============================================= || || 10th June 2020 || || News of Lincolnshire Wildlife || || LNU Website: || http://lnu.org/ || ============================================ In this issue..... 1. Information, tips and requests 2. Wildlife Highlights 3. Wildlife reports from around the county 4. NNRs including RSPB and LWT Reserves 5. Bardney Limewoods NNR 6. Other Reserve Reports and Highlights 7. Sending in Reports - contributors please read! 8. Contact information 9. Notes about these wildlife reports 10. Bulletin publicity policy 11. Events Diary 12. ...and finally..... ============================================ Reports here are open and are available to county recorders of the Lincolnshire Naturalists' Union, the Lincolnshire Bird Club and Lincolnshire Environmental Record Centre [LERC]. Text versions of past Wildnews Bulletins from Feb 2009 http://rogerparsons.info/bulletinportal.html Views expressed by contributors are not necessarily those of the Lincolnshire Naturalists' Union or any associated organisations. Please copy and paste URLs if/as necessary. ============================================ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 1. Information, hints, tips and requests ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ *** Editor writes... *** Sorry about the unexplained change of font in last week's Bulletin - no idea how. I hope it was still readable! Thank you for the contributions and reports this week. Please keep the information flowing, it makes the Bulletin much more interesting. As the CO-19 restrictions are eased we will update you on eventual resumption of LNU events through the Bulletin, meetings webpages and the LNU Twitter feed. Please keep checking for updates. Things could change for better or worse as the situation evolves. Stay safe and keep up appropriate measures to reduce the risks. For other organisations please refer to their individual websites below. The Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust's policy on the Coronavirus, Covid-19: https://www.lincstrust.org.uk/coronavirus All events and activities for Love Lincs Plants are suspended until further notice. RSPB Returning to reserves: Frampton Marsh & Freiston Short listed as Open. https://www.rspb.org.uk/our-work/rspb-news/news/stories/coronavirus/reserve-reboot/ Forestry Commission says: Please read our guide to visiting the forest in the summer of 2020. https://www.forestryengland.uk/news/covid-19-stay-home-please-do-not-visit-the-nations-forests Forestry work is underway at Chambers Farm Woods. There have been warning signs up for some weeks. Please don't drive there until you have confirmed it is open again. https://www.louthleader.co.uk/news/people/chambers-farm-wood-car-park-currently-closed-2869267 The National Trust is reopening gardens and parks - check the NTwebsite for details. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-52845490 https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/features/how-to-book-your-visit-and-what-to-expect The Lincolnshire Show 2020 is going on-line: 24th June https://lincolnshireshow.co.uk/ Lincolnshire Environmental Awards have been POSTPONED to Autumn www.lincsenvironmentalawards.org.uk A selection of useful or entertaining links sent in by readers. Skim or click, please! Base jumpers spotted leaping from Boston Stump tower https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-lincolnshire-52909437 Landslide in Norway - astounding. Frightful, even. https://youtu.be/6QcBSbQo4XA How Jeremy the lonely snail showed that two lefts make a right https://theconversation.com/how-jeremy-the-lonely-snail-showed-that-two-lefts-make-a-right-139883 Urban foxes may be self-domesticating in our midst https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/06/urban-foxes-may-be-self-domesticating-our-midst Ants and Extra-floral Nectaries http://www.wbrc.org.uk/WORCRECD/32/Winnall_Rosemary--Ants_and_Extra-floral_.html Coronavirus: Day trippers told to stop littering Yorkshire countryside https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-york-north-yorkshire-52920343 Listen to Farming Today on the Day Trippers issue - speakers on: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m000jsyh North Atlantic gannet found on Norfolk trampoline https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-norfolk-52938253 Best wildlife-friendly plants - Discover Wildlife https://www.discoverwildlife.com/how-to/wildlife-gardening/best-wildlife-friendly-plants/ Online Training | National Plant Monitoring Scheme https://www.npms.org.uk/content/online-training Back From The Brink - the website: https://naturebftb.co.uk/ Clean water ponds boosts rare wetland plants, say experts https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-leicestershire-52910464 Cambridge University's King's College Chapel meadow blooms https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cambridgeshire-52920060 Are viruses alive? Perhaps we're asking the wrong question https://theconversation.com/are-viruses-alive-perhaps-were-asking-the-wrong-question-139639 Ancient DNA yields new clues on Dead Sea Scrolls https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/ancient-dna-yields-new-clues-to-dead-sea-scrolls/ I hope the Bulletins are keeping you in touch; entertained, inspired and encouraged. Stay safe. Roger old.museum@yahoo.co.uk - note - this is my best address for emails