July - August 2011 |
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Some of the many perennials present in the Wild flower Meadow, Hog Hill on 6th August 2011. Knapweed Centaurea nigra nigra flower, Knapweed attracting honey bees, White form of Knapweed, Meadow cranesbill Geranium pratense and Field scabious Knautia arvensis. |
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Redbridge Walk to Health participants arrive at Lambourne Church on Wednesday 17th August 2011. |
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HOME JANUARY - MARCH APRIL - JUNE JULY - AUGUST SEPTEMBER - OCTOBER NOVEMBER - DECEMBER |
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April - June 2011 |
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Easter Monday crowds. 25th April 2011 |
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Canada Goose family of fourteen goslings. 25th May 2011. |
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DANCING MOTHS Photographs © Michael Rumble Michael Rumble captured these long-horned moth males Adela reaumurella in flight on a still sunny day in late May 2011. |
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Above: Male Fern fiddleheads unfurling 7th April 2011. Right: Cavill's walk in Springtime. Hornbeams in leaf. 24th April 2011. |
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Mallard family. 29th April 2011 |
Spring weather finally arrived in April after months of dull, cold, overcast days with little rainfall. Grass was slow to grow and bare patches appeared in the farm enclosures. Even at the end of June the grass still has not recovered and there is little chance of a hay crop. The Easter Holiday weekend brought crowds out to the Country Park and the weather was brilliant. Families were walking, picnicking, playing games, and visiting the farm and play areas. The Male fern Dryopteris filix-mas is the most common fern in the woodland and scrub areas and after spending the winter underground the new leaves arise from the rhizome and are coiled. As they grow the leaves unfurl and are known as fiddleheads. The fern plant is the asexual part of the life cycle and therefore the name Male fern does not refer to it's gender. The sexual part of the life cycle are very tiny green plants that go unnoticed. Ferns were collected by Victorians and one fern which was delicate and elegant was given the name Lady fern hence a similar closely related stronger fern was called Male fern. A walk through the Lambourne Woodland along Cavill's walk is well worth doing especially in Springtime. There are many hornbeams here and the fresh light green leaves make it totally different from any other time of the year - and the bluebells are a bonus. The Canada geese produced record numbers of goslings this year, with one pair hatching fourteen young. Mallards are not so successful with most of the ducklings being predated by Pike and Carrion crows which lift them out of the water. The Cob swan's mate was killed last year and much to his annoyance his two offspring have remained on the lake. On warm still days in late May swarms of male Long-horned moths Adela reaumurella were seen dancing close to trees and bushes, With the slightest breeze the moths settle on the vegetation. Their antennae are about 5 cms (2 inches) long which they carry in front of them in flight. They are seeking females who sit on the vegetation. They have short antennae 1.5 cms (½ inch) in length. These magnificent photographs were taken by Michael Rumble. Along the path behind Sunnymede, Chigwell Row Michael also photographed a Hairy-footed Flower Bee. This is a Solitary bee and its identification was made from the photograph by Peter Harvey, Recorder of Hymenoptera for the Essex Field Club who wrote:
"Fortuitously (since most solitary bees, especially males, can't be reliably identified from photos) the long hairs on the mid tarsus indicate this is a male Anthophora plumipes (the 'spring or hairy-footed flower bee')."
Steven Stuart who has recently moved from Chigwell Row reported on the Cambridge & Essex Butterfly Conservation website of his visit to Hainault Forest where he recorded 5 White Admirals, 5 Purple Hairstreaks, 15 Meadow Brown butterflies and other species such as Comma, Speckled wood and Large whites. The White admiral has been doing well in the area of Roe's well and has been recorded in the Forest since 2006.
The age of an oak tree is difficult to estimate without taking core samples or cutting it down and counting the rings. So it is always helpful to have a date of planting. We know that the Water Poplars at both ends of the lake were planted in 1910 and are therefore 101 years old but there is an oak tree which was planted in 1939 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the founding of the London County Council 1889 -1939. So we know that the Oak tree is 72 years old. It has a girth of 2.08m as measured 2nd August 2011.
