============================================ || || 7th February 2024 || || 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. 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/months. Past Bulletins archive [in 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 writes: There is still an excellent range of exciting winter visitors to be seen at coastal sites and, here and there, inland as well. A good year for Smew as well as Waxwing, neither of which can always be relied on to appear. LWT area groups are advertising their February programmes with some excellent talks available. *** This week's mostly-local news stories: *** Snowdrop festival to return next weekend ​​Edlington St Helen’s Church’s ever-popular Snowdrop Festival will be held on Saturday February 17. https://www.lincolnshireworld.com/news/people/snowdrop-festival-to-return-next-weekend-4498339 Oh deer! Muntjac wedged upside down between houses https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cp6xl8wlrr6o BBC Two's Digging for Britain: Mysterious Roman artefacts from Lincolnshire feature in show https://www.lincolnshirelive.co.uk/news/local-news/bbc-twos-digging-britain-mysterious-9023523 Memorial service takes place for WW2 bomber hero Cliff Storr https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-oxfordshire-68155077 England's hedges would go around Earth ten times https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-68132688 Council votes to spend £1m on LED street lights https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c51r3qjnz1zo More links in "...and finally ..." at the end of the Bulletin. Thanks to all who sent in news, reports and contributions this week. Roger and Phil old.museum@yahoo.co.uk Note - my best address for emails. Phil's email is:philporterento@outlook.com *** Weather News and Forecast *** https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/ https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/warnings-and-advice/uk-warnings#? UK Forecast Sunday 11 Feb - Tuesday 20 Feb Remaining unsettled initially with further rain and hill snow across the far N, elsewhere a mixture of sunny intervals and rain showers. Thereafter a trend toward more settled, but likely cold conditions is favoured with snow showers tending to focus on eastern coasts. Elsewhere, a decent amount of dry weather, but with some hard overnight frosts and a risk of ice. Again milder air may try to encroach from the Atlantic, bringing with it the usual risk of rain turning to snow as it encounters the cold air, but this very uncertain. Windy at times, especially in the E at first, with a notable wind-chill. Temperatures generally in the range rather cold to cold, especially across the north. *** For Astronomers and Sky-watchers *** February's Night Sky: Highlights. https://www.rmg.co.uk/stories/blog/astronomy/night-sky-highlights-february-2024 RMG Meteor shower dates 2024 https://www.rmg.co.uk/stories/topics/meteor-shower-guide Luke Jerram giant Earth artwork at Lincoln Cathedral https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-lincolnshire-68146406 Astronomers find a new “super-Earth” in a habitable zone only 136 light-years away https://www.zmescience.com/space/super-earth-habitable-zone-red-dwarf/ *** EVENTS *** *** Boston Area Group LWT *** Gill Walsh writes… Talk – “Butterflies of Great Britain” by Gill Walsh Thursday 8th February 2024 at 7.30pm Centenary Methodist Church, Red Lion Street, Boston, PE21 6NY Free admission but there will be a retiring collection. Refreshments will be served in the interval. Non-members are welcome. *** Grimsby and Cleethorpes Area Group LWT *** Carolyn Davis writes… On Monday 12th February 24 we will be welcoming Phil Espin who will talk about “The Louth Canal and its Birds” with particular emphasis on the Louth end. All the photos he will be using have been provided by Louth bird photographer John Clarkson who sadly died last year. This will take place in Grimsby Town Hall DN31 1HX and starts at 7.30pm.  