onlineFOCUS – News and Stuff For Rochford District since 2003

The Echo reports:

DOZENS of lizards at a Thundersley wildlife haven are set to be relocated to make way for 150 new homes.Developer David Wilson Homes is conducting preliminary work on the construction of new homes on land, known as the Thundersley Plotlands, between Kiln Road and Wensley Road, Thundersley

Worried residents raised concerns over the safety of local wildlife after dozens of trees on the site were cut down last week.

Now, thirty common lizards are set to be transferred to the Cherry Orchard Jubilee Country Park in Rochford to keep them from harm

Full report here

April 16th, 2013 | Category: Flora And Fauna, Rochford, Thundersley | Leave a comment

There’s quite a bit of stuff to write tomorrow, including items on Council Tax and FixMyStreet. But for tonight here’s two brand new short videos.

This is one on nature conservation featuring David Attenborough that a friend sent to Chris Black:

And one from a Rayleigh Yoga teacher promoting her classes: (Hat-tip to the Rayleigh Essex facebook page for this one)

February 21st, 2013 | Category: Flora And Fauna, Health and Care, Leisure and Sport, YouTube and Video | Leave a comment

From the District Council website:

Chalara dieback of ash

Posted on 08 November 2012 by admin

What is the threat to the ash population in the District and in the UK?

Cherry Orchard Country ParkChalara dieback of ash is a disease of ash trees caused by a fungus called Chalara fraxinea. The disease causes leaf loss in affected trees, and can lead to tree death.

The Forestry Commission state that it is potentially a very serious threat. Experience of the outbreak in Europe indicates that it kills young ash trees very quickly, while older trees tend to resist it for some time until prolonged exposure causes them to succumb as well.

There is no evidence of any risk to humans or animals from Chalara fraxinea.

Reporting suspected cases

The Council are carrying out inspections of trees that may be affected, particularly young trees in Cherry Orchard Jubilee Country Park, however, if you notice the disease on any trees on Council land or on any tree with a Tree Preservation Order please contact the Customer Services on 01702 318111.

Otherwise please click on the below link to the Forestry Commission website which has a video on how to recognise the disease and a contact number 08459 33 55 77 (open 8am – 6pm every day) to ring to report cases:

http://www.forestry.gov.uk/chalara

Further information

How you can stop the spread of Chalara fraxinea :

We do ask that if you are visiting an area of trees, please take some simple precautions:

• do not remove any plant material (firewood, sticks, leaves or cuttings)
• where possible, before leaving the area , clean soil, mud, leaves and other plant material from footwear, clothing, dogs, horses, the wheels and tyres of bicycles, baby buggies, carriages and other vehicles, and remove any leaves which are sticking to your car
• before visiting other countryside sites, parks, garden centres and nurseries, thoroughly wash footwear, wheels and tyres in soapy water

 

There are ash trees in Hockley Woods, but thankfully there are plenty of other trees as well. There are also some ash in Kingley Wood.

November 19th, 2012 | Category: Flora And Fauna, Green Issues | Leave a comment

Black tailed Godwit (RSPB illustration)

There’s a lot going at Wallasea Island.
Remember this is a conservation project on a scale never before attempted in the UK….
It deserves to be better known!

Last month McDonalds and the Council did their bit clearing up rubbish:

The teams from four McDonalds’ branches in Southend are usually better known for their burger sales, but this week came along on a litter pick very different from those they are used to. Following on from our successful Shoreline Scavenge last year, we invited them to come along and help us clear the shores of some of the flotsam and jetsam that washes up with every tide.
Many thanks to the council staff who brought the truck along to take away that which could not be used on site and we look forward to working with you all again on another project soon. Maybe you’ll bring the picnic next time?

Also last month the first cargo of material from the Crossrail Project arrived by ship.

On September 22nd and 23rd, they have a Wild Coast Weekend:

Wild Coast Weekend
Saturday 22 September and Sunday 23 September
11am to 5pm
Price: FREE
A celebration of the rich heritage of Wallasea Island for all the family.
You can escape to the edges of the Wild Coast for a breath of fresh air and a look at a reserve in the making.
Then savour the best of local food and drink, relax to the sounds of some of Essex’s finest musicians, and marvel at the skills of traditional craftsmen of the area.
There’s room for everyone and something of interest for all the family.

And on the following weekend, they have guided walks:

Wallasea Wanders
Saturday 29 September 2012
Times are dictated by tides – please contact office for booking and times
Price: FREE
Booking essential
Take a Wander along the seawall with the Wallasea Birder and project volunteers.
Watch the landscape change with the seasons .
And be inspired by the sheer scale of the Wild Coast on your doorstep.
Directions
Wallasea Island – meeting at the Wetlands carpark, 3/4 of a mile beyond Grapnell’s Farm yard.

September 7th, 2012 | Category: Canewdon & Around, Events, Flora And Fauna, Shipping | Comments (1)

Photo of the alleged lion near Clacton

After all the publicity about a lion on the loose in Essex, we now know it was probably only a large ginger cat.

But there was a Lion in Rayleigh High Street until 1930 – and it was one of Rayleigh’s premier coaching inns. Find out more at Rayleigh Through The Looking Glass , where they mention some of the other lost pubs of Rayleigh, such as The Bull , The Chequers, and Elephant and Castle (after which Castle Road was named).

The Lion Inn of Rayleigh- from http://www.rayleighhistory.co.uk/page18.html

August 28th, 2012 | Category: Flora And Fauna, History and Culture, Rayleigh | Leave a comment

We’ve asked when the big grass/hay cut will take place in Sweyne Park this year.

The answer is that the hay will be cut towards the end of August. It depends on the weather, and if the farmer has completed the harvest.

We know that it’s been a very wet summer, which causes problems. But let’s hope a cut at this time isn’t too harmful to wildlife: we’re told that the last time a cut was held this late mice, frogs and toads did not fare too well….

August 10th, 2012 | Category: Flora And Fauna, Grass and Greenery, Open Spaces, Rayleigh | Leave a comment

The Guardian explains things pretty well here:

If this summer’s 50 shades of grey are getting you down, imagine how miserable it is to be a winged insect. In what is shaping up to be the worst year on record for butterflies, Sir David Attenborough on Wednesday urged people to find a window of sunshine and join the biggest butterfly count in the world.
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The wettest April for a century and the dampest June on record has left lepidopterists despairing about the fate of Britain’s 59 species, almost three quarters of which are in decline and one third are in danger of extinction.
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Launching the third year of Butterfly Conservation’s Big Butterfly Count, the biggest citizen science project of its kind in the world, Attenborough said it was more important than ever to discover if butterflies are dodging the downpour. The count, in which people are asked to record online all the common species they spot in a 15-minute window in their garden or local park, will alert conservationists to the species most in danger so efforts can be better targeted to prevent their extinction.

You can find out more on the Big Butterfly Count website.

You simply download and print their identification chart and spend 15 minutes when its sunny noting what butterflies you see.

You could do this in a garden, or park or field, or one of our woods. You can then submit your findings, and they go onto an interactive map:

A couple of thoughts :

July 12th, 2012 | Category: Flora And Fauna, Green Issues, Science | Leave a comment

We have a guest post for the third day running…. this is from District Councillor John Mason – about a personal scientific project he has been working on in Cyprus….

Protecting Snakes And Humans

Chris Black, the Editor of OnlineFOCUS spotted a personal video clip of mine on the internet which was about my friend Snake George who was testing a snake deterrent that I had designed.

He invited me to write an article about this diversity in my interests.

My family’s interest in Cyprus is that we spend many of our holidays there and having been an amateur herpetologist since I was 7 it was no surprise that I went to meet Snake George, real name Hans Jorg Wiedl, at his Reptile Park about 12 years ago now. George is an expert in the Snakes, Lizards and Amphibians of Cyprus. He has written many articles and at least two books.

Snake George (Hans-Jorg Wiedl) re-discovered the Cyprus Grass Snake after it had been thought extinct for nearly 40 years. Secondly he proved that the most venomous snake on Cyprus, the Blunt Nose Viper lays eggs, other than bearing live young as it had been thought and apparently proven.

George has been working hard to win the right from the Cyprus Government to establish a conservation and breeding project to save the Cyprus Grass Snake from extinction. I have run a Petition at the EU Parliament to bring this into focus for action before it is too late. There are some articles that I have written about this on http://rochfordessex.com/cyprusreptiles

Many people in Cyprus are frightened of snakes and, despite education, this will probably remain so for several generations.

The worst part is that all snakes suffer from indiscriminate killing, even the harmless ones!!

This is placing all species at risk and especially now in Cyprus the Large Whip Snake (harmless) which is a natural predator, ironically, of the Blunt Nosed Viper which is the only venomous snake in Cyprus that can endanger human life.

George and I were having coffee at the New Roots Garden Centre near Coral Bay one morning and he lamented that the product that he had been selling on as Snake Buster was ShooSnake (I think) from Australia and he had been banned for importing this by the Cyprus Authorities. He reckoned that a repellent would still help conserve snakes as they would not frequent areas where people do not want them. I agreed to research the substances used in current products under safety for use in the environment and that which could be imported into Cyprus with a chemical license and distribute for use as a pesticide.

The EU fairly recently banned practically every pesticide previously in use and licensed in the EU, which includes Cyprus.

The product that I have produced has been tested initially by George. There is scientific data which backs up the recommendation I made on the basis of my research.

There are a number of commercial snake repellents on sale in Cyprus. Some are electronic. It is not clear whether Cyprus has any natural safe snake repellents available to help people ward off snakes from their homes, business premises and gardens. If the snakes are repelled from the place then everyone is happy, especially the human.

It is a CONSERVATION PROJECT…………it conserves and protects both snakes and humans!!

There are harmful materials that people might use but these are also harmful to the human species!! And environmentally dangerous.

With the knowledge I had gained at QMC, London and the ecology of Cyprus snakes I had learnt since then my independent research has been undertaken on ancient ethnobotanical archives in order to derive such a product with the safest possible attributes.
It does not involve chemicals only plant extracts which are safe for both humans and the environment but repel snakes. My research has produced a product that achieves these objectives. This is a very important project for Cyprus given the issues that humans have with snakes. I would welcome any input offered on the commercial aspects of this project.

June 26th, 2012 | Category: Flora And Fauna, Guest Posts, Rochford Residents Party, Science | Comments (2)

A couple of photos by Sid Cumberland…

May 27th, 2012 | Category: Flora And Fauna | Leave a comment

An event later this month which we know many of our readers would enjoy:

April 9th, 2012 | Category: Events, Flora And Fauna, Rayleigh | Leave a comment

The Wallasea Island Wild Coast Project have some new items on their website – including an update on what’s happening this year:

…… This summer will see the huge Crossrail tunnelling machines churn into action deep under London, and the resulting clay will be shipped to Wallasea for placement in the eastern end of the island – the part known as ‘cell one’. The design for the landscape is divided into 5 ‘cells’, roughly following the contours of the original marshland islands which existed hundreds of years ago, before enclosure by man…..
…. This lagoon should attract lots of birds when full of water and will be an extra place for us all to walk round and enjoy. Staff and volunteers will be on site at our forthcoming events over the year, available to answer any questions you might have. But in the meantime, watch the webcam for action, the blog for news and on a good day come down and see for yourself!

They also have some “Wallasea Wanders” planned:

Wallasea Wanders
Times are dictated by tides – please contact office for booking and times
Price: FREE
Booking essential
Take a Wander along the seawall with the Wallasea Birder and project volunteers. Watch the landscape change with the seasons .
And be inspired by the sheer scale of the Wild Coast on your doorstep.

Directions
Wallasea Island – meeting at the Wetlands carpark, 3/4 of a mile beyond Grapnell’s Farm yard.
Full list of dates

* Saturday 14 January 2012
* Saturday 4 February 2012
* Saturday 25 February 2012
* Friday 9 March 2012
* Monday 9 April 2012
* Sunday 6 May 2012
* Saturday 16 June 2012

March 3rd, 2012 | Category: Canewdon & Around, Flora And Fauna | Leave a comment