And so begins a tale of a long day in the field – quite literally. Saturday morning started gloomy and overcast as I set about getting things sorted for our first event of the day.
A Redstart calling loudly as I drove onto site just after seven set me up nicely and by nine the Marshland Discovery Zone was open and ready for Insect Day and the British Dragonfly Society were setting up, with Jim, Vicky and Neil organising the Posh Pond Dipping with nets, trays, microscopes and computers. Bex (our lovely Bee lady from the Lodge) and Jerry were preparing for a hopefully warm dry bee amble and John from the Essex Field Club was there to talk about the work they do in the county while Phil and Mel were on hand for other invertebrate life!
All we needed now was for the pesky drizzle to pass through, the sun to come out and the people to arrive.
And thankfully it was all good and the sun did appear and people had a great day and although dragons and damsels were quite hard to come by, we ended up with a good selection including some tandem Small Red-eyes and an Emperor at the Purfleet Bridge and the odd Black-tailed Skimmer and a few Darters dotted around.
Female Black-tailed Skimmer - Jerry Hoare
Blue Tailed Damselfly of the stunning violacea form - Lawrence Rogers
Small Red-eyed Damselflies - Lawrence Rogers
We were even lucky enough to watch this Blue-tailed damselfly emerging before pumping up its wings!
Similarly, the Bee Walk located all the regular species of Bumblebee including the high pitched Shrill Carder and a few tiny solitary species and the previously blogged Pantaloon Bees down by the playground.
Bees with Bex on the river wall!
Buff-tailed Bumblebee - Jerry Hoare
male Early Bumblebee -Jerry Hoare
The microscopes were very popular with predatory Ostracods (which are 3mm long seed shrimps that basically live inside a transparent crash helmet where they look out at the world and move themselves round with filamentous micro limbs!), hyperactive red (non-velvety) Water Mites, a Duck Leech (that inserts itself up the nostrils of dabbling ducks and is therefore the most well travelled of al Leech species!) and even the amazingly beautiful Spirogyra algae (not to be confused with the 1970’s American Jazz fusion band – Spyro Gyro....).
Jim looking for Ostracods!
Ostracod - Neil Phillips
Alder Fly larvae - looks like an aquatic centipede - Neil Phillips
Spiro Gyra
No sooner had we packed up everything for the day than it was time to embark on the Big Wild Sleep Out and by 630pm we had amassed 62 enthusiastic participants in the car park before sending them off in groups on a brisk(ish) stroll to the camp site at the Reedbed Discovery Zone while their huuuuge pile of gear was transported in the trailer attached to the back of our tractor for Andrew to bring down. We left Jamie and Angela behind to secure things and join us later and off we went!
I took my group of twenty off through the Cordite passing temptingly ripe Blackberries and educationally untouchable Deadly Nightshade as we headed through. It was grey and overcast and I had everything crossed that the rain would hold off and we would get a lovely evening.
The kids were especially lively and getting there on time was not going to be a problem! Being early evening all the duck and Coot were out in the middle of Aveley Pool and a new brood of Tufted Duck won a few cute awards. Soon it was time for making camp and we let them knuckle down to the task at hand with offers of assistance if it was required and by 8pm we were all ready for action and the sun was magnificently setting.
Setting up camp!
Kids taking it easy while tents are being put up! Inflatable sofa!!!!
The lovely St Catherine's couple with their wicker hamper and big bottle of Leffe!
And Ee Lynn from Singapore was a very happy camper...
The bulk of the families set about making Journey Sticks before being taking on an adventurous walk in the dwindling light all the way down to the Ant Hill while the Barn Owl obliged and circled the camp and everyone in it before they all headed out.
Pond dipping as the sun sets
Andrew took those remaining off for a walk back towards Aveley Pool and Jim and Vicky continued with pond dipping for those who chose to stay with us. I set up my moth trap and got the urn on ready for their return and a nice cuppa and before too long we had a queue during which the International Space Station chose to pass over like a glowing white TIE Fighter 400km above our heads!
Mothing was well underway and we were attracting a huge number of chironomid midges and mosquitoes, green mired bugs and small round water beetles, water boatmen and may flies and plenty of bumbling fluffy Drinker moths (once again) along with Ruby Tigers and a few Wainscots and Carpets. I even spent time talking about slugs to the kids when a particularly fine Great Black specimen crossed the path! Selfies with the slug were taken!
A male Drinker
Slug Watching
And so the evening came to an end with quiet chatter and warm laughter and it was almost time for us to put our feet up but first I had to walk the Archers back to their car by the front gate as they were not camping with us. I always enjoy this job and it is a good chance to experience the marsh in the proper dark with only the ARC lights on the industrial site opposite casting any light on your footfall but I suspect that I could walk the site blindfolded nowadays.
The marsh was actually fairly quiet and the ISS was even brighter as it hurtled over on its second circumnavigation of the evening. Dark Bush Crickets were chirping near the Ken Barrett Hide and a female Glow-worm was doing her stuff on some pallets by the tool store so I moved her to the grass of the path side where she would be a little safer. The brightness of her light was astonishing.
Glow-worm
mmm... the glow
As I walked back I could hear Coots and Moorhens out on the pools and a Grey Heron croaked as it spooked up from the edge while one of the adult Mute Swans was out feeding on the Tringa Pool. A cold nightcap beckoned before turning in some time after midnight and I headed for the old RDZ classroom with a large Tegenaria spider around the light fitting above my head to keep me company.
All too soon it was time to get up again and motivate the camp into some semblance of activity. Max was already going through his moth trap which had been on all night and was busy showing the kids Garden Tigers and a fabulous Polar Hawk Moth which ended up attached to my nose for the next ten minutes.
Garden Tiger...
and if the upperwing did not deter you!
Cheers to Lucy Stableford-Grieve for the shot - I think!
Break camp!
To be fair most people were already up and about and some had even gone out on a pre-camp break walk with Pat. I ambled down the line of tents playing ‘Reveille’ on my phone (with the aforementioned moth still hanging on) to stir late risers and by twenty past seven the camp was down, the gear loaded and the troops mustered for the walk back for breakfast which was served with military precision by Caroline and Janet!
Even on the walk back! just where do the kids get their energy!
With normal opening times imminent there was still time for Jules and Alistair to head back out with those after even more pond dipping while bikes were hired and even three memberships were made!
And so ended another exciting and memorable Big Wild Sleep Out adventure on the marsh.
I would just like to say a huge thank you to all the participants for making my life easy and to all the staff and volunteers who gave their time to make it work on the night and in preparation beforehand.
ps... I will remember the hot chocolate next time...
Howard - our thanks to all who played a part in making the event happen - it was spectacularly well organised - The Goodings. P.S. the young lady on the ant hill was out on her feet by Sunday afternoon!