please. *** BATS – can readers help? *** Annette Faulkner writes: First, a big thank you to those of you have sent your bat sightings in – there’s some really interesting observations amongst them and I’ve been in touch with some of you. Now – could I persuade some other contributors to go into your gardens and see if there are any bats around, from about 15 mins after sunset for half an hour. I’m more than happy to take records from all summer, but negative reports are at least as important as positive ones – I’ve had a few ‘Where are my bats?’ enquiries this year already. We’re still not getting very many bat calls coming in – and apparently this is also true of Rutland, according to a colleague – and all that have been found have been underweight, some severely so, to the point of not surviving, so the more information we have the better. Is something happening to the insect population? (So would entomologists like to comment?) But to finish, a nice story. On 10 May we had a bat call from Baston: a bat had been found in the ash pan of a wood burner. It was duly brought over and turned out to be a very under- weight male pipistrelle. He was covered in fine ash, making him look pale grey, and the oil glands on his nose were bunged up, so I brushed him and washed his nose, to much protest, and got started on rehydrating him. Fast forward to the end of May and he’d made a complete recovery and was ready for release. The question was, how had he got into the ash pan? It turned out that the flue from the wood burner didn’t go up through the chimney – there was none – but via a metal flue fixed to the side of the house to eaves level, with a bird guard over the top. The finders had had a fire only two days earlier, so the bat hadn’t been in the ash pan for more than 24 hours, or he’d have been dead. We think that he’d gone into the top of the flue to roost, was already weak from loss of weight, and simply slipped down the length of the flue and into the burner. The finder said she got the shock of her life when she pushed the ash-covered lump with the shovel and it squeaked at her! *** LNU Events Diary *** Website says: "All field meetings during 2020 are cancelled." We will update you if/as situation changes, including LNU Workshops and Drop-in sessions and Indoor Meetings. For details of all LNU meetings and workshops, see: https://lnu.org/meetings/ Field Meetings 2020: Website says: "All field meetings during 2020 are cancelled. " https://lnu.org/meetings/field-meetings/ STAYING SAFE Please copy and paste URLs if/as necessary. *** About Coronavirus [COVID-19] *** https://111.nhs.uk/covid-19 *** Check for road works and hold-ups: works are in progress. *** https://roadworks.org/ *** Met Office Severe Warnings *** https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/warnings-and-advice/uk-warnings *** Met Office Severe Weather E-mail Service - sign up for your area *** http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/about-us/guide-to-emails *** EasyTide *** http://easytide.ukho.gov.uk/EasyTide/EasyTide/index.aspx *** Environment Agency Flood Information/Floodline *** http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/default.aspx *** Lyme Disease *** https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/lyme-disease/ Lyme Disease UK https://lymediseaseuk.com/lyme-disease/ *** June Night Sky *** Paul Money's 'Monthly Night Sky' webpage will be found on: http://www.astrospace.co.uk/Astrospace/monthly-sky/monthlynightsky.html Meteor Shower Guide 2020 https://www.rmg.co.uk/discover/explore/how-to-see-meteor-showers-key-dates *** Scunthorpe Museum Society Natural History and Geology Section *** All meetings of the Scunthorpe Museum Society, both indoor and field meetings, have been cancelled until further notice. http://scunthorpemuseumsociety.btck.co.uk/ *** Grimsby & District RSPB *** Martin Francis writes: “The June Meeting and Trip of the RSPB Grimsby Local Group have been cancelled and the AGM has been postponed until a later date. Speakers have been arranged from September onwards. There is a small chance that we will be able to resume activities in September but it will depend on the Government regulations at the time, RSPB advice, the requirements of the Parish Hall, and our ability to comply with them. There will be further announcements like this one nearer the time. http://www.rspb.org.uk/groups/grimsby *** South Lincs RSPB - please check the website *** “Birdwatching cruises into the Wash” programme for 2020. Cancellation details can be found at : https://ww2.rspb.org.uk/groups/southlincolnshire/news/ *** LWT Reserves *** http://www.lincstrust.org.uk/wildlife/reserves "Following the Government’s advice we have taken the decision to cancel events and close our visitor centres, car parks and toilets until further notice. We will continue to monitor the situation so please check our events page for updates." https://www.lincstrust.org.uk/events *** LWT Get Involved page - including Area Groups *** https://www.lincstrust.org.uk/get-involved *** Grimsby & Cleethorpes LWT *** For details of cancellations see: www.grimsbywildlifetrust.org.uk ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 2. Wildlife Highlights ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ *** Bird News from Rare Bird Alert *** Rare Bird Alert has kindly given permission to reproduce reports. A big thank you from us all. Interested readers should have a look at the RBA website: http://www.rarebirdalert.co.uk/ [Please mention the Bulletin if you decide to subscribe.] 