============================================ || || 26th May 2021 || || News of Lincolnshire Wildlife || || LNU Website: || http://lnu.org/ || ============================================ In this issue..... 1. Information, tips and requests 2. Wildlife Highlights from Rare Bird Alert 3. Wildlife reports from around the county 4. NNRs including RSPB and LWT Reserves/Saltfleetby/Theddlethorpe 5. Bardney Limewoods NNR - including Chambers Farm Wood 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..... don't miss the links... ============================================ 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 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ As warmer more summer-like weather arrives [hopefully!] we should see an increase in invertebrate numbers, notably insects. Any bats yet? It would be good to have reptile and amphibian records sent in as well as the more frequent mammal and birds reports. Driving to Lincoln this week I noted a splendid example of Chicken of the Woods fungus, Laetiporus sulphureus, at about TF018717? on the Fiskerton to Lincoln Greetwell Road. Too risky to stop. North side of the road, halfway up an old broken tree. Look out for it. It has appeared there in previous years, probably contributing to past damage on the tree. https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/trees-woods-and-wildlife/fungi-and-lichens/chicken-of-the-woods/ As events gradually resume, please keep referring to the relevant Covid-related websites below to check the latest information from the LNU and other organisations. You may pick up changes you should know about. You may also find different organisations have specific advice to offer. Weather Forecast: 30 May - 8June " ...Showers are likely to be widespread through the middle part of next week, many of which could be heavy and there is a risk of thunderstorms, more so in central and south- eastern areas. Prolonged spells of rain are possible at times too. ... " https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/ Here is the week's selection of links from topical local to national and international news stories and wildlife-related articles sent in by fellow-readers. Your contributions keep the Bulletin interesting so please keep them coming! More links in "...and finally..." Countryfile: Plant Britan Spring Special https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m000wg2g/countryfile-plant-britain-spring-special The NHBS Guide to UK Wild Flower Identification https://www.nhbs.com/blog/uk-wild-flower-identification Free Spotter Sheets: Plantlife https://www.plantlife.org.uk/uk/discover-wild-plants-nature/spotter-sheets BSBI: Plant ID: getting started https://bsbi.org/plant-id-getting-started LWT Life on the Verge Wildflower Guide https://www.lincstrust.org.uk/sites/default/files/2018-03/North_Lincs_wildflower_id_guide_nle.pdf Springwatch taster: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000wgrz Ancaster: Digger smashes into village shop during raid https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-lincolnshire-57171470 RAF Red Arrows display team confirms summer of events https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-lincolnshire-57189094 Cannabis growers 'digging up roads to steal power' - North Lincs https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-humber-57201344 Boston Central Park gates to be locked overnight https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-lincolnshire-57211545 Common swifts can fly more than 800 kilometres a day during migration https://www.newscientist.com/article/2278226 Chris Jackson on sustainable geology - listen https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m000r3n0 Lincolnshire Environmental Awards - applied yet? www.lincsenvironmentalawards.org.uk Gas Boilers: What are heat pumps and how much do they cost? https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-57159056 Global Marine Traffic - can you grasp the scale of it? https://www.marinetraffic.com China on Mars: Zhurong rover returns first pictures https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-57172346 England Coastal Path Humber Bridge to Easington https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/england-coast-path-from-the-humber-bridge-to-easington-comment-on-proposals Consultation on extending coast path