Admission £4, all are welcome. There will be a sale of donated pre-owned natural history books with proceeds going to the Trust. Raffle and refreshments available. For further information contact Jennie Redpath 01472 502858 or visit our website www. grimsbywildlifetrust.org.uk  We are also on Facebook  *** Lincoln LWT *** Richard Davidson writes… Lincoln Area Group Talk 15th February 2024 : “Where Our Garden Birds Came From” An illustrated talk by Robert Oates about the origins of our garden birds and their evolution over many millions of years. Also the large distances they fly to reach us. Robert is a Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust trustee and member of the Sleaford Area Group committee. The event is at Whisby Nature Park in the Lafarge Education Building  starting at 7.30 pm. Admission is £2.50 which includes refreshments in the interval. *** South Holland Area Group LWT *** Annette Faulkner writes… The next talk will be: ‘History and wildlife of the Fens’ by Geoff Lee Tuesday, 13 February 2024, 7.30pm At Pinchbeck Village Hall. Admission £2, including refreshments. Non members welcome. *** The Natural History and Geology Section of the Scunthorpe Museum Society *** Keith Scarrott writes… Our next meeting is on Monday, 12th February, when we have another visit by our local Barton-on-Humber, well-known ornithologist, and photographer, Graham Catley who will be giving his illustrated talk entitled "A Quest for Owls". He will be telling us about this often illusive, but sought-after groups of birds. Graham is a very widely accomplished bird photographer whose pictures have reached the shortlist in several national bird photography competitions. He has also sat on committees of county and national ornithological organisations. We meet as usual in the small hall, Room 1, at the Old Brumby United Church, Ashby Road, Scunthorpe, DN16 2AQ, which is immediately next to the Applegreen filling station near to the traffic lights at Brumby crossroads.  ALL ARE WELCOME TO OUR MEETINGS. There is free parking at the Church and also on nearby roads. There is a £3 entry charge for non-members. Light refreshments are available at the mid-talk break for a small charge. *** Scunthorpe and Brigg Local Group of the Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust *** Keith Scarrott writes… Our first meeting for this year is on Thursday 8th February, starting at 7.30pm, when Matt Cox, LWT's Northwest Area Manager, will be giving a roundup of of the area reserves in his illustrated talk entitled  "The Sands and Peats of Northwest Lincolnshire". Matt will look at some of the key habitats, species, and management practices in the reserves while considering some of the ongoing challenges of managing these sites. Caring for our environment and wildlife has become a major concern. We can learn from Matt how the Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust is doing all it can to address this concern in our local area. We meet as usual in St Hugh's Church Hall, Ashby Road, Scunthorpe, DN16 2AG, which is opposite the Applegreen filling station near to the traffic lights at Brumby crossroads. ALL ARE WELCOME TO OUR MEETINGS. There is a £2.50 entry charge which includes light refreshments at the mid-talk break. There is free parking at the Church and on nearby roads. *** South Lincs RSPB Group *** Jeremy Eyeons writes: The South Lincs RSPB Group has released details of their 2024 “Seal and Birdwatching” cruises aboard “The Boston Belle”. There are twelve cruises organised for 2024, starting on 5th April and ending on 24th October. Full details are on our website, including ticket prices, booking arrangements, sailing times and dates etc.. Booking is essential. https://group.rspb.org.uk/southlincolnshire/ *** Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust *** In the run up to GWCT’s Big Farmland Bird Count 2-18 February 2024 we’ll be running free webinars to help learn the basics about how to identify farmland birds. Big Farmland Bird Count - all you need to know https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/85c9f101-859c-4c88-ab4b-69553b9f21a9@56762fae-9fae-46d0-b367-ce7db8fdf82a?utm_source=All+Contacts&utm_campaign=2695a2f94f-NL-300124-Non-Mem&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_dd843c5cb6-2695a2f94f-23177707&mc_cid=2695a2f94f&mc_eid=a606be3ad9 https://www.gwct.org.uk/eventbooking?eventNodeId=28877 Lincolnshire Naturalists' Union Transactions Roger Parsons has some "vintage" back copies of Transactions looking for a good home. If anyone is interested please contact him on: old.museum@yahoo.co.uk There are 10 issues (and a couple of indexes); 1905,1933-1941 STAYING SAFE Please copy and paste URLs if/as necessary. THIS BIT WAS NOT INCLUDED. I WILL LEAVE YOU TO DECEDE ITS FATE. STAYING SAFE Please copy and paste URLs if/as necessary. Covid advice and Services: https://www.nhs.uk/covid-19-advice-and-services/ 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 31/1 Hen Harrier 2w male at Marston Sewage Works. Hen Harrier ringtail over fields NE of Hawthorpe [NW of Bourne]. 3 Bewick's Swans on flood on South Fen Road, Bourne. Lesser Yellowlegs in field by visitor car park, Hen Harrier from Sea Bank Viewpoint, Frampton Marsh. 