3/6 Spoonbill, Frampton Marsh Little Tern, Baston + Langtoft pits 4/6 Marsh Warbler, Wolla Bank Icterine Warbler singing, Barton-upon-Humber GPs Garganey drk at Wader Pit, Baston + Langtoft GPs 2 Curlew Sandpipers, Frampton Marsh 5/5 Great White Egret in sheep field by River Trent, 3 Spoonbills, Alkborough Flats Wood Sandpiper at Wader Pit, Baston + Langtoft GPs Marsh Warbler singing north of car park, Wolla Bank Turtle Dove, Saltfleetby/Theddlethorpe also Lunar Double-stripe moth trapped last night, South Cockerington 6/5 Garganey, East Pit, Deeping Lakes, Deeping St James Fulmar flew SW over Stamford Turtle Dove, Saltfleetby/Theddlethorpe 7/5 Blyth's Reed Warbler singing, Target Lake, Far Ings, Barton-upon-Humber 5 Spoonbills from Julian's Bower, Alkborough Flats Spoonbill 1s flew north over Wader Pit, Baston + Langtoft Pits later reported on scrape at Baston Fen Spoonbill 1s at East Pit, Deeping Lakes, Deeping St James 3 Turtle Doves, Frampton Marsh 8/5 Garganey drk, Wader Pit, Baston + Langtoft Pits Spoonbill 1s, on scrape, Baston Fen Glaucous Gull, Pyewipe, Grimsby Blyth's Reed Warbler singing, Target Lake, Far Ings, Barton-upon-Humber 2 Curlew Sandpipers, Frampton Marsh 3 Spoonbills,Alkborough Flats# 2 Arctic Terns, Deeping Lakes, Deeping St James 9/5 Blyth's Reed Warbler singing, Target Lake, Scaup on sailing pit, Far Ings, Barton-upon-Humber Garganey drk, Wader Pit, Baston + Langtoft Pits 2 Curlew Sandpipers, Spoonbill, Frampton Marsh 10/5 Blyth's Reed Warbler singing, Target Lake, Far Ings, Barton-upon-Humber Scaup drk on sailing pit, Barton-upon-Humber ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 3. Wildlife news from around the county ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ *** The Roger Goy Column *** Remembering Roger Goy's wildlife information work and drop-in sessions at the Queen in the West pub! http://www.bbc.co.uk/lincolnshire/content/articles/2005/08/30/nature_sightings_feature.shtml Beewalking for the Bumblebee Conservation Trust…. a snippet from last weeks piece by Anne Gayfer to remind you of the links. If you look at the Beewalk site, you will see there are a lot of resources there, including an engaging short video about how to identify them. https://www.beewalk.org.uk/ On 20 May, it was International Bee Day. The BBCT celebrated by posting 2 videos on their website. I particularly recommend the one by Gill Perkins which contains some fascinating information about bumblebees. It’s quite long but much of the second part is about the work of the Trust and questions from members, which you can skip. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tQi_Szwc390&feature=youtu.be WEBCAMS Bob Sheppard has sent the following details of his favourite webcams. Len Pick Barn Owl project - See the diary. Second chick hatched 11.56am on 9th. Expect a chick to hatch around Sunday 7th June if all goes well. https://www.lenpicktrust.org.uk/owl-project/4593449091 The Loch Arkaig ospreys have now hatched all three chicks and there are regular fish feeds when the male has been hunting. [Bob Sheppard 5//] https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/trees-woods-and-wildlife/osprey-cam CJ Wildlife have fantastic webcams from Europe https://www.birdfood.co.uk/webcams ROAD KILLS? PLEASE LET US KNOW. Every drive is a transect! Reports welcome. *** County Wildlife Reports From Readers *** Thanks to our regular contributors across the county. Much appreciated. We rely on readers to send in their observations and we welcome records from everyone, experts or beginners. Please keep your reports coming. *** Find the Grid Reference - don't forget - it's important *** Grab a Grid Reference: https://www.bnhs.co.uk/focuson/grabagridref/html/index.htm UK Grid Reference Finder: http://www.gridreferencefinder.com/ Chris Manning writes: Please remember to use grid refs, If a recorder doesn't, it not only adds work but must invariably loose accuracy DON'T FORGET - TIME FLIES! Please include the year in your reports in case they are copied and thus lose their context. BARDNEY - The Green TF120694 R & A Parsons 5/6/2020 One-footed Jackdaw still surviving and holding its own. 7/5/2020 A walk along the Witham Bank: 2 Whitethroats. Several Yellowhammers. Mullein. Goatsbeard abundant. Fantastic display of Elderflower and Dogrose. Many broken banded snail shells - in the hundreds. BOSTON Boston OS ref TF338441 04/06/2020 Tracey Lenton Saw a coal tit in my back garden feeding from the seed feeder, a new sighting in the garden. Other regular visitors seen: Male and female blackbirds A pair of collared doves Great tits Lots of elderflowers in blossom. DUKES COVERT Dukes Covert SK 97961 42399 Les Binns 21 May 2020 Dagger fly (Empis tessellata). Nectaring on scabious. 