========================================= || || 3rd May 2023 || || News of Lincolnshire Wildlife || LNU: http://lnu.org/ || || Please email Editor on: old.museum@yahoo.co.uk || ============================================ In this issue..... 1. Information, events, news and requests - mostly local. 2. Wildlife Highlights from Rare Bird Alert. 3. Wildlife reports around the county - contributions welcome... 4. NNRs, RSPB and LWT Reserves/Saltfleetby/Theddlethorpe. 5. Bardney Limewoods NNR - Chambers Farm Wood. 6. Other Reserve Reports - links and highlights. 7. Sending in Bulletin Reports - contributors please read! 8. Contact information - recorders and specialists... 9. Notes about these wildlife reports. 10. Bulletin publicity policy. 11. Events Diary - what's on. 12. ...and finally. Mostly national/international wildlife stories. ============================================ Reports here are open. They are available to county recorders of the Lincolnshire Naturalists' Union; the Lincolnshire Bird Club and Lincolnshire Environmental Record Centre [LERC]. Compare earlier years. Past Bulletins archive [text] from 2009: http://rogerparsons.info/bulletinportal.html Views expressed by contributors are not necessarily those of the Lincolnshire Naturalists' Union or associated organisations. Please copy and paste URLs if/as necessary. ============================================ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 1. INFORMATION, EVENTS, NEWS AND REQUESTS ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Editor [ Roger] writes: It is very good to hear that the Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust is about to make repairs to the car park at Fiskerton Fen starting shortly. This little gem of a nature reserve is often a good place to see and hear cuckoos. It gives access to a stretch of River Witham and the associated wildlife. At the old Bardney abbey site on Tuesday we heard a cuckoo and could see the Red Arrows rehearsing over RAF Waddington. Perhaps for the Coronation? Great news about the new Lincolnshire Coronation Coast National Nature Reserve. More on that here. King Charles III's coronation marked by nature reserves announcement https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-lincolnshire-65447721 "The first in a series of new national nature reserves to mark the coronation has been revealed. Lincolnshire Coronation Coast National Nature Reserve will be formally declared this summer. "The first one in this new series will be a very substantial area of protected habitat on the Lincolnshire coast, through which a section of the England Coast Path will soon be opened by Natural England." Hopefully Plantlife's "No Mow May" will get enthusiastic support again this year. The yellow rattle here is looking good! Cowslips too. https://www.plantlife.org.uk/campaigns/nomowmay/ LNU Meetings. Scroll to full details in section 11 below. Or click: https://lnu.org/meetings/ Next Field Meeting: Wild Wrendale (Rewilding Project) – Sunday 21st May (Afternoon) https://lnu.org/meetings/field-meetings/2023-05-21-wild-wrendale-rewilding-project-sunday-22nd-may/ Exhibition - Joseph Banks Centre - George Edward Lodge. Celebrated naturalist, taxidermist and painter - born in Horncastle 1860. Runs to June 30th and well worth a visit! https://horncastlejbc.info/events/lodge/ Heads up for Meteors: The Eta Aquariids are active from 19 April to 27 May, but peak from midnight to dawn on 6 May. Clear skies! Please help with BWARS' Hornet survey - ID photos are here: https://www.bwars.com/wasp/vespidae/vespinae/vespa-crabro To submit a record: https://www.bwars.com/content/submit-sighting-vespa-crabro-hornet Loch of The Lowes Ospreys https://scottishwildlifetrust.org.uk/things-to-do/watch-wildlife-online/loch-of-the-lowes-webcam/ Len Pick Trust Owl-box Camera Bob Sheppard writes: A few weeks ago we didn't see our pair for a couple of weeks. We now know why. Our male (we assume it is him) has brought home a new female. The old one was ringed, this one isn't. Of course we have no idea what happened and we shan't unless she turns up somewhere else when we are monitoring the boxes this summer. The other possibility is she has died, in which case we might get the details reported back to us via the BTO if someone finds her. https://www.lenpicktrust.org.uk/owl-project/ This week's links to Lincolnshire and wildlife-related news stories... Bird flu outbreak suspected at East Yorkshire nature reserve https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-humber-65425685 Suspected dog poisonings at Lincolnshire beauty spot https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-lincolnshire-65448478 King Charles III's Coronation Events in Lincolnshire https://www.visitlincolnshire.com/events/king-charles-coronation/ Views sought on Sleaford solar farm plans https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-lincolnshire-65460260 16th May BBMF Flight commemorate 80th anniversary of Op Chastise https://www.raf.mod.uk/news/articles/battle-of-britain-memorial-flight-commemorate-80th-anniversary-of-op-chastise/ Bomber Command centre up for national tourism award https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-lincolnshire-65426150 Man who stole lead from church roofs was exploited, court told https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-lincolnshire-65430140 [Lead astray?] Gough Island: Worker sought for one of world's remotest places https://news.yahoo.com/gough-island-worker-sought-one-125005117.html RAF Scampton: Red Arrows jet sells for £90,000 https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-lincolnshire-65411748 Lincolnshire council's plea over cars blocking access to drains https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-lincolnshire-65411753 Grimsby fishing exhibition explores Iceland links https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-humber-65405586 More links in "...and finally ..." at the end of the Bulletin. Thank you to everyone who sent something in. It really helps. Roger old.museum@yahoo.co.uk - note - my best address for emails. Joining Lincolnshire Naturalists' Union If you are a member, please give the LNU a "plug " to others. https://lnu.org/join-the-lnu/ Weather Forecast https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/ https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/warnings-and-advice/uk-warnings#? 7 - 16 May "A generally unsettled start to this period, with outbreaks of rain or showers, some of which could be heavy and thundery. Outside of any wet weather, it should feel quite warm in the sunshine and light winds, but some eastern coasts of England and Scotland may continue to be affected by low cloud at times, at least at first. With time, high pressure is expected to extend from the southwest, with frontal zones increasingly being steered towards the northwest of the UK. Here, it will remain rather changeable and windy at times, but elsewhere, more in the way of drier or brighter weather seems possible. Temperatures look to average out close to or a little above normal." For Astronomers and Sky-watchers The Eta Aquariids are active from 19 April to 27 May, but peak from midnight to dawn on 6 May. Around 50 meteors per hour are expected. https://www.rmg.co.uk/stories/topics/eta-aquariid-meteor-shower-2023-when-where-see-it-uk May's Night Sky: https://www.rmg.co.uk/stories/blog/astronomy/night-sky-highlights-may-2023 Space and astronomy highlights in 2023 from The Royal Observatory https://www.rmg.co.uk/stories/topics/space-astronomy-highlights-2023 Aurora Watch - when Northern Lights might be seen in the UK: https://aurorawatch.lancs.ac.uk/ Stellarium - open source and very useful https://stellarium.org/ “Seal and Birdwatching Cruises into The Wash” Jeremy Eyeons writes: The South Lincs RSPB Group have released details of their 2023 programme of “Seal and Birdwatching Cruises into The Wash”. For 2023 twelve cruises are scheduled to take place, aboard “The Boston Belle”, at various sailing times, starting on 13th April and ending on 23rd October. All cruises start and end at Boston Marina and last for about five hours, and on average approximately 60 bird species are seen on each trip. Full details at: www.rspb.org.uk/groups/southlincolnshire All cruises are by advance ticket only, which, once again, can be obtained from Blackfriars Arts Centre in Boston [01205-363108}, or online at www.ticketsource.co.uk/blackfriars Ticket prices for RSPB members are £22 {adult} and £10 (child under 16). Non-RSPB members £25 and £11-50. Any queries please contact Blackfriars (as above) or email Jeremy Eyeons: jerry200433@hotmail.com *** BTO Cuckoo Tracking project *** Joe and JAC are back!!!! 24th April. https://www.bto.org/cuckoos *** Hedgehog Advice *** https://hedgehogcare.org.uk/ https://www.hedgehogstreet.org/ *** South Ormesby Estate. Open weekend 20-21 May *** Guided walks running throughout the weekend, as well as a range of fantastic stalls, entertainment, food, and games. https://www.southormsbyestate.co.uk/tour/ *** Lincolnshire Wolds Countryside Service *** Helen Gamble writes During 2023, the Lincolnshire Wolds AONB celebrates its 50th anniversary. We are running 50 events for 50 years, details on: https://www.lincswolds.org.uk/events/ We also have a special edition of Wolds News. If you’d like paper copies contact aonb@lincswolds.org.uk *** Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust Area Groups webpage *** Please let me have your "plugs" for coming events. https://www.lincstrust.org.uk/get-involved/area-groups *** Grimsby And Cleethorpes Area Group LWT *** www.grimsbywildlifetrust.org.uk Carolyn Davis writes: On Saturday 13th May 23 you are invited to join the group for a morning walk at Tetney Blow Wells Nature Reserve looking for birds and wildlife. Meet Graham at 8am outside St Peter and St Paul Church Tetney. Grid Reference TA 317009. Please wear suitable outdoor clothing and stout footwear and bring binoculars if you have them. This is a free event however donations will be welcomed for the Trust. For further information contact Graham Hicks 07979 089890. Details also on our website www.grimsbywildlifetrust.org.uk We are also on Facebook. *** South Lincs RSPB Group *** www.rspb.org.uk/groups/southlincolnshire *** RSPB Lincoln Local Group *** https://www.lincolnrspb.org.uk/events.htm *** RSPB Grimsby Local Group *** https://group.rspb.org.uk/grimsby/ STAYING SAFE Please copy and paste URLs if/as necessary. Bird flu updates: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/bird-flu-avian-influenza-latest-situation-in-england Lyme Disease reminder https://www.hse.gov.uk/agriculture/zoonoses-data-sheets/lyme-disease.pdf 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 - sign up. 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. https://www.gov.uk/sign-up-for-flood-warnings ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 2. WILDLIFE HIGHLIGHTS ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ *** Bird News from Rare Bird Alert *** Rare Bird Alert has kindly given permission to reproduce their pager reports. A big thank you from us all. Readers interested in a pager - have a look at the RBA website: http://www.rarebirdalert.co.uk/ For RBA's excellent articles: https://www.rarebirdalert.co.uk/RealData/Articles.asp 26/4 Garganey drk, on East Pit, Deeping Lakes, 2 Turnstones, Deeping St James Turtle Dove, 4 Spoonbills, Frampton Marsh Ring Ouzel, 2 Spotted Redshanks, Gibraltar Point Garganey drk, Covenham reservoir Common Crane flew north over Marton 27/4 Little Gull ad, Garganey drk on East Pit, 2 Turnstones, Deeping Lakes, Deeping St James Long-eared Owl, Great Northern Diver, Gibraltar Point Spotted Redshank at Paradise Lagoon, Saltfleet 28/2 Spoonbill, Temminck's Stint in SW corner of Marsh Farm reservoir, Frampton Marsh Tree Pipit in dunes, Gibraltar Point Short-eared Owl, Far Ings Cattle Egret on wet grassland north of winter's Pond, Halton Marshes, Spoonbill on Humber, East Halton Skitter 29/2 Wood Sandpiper, tho mobile, Spotted Redshank, 2 Pale-bellied Brent Geese, Frampton Marsh Short-eared Owl, Curlew Sandpiper on mudflats, Gibraltar Point Hoopoe, Nettleton 30/4 2 Wood Sandpipers, Common Crane in field at south side, then flew NW, Frampton Marsh Short-eared Owl, Wood Sandpiper on North Saltings the flew north, Ring Ouzel in West Dunes, Firecrest in East Dunes, possible Blue- headed Wagtail, Gibraltar Point Garganey drk, Covenham reservoir 1/5 3 Black-winged Stilts on wet grassland just south of main car park, Temminck's Stint in SE corner of Marsh Farm reservoir, 3 Wood Sandpipers on scrape, Blue-winged Teal from Cross Bank, Frampton Marsh Ring Ouzel in East Dunes, Short-eared Owl, Gibraltar Point Night Heron ad, Huttoft Bank Pit at Huttoft Marsh, then flew south and landed 2/5 Garganey drk, on Wader Pit, then flew north, Baston + Langtoft Pits 3 Black-winged Stints on wet grassland SW of main car park, Blue- ringed Teal on Marsh Farm grassland flew towards visitor centre, 3 Wood Sandpipers, Spoonbill, Spotted Redshank, Frampton Marsh Short-eared Owl, Spotted Redshank, Ring Ouzel in East Dunes, Tree Pipit, 2 Black Redstarts, ringtail Hen Harrier, Gibraltar Point Garganey drk, Covenham reservoir Glossy Ibis north end of Anderby Marsh viewed from Roman bank, Anderby Creek Hoopoe flew over marsh, Alkborough Flats ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 3. WILDLIFE NEWS FROM AROUND THE COUNTY ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 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/ *** Links "not to be missed" *** Please copy and paste URLs if/as necessary. British Bugs (Hemiptera) - online identification - NEW https://www.britishbugs.org.uk/index.html Mike's Insect Keys: illustrated identification aids for insects - NEW https://sites.google.com/view/mikes-insect-keys/ Gibraltar Point Bird Observatory blog: http://gibraltarpointbirdobservatory.blogspot.co.uk/ Lincs Bird Club: https://www.lincsbirdclub.co.uk/site/index.php/sightings/latest-news Butterfly Conservation - Lincolnshire Branch: https://butterfly-conservation.org/in-your-area/lincolnshire-branch/ Which moth species might be on the wing tonight in your area? https://butterfly-conservation.org/moths/whats-flying-tonight Atlas of the terrestrial and semi-aquatic Mammals of Lincolnshire: https://lincsnaturalist.files.wordpress.com/2021/06/mammalatlas.pdf VC54 North Lincolnshire Plant List - LNU Paul Kirby's list of all the vascular plant & stonewort taxa with records on the MapMate botanical database for VC54, North Lincolnshire, at the end of January 2017. Download this on: https://lnu.org/specialists/vascular-plants/ Record Pool - an easy way to record your amphibian and reptile species records. https://www.recordpool.org.uk/index.php ROAD KILLS? PLEASE LET US KNOW. Every drive is a transect! Hedgehogs? Badgers? Otters? Reports welcome. WEST FEN STICKNEY Gail Cartwright TF322568 25/4/2023 Dead Badger at side of the road 2nd in a fortnight *** 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 welcome records from everyone, experts or beginners. Please keep your reports coming. BARDNEY - The Green TF120694 R & A Parsons 25/3 Hedgehog visiting feeding box 04.06hrs and 27/4 at 4.07hrs 29/4 Hairy-footed flower bee m & f Holly Blue butterfly - 3 sightings Orange tip Greenfinch m on back fence - unusual here. 30/4 Raven heard/seen - landed on usual pine tree. Comma in garden. A Parsons First swift seen over house - R Parsons 30/3 - 1/4 Hedgehog on trail camera at 12.31 - 12.34 and 01.16 Several Hedgehog droppings on lawn. 1/5 "NO MOW MAY" sign up in garden! Quite a lot of Yellow rattle coming along nicely. 2/5 More Hedgehogs on camera: 01.25 and 02.10hrs [Cuckoo heard at Phil and Mary Porter's house and from Bardney Abbey] BOSTON Maud Foster Drain Early spring report March-April 2023  Tracey Lenton TF333440 Windsor Bank 07/03/2023 A sunny but cold day, went to feed the birds 3:10-3:40pm There wasn't a great deal of activity on the water. I saw 2 pairs of mallard and a Moorhen. Black-headed gulls soon arrived on the scene at the sight of food. Several sporting their full black caps, 6 out of a group of 21 on camcorder film, 4 had almost the full dark colouring. A Cormorant came flying down the waterway heading seawards. There are just a few winter heliotrope left in flower now, daffodils flowering, likely planted by resident. TF328468 Horncastle Road 10/03/2023  A very cold day, some snow. Drove out to check on the wildlife in the cold weather and spotted a Little Egret, a shy bird, tried to get some film but kept moving away from me even though I was some distance off. TF333441 to TF334437 Windsor Bank 26/03/2023 The most notable change since the beginning of the month is that some of the wildflowers are in bloom: Cow parsley Green alkanet Lesser celandine Shepherd's purse Speedwell White dead nettle 1 Buff-tailed bumble bee Wood lice under a discarded brick Black-backed gull x 1 Black-headed gulls from a distance (someone feeding the birds further back) 3 out of 4 had full black heads counted on film Other gulls too, looked like herring gulls and black-backed Mallard a group of 4 drakes, 1 female with them Moorhens 2-4 seen separately on a few occasions Mute swans 2 adults 30-04-2023 2-3:30pm Windsor Bank T334437-T333441 Mild, sunny day, windy. Spring life is evident. In flower: Bluebells - likely planted Chickweed Cow parsley - a few in flower Daisies - where resident had mown some of the bank Dandelion Green alkanet Lesser celandine Reeds Shepherds' purse Speedwell White dead-nettle Several bees not identified A pair of small tortoiseshell butterflies were flying around and settling on common nettle. One dead tortoiseshell seen in a cobweb Birdlife as usual (Gulls, Mallards, Moorhen, Mute swans) with the added sight of a female mallard with 3 ducklings Black-headed gulls all have their black caps, 9 came when duckfood put in water CARLTON LE MOORLAND Carlton le Moorland SK909581 Jeremy Hutchinson 29/4/23 Grasshopper Warbler calling nearby (audible from the garden), for one day only. Holly Blues more numerous when the sun shines. Cuckoo still calling to the north-west of the village, especially late afternoon/early evening. Swallow and House Martin numbers still worryingly low: Is this so generally? Bluebells in some woods a few miles west of here flowering noticeably later than in recent years. FAR INGS Angela Buckle 30th April. Far Ings. Common mouse ear, Cuckoo flower, Garlic mustard, Hawthorn in flower, Pepper wort, Hedge mustard, Hoary cress, Lesser sea spurrey, Field madder, Bulbous buttercup, Wild strawberry, Red campion, Corn salad, Cow parsley Butterfly, orange tip, Also heard the cuckoo. FISKERTON FEN David Smith TF083718 28/04/2023 18.30 - 19.30 Swallow x6 Barn owl x1 Coot x1 Mallard x4 Mute swan x4 Greylag goose x2 Chaffinch x1 Robin x1 Grey heron x1 Pheasant x2 Wood pigeon x20+ Rook x2 Jackdaw x2 Carrion crow x3 Reed bunting (m) x1 Goldfinch x1 Fiskerton Fen R & A Parsons 1/5/2023 Fox ad seen on reserve from walk to river 10.30hrs approx. FRITHVILLE TF298489 27-30 April 2023 Pete and Margaret Westcott One Greenfinch at the bird feeder was a rare sight this week. We usually find those pesky grey squirrels early in the mornings, desperately trying to tip the 'squirrel-proof feeders'. A sunny day on the 29th April brought out 8 species of butterflies, including our first Orange-tip, Holly blue and Large White. The Brimstone has been busy laying, 15 eggs counted so far. I wonder what is an average number? Many Gooden's Nomad Bees are swarming over the Forget-me-nots, which reminds me, a colony of Ashy Mining Bees appeared over their nesting holes mid-April. A large, (last instar?) caterpillar has been rescued from last year's chard in the veg garden, which could have been a Gothic. In the greenhouse, a beautifully marked Comb-footed (?) spider had made itself at home amongst a pile of canes GRASBY WOODS Angela Buckle. 29th April 2023 Grasby woods. Crosswort, Pignut, Herb robert, Three nerved sandwort, Cow parsley, Ladies mantle, Bugle. HORKSTOW SE987179 Jenny Haynes 29 April 2023 There’s been quite a lot of bat activity around my house tonight. Usually, they’re around for a few minutes before moving off but tonight they’ve been flying around for at least twenty minutes. 30 April 2023 Male Brimstone butterfly seen in my garden along with two ‘blue’ butterflies, one larger than the other but we weren’t able to identify them. The field at the rear of my house, on the western slope of the Wolds and which is used for grazing, has a large number of cowslips in flower. Brown hares have been active in the field opposite on several days as have the roe deer which frequent the area. RIVER WITHAM WALK ALONG RIVER WITHAM FROM CHERRY FIELDS TF027713 EASTWARDS TO THE SITE OF THE NEW MARINA TF035714. Margaret Roe Saturday 29th April At least 2 skylarks singing above the field adjacent to Cherry Fields. Sedge warbler (heard not seen) near the bridge over North Delph. Reed warblers in the reeds along the riverbank (they seemed to be every few yards). Saw a couple but there were many more. Heron by North Delph. Pair of swans on the river, one sitting on a nest. Lake dug out for the new marina already attracting many birds – 2 oyster catchers, 1 little egret, several tufted ducks, black headed gull, swan. Flying over – cormorant, kestrel, pair of house martins. Heard cuckoo. SOTBY WOOD Sotby Wood TF18231 Jenny Gough 29 April, 2023 Just heard my first Cuckoo of the spring and seen 2 swallows. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 4. NNRs and NATURE RESERVES ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust's policy on Coronavirus, Covid-19 includes details of LWT reserves and other advice and information: https://www.lincstrust.org.uk/coronavirus Gibraltar Point Bird Observatory blog: http://gibraltarpointbirdobservatory.blogspot.co.uk/ LWT Reserves List: https://www.lincstrust.org.uk/get-involved/nature-reserves-list RSPB Frampton Marsh: http://www.rspb.org.uk/discoverandenjoynature/seenature/reserves/guide/f/framptonmarsh/ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 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 Visitor Leaflet - Natural England: http://publications.naturalengland.org.uk/publication/38015?category=59026 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Saltfleetby-Theddlethorpe Dunes NNR Report 26th April – 2nd May 2023 Contributors: - Peter & Janet Roworth, John Walker, Matt Blissett, Ruth Taylor, Owen Beaumont, Cliff Morrison and Dean Nicholson. Thank you to all other contributors. Daily News and Wildlife Sightings 260423 - Greenshank on Paradise lagoon and 3 sand martins flying over, south. 270423 - Between Sea View and Paradise on the saltmarsh 24 whimbrel, fairly scattered, feeding. Spotted redshank feeding on edge of Eau near Paradise with redshank. Grasshopper warbler at Rimac. 280423 – Avocet on Paradise lagoon, common sandpiper on edge of Eau, single fieldfare, woodcock near Sea View, 11 whimbrel on saltmarsh and reed warbler edge of Eau near Sea View bridge. 3 willow warblers in song between Paradise and Sea View. 290423 - A flock of 24 fieldfare flew west out of an ash tree near Paradise wood, single common sandpiper on the edge of the Eau outfall, 19 whimbrel on the saltmarsh. 300423 - Single cuckoo and pair bullfinch at Sea View, 2 avocets on edge of Eau Outfall. 6 fieldfare flew from ash trees near Grey Fleet Bank (Saltfleet), 3 feeding in field Elm House Farm and 29 birds flew over in a northerly direction, also in the area 2 wheatear and 24 whimbrel, Cetti’s calling near Sea View bridge. 010523 - On the saltmarsh were 19 whimbrel, a grasshopper warbler was reeling on edge near Paradise wood. 2 ravens over Churchill Lane. 020523 – Cuckoo, black cap and chiffchaff at Sea View. Swallows, cuckoo and curlew at Rimac. Grasshopper warbler at Churchill Lane. Sedge warbler and Cetti’s warbler at Crook Bank. Butterflies seen over past 7 days: small, large and green veined whites, orange tip, wall, small copper, green hairstreak, peacock, comma, holly blue, small tortoiseshell, brimstone, speckled wood. Large red damselflies. A large arrival of whitethroats, at least 3 singing cuckoos. Lots of storks bill, field mouse-ear, cowslips and dandelions providing nectar for several bee species, hoverflies also 2 species of bee flies seen. Other local reserves 020523 – Legbourne Wood: 2 nuthatch singing in separate territories. Also in song: 3 chiffchaffs, 3 blackcaps, 1 willow warbler, 1 garden warbler, buzzard mewing overhead. Butterflies: peacock, speckled wood, small white, comma, orange tip. A good show of primrose along wood edge path. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 5. BARDNEY LIMEWOODS NNR ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ These cover a huge area. Records from them are one of the main inputs to management planning and the protection of rare/scarce and critical species. Reports always welcome. The Forestry Commission visitor advice: https://www.forestryengland.uk/article/coronavirus-visitor-guide The history of the Lincolnshire Limewoods: https://www.forestryjournal.co.uk/features/19111877.lincolnshire-limewoods/ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Butterfly Conservation Lincolnshire Branch: https://butterfly-conservation.org/300/lincolnshire-branch.html Chambers Farm Wood - Butterfly Garden - gardening dates and times: https://butterfly-conservation.org/in-your-area/lincolnshire-branch/chambers-farm-wood-butterfly-garden CHAMBERS FAR WOOD report Chambers Farm Wood Butterfly Garden TF147740 Margaret Westcott 04.04.23 and 18.04.23 Brimstone (m) Brimstone (f- laying) Red Admiral Peacock Large White Smaller white ( not identified) Bee Flies Wasp Newts -at least 16 Blue tit Great tit Robin Chaffinch Blackbird Jackdaw Song Thrush Wood Pigeon Chiffchaff Pied Wagtail Gardening dates for May are 2nd and 16th. New volunteers always welcome. Lincolnshire Dormouse Group You can get in touch via lincsdormousegroup@gmail.com Gemma Watkinson writes: Here are the dates for the summer nest box checks. As always, we meet at 9.30am in the Chambers Farm Woods car park, by the wood centre/volunteer hut. Anyone interested can get in touch at lincsdormousegroup@gmail.com for more information. Sunday 21 May Saturday 24 June Sunday 23 July Saturday 19th August Sunday 17th September Saturday 21 October ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 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. Many are also designated Sites of Special Scientific Interest. 