Regional Officer's Report

Regional Officer Eastern Region Report

by Sharon Hearle

The first species review on the Anglia Regional Action Plan has been completed and includes all activity on 14 high and medium priority butterflies and 35 high

priority moths in 2003. A similar review will be

completed for 2004. This review provides a

useful record of all the work undertaken in the

Anglia Region and helps to identify gaps in our knowledge and new priorities.

Dingy Skipper and Grizzled Skipper

The Grizzled Skipper day at High Lodge, Brandon in Suffolk on April 24th was well attended by 26 people including staff from Norfolk Wildlife Trust, - WBB Mineral Company and British Trust for

Ornithology. There were presentations by Sharon

Hearle and Tom Brereton from Head Office who completed a PhD on Grizzled Skipper several years ago. There was glorious hot and sunny weather for the field· visit in the afternoon to Foulden

Common in Norfolk but no Grizzled Skippers were seen although one had been recorded on the same day in Cambridgeshire. Subsequent visits did reveal good numbers of both Grizzled Skipper and

Dingy Skipper at this site. Attendees did go on to complete survey work in both Norfolk and Suffolk searching for both Grizzled Skipper and Dingy

Skipper.

Griuled Skipper

by Douglas Hammersley

It appears that 2004 has been a relatively good year for both skippers. The highest count for Dingy Skipper on the transect at Devil's Dyke near Newmarket was 26 compared to 15 last year. Planning casework at several sites m Cambridgeshire and Bedfordshire where butterflies are threatened has been undertaken.

Searches for Grizzled Skipper at a few sites in Suffolk have been negative, including one of the most promising along the cut-off channel at Lakenheath. Survey visits to the cut-off channel from Feltwell to Wretton in Norfolk has led to the discovery of several new colonies of Grizzled Skipper, Dingy Skipper, Wall and Brown Argus not recorded before. Survey work for Dingy Skipper in Suffolk has been much more productive as can be seen in Rob Parker's update. A grant of £400.00 from