4 images, the first here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/ecoheathen/49973151673/in/dateposted/ Determined Phil Porter GRIMSBY GRID REF TA265095 Joyce Attia 9th JUNE 2020 Spotted this week. My garden - Lots of bees, mainly white bottomed ones, on the Campanula, the Marguerites are attracting some hover flies and we have had a few wasps and lots of midges. The rain, though very welcome, has battered my favourite roses - "Rhapsody in Blue", the flowers are very delicate and have a lovely fragrance and the bees love it. The male blackbird is very vocal and sings from the chimney pots, I have also heard young ones in the elder tree at the back of the garden. That tree is magical, at various times we can hear goldfinches, chaffinches, dunnocks, starlings, various titty twitters, wood pigeons. Along the river side - There is a moorhen sitting on a nest almost opposite my back gate. I've seen a pair of swans, I'm hoping it's not the pair with the one cygnet because if so, it's gone. Another pair of swans have 3 cygnets. TA255099 2/6/20 On our walk up over an old tip which is now a recreation area and a really nice walk, we found marguerites, purple vetch, birds foot trefoil, daisies, 4 common blue butterflies. TA263098 9/6/20 - 21.40 hrs. We have just been down by the river and we counted 4 bats HUTTOFT TF511762 (my garden) Jane Pennington 30/5/2020 Speckled wood 1 31/5/2020 Badger 1 - evidence of the badger from a large hole dug next to my pond. It had obviously found a bee's nest from the couple of remaining confused bees wandering in and out of the hole. I see this every year somewhere in the garden. Bats 2 - but not seen since 1/6/2020 Collared doves 2 Song thrush 1 Wrens 3 - 1 adult, 2 fledglings 2/6/2020 TF528764 On a local footpath to the coast, I was distracted by 6 - 8 damselflies. I spent some time taking pictures of what I thought was one common blue damselfly as it was half on top of the hogweed flower cluster. It wasn't until I enlarged the photo that I noticed a second one, below and obscured by the hogweed. I am not certain exactly what stage of the cycle this was but it was a mating pair. South Fen Drain (the actual water course) is about 2 metres from this spot. It was confirmed on iSpot as the Azure Damselfly. The other type I saw was the Blue-tailed damselfly. Azure Damselflies 4 Blue-tailed Damselflies 4 Small tortoiseshell 1 KETTLETHORPE Kettlethorpe SK 847757 09/06/2020 Alison Brownlow Common Spotted Orchid Marsh Orchid Black Horehound Chimney Sweeper moths on Pignut First Meadow Browns 10 Small Tortoiseshells butterflies on a bramble bush Stinkhorn Watching a Greater Spotted Woodpecker feeding a young from the peanut feeder. Only seen the male feeding it. SPALDING Allotment TF228219 Annette Faulkner 31/5/20 A single silver Y flushed from grass. Small tortoiseshells very active round nettle patch. 2/6/20 Mullein moth larvae from half grown to final instar on great mullein Verbascum Thapsus plants left for them. One large plant had at least 15 caterpillars on it and was almost completely shredded! 4/6/20 Orange tip larvae on garlic mustard seed pods. And also in garden TF245218 – though this plant is so invasive I’ve had to clear a lot of it. TATTERSHALL TF 22107 58253 Les Binns 01 June 2020 Privet Hawk-moth (Sphinx ligustri) - 2. Near honeysuckle in daylight, I suspect they had emerged from pupae. Found when I watered my wildflower seed bed, one flew to nearby dead wood. I then noticed the other amongst the plants, near the soil. 5 images, the first here: www.flickr.com/photos/ecoheathen/49967186896/in/dateposted/ WOOLSTHORPE-BY-COLSTERWORTH SK923247 Jane Ostler June 3rd - June 9th Garden unless otherwise indicated FLOWERING PLANTS The misnamed Barren Brome is rearing up already seeding heads above the border perennials. Native plants in flower in the garden newly in flower are Yellow Loosestrife, Dropwort, Salad Burnet and Creeping Jenny. On the limestone verges Yellow Oat Grass and Quaking Grass are in flower amongst the vetches and trefoils. In the hedgerows in my immediate area on 3rd June there was an abundance of the Cocksfoot Grass in flower. Like other perennial grasses it was telling the time by the opening of its flowers. At 11a.m. the stigmas and anthers were dangling in the wind. Timothy Grass opened shortly after dawn and the Perennial Rye was due at noon. The Bents are not yet in flower but they open late afternoon. Each species of grass has its own brief pollen dispersal restricted to about 20mins. A brief walk also found the following in flower since last week. Bladder Campion, Yellow Corydalis, Common Mallow, Musk Mallow, Field Bindweed, Long-Headed Poppy and Hedge Mustard. In an area of dense shade Ground Elder was in flower to the exclusion of all other plants except Russian Comfrey. INSECTS On 4th June the sudden change to cold, wet weather for 5 days meant no Butterflies seen in the garden except Large Whites. Bumble Bees need a minimum body temperature of 30C for activity. However they are remarkable in being able to conserve heat. They can generate this whilst still] in the nest and with it stored in the thorax their flight muscles are warmed up. The Buff-tailed Bumble Bee is particularly good at this and was out every day visiting flowers between the showers. There were also lesser numbers of the White-tailed Bumble Bee and Carder Bees. I didn't note the Tree Bumble Bees out until 8th June. Red tailed Bees had not been seen for week when they and the Early Nesting Bee Workers were out in the sunshine. A Great Mullein plant is host to some well grown Great Mullein Moth caterpillars which are shredding its leaves. Cinnabar Moths still about. Ladybird larvae are plentiful. BIRDS Robins, Blackbirds and House Sparrows are all busy with second nests. The second family of Blue Tits have young all flown, four young, still dull coloured, seen briefly on the lawn before flying off. We now have two pairs of Wood Pigeons scrapping over nest materials and seemingly trying to outdo each other bowing and cooing on the roof ridges. The Collared Dove we think has a p air of young and is rather quieter. A Pied Wagtail on the lawn one afternoon. A neighbour has reared a young Jackdaw and is finding ways for it to exercise its wings. He has watched young jackdaws apparently doing this as they hop from branch to branch for several days before finally taking flight. Almost every day we have a Kite circling over the gardens. Swifts and House Martins have been flying lower in the cloudy weather. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 4. NNRs and Reserves including RSPB and LWT ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ RSPB Reserves: https://www.rspb.org.uk/discoverandenjoynature/seenature/reserves/guide/f/freistonshore/ http://www.rspb.org.uk/discoverandenjoynature/seenature/reserves/guide/f/framptonmarsh/ LWT Reserves http://www.lincstrust.org.uk/wildlife/reserves https://www.lincstrust.org.uk/get-involved/top-reserves/far-ings https://www.lincstrust.org.uk/get-involved/top-reserves/gibraltar-point ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust's policy on the Coronavirus, Covid-19 is here: https://www.lincstrust.org.uk/coronavirus " Following the Government’s advice we have taken the decision to cancel events and close our visitor centres, car parks and toilets until further notice. We will continue to monitor the situation so please check our events page for updates. " See: Gibraltar Point Bird Observatory blog. "On hold". http://gibraltarpointbirdobservatory.blogspot.co.uk/ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ SALTFLEETBY THEDDLETHORPE DUNES NNR including DONNA NOOK http://www.lincstrust.org.uk/reserves/saltfleetby-theddlethorpe-dunes https://www.lincstrust.org.uk/get-involved/top-reserves/donna-nook http://publications.naturalengland.org.uk/publication/38015?category=59026 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Saltfleetby-Theddlethorpe Dunes NNR Report 3rd – 9th June 2020 Contributors: - Peter & Janet Roworth, John Walker, Cliff Morrison, Matt Blissett, Ruth Taylor and Owen Beaumont. Note: The rainfall from the 4th - 7th gave a total of 22.0mm, the most continuous rainfall since February 23rd - 29th when 28.6mm was recorded. The recent rainfall has started to freshen up the dune vegetation. Vipers bugloss is now in flower. Marsh orchids are well scattered in some dune slacks and wetter areas with some fine robust specimens. Twayblade is evident plus the occasional bee orchid. Daily News and Wildlife Sightings: 280520 – 2 common sandpiper Paradise lag, 2 whimbrel calling over saltmarsh, 1 yellow wagtail flew west, 2 grasshopper warbler. 290520 – Pair of bullfinch just north of Sea View, 1 sparrowhawk 300520 – At Rimac: 3 grasshopper warblers 010620 – At Rimac: spotted flycatcher, 1 jay, male bullfinch, 2 grasshopper warbler, greenshank Rimac lagoon 030620 – On Paradise lagoon, 1 redshank, 2 avocet, 1 common sandpiper, 2 oystercatcher, 2 shoveller, 4 tufted duck, 8 mallard and 2 greylag geese with 4 goslings. At Sea View: roe deer, fox and red admiral. Yellow wagtail at Paradise lagoon, plus 2 avocets 040620 – At Donna Nook, cuckoo and yellow wagtail. At Rimac late evening calling grasshopper warbler and tawny owl. Yellow wagtail at Paradise lagoon, plus 2 avocets. Bee and pyramidal orchids around the easy access trail at Rimac. 2 tree creepers at Sea View. 050620 - Single greenshank on Paradise lagoon. 060620 - Starlings building up to around 130 over the saltmarsh. 080620 – At Donna Nook a show of 8300 marsh orchids, also small heath, common blue, meadow brown, yellowshell and cinnabar moths. Little egrets increased to 10 on the saltmarsh, pair of bullfinch at Sea View. 090620 – At Sea View, banded demoiselle on Great Eau. Small heath, common blue, small tortoiseshell flying, peacock caterpillars on nettles and mullein caterpillars feeding on great mullein. Water levels low on Paradise lagoon giving one side a muddy edge where at least 15 house martins were continuously taking mud for nest building in Saltfleet. In the Churchill Lane area: red admiral, small tortoiseshell, meadow brown, large skipper, small heath, common blue, orange tip, speckled wood, brown argus butterflies. Hairy, four spotted chaser dragonflies, azure blue, large red, blue tailed and common blue damselflies. Marsh thistle , pyramidal orchid, sea rocket, hounds tongue and skullcap in flower. Several species of juveniles now on wing: linnet, whitethroat, willow warbler, dunnock, blue tit, wren , blackbird and flocks of starlings. Sightings in other locations during social distancing: 0306-090620 – Daily sightings of blackbird, house sparrow, blue tit, great tit, wood pigeon, dunnock, swifts, swallows and house martins in Louth. 090620 – Swallows, house martins, 2 cuckoos seen and 2 yellow hammers heard in Woodhall Spa. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 5. BARDNEY LIMEWOODS NNR These cover a huge area, and records from them and records from volunteer recorders are one of the main inputs to management planning and the protection of rare/scarce and critical species. Reports always welcome. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Forestry Commission Coronavirus information: Help stop the spread of coronavirus. Stay home, stay safe – please do not come to our forests. https://www.forestryengland.uk/coronavirus-visitor-information Butterfly Conservation Lincolnshire Branch. See: https://butterfly-conservation.org/300/lincolnshire-branch.html The Hazel Dormouse https://www.lincstrust.org.uk/cy/node/35 Lincolnshire Dormouse Group You can get in touch via lincsdormousegroup@gmail.com ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The NNR includes the following sites: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Chambers Farm Woods (comprises Ivy Wood, Little and Great Scrubbs Woods, Minting Wood, Hatton Wood, Hatton Plantation and Minting Park, and also three areas of grassland: Little Scrubbs Meadow (and extension), Small Meadow and Big Meadow. Since all have their own management plans, please give the actual location when reporting); College Wood, Cocklode & Great West Woods, Hardy Gang Wood, Newball Wood, Rand Wood, Scotgrove Wood, Southrey Wood and Wickenby Wood. Many of these include both areas of ancient woodland or important grassland, which are designated Sites of Special Scientific Interest, and non-designated areas. Since managing the SSSI areas carries particular responsibilities to Natural England, records which provide a six-figure grid reference are of particular value to the Forestry Commission. Other woods included in the NNR but without public access: Stainfield Wood; Stainton & Fulnetby Woods (access by public bridle way only) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 6. OTHER RESERVE REPORTS AND HIGHLIGHTS. Examples: SNIPE DALES https://www.lincstrust.org.uk/get-involved/top-reserves/snipe-dales WHISBY https://www.lincstrust.org.uk/get-involved/top-reserves/whisby WILLOW TREE FEN https://www.lincstrust.org.uk/get-involved/top-reserves/willow-tree-fen ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust's policy on the Coronavirus, Covid-19 is here: https://www.lincstrust.org.uk/coronavirus "Following the Government’s advice we have taken the decision to cancel events and close our visitor centres, car parks and toilets until further notice. We will continue to monitor the situation so please check our events page for updates." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 7. Sending in reports to Roger Parsons ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The purpose of the Bulletin is to encourage biological recording in Lincolnshire. We hope to increase the number of people reporting observations to LNU Recorders and improve the quality of reports, as well as the quantity and the geographical coverage. In return for this FREE service, we ask you to provide reports, questions, news or relevant articles from time to time. Descriptive pieces are welcome - you don't have to stick to lists! Mailing times vary, depending on what I am doing. The Bulletin usually goes out on Thursdays or Fridays in time for the weekend. Please e-mail in contributions as early as possible, to: old.museum@yahoo.co.uk When sending in reports please follow this layout to save re-editing: Place Name: IN CAPITALS with Grid Reference if you have it. Your Name: Real names please, not aliases. Put it in each time, for each location Date: Species list [Alphabetical?] & numbers [and observations?] e.g. Blackbird - 24 [And please, no home-grown abbreviations. Species Names in full.] ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 8. Contact Information & Useful Websites ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Please copy and paste URLs if/as necessary. *** Lincolnshire Naturalists' Union Website *** http://lnu.org/ LNU Twitter feed https://twitter.com/LincsNaturalist? LNU e-mail: info@lnu.org A full list of LNU Country Recorders is given on the website. Downloads of LNU books are available on: https://lnu.org/publications/books/ A list of all the articles contained in Transactions (Transactions page) and a list of the Presidents (Officers page) is also available. LNU Bursaries: The LNU offers bursaries for natural history courses, or for identification materials (e.g. books or online resources) to help recording in any group of plants, animals or fungi in Lincolnshire. The upper limit is £300. You do not need to be a member of the LNU to apply, but it would help. The LNU would, however, expect you to put your newly facilitated skills into practice and derive some Lincolnshire records. If you would like to apply for a bursary for an FSC [or similar] course, or to buy books to help you, please contact Richard Chadd on: richard.chadd@environment-agency.gov.uk *** Love Lincs Plants - CANCELLATION of events and activities *** To view the LWT project page go to: LoveLincsPlants Webpage: https://www.lincstrust.org.uk/what-we-do/love-lincs-plants Love Lincs Plants Twitter feed https://twitter.com/LoveLincsPlants Due to Covid-19, all events and activities for Love Lincs Plants remain suspended until further notice. Please copy and paste URLs if/as necessary. Lincolnshire Naturalists' Union Love Lincolnshire Plants: A plant archive for future generations https://lnu.org/lincolnshire-plants-past-and-future/ LNU Twitter feed https://twitter.com/LincsNaturalist? Natural History Museum Twitter feed https://twitter.com/nhm_botany?lang=en Sir Joseph Banks Society https://www.joseph-banks.org.uk/ Lincoln University School of Life Sciences blog https://lifesciences.sites.lincoln.ac.uk/2016/09/30/heritage-lottery-funding-to-safeguard-lincolnshire-plants/ Also see: *** Collections Dataset - LNU "historic specimens" *** All of of the specimens that have been processed and digitised to date can now be viewed here: http://data.nhm.ac.uk/dataset/lincs-plants *** The Flora of Lincolnshire by Joan Gibbons - downloadable book *** https://lincsnaturalist.files.wordpress.com/2017/06/the-flora-of-lincolnshire-e-joan-gibbons.pdf *** VC54 North Lincolnshire Plant List *** Paul Kirby has produced a list which details all the vascular plant and stonewort taxa with records on the MapMate botanical database for VC54, North Lincolnshire, at the end of January 2017. You can download this on: https://lnu.org/specialists/vascular-plants/ *** Botanical Group in South Lincs *** Contact: Sarah Lambert, who writes: Following Government guidance and in the interests of health and safety, this year's field meetings are cancelled up until the end of May with immediate effect and until further notice. For further information please contact your County Recorder(s). sarah.lambert7@ntlworld.com Also see: http://bsbi.org/south-lincolnshire-v-c-53 *** BSBI Website: *** https://bsbi.org/ *** Natural History Museum - Botany Collections *** https://www.nhm.ac.uk/our-science/collections/botany-collections.html *** CONTACTS LIST *** Please copy and paste URLs if/as necessary. *** Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust *** http://www.lincstrust.org.uk/ *** Lincs Bird Club Website *** http://www.lincsbirdclub.co.uk LBC County Bird Recorder Phil Hyde - County Recorder, Lincs Bird Club recorder_south@lincsbirdclub.co.uk *** The Sir Joseph Banks Society *** http://www.joseph-banks.org.uk *** Lincolnshire Bat Group website *** http://www.lincsbatgroup.co.uk/ *** Butterfly Conservation Lincolnshire Branch *** http://butterfly-conservation.org/300/lincolnshire-branch.html *** Lincolnshire Wolds Countryside Service *** http://www.lincswolds.org.uk *** Lincolnshire Chalk Streams Project *** http://www.lincswolds.org.uk/chalk-streams/lincolnshire-chalk-streams *** Lincsbirders *** http://www.lincsbirders.org/ FIGHTING WILDLIFE CRIME *** Rural Crime Officer *** Pc 160 Nick Willey Force Wildlife, Rural Crime Officer Force Dog Training Establishment Lincolnshire Showground. Grange-De-Lings. Lincoln nicholas.willey@lincs.pnn.police.uk OFFICE: 01522-731897 MOBILE: 07768-501895 PAGER: 07654-330877 Related Webpages: Rural Crime News https://www.lincs.police.uk/reporting-advice/wildlife-and-rural-crime/ SPECIES IDENTIFICATION AND RECORDING Please copy and paste URLs if/as necessary. When asking for help: Please give the the very best information you can provide. If you are not sure, ask what is needed from you to confirm identification. Photographs are helpful but not every species can be identified from a photograph. When asked for further details, get back to them promptly. Don't forget a thank you for the help. That is always welcome. LNU Recorders and Specialists: https://lnu.org/specialists/ *** Botany *** Botanical Group in South Lincs Contact: Sarah Lambert, who writes: sarah.lambert7@ntlworld.com Also see: http://bsbi.org/south-lincolnshire-v-c-53 *** LNU Sawflies, Bees, Wasps and Ants Recorder *** Dr. David Sheppard Willing to examine specimens or check photos (bear in mind only a relative few of the 300+ species in the county are identifiable using photos). d.a.sheppard@btinternet.com *** Lincolnshire Mammals *** Chris Manning, Chris.LincsDeer@gmail.com Mink/Otter reports are of interest and can be sent via the Bulletin. Mammal Atlas - download and print off a hard copy or view it online. https://glnp.org.uk/admin/resources/mammalatlas.pdf *** Spiders *** Imogen Wilde Regional Co-ordinator (RC) and Mentor for Lincolnshire for the British Arachnological Society (BAS). Imogen@imogenwilde.co.uk *** Lincs Amphibian and Reptile Group *** The Lincolnshire ARG (Amphibian & Reptile Group) Contact: Ashley Butterfield learningoutdoors@btinternet.com Please have a look at https://www.recordpool.org.uk/index.php for an easy way to record your amphibian and reptile species records. Or you can send any records to Ashley Butterfield (Lincolnshire Amphibian and Reptile Recorder) at LearningOutdoors@btinternet.com Please include Species, Date, Time, Location, numbers as a minimum (Other useful information includes Temperature and Weather conditions.) *** Local Bat Helpline *** Grounded bats, bat problems, advice and information. Contact Annette and Colin Faulkner on 01775 766286 or e-mail: annettefaulkner@btinternet.com *** Confidential Bat Records *** You may send confidential bat records direct to Annette Faulkner on: annettefaulkner@btinternet.com *** Slug ID Help *** Chris du Feu will help with slug identification. Tel: 01427 848400 or e-mail: chris@chrisdufeu.force9.co.uk *** Non-Marine Molluscs *** Alex Pickwell is the LNU Recorder for Non-marine Molluscs Email: alex.pickwell@environment-agency.gov.uk USEFUL WILDLIFE CONTACTS Please copy and paste URLs if necessary. *** Lincs Environmental Records Centre *** Greater Lincolnshire Nature Partnership (of which LERC is a part) http://www.glnp.org.uk/ Contact: charlie.barnes@glnp.org.uk or for more general queries: info@glnp.org.uk *** Hedgehog Links *** https://hedgehogcare.org.uk/ http://caddingtonhedgehogs.blogspot.com/ https://www.britishhedgehogs.org.uk/found-a-hedgehog/ https://www.hedgehogstreet.org/ *** Natural England *** http://www.naturalengland.org.uk/ *** Lincolnshire Environmental Awards *** www.lincsenvironmentalawards.org.uk *** Field Studies Council *** Bringing Environmental Understanding to All https://www.field-studies-council.org/ *** InsideEcology *** Online Magazine for Ecologists, Conservationists and Wildlife Professionals https://insideecology.com/ *** NHBS *** Should you need natural history equipment or books, a good place to start is: https://www.nhbs.com/ For the geologists... *** Lincolnshire Geodiversity Group *** https://www.lincswolds.org.uk/discovering/geology-1 *** British geology maps - now free to explore on web *** http://www.bgs.ac.uk/opengeoscience/ *** UKGE - Geological Supplies *** https://www.ukge.com/ *** The Geology of Lincolnshire - downloadable book *** https://lincsnaturalist.files.wordpress.com/2017/06/the-geology-of-lincolnshire-h-h-swinnerton-and-p-e-kent.pdf ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 9. Notes about these wildlife reports ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ We do our best to ensure accuracy in our reporting but these records are sent in by a variety of reporters, from complete beginners to professionals. They therefore vary in reliability and in a few instances may be difficult or impossible to verify. If further information is needed please contact: old.museum@yahoo.co.uk Bulletins are sent to Recorders at Lincolnshire Environmental Records Centre [GNLP] , Lincolnshire Naturalists' Union and Lincolnshire Bird Club. [Note: Where plants are reported, this is usually because they have been seen and identified in flower.] ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 10. The Bulletin's publicity policy ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ We sometimes withhold details of rare or endangered species. Please point out any sensitive or "tricky" reports of this kind. Sensitive data should go directly to county recorders, please. Please respect the interests of wildlife and site owners if you report on national networks. Interest in wildlife is not a licence to act irresponsibly or thoughtlessly to landowners, who may well be partners in important conservation work. *** Codes of Conduct *** RSPB's birdwatchers' code https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/read-and-learn/watching-birds/code/ BMS Code of Conduct for Responsible Collecting of Fungi https://www.britmycolsoc.org.uk/mycology/conservation/code-conduct BSBI Code of conduct for picking, collecting, photographing and enjoying wild plants https://bsbi.org/wp-content/uploads/dlm_uploads/Code-of-Conduct-v5-final.pdf [Remember - views expressed in the Bulletin do not necessarily reflect the policies or opinions on the LNU or associated organisations. In particular this applies to such agencies, especially charities, taking a political stance.] ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 11. LNU Events Diary For LNU meetings also see https://lnu.org/meetings/ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Field Meetings generally start at 12 noon for 1.00pm, but please check the website details for each event. Indoor Meetings are normally held in Lincoln at the Whisby Education Centre at Whisby Nature Park. Indoor meetings start at 2pm, with both members and non- members welcome to attend. Next Meetings: "All LNU meetings are cancelled." We will update you if/as situation changes. Field Meetings: CANCELLED https://lnu.org/meetings/field-meetings/ Whisby Workshops - CANCELLED. https://lnu.org/meetings/workshops/ Whisby Natural History "drop-in" sessions - CANCELLED https://lnu.org/meetings/drop-in-sessions/ Indoor Meetings 2020 https://lnu.org/meetings/indoor-meetings/ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 12 ....and finally..... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ *** MailFails Last Week *** Mail fails: none. ....and finally... There might not be as many microplastic fibres in oceans as we feared | New Scientist https://www.newscientist.com/article/2245110 BBC Earth blog - some very engaging things https://www.bbcearth.com/blog Ants photographed in the Philippines in award-winning pictures https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8389843 Culling deer 'protects' habitats on Ben Wyvis https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-52892407 Climate change: older trees loss continue around the world https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-52881721 Coronavirus: Public told to cut water use amid surge in lockdown demand https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-52893790 Coronavirus: Academy chain 'put teachers and students at risk', say unions https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-leicestershire-52910981 Coronavirus: Havannah Reserve vandals chop trees, set fires and leave litter https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-tyne-52919630 Country diary: revelling in the sight and sound of rooks https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/may/30/country-diary-revelling-in-the-sight-and-sound-of-rooks Country diary: this first wild rose will not be pigeon-holed https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/jun/03/country-diary-this-first-wild-rose-will-not-be-pigeon-holed Country diary: the mason bee builds individual rooms for her eggs https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/jun/04/country-diary-the-mason-bee-builds-individual-rooms-for-her-eggs Enjoy your week - stay healthy! ----------- ~ THE END ~ ----------- (..until next week!) Roger Parsons old.museum@yahoo.co.uk http://rogerparsons.info/