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. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Links to "Other Reserves" are welcome. MiddleMarsh Wetlands, Skegness: https://www.birdguides.com/sites/europe/britain-ireland/britain/england/lincolnshire/middlemarsh-farm/ South Humber Heritage Trail, Alkborough Flats - LWT leaflet - downloadable https://www.lincstrust.org.uk/sites/default/files/2018-04/south_humber_heritage_trail_alkborough.pdf Grainthorpe Haven https://www.birdguides.com/sites/europe/britain-ireland/britain/england/lincolnshire/grainthorpe-haven/ Cress Marsh, Stallingborough https://www.birdguides.com/news/new-wetland-takes-shape-in-lincolnshire/ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 7. SENDING IN BULLETIN REPORTS ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The purpose of the Bulletin is to encourage biological recording in Lincolnshire. We aim to increase the number of people reporting observations to Recorders or via i-record. https://www.brc.ac.uk/irecord/ The Bulletin is a 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! Please help us to help you. 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 may vary. It 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. CONTACTS AND USEFUL WEBSITES ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ CONTACTS LIST Please copy and paste URLs if/as necessary. Lincolnshire Naturalists' Union LNU 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 Downloads of LNU books: https://lnu.org/publications/books/ LNU Officers and Executive Committee: https://lnu.org/about/officers-executive/ Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust: https://twitter.com/LincsWildlife Lincs Bird Club: https://twitter.com/Lincsbirding LBC County Bird Recorder Phil Hyde - County Recorder, Lincs Bird Club recorder_south@lincsbirdclub.co.uk The Sir Joseph Banks Society: https://twitter.com/sirjosephbanks Lincolnshire Bat Group: http://www.lincsbatgroup.co.uk/ Butterfly Conservation Lincolnshire Branch: https://twitter.com/BC_Lincolnshire Lincsbirders: https://twitter.com/lincsbirders Lincolnshire Chalk Streams Project: https://lincolnshirechalkstreams.org/events/ South Lincolnshire Flora Group: https://bsbi.org/south-lincolnshire-v-c-53 The Wolds Fungi Group: Contact Paul Nichol via email: pnichol20@gmail.com Lincolnshire Dormouse Group: Contact: lincsdormousegroup@gmail.com FIGHTING WILDLIFE CRIME Wildlife Crime https://www.lincs.police.uk/advice/advice-and-information/wc/wildlife-crime/ SPECIES IDENTIFICATION AND RECORDING Please copy and paste URLs if/as necessary. LNU Recorders and Specialists: https://lnu.org/specialists/ Downloads of LNU books: https://lnu.org/publications/books/ Recording with "irecord": https://www.brc.ac.uk/irecord/ irecord is recommended by the LNU as an appropriate platform for on-line recording. entoLIVE is a webinar series that showcases invertebrate research (covering inverts from terrestrial, freshwater and marine environments). There will be 40 talks this year and they are all free to attend, with a fair few of them about biological recording or citizen science monitoring projects. Full programme of events: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/cc/entolive-webinars-74679 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. Email: d.a.sheppard@btinternet.com Lincolnshire Mammals Chris Manning, Email: Chris.LincsDeer@gmail.com Spiders, Pseudoscorpions, Harvestmen Imogen Wilde Regional Co-ordinator (RC) and Mentor for Lincolnshire for the British Arachnological Society (BAS). Email: Imogen@imogenwilde.co.uk Amphibians and Reptiles Ashley Butterfield The Lincolnshire ARG (Amphibian & Reptile Group) Email: LearningOutdoors@btinternet.com Local Bat Helpline Grounded bats, bat problems, advice and information. Contact Annette Faulkner on 01775 766286 Email: annettefaulkner@btinternet.com Bat rescue instructions. Annette writes: 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. Wear gloves or use a cloth to pick it up with, and phone me on 01775 766286. 