from Mablethorpe to Humber Bridge https://www.lincolnshireworld.com/news/environment/consultation-on-extending-coast-path-from-mablethorpe-to-humber-bridge-3235718 'Science should be at the centre of all policy making' https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-56994449 Covid-19: Sewage testing ramped up in England https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-57205126 Signs of rise in Covid infections in England amid variant warnings https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/may/21/signs-of-rise-in-covid-infections-in-england-amid-variant-warnings To help us find some more readers, please try the "forward to a friend" link at the end of the Bulletin. Tip: If possible avoid forwarding on your individual Bulletin to others. It's best to use the secure link at the end of each issue. You can also direct people to: https://lnu.org/publications/wildnews-bulletin/ Thank you for all the contributions. Please keep your reports coming. Roger old.museum@yahoo.co.uk - note - this is my best address for emails please. *** Covid-19 Noticeboard *** Please stay aware of updated government advice and adapt your personal precautions accordingly as the understanding and measures "evolve". Advice may change. See: https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus NHS About Coronavirus [COVID-19] https://111.nhs.uk/covid-19 LNU 2021 field meetings - May - October are now provisionally booked. For details and any necessary subsequent updates or changes please visit: https://lnu.org/meetings/ The Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust's policy on Coronavirus, Covid-19. https://www.lincstrust.org.uk/coronavirus Events/activities for Love Lincs Plants remain suspended until further notice. RSPB: map for which reserves and facilities you can access. https://www.rspb.org.uk/our-work/rspb-news/news/stories/coronavirus/reserve-reboot/ Forestry England’s coronavirus guidance: https://www.forestryengland.uk/article/coronavirus-visitor-guide *** Useful Hedgehog Links *** https://hedgehogcare.org.uk/ https://www.britishhedgehogs.org.uk/found-a-hedgehog/ https://www.hedgehogstreet.org/ *** Bourne Barn Owls online *** Bob Sheppard writes: The barn owls in the Len Pick Trust owl tower are still keeping us waiting for a first egg. https://www.lenpicktrust.org.uk/owl-project/4593449091 *** Peregrine Webcams *** https://www.lincsbirdclub.co.uk/site/index.php/information/lbc-articlebloglist/638-peregrine-project-2 The Loch of Lowes ospreys https://scottishwildlifetrust.org.uk/things-to-do/watch-wildlife-online/loch-of-the-lowes-webcam/ *** Bat SOS *** Annette Faulkner writes... Reminder: Bat rescue instructions If you find a grounded bat please don’t try and release it. Put it in an escape proof box - remember, a pipistrelle can get out of a hole the size of your thumb nail - wearing gloves or using a cloth to pick it up with, and phone us on 01775 766286. We’ll do the rest. *** Garden Bird SOS *** Keith Scarrott writes to ask for advice and possible help. We have a pair of bluetits with a nest full of chicks in a birdbox on our house front wall near the road. We have a camera inside to observe them. There were originally 11 eggs and now we see at least 8 chicks. We are worried about their food supply as there are so few trees nearby and so very few caterpillars etc. We see them feeding on sunflower kernels (hearts), fat balls, suet slabs, etc. and feeding the same to the chicks. We put out live mealworms also now in the hope that they use these as substitutes for moth caterpillars but they do not seem to notice them even when the fat balls, slabs or coconut halves filled with suet and topped with dried mealworms are next to these feeders. We've had whole broods die in the nest in previous years in other bird boxes which we have attributed to the shortage of their normal food supply. There has always been the other feeders available. Has anyone any advice (help) they can give to try to help these bluetits feed these chicks to enable as many as possible to survive? Especially with regard to the live mealworms. The starlings soon eat up these when they discover them. I did design a cage one year so that only small birds could get in and fixed it with live mealworms in a margarine container near to their nest box but the bluetits did not seem to use it [Replies to old.museum@yahoo.co.uk please and I'll forward them.] Please let us know of any local Covid-related developments readers might need to hear about. Wildlife organisations wishing me to publicise any alterations or new guidelines are welcome to get in touch with updates for the Bulletin. *** Covid-19: Lincolnshire Show cancelled for second year *** The event was due to take place on June 23 and 24 2021. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-lincolnshire-56340942 *** South Lincs RSPB Social Group Cruise programme *** Jeremy Eyeons writes: Due to the ongoing pandemic and general uncertainty, the South Lincs. RSPB Group have reluctantly decided not to run any Birdwatching Cruises into The Wash during 2021. It is hoped that we can restart the cruises in 2022. Full details are always available on our website https://ww2.rspb.org.uk/groups/southlincolnshire/ *** Lincolnshire Wolds Outdoor Festival postponed until 30th April - 5th June 2022 *** Helen Gamble writes: The Festival will now run from 30th April to 5th June 2022. More information on the Outdoor Festival is available from https://woldsoutdoorfestival.com/ *** STAYING SAFE *** Please copy and paste URLs if/as necessary. Road works and hold-ups 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 - worth signing up for this. http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/about-us/guide-to-emails EasyTide http://easytide.ukho.gov.uk/EasyTide/EasyTide/index.aspx Environment Agency Flood Warnings - Lincolnshire https://flood-warning-information.service.gov.uk/warnings?location=lincolnshire Environment Agency Flood Information/Floodline - sign up if a high risk area. http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/default.aspx *** May Night Sky - soon to be June Night Sky *** Paul Money's 'Monthly Night Sky' webpage will be found on: http://www.astrospace.co.uk/Astrospace/monthly-sky/monthlynightsky.html NOTE that due to COVID 19 the 2021 edition of Night Scenes will only be available as a pdf or kindle and produced in 2 parts covering 6 months each. http://www.astrospace.co.uk/nightscenes/ns-current.html [Editor adds: I am finding this on-line version very useful.] Meteor Shower Guide 2021 https://skyandtelescope.org/observing/best-meteor-showers-in-2021/ A beginner’s guide to meteor showers https://www.skyatnightmagazine.com/advice/a-beginners-guide-to-meteor-showers/ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 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/ For RBA articles: https://www.rarebirdalert.co.uk/RealData/Articles.asp 19/5/2021 4 Little Stints, Spoonbill, Little Gull over reservoir, 5 Curlew Sandpipers, Short-eared Owl, Frampton Marsh White-tailed Eagle juv on post from sea bank, Frampton Marsh - from Isle of Wight reintroduction scheme Hoopoe, in back garden on Gibraltar Road, Long-eared Owl trapped and ringed in East Dunes, Spoonbill on Tennyson's Sands, 2 Little Gulls on Croft Marsh, Black Kite then flew inland and lost to view, Gibraltar Point Wood Sandpiper, Manby Flashes 20/5 White-tailed Eagle juv released male flew south over 2 Little Stints, 4 Spoonbills, 2 Curlew Sandpipers, 2 1s Little Gulls, Frampton Marsh 2 Spoonbills on Fenland Lagoon, 2 Little Gulls, Jackson's Marsh, Gibraltar Point Turtle Dove, Saltfleetby/Theddlethorpe Purple Heron flew to south end, Rimac Glossy Ibis in flooded field south of main path, Alkborough Flats 21/5 Little Stint, Wood Sandpiper, 3 Spoonbills, Frampton Marsh 2 Little Gulls on Jackson's Marsh,Croft Marsh, Gibraltar Point White-tailed Eagle juv released male ENE of Holbeach St Michael near Fleet Haven Outfall 22/5 Spotted Redshank from sea bank, Curlew Sandpiper, 4 Spoonbills, 2 Little Gulls, Short-eared Owl, Frampton Marsh 2 Little Gulls on Tennyson's Sands Gibraltar Point Arctic Tern flew over Saltfleetby St Peter Spoonbill flew south past East Halton Skitter Scaup drk, Covenham Reservoir Glossy Ibis on pool near River Trent, 4 Spoonbills, Alkborough Flats 23/5 Temminck's Stint, 2 Little Stints, Wood Sandpiper, 3 Curlew Sandpipers, Spoonbill, Short-eared Owl, Little Gull, Pale-bellied Brent Goose, Marsh Warbler along footpath between visitor centre and Marsh Farm, Frampton Marsh Turtle Dove, 2 Little Gulls, Gibraltar Point Great White Egret, Rimac possible Montagu's Harrier flew south over Donna Nook MOD Scaup drk, Covenham Reservoir Glossy Ibis on flooded field south of main path River Trent, 8 Spoonbills, Alkborough Flats Osprey, Marshchapel Osprey, Bottesford 24/5 2 Little Stints, Wood Sandpiper, 2 Curlew Sandpipers, 3 Spoonbills, 2 Short-eared Owls, 2 Pale-bellied Brent Geese, Frampton Marsh Wood Sandpiper, Freiston Shore 2 Little Gulls, Croft Marsh Lesser Scaup drk, on 2nd flash, Manby Flashes 2 Common Cranes, Woodhall Spa Airfield/Common Crane Woodhall Spa Scaup drk, Covenham Reservoir Glossy Ibis on flooded field south of main path River Trent, 4 Spoonbills, Short-eared Owl, Alkborough Flats 25/5 Red-rumped Swallow, Marston sewage works 2 Little Stints, 2 Spoonbills, Frampton Marsh 3 Little Gulls Tennyson's Sands, 2 Spoonbills flew over, Short-eared Owl near visitor centre, 3 Little Gulls from Harvey's Hide, Hen Harrier, Gibraltar Point Quail males heard singing SW of Skillington from Viking Way 26/5 5 Little Gulls, on Croft Marsh, Golden Oriole fem/1s male flew south, Gibraltar Point ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 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! Gibraltar Point Bird Observatory blog: http://gibraltarpointbirdobservatory.blogspot.co.uk/ Bird Club - latest sightings: https://www.lincsbirdclub.co.uk/site/index.php/sightings/latest-news Butterfly Conservation Lincolnshire Branch - latest sightings: https://butterfly-conservation.org/in-your-area/lincolnshire-branch/lincolnshire-latest-sightings BTO tracked cuckoos: https://www.bto.org/our-science/projects/cuckoo-tracking-project ROAD KILLS? PLEASE LET US KNOW. Every drive is a transect! Hedgehogs? Badgers? Otters? Reports welcome. Chris Manning adds: Otter road kills... It would be helpful if readers would continue to report otter road kills and sightings to help build up relevant data. Carcases may be sent to: https://www.cardiff.ac.uk/otter-project [Alas our local EA team no longer support the project by paying for transport.] Chris Manning writes: Please remember to use grid refs, If a recorder doesn't, it not only adds work but must invariably loose accuracy. *** 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/ DON'T FORGET - TIME FLIES! Please include the year in your reports in case they are copied and thus lose their context. Include the time too if relevant - e.g. for Bat records. *** 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. BARDNEY - The Green TF120694 R & A Parsons Cuckoo heard in garden on Abbey Road, 8.30hr approx. TF117700 7 Brown Hares in field on south side of Bardney, 11.00hrs approx. TF123688 FAR INGS Angela Buckle 23rd May 2021. Flowers, Ox eye daises, Beaked hawks beard, Cleavers, Common cudweed, Ragged robin, White flowered common vetch, Common sorrel. Dozens of Swifts, and lots of Blue tailed damselflies. GRIMSBY TA265095 Joyce Attia 25/05/2021 22.30 hrs. 20th May The cygnets have hatched, 6 of them this year, the whole family were swimming past within yards of my back gate, I'm so lucky to have this. The moorhens haven't been so lucky, I haven't seen the chicks recently, but the ducklings are growing up fast. There are lots of swallows this year too, there have been a lot of midges around the river. I haven't seen any swifts yet. On the park there are some baby squirrels. Now to the disadvantages of living near the river - rats!. We have had a lot of finches, chaffinches, goldfinches, a pair of greenfinches, dunnocks. a few sparrows, blue tits and great tits, the blackbirds are earlier every morning, it was 3.35am yesterday, I don't mind being woken up by them. But now I've had to stop feeding the birds as we have had rats. Last year we threw a lot of chopped onion down as I read somewhere that rats don't like the smell of onion, and it did seem to work. But that theory has since been disproved by one of my neighbours when "the biggest rat she had ever seen" walked underneath her gate, jumped over the onions and went under the shed. So I've had to chop down all the plants at the bottom of the garden so there's no hiding place, and I haven't seen any rats for a few days. But I do miss the birds, though the blackbird was bathing in the bird bath this morning. 24th May. The first sunny day for weeks. We went walking at Cleethorpes. We walked from Thorpe Park Beach TA332060 to the Pier TA307089. It's a lovely walk, partly along the beach and partly along the path above the marsh. There are lots of swallows along the path and the beach. There are some small lagoons where there were little egrets, they seemed to be single, hopefully they have partners nesting. There were lesser black backed gulls, herring gulls and oyster catchers along the sea shore. The hawthorns are full of blossom with their beautiful perfume. Wild flowers were daisies, buttercups, ragwort, [herb] bennett, cowslips, bluebells and white bells, white campion, star of Bethlehem, field mouse-ear (thanks Carolyn). Also a pretty female orange tip butterfly [photo sent!] HUTTOFT Jane Pennington TF511762 (my garden) 12/5/2021 Bat sp. 2 - likely common pipistrelle, 9.15pm Common carders 3 Peacock butterfly 13/5/20211 Orange tip 3 - 2 male, 1 female 14/5/2021 Dunnock 17/5/2021 Barn owl 1 - flew through garden 9.12pm Bat sp. 1 - likely common pipistrelle, 9.15pm Dunnock 2 Green-veined white 1 f. Wren 1 18/5/2021 Bat sp. 2 - likely common pipistrelle, 9.15-9.20pm 19/5/2021 Bat sp. 2 - likely common pipistrelle, 9.15-9.27pm 20/5/2021 Barn owl 1 - flew through garden 9.12pm Bat sp. 2 - likely common pipistrelle, 9.15-9.30pm NOCTON Jerry Gunner The village I live in, Nocton, is well known for its abundance of mallard in spring. This year has been very different. There have been perhaps three or four pairs and I have seen only two individual ducklings even though the pairs are indeed pairs and have recently been exhibiting the breed’s usual ‘courting’ behaviour. I imagine this is another result of the cold and dry weather although the beck they congregate around has been flowing as normal. On the home front, May 23, 2021, was thrilling because I saw the first spotted flycatchers of the year. It is always a delight watching them work catching their prey. A leucistic male chaffinch was a frequent visitor to our garden last winter and spring and happily it, or one like it, has appeared again this year. A welcome change from the every-day chaffinch, this one is a dark morph with no white showing anywhere. In my opinion the absence of wing bars makes the bird even more handsome! We have had bats flying over our gardens every year for the 25 we have lived here but not now. I did see some much earlier in the year but sadly, I have not seen one since then. Out and about on our dog walks the cow parsley along the Car Dyke has gone from insipid shoots to mini oak tree size in about a week! Another highlight was a raven, the third I have seen in the area this year. Returning warblers include my first hearing of sedge warblers and first sighting and hearing of Cetti’s warbler. It was lovely to watch swallows swooping over a small mere for the first time this year. There must have been at least a dozen of them and for the first time this year, on May 25, I saw pairs of swifts flying together rather than one or two on their own. SEDGE HOLE CLOSE LWT Nature Reserve Steve Hiner 24/05/21 Blackbird x 1 Blackcap x 1 Blue Tit x 2 Carrion Crow x 2 Chaffinch x 4 Chiffchaff x 1 Dunnock x 1 Goldfinch x 1 Great Tit x 1 Greenfinch x 2 Jackdaw x 2 Pied Wagtail x 2 Skylark x 2 Swallow x 25 Tree Sparrow x 4 Willow Warbler x 1 Wood Pigeon x 6 Yellowhammer x 1 Orange Tip butterfly eggs on Garlic Mustard x 4 First Great Burnet flowers THURNHOLMES (within 300m of SK797984 unless stated) Steve Hiner & Paul Snow 18/05/21 Blackbird several adults and more than one nest of fledged young all around our paddocks Blue Tit x 2 Carrion Crow x 2 Chaffinch x 2 Cuckoo x 1 Dunnock x 1 Goldfinch x 6 Great Tit x 2 Greenfinch x 1 Pied Wagtail x 1 Quail x 1 calling 01:15hrs and later at 22:50hrs in same place Robin x 1 adult feeding 3 fledged young in barn Skylark x 2 Swallow x 4 Tree Sparrow x 4 Willow Warbler x 1 Wood Pigeon x 5 Yellow Wagtail x 1 First Yellow Rattle flowers of year. 20/05/21 Blackbird x 7 Blue Tit x 2 Carrion Crow x 2 Chaffinch x 1 Common Buzzard x 1 Cuckoo x 1 Dunnock x 1 Goldfinch x 4 Great Tit x 2 Greenfinch x 2 Kestrel x 1 Magpie x 2 Mallard x 1 over Thurnholmes Pied Wagtail x 1 Robin x 4 Skylark x 1 Swallow x 4 roosting in stables & 1 on nest Tree Sparrow x 15 Willow Warbler x 1 Wood Pigeon x 6 Yellowhammer x 1 Yellow Wagtail x 2 23/05/21 Cormorant x 3 on pylons over Owston Ferry Warping Drain Orange Tip eggs on Garlic Mustard x 6 WATER RAIL WAY - Southrey towards Bardney TF123671 to TF125668 - specific GRs sent to recorders. R + A Parsons 23/5/2021 7 Hares playing on headland. Roe doe adult moving towards Bardney. Extensive badger sett noted running underneath the tarmac cycle-path, with holes and spoil heaps alongside. Long-eared Owl chick, still downy, perched high in pathside vegetation. A local resident later reported a pair had been seen further down the bank 5 weeks earlier and they had been disturbed by pathside mowing. We assume this may be their chick. Photo taken. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 4. NNRs and Nature Reserves ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ RSPB Reserves: RSPB Frampton Marsh & Freiston Shore are listed as Open. https://www.rspb.org.uk/our-work/rspb-news/news/stories/coronavirus/reserve-reboot/ The Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust's policy on Coronavirus, Covid-19 includes details of which LWT reserves are open and other advice and information: https://www.lincstrust.org.uk/coronavirus ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ RSPB Freiston Shore https://www.rspb.org.uk/discoverandenjoynature/seenature/reserves/guide/f/freistonshore/ RSPB Frampton Marsh http://www.rspb.org.uk/discoverandenjoynature/seenature/reserves/guide/f/framptonmarsh/ LWT Top Reserves: https://www.lincstrust.org.uk/get-involved/top-reserves LWT Reserves List: https://www.lincstrust.org.uk/get-involved/nature-reserves-list See: Gibraltar Point Bird Observatory blog. 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 19th – 25th May 2021 Contributors: - Peter & Janet Roworth, John Walker, Cliff Morrison, Matt Blissett, Ruth Taylor and Owen Beaumont. Daily news and wildlife sightings: Note: The cold, wet weather continued with the cumulative total for the month at Sea View being 94.9mm. A ground frost of -0.75 degrees C was recorded on the 20th. 190521 - At least 20 swifts flying north, in ones and twos, hobby circling high over Sea View. 200521 - Purple heron along the Great Eau in the morning before flying south. 210521 - Rimac lagoon great white egret, 10 avocet and 12 greylag geese. 220521 - 19 fulmar, 12 gannet, red-throated diver and common scoter on/over the sea on a 1.5 hour seawatch from Mablethorpe North End. Small northerly movement of swifts in the afternoon. Cetti’s warbler and great white egret at Rimac. Hobby hawking north of Sea View. Single short-eared owl near Paradise lagoon. 230521 - Little ringed plover on the foreshore out from Brickyard Lane. 3 little terns near Saltfleet Haven. 240521 - 2 wall brown north of Sea View along with a singing goldcrest and fledgling dunnock; one of very few fledglings seen so far this season. Several swallows feeding over Rimac. 1 redpoll at Sea View. 250521 - Hobby over Rimac dunes. Male great spotted woodpecker and 2 pied wagtails at Sea View. Also seen and heard over the past week: avocets, great white egret and Cetti’s warbler Now in flower: moonwort, twayblade, germander speedwell, storksbill, cranesbill, field mouse-ear, dandelion, yellow flag iris beginning in the fresh water marsh and mouse-ear hawkweed on the dunes. Butterflies on the wing: green hairstreak, wall, small copper, orange tip, small heath, small and green veined whites, peacock, speckled wood and red admiral. Odonata now emerging: azure blue, blue tailed and large red damselflies, four spotted chaser dragonfly. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 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. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Forestry Commission advice: https://www.forestryengland.uk/article/coronavirus-visitor-guide British Native Trees - Woodland Trust https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/trees-woods-and-wildlife/british-trees/native-trees/ LWT Reserves List: https://www.lincstrust.org.uk/get-involved/nature-reserves-list Butterfly Conservation Lincolnshire Branch. See: https://butterfly-conservation.org/300/lincolnshire-branch.html Find a Wood - Woodland Trust: https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/visiting-woods/find-woods/ 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. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ LWT Reserves List: https://www.lincstrust.org.uk/get-involved/nature-reserves-list Find a Wood - Woodland Trust: https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/visiting-woods/find-woods/ The Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust's policy on the Coronavirus, Covid-19 plus details of any LWT reserves which are now open and the related advice and information: https://www.lincstrust.org.uk/coronavirus ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 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 Recorders and improve the quality and quantity of reports 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! 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.] Bulletin mailing times vary, depending on what I am doing. The Bulletin usually goes out on Wednesdays/Thursdays in time for the weekend. Please e-mail in contributions as early as possible, to: old.museum@yahoo.co.uk ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 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 Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/lincsnaturalists/ LNU e-mail: info@lnu.org A full list of LNU Country Recorders is given on the website. LNU Recorders and Specialists: https://lnu.org/specialists/ Downloads of LNU books are available on: https://lnu.org/publications/books/ LNU Bursaries: Why not apply for one? 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 *** Events and activities for Love Lincs Plants remain suspended until further notice. Love Lincs Plants Twitter feed - active... https://twitter.com/LoveLincsPlants LLP Project Partners and related links: Please copy and paste URLs if/as necessary. Lincolnshire Naturalists' Union 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 https://www.lincoln.ac.uk/home/lifesciences/ *** Collections Dataset - LNU "historic specimens" *** All 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 - LNU downloadable book *** https://lincsnaturalist.files.wordpress.com/2017/06/the-flora-of-lincolnshire-e-joan-gibbons.pdf *** VC54 North Lincolnshire Plant List - LNU *** 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/ *** 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: Lincolnshire Police Advice on Hare Coursing https://www.lincs.police.uk/reporting-advice/wildlife-and-rural-crime/hare-coursing/ 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. Some identification links: British Native Trees - Woodland Trust https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/trees-woods-and-wildlife/british-trees/native-trees/ Butterfly guide to part of Europe including Britain - free to download https://assets.vlinderstichting.nl/docs/0b095bc2-0387-4785-9f7e-5f7a987b3468.pdf Fungi Families/Types Identity Parade https://www.first-nature.com/fungi/ Identifying British bugs - an online identification guide https://www.britishbugs.org.uk/gallery/heteroptera/Pentatomoidea/pentatomoidea.html LNU Recorders and Specialists: https://lnu.org/specialists/ 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 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. *** 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 Ashley writes: Please have a look at https://www.recordpool.org.uk/index.php for an easy way to record your amphibian and reptile species records. 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 Bat rescue instructions: If you find a grounded bat please don’t try and release it. Put it in an escape proof box - remember, a pipistrelle can get out of a hole the size of your thumb nail - wearing gloves or using a cloth to pick it up with, and phone us on 01775 766286. We’ll do the rest. *** 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 LINKS 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 *** Natural England *** http://www.naturalengland.org.uk/ *** Lincolnshire Environmental Awards *** www.lincsenvironmentalawards.org.uk Lincolnshire Environmental Awards are to be relaunched this year with substantial prizes! Groups that want to enter will have to submit their entries by 31st July 2021. The finals will be a much simpler affair at Whisby Nature Park on the afternoon of Saturday 25th September. For further information see: https://www.lincstrust.org.uk/lincs-environmental-awards *** Field Studies Council *** Bringing Environmental Understanding to All https://www.field-studies-council.org/ BioLinks Courses – Field Studies Council https://www.field-studies-council.org/biolinks-courses/ *** 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/ *** Bird Friendly Coffee Shade-grown from RSPB *** https://birdandwild.co.uk/ For the geologists... Please copy and paste URLs if/as necessary. *** 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 *** British Geological Survey at Keyworth *** https://www.bgs.ac.uk/ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 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. When sending in reports, e.g. unusual plants, it will be good if you can report any sensitive news directly to recorders rather than via the Bulletin please, as we don't want to spoil things with untimely/unwise publicity. Thank you. https://lnu.org/specialists/ 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 *** Please copy and paste URLs if/as necessary. BSBI Code of Conduct https://bsbi.org/wp-content/uploads/dlm_uploads/BSBI-Code-of-Conduct.pdf BMS Code of Conduct for Responsible Collecting of Fungi https://www.britmycolsoc.org.uk/mycology/conservation/code-conduct RSPB's birdwatchers' code https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/read-and-learn/watching-birds/code/ [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/ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ *** LNU Events - Important update *** "LNU 2021 field meetings - May - October are now provisionally booked." We will confirm plans for resumption of LNU events through the Bulletin, the LNU Twitter feed, LNU Facebook page and LNU meetings webpage. For details and any necessary subsequent updates or changes please visit: LNU Website: https://lnu.org/meetings/ LNU Twitter feed: https://twitter.com/LincsNaturalist? Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/lincsnaturalists/ Richard Davidson says of the Whisby Workshops: "Several workshops to be held at Whisby Nature Park are being prepared for the Autumn (September to November). They will be on a variety of subjects. Further details will be announced in due course on the LNU website and on future LNU Emails." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 12 ....and finally..... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ *** MailFails Last Week *** None this week. Advice is: if your Service provider or network can't or won't allow the Bulletin through, use a free email account instead. In the event of a genuine mail failure I will be happy to send you the error report to pass on to your "Help Desk". Just ask. ....and finally... River Great Ouse invasive pennywort cleared in five-year project https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-beds-bucks-herts-57229258 Dropping Well Farm: Heathland in Worcestershire to return https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hereford-worcester-57187433 Peregrine falcon found 'riddled with shot' at Selby Abbey https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-york-north-yorkshire-57199681 Snowdonia litter-bugs asked: 'Why did you litter our mountains?' https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-57177288 Liverpool 200-tonne fatberg 'eaten from inside out' in removal https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-merseyside-57203734 Country diary: your eyes do not deceive you – this is a black squirrel https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/may/14/country-diary-your-eyes-do-not-deceive-you-this-is-a-black-squirrel Country diary: the orange tip’s wings are the very map of spring https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/may/13/country-diary-the-orange-tips-wings-are-the-very-map-of-spring Country diary: why do birdwatchers prize the ring ouzel so much? https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/may/17/country-diary-why-do-birdwatchers-prize-the-ring-ouzel-so-much Lincolnshire - Country diary: under the gaze of a magnificent bird of prey https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/may/21/country-diary-under-the-gaze-of-a-magnificent-bird-of-prey Country diary: a long-tailed tit’s nest lies among the bluebells https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/may/22/country-diary-a-long-tailed-tits-nest-lies-among-the-bluebells BBC Inside Science - listen https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/brand/b036f7w2 The Life Scientific - listen https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/series/b015sqc7 ----------- ~ THE END ~ ----------- (..until next week!) Roger Parsons old.museum@yahoo.co.uk http://rogerparsons.info/