Heath Fritillaries in Essex

A new species for me yesterday - the Heath Fritillary. It is restricted to a few key habitats:  coppiced woodland or sheltered heathland. It is confined to a small number of sites in Somerset, Devon, Cornwall and Kent, and has also at reintroduction into sites in Essex. Although very local in its distribution, this butterfly can be seen in large numbers in good years and certainly there were probably 50 plus individuals in three different areas of the wood. The main foodplants are Common Cow-wheat (Melampyrum pratense), Ribwort Plantain (Plantago lanceolata), Germander Speedwell (Veronica chamaedrys), and occasionally other speedwells (Veronica spp.). Foxglove (Digitalis purpurea) is reported to be a secondary foodplant and my mating pair were taken on foxgloves. The best lighting conditions were just before a short rain spell.

Epping Forest Workshop

Yesterday's weather was not kind to our RPS Nature Group workshop on Macro and Focus stacking in Epping Forest with very dull conditions all day. I was using my wide angle set up plus an LED light which proved fine when there was a distant background but rather too contrasty for close backgrounds - a lesson learned I hope! With the increased visitor activity since our last RPS visits to the Forest, large fungi were hard to find but there were plenty of small specimens. Many thanks to Duncan and Qasim for their tuition during the day.

Edme Factory and Station at Mistley

EDME has been based on the same site in Mistley since  the late 19th century. Originally called The Condensed Wort and Brewer’s Meal Company, the business was renamed The English Diastatic Malt Extract Company in 1884, a mouthful that was eventually shortened to EDME Ltd in 1897. EDME has been a cornerstone of the community for over a century; some employees have family involvement in the company going back many generations. 

Mistley Station was opened by the Eastern Union Railway in 1854 and the brick-built two-storey Italianate station building  is Grade II listed.

Mistley - Robert Adam Designs etc

 The first quay was built around 1720 but around about 1770, the quay was enlarged by Richard Rigby and was known as Port of Mistley. At that time, the village of Mistley, then known as Mistleythorn, consisted of warehouses, a granary, a large malting office and new quays.Newcastle ships brought in coal for Essex or Suffolk and corn was stored for the London markets and all the coastal ports.  Rigby wanted to turn Mistley into a fashionable spa and Robert Adam was asked to design a saltwater bath by the river. The Swan Pool was the only part constructed plus the unusual church, which had towers at the east and west ends and semi-circular porticoes on the north and south sides.The main body of the church was demolished in 1870. The warehouses and other riverside building are being converted into flats and there is the threat that Edme Mills may leave the village (see next post)

Birdwatching from Thames Barge Hydrogen

 On Sunday, I joined a small group of birdwatchers for a trip up the River Colne to Wivenhoe observing the numerous birds that frequent the mud banks and saltmarshes. The weather was overcast most of the time so difficult for photography but I was pleased to record most of the species we saw. The Avocets were the stars with large flocks in several areas. Ducks included Wigeon and Shelduck, Brent Geese were not as numerous as I expected and then there were the Waders - first image Curlew and three Knot, followed by Lapwing, Black-tailed Godwit (Bar-tailed also seen), Redshank and Dunlin. A Cormorant using a convenient perch, single Oystercatcher, immature Gull in flight and the star for many - a Peregrine disobeying the rules (another was seen catching a wader in the distance) completed the line-up.