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: 01383 669 124 Email: chris.r.dufeu@gmail.com Non-Marine Molluscs and other Freshwater Invertebrates Alex Pickwell is the LNU Recorder for Non-marine Molluscs Email: mrapickwell@gmail.com 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 welcomed. USEFUL WILDLIFE LINKS Please copy and paste URLs if necessary. Lincs Environmental Records Centre: http://www.glnp.org.uk/ Greater Lincolnshire Nature Partnership newsletter: https://linktr.ee/GLNPnature Contact in case link does not work: Emily Todd: emily.todd@glnp.org.uk Natural England: http://www.naturalengland.org.uk/ NHBS Natural history equipment or books. https://www.nhbs.com/ NHM Final report on LoveLincsPlants: https://lnu.org/lincolnshire-plants-past-and-future/ Collections Dataset - LNU "historic specimens": http://data.nhm.ac.uk/dataset/lincs-plants The Flora of Lincolnshire by Joan Gibbons: downloadable LNU book For the Geologists... Please copy and paste URLs if/as necessary. Suggestions for Geology news, events or new useful links always welcome. Lincolnshire Geodiversity Group: https://www.lincswolds.org.uk/discovering/geology-1 Geology - the Collection: https://www.thecollectionmuseum.com/explore/geology Geology of the Lincolnshire Wolds: https://www.lincswolds.org.uk/special-features/geology The Geology of Lincolnshire: downloadable LNU book ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 9. NOTES ABOUT THESE WILDLIFE REPORTS ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ We do our best to ensure accuracy in our reporting. However, records are sent in by a variety of reporters; from complete beginners to professionals. They may vary in reliability and occasionally 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. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 10. BULLETIN PUBLICITY POLICY ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ When sending in reports, e.g. unusual plants, please report any sensitive news directly to recorders. Not the Bulletin. We don't want to spoil things with untimely or unwise publicity. Thank you. 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. [Remember: Views expressed in the Bulletin do not necessarily reflect the policies or opinions of the LNU or associated organisations. In particular this applies to such agencies, especially charities, taking a political stance.] ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 11. LNU EVENTS DIARY ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ *** LNU Events *** We will post any changes to LNU events in the Bulletin; the LNU Twitter feed; LNU Facebook page and LNU meetings webpage. Please refer to the LNU website for details of any Zoom arrangements for watching online. LNU Meetings: https://lnu.org/meetings/ Summer programme - Field Meetings Sunday 21st May Wild Wrendale Sunday 25th June Trent Port Wetland Saturday 15th July Wilder Doddington (all day) LLP collecting Saturday 12th August Boothby Wildlands (all day) collecting NOTE CHANGE OF DATE FROM 19th Saturday 9th September Wolla Bank Pit, Chapel Pit & Chapel Six Marshes LWT Reserves (all day) (LLP collecting?) Sunday 15th October Langholme Wood and Haxey Turbary LWT Reserves ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 12 ...AND FINALLY... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ *** MailFails Last Week *** None ....and finally... 'Eight fox cubs are having a party in my garden' https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-england-nottinghamshire-65429434 Peak District bird of prey scheme ends as wildlife crime continues https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-derbyshire-65391659 Scotland’s last pearl fisherman https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-scotland-65414302 Royal Society: Four incredible objects that made science history https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-65352268 Red list reveals Britain’s extinction-threatened mosses and liverworts https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/apr/28/red-list-mosses-liverworts-bryophyte-species-extinction-risk-great-britain Sculpture of euthanised walrus Freya unveiled in Oslo https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/apr/29/sculpture-walrus-freya-unveiled-oslo-norway ----------------- ~ THE END ~ ----------------- (..until next week!) Roger Parsons old.museum@yahoo.co.uk http://rogerparsons.info/