The spring galls on Oak were few or absent, following the lack of Smooth, Common spangle and Silk button galls on the underside of the leaves in autumn last year. Later this year will indicate whether there has been a recovery. While looking for galls I came across an instar of the Forest bug. Shield bugs undergo incomplete metamorphosis in that a nymph hatches from an egg looking like a small adult. During growth it moults up to five times when it finally becomes an adult with final colouration and wings.
By the lake on Crack willow in mid June were a pair of Willow leaf beetles Plagiodera versicolora. These are very small blue metallic beetles.
Three Meerkats one male and two females finally made their public appearance in the children's play area in a specially created site. They can tunnel in the sand, burrow under logs and stand sentry on a standing tree trunk. They are fed on cockroaches, crickets and soft fruits such as banana. They are very inquisitive and are constantly seeking their food which is hidden for them to find.
The Wildlife garden is doing well although there is much damage to crops due to a large population of slugs. Flowers are attracting many bees and hoverflies. Two Alliums flowered and are pictured below. |
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Meerkat June 2011 |
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Above: Leaf beetle pair on Willow. 20th June 2011. Left: Forest bug instar on Common lime. 31st May 2011 |
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Hairy-footed flower bee Anthophora plumipes male 17th May 2011. Photo © Michael Rumble. |
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Flower bed in Wildlife Garden 26th June 2011. |
Looking down on Allium flowers in Wildlife Garden 18th May 2011 |
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HOME JANUARY - MARCH APRIL - JUNE JULY - AUGUST SEPTEMBER - OCTOBER NOVEMBER - DECEMBER |
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January - March 2011 |
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END OF AN ERA 1-2 Hainault Cottages 1856 - 2011 |
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Yours truly watching the demolition taking place. Photo with thanks. © Michael Rumble 28th March 2011. |
Vandalism. Photo 10th February 2008 |
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After the occupier Vic George (Warden) retired five years ago Redbridge Council refused requests for occupation by two of Hainault's Country Park staff. There followed break-ins, removal of lead piping, and the Victorian crests. Vandalism by youths made the building untenable , and after persistent dumping of tyres, the cottages are finally demolished on the 29th March 2011. |
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PETITION Despite an attempt by Leisure officers to stop the petition asking people to say no to a move by Cabinet members and Leisure services to move Hainault Forest and local parks into a non-elected Vision Trust, a further petition was held and a total of 205 signatories were received by Cabinet members. Pictured left were forest users Pat and Ron Andrews, Brian Ecott, Dr. Kenneth Adams (Botanical and Bryophyte Recorder for Essex including Metropolitan Essex), Sue Mudhar and Dianne Stone. I expressed my concerns by e-mail to all Cabinet members on the 9th March including the listening Councillor Prince but so far (6th April) no reply or even an acknowledgement has been received. It would seem that the Council do not want anyone to know what is going on. This is not what I understand as Democracy. Hainault Forest was given to the people of East London by an Act of Parliament in 1903 and was managed by the LCC., GLC., and by L.B.Redbridge following the GLC's demise in 1985. In the recent budget Hainault cuts will be £50k with £100k next year. This will result in in-house qualified frontline staff losses which poses many questions which need to be seriously thought about:
ON A HAPPIER NOTE After the long dull days of winter, Spring has finally made an appearance. The ubiquitous dandelion is in flower everywhere. If it wasn't for its fecundity it would make an attractive and excellent border flower in the garden. One of the first of the spring flowers that is closely related to the dandelion is Coltsfoot. The buds and flowers appear before the leaves which have an outline of a Colt's foot. Coltsfoot is found around the lake, along the Havering link path and in The Woodland Trust's new land. The Ivy-leaved speedwell flowers in early spring along woodland edges and is found on the heathland area. The leaves as suggested by its name are ivy-shaped and the single flowers are pale blue to white and are on a short stalk in the leaf axils. Within a month it flowers, fruits and completely disappears. Apart from Hazel which started flowering in late December, other trees which have started to flower are Sallow, Silver birch and Hornbeam. On a warm day the Sallow attracts early bees and insects. To the end of March the following plants were seen in flower: Red and White deadnettles Lamium purpureum, L. album; Lesser celandine Ranunculus ficaria; Early dog and Common dog violet Viola reichenbachiana, V. riviniana; Daisy Bellis perennis; Cow parsley Anthriscus sylvestris; Jack-by-the hedge Alliaria petiolata; Barren strawberry Potentilla sterilis. Wood anemone or Wind flower Anemone nemorosa is a wonderful flower to see in many Essex woodlands at this time of year. At Hainault we have a very tiny patch which have held on for many years and has flowered well this year. It needs some TLC if its to increase its presence in Hainault for years to come. The photographs below taken on 30th March show the complete patch. Hedges and shrubs are starting to green up and there are patches of Blackthorn Prunus spinosa showing white on the woodland edges. This comes into leaf after flowering and hopefully will provide a good crop of Sloes in the Autumn. Butterflies are appearing on warm days with a Peacock in February and a Comma on 23rd March. Bee-flies were seen in late March together a number of Queen bumblebees searching for nest sites. The 8th March found frogs spawning in Roe's well but the number of spawn masses was about half of previous years. There was more spawn to be found in the Lake and by the 16th March the toads were spawning in the lake There is a tremendous amount of work to be done in the forest during winter and the early spring months. Heavy rainfall in the autumn destroyed a number of paths by water running off the Common. The Headland path and paths around the lake needed resurfacing, ditches needed to be cleared out to allow drainage. This made areas inaccessible and muddy and difficult to walk on. This type of work causes annoyance to some users but most people accept that the work has to be done and the Country Park staff are to be congratulated on getting this done efficiently and in-house. Work on Farm improvements continues and tree surgery to make safe trees near paths is essential work. There is a regular programme of coppicing of the White and Crack willows around the lake. In the Woodland Trust area Geordie the Woodman is making safe some of the old and dying trees. Not only is he a tree-man but a sculptor as well. Dotted around the wood are sculptures to look out for and at Roe's Well are tree spirits created by Geordie. Waymarked paths are being created in the Trust's woodland area and the old posts are gradually being replaced by more substantial ones. A sunny still day gives a good opportunity to get pictures of reflections in water. Ivy Hedera helix is a much misunderstood plant. It is not parasitic on trees and it is a very important plant in the ecosystem. In Autumn the late flowering provides nectar thus providing food for late flying insects, and in early spring migrant and resident Blackcaps feed on the berries before the insects emerge. The evergreen covering of trees seen in the photograph close to the lake provides nesting cover for early nesters. It is always a delight to see a small band of members of the Essex Kite club in the Country Park. Some of the kite are made by members and there are some wonderful shapes and colours. I particularly liked the two striped fish complete with a yellow cleaner fish attached. Muntjac deer are common throughout the forest but are rarely seen. I came across some small footprints or slots of Muntjac in the Lime plantation and set about making plaster casts. The results are shown here and I hope to finish the project by making latex copies of the slots.
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Dandelion Taraxacum sp. |
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Coltsfoot Tussilago farfara by the lakeside. 10th March 2011 |
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Ivy-leaved speedwell Veronica hederifolia Heathland area 30th March 2011 |
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Sallow Salix caprea male catkins in the Lime plantation 23rd March 2011 |
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Hornbeam catkins 30th March 2011. |
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Comma butterfly on old willow. 23rd March 2011 |
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A regular
cycle of coppicing and pollarding of the White and Crack willows around the lake is
important to maintain the health of the trees and bring light to the lake
and open up the bank areas. |
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Ivy growth on Birch and Oak - an important habitat, 23rd March 2011 |
Ivy berries 17th February 2007 |
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Flying fish of the Essex Kite Club 8th March 2011 |
Muntjac slots in Lime plantation 22nd March 2011 |
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A tree spirit at Roe's Well. This is one of several wood and tree carvings by Geordie of Green-man Tree Care in The Woodland Trust's part of Hainault Forest. |
Roe's Well reflections 14th February 2011 |
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Blackthorn or sloe blossom 29th March 2011 and above. |
Anemone patch 30th March 2011 - close up below. |
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