2 Scaup, Freiston Shore - late report. Smew redhead at Tennyson's Sands, male Hen Harrier, Waxwing at Mill Pond, Gibraltar Point NNR. Green-winged Teal drk on Paradise Pool just south of Saltfleet Haven, Saltfleetby/Theddlethorpe NNR. 1/2 Hen Harrier 2w male, Marston sewage works. Velvet Scoter juv.fem, at Cowbit Marsh from Cradge Bank, Cowbit. Lesser Yellowlegs 1w by visitor centre car park, Frampton Marsh. Water Pipit, Freiston Shore. Black-throated Diver, 3 Long-tailed Ducks, Smew redhead, male Hen Harrier, 4 Twite on beach, Gibraltar Point NNR. Green-winged Teal drk with Teal on Paradise Pool just south of Saltfleet Haven, Saltfleetby/Theddlethorpe NNR. 2/2 Long-eared Owl in ivy at Main Lake, Glossy Ibis, Deeping Lakes, Deeping St James. 10+ Turnstones, Velvet Scoter, at Cowbit Marsh from Cradge Bank, Cowbit. Lesser Yellowlegs 1w by visitor centre car park, Frampton Marsh. 2 Scaup on lagoon, Freiston Shore. Black-throated Diver on sea, Smew redhead at Tennyson's Sands, Ringtail Hen Harrier over old saltmarsh, Gibraltar Point NNR. Black-throated Diver on sea, Huttoft Bank. Green-winged Teal drk with Eurasian Teal on Paradise Pool just south of Saltfleet Haven, Saltfleetby/Theddlethorpe NNR. Shag, Covenham reservoir. 3/2 Long-eared Owl in ivy at Main Lake, Deeping Lakes, Deeping St James. 11+ Turnstones from Barrier Bank, Velvet Scoter from Cradge Bank, Cowbit Wash, Cowbit. 3 Smew, 2 drks, NE pit, West End GPs, Langtoft Pits. 2 Hen Harriers, both ringtails, along drain bank, Wainfleet All Saints. Lesser Yellowlegs 1w by visitor centre car park, Hen Harrier male over saltmarsh, Frampton Marsh. 3 Shorelarks on beach north of Greenshank Creek, 9 Snow Buntings, 2 Waxwings by cycle track near North hide, 6 Bewick's Swans, Smew redhead at Tennyson's Sands, 2 Long-tailed Ducks on sea, Gibraltar Point NNR. Green-winged Teal drk with teal on Paradise Pool just south of Saltfleet Haven, Saltfleetby/Theddlethorpe NNR. Rough-legged Buzzard fem/imm male Ruckland from Woody's Top. Hen Harrier ringtail flew over River Trent at Trent Port. 2 Russian White-fronted Geese at Winter's Pond, East Halton Marshes. 4/2 2 Long-eared Owls at Main Lake, [in ivy] Deeping Lakes, Deeping St James. 3 Smew, 2 drks, NE pit, West End GPs, Langtoft Pits. Park in village and walk west. Velvet Scoter from Cradge Bank, south of wrecked boat, 27 Turnstones from Barrier Bank, Cowbit Wash, Cowbit. Lesser Yellowlegs 1w by visitor centre car park, Frampton Marsh. 9 Snow Buntings, Smew redhead at Tennyson's Sands, Black-throated Diver offshore, 3 Long-tailed Ducks, 6 Snow Buntings along beach, 3 Waxwings in hawthorn near Mill Hill, 2 Water Pipits, [1 over Sykes Farm] Gibraltar Point. Green-winged Teal drk with Eurasian Teal on Paradise Pool just south of Saltfleet Haven, Saltfleetby/Theddlethorpe NNR. Smew ad drk at Thorpe Landfill quarry on lake off Job's Lane, Whisby. 5/2 Waxwing near St Mary's Church, Marston. Lesser Yellowlegs 1w by visitor centre car park, 2 Scaup both drks, Frampton Marsh. Ringtail Hen Harrier, Black-throated Diver, Water Pipit, 3 Long-tailed Ducks, 4 Snow Buntings, Gibraltar Point. Smew ad drk at Thorpe Landfill quarry on lake off Job's Lane, Whisby. Caspian Gull 1w at Cress Marsh, Stallingborough. 6/2 Lesser Yellowlegs 1w by visitor centre car park, 2 Scaup both drks, Frampton Marsh. Hen Harrier male over saltmarsh, Black-throated Diver, Water Pipit, 3 Long-tailed Ducks, 4 Snow Buntings, Gibraltar Point. 12 Waxwings at Barsgarth in mistletoe near hall, Barton-upon-Humber. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 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/ ROAD KILLS? PLEASE LET US KNOW. Every drive is a transect! Hedgehogs? Badgers? Otters? 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 welcome records from everyone, experts or beginners. Please keep your reports coming. BARDNEY - THE GREEN TF120694 R + A Parsons 5 February 2024 Garden trailcam: Several [3+?] Woodmice energetically raiding hedgehog food pot on garden. BARDNEY GARDEN TF117700 Mary Porter 2nd February A warm, sunny day had me outside, tentatively cutting back old stems on a small border where the snowdrops and crocuses were trying to poke through. I didn't want to disturb any hibernating insects. It wasn't long before I noticed a 7-spot ladybird trundling along. Then another, then another...About 12 in total. I was careful to leave the clippings nearby in the sunshine so any others could find their way back to shelter and didn't do anymore. An investigation elsewhere in the garden found more 7-spots on the move, which made me feel better, as we hadn't been gardening anywhere near there. Phil Porter 3rd February Having noticed a lot of viola plants with their leaves marked with lots of small whitish papery spots, a short on-line search told me that they are caused by a fungus Ramularia agrestis, another new element in the biodiversity of our garden. The sun on Winter Aconite flowers brought out a Honey-bee, a Bluebottle Calliphora, a Greenbottle Lucilia and a few Drone-flies Eristalis, and Mary saw the first male Brimstone butterfly fly through the garden. Phil and Mary Porter 7th February This morning saw our first siskin since last winter, a young male with its black cap still incomplete, in the garden at a feeder. Mary has been hearing calls in the vicinity for quite a while, but without seeing any. It stood its ground against all comers, even greenfinches, for a while. A stock dove was another species today which we have not seen for a good while. 7 wood pigeons present. About 250 pink-footed geese passed over the village to the north-west in a single slanting line. CLEETHORPES TA 300069 Peter Crick 31:01:2024 Butterfly.  Flying past living room window 14:00 hr this afternoon. No ID, but very dark. Also, overwintering Peacock discovered in the back of garage. (Still there so not the flyer) COLSTERWORTH SK92/95 Jane Ostler January 2024 A flood water protection scheme is now established on the upper reaches of the River Witham. A project of the East Mercia River Trust it was just in time to prevent flooding during storm Babet. Being housebound I had been unable to visit the site myself but friends visited , told me about what they found and took some photos. In the last week in January I was able to see over the site from a point along the road. It is exceptional as a conservation project. In addition to the flooded fields it provides a great diversity of wetland habitats the riffles which, together with a bend created slow flow, storage ponds, some deep, others with shallows and gravel bars, woody materials and rushy areas already established. The seal of approval has been regular appearance of a snipe. I rely increasingly on regular input for my monthly Natural History Bulletin for the Parish magazine and find there is a surprising amount of interest from new estates. In Colsterworth for example a reliable source saw Lesser Spotted Woodpecker in the top of a Walnut tree. Kites come in to feed, but also good populations of finches and sparrows and blue tits. A Goldcrest in a new conifer. New ponds become rapidly colonised by amphibians. Muntjak have invaded gardens. A young Hare which went from one garden to another earlier in year, turned up again in January. GRIMSBY TA265095 Joyce Attia 6 th February 2024 On the bird feeders this week, bluetits, great tits, m and f chaffinches, goldfinches, house sparrows, a pair of blackbirds which have been feeding on the suet balls, they attack the balls then go on the ground to pick up the bits. The blackbirds also enjoy splashing in the bird bath, as do the wood pigeons. I just went down the garden and there were five long tailed tits also enjoying the suet balls, I was only about six feet away but they totally ignored me. There was a wren on the fence yesterday and a couple of dunnocks picking up under the feeders. Across the river outside the back gate, I'm told there are kingfishers and I've seen some amazing photos but haven't seen them live yet. The adult swans are beginning to look as if they are getting prepared for nesting. There are just two juveniles left now, the others have gone.  The adult cob had his wings up yesterday and was chasing off one of the juniors. Last year I saw the pen on the nest on 22nd February. Though she may have been there earlier. So I try to keep an eye on her. NETTLEHAM TF 005756 Brenda Edlington 27/1/2024 Big garden birdwatch, Cloudy, dry, mild A disappointing total of both species and numbers compared to previous years. Average over the last 10 years about 45 birds.  Perhaps the very mild weather made a difference (or a regular sparrowhawk) Blackbird 2 Black-headed gull 1 Blue tit 2 Chaffinch 1 Crow 2 Dunnock1 Goldfinch 9 Great spotted woodpecker 1 Great tit 2 House sparrow 5 Long-tailed tit 1 Robin 2 Starling 1 Wood pigeon 1 31 birds   4/2/2024 Siskin on sunflower hearts TOFT NEWTON RESERVOIR TF037876 Bill Ball 27.1.24 For first time I did a count of roosting gulls for BTO WinGS survey, late afternoon to dusk. Never realised so many birds in one place locally. Best estimate 2350, mostly black-headed gulls, perhaps 10 to 15% common gulls I think. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 4. NNRs and NATURE RESERVES ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 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 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 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  31st January – 6th February 2024 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   Note: A very mild and blustery start to February with day time temperatures reaching 14.0 degrees centigrade on the 3rd. Strong south-westerlies were near gale force on the 6th with a gust of 41.1mph noted near Sea View. Over the past 5 days songbirds have become very active with blackbird, song thrush, great and blue tits, robin and skylark heard. Great spotted woodpecker drumming and tawny owls calling.   310124 - 7 snow bunting Crook Bank foreshore. Jack snipe, 2 stonechat, 22 skylark, 5 meadow pipit, 50 linnet, 5 yellowhammer and 6 reed bunting Crook Bank outer dunes. Several skeins of pink-footed goose flew north offshore. 4 Siskin flew south. Green-winged teal still at Paradise lagoon with 119 Eurasian teal, 17 gadwall. Sea View washlands included 11 tufted duck and 62 shoveler. Two marsh harriers over the saltmarsh.   010224 - Drake green-winged teal still on Paradise Lagoon. 2 hen harrier in flight at Rimac mid-morning. 4 cattle egret still in the field south of Rimac car park. Peacock butterfly on the wing at Brickyard Lane.   020224 - Green-winged teal reported on Paradise Lagoon again. Merlin in flight south of Crook Bank. Peregrine flew west over the dunes at Sea View. 5 cattle egret south of Rimac car park. Green woodpecker at Brickyard Lane. Purple sandpiper and 2 turnstone still on the beach at Mablethorpe.   030224 - Minimum of 700 pink-feet and 400 dark-belled Brents Elm House Farm. 040224 - Kingfisher along drain near Paradise lagoon where green-winged teal still present, Cetti’s calling nearby. A colour ringed dark-bellied brent goose first seen by Roger Labbett at Saltfleet on 22nd November 2023 and seen again at Elm House Farm was ringed as an adult male on 4th March 2023 at Polder Buurdergrie, Friesland, NL. On a sunny afternoon (14.5 degrees)  peacock and buff tail bumblebee, several flies seen in Churchill Lane garden. At least 5 jack snipe around Crook Bank, where skylark were singing loudly in the morning sun. Peregrine flew south along the beach. Red kite flew south over the dunes at Crook Bank, and a great white egret flew north. 2 pintail on scrapes south of Crook Bank.   050224 - 3 cattle egret at Rimac. Jack snipe and common snipe in dune slack areas around Crook Bank. Sixteen curlew feeding in pasture field near Paradise lagoon   ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 5. BARDNEY LIMEWOODS NNR ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Butterfly Conservation Lincolnshire Branch: https://butterfly-conservation.org/300/lincolnshire-branch.html Chambers Farm Wood - Butterfly Garden - gardening dates and times: Next date: 20th February 2024 https://butterfly-conservation.org/in-your-area/lincolnshire-branch/chambers-farm-wood-butterfly-garden Lincolnshire Dormouse Group Gemma Watkinson writes: The next winter session will be on Sunday 17th February 2024 In the winter we start at 10am, meeting at the same location, in the wood centre car park at Chambers Farm Wood. Future dates for winter sessions for your diary: Sunday 17th March 2024 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. 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. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Discover Woodland Trust woods near you, including the best woods for walks, wildlife watching, family fun and heritage. https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/visiting-woods/woods/#=undefined&view=map Local Nature Reserves - Lincolnshire Lincolnshire County Council - Nature Reserves https://www.lincolnshire.gov.uk/coast-countryside/nature-reserves Links to "Other Reserves" are welcome. Your suggestions, please. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 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 iRecord. 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 *** Links "not to be missed *** 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: LNU e-mail: info@lnu.org Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust: https://twitter.com/LincsWildlife Lincs Bird Club: https://twitter.com/Lincsbirding LBC County Bird Recorder: 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/ Lincolnshire Chalk Streams Trust: https://lincolnshirechalkstreamstrust.org.uk/ 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. Local Bat Helpline Grounded bats, bat problems, advice and information. Contact Annette Faulkner on 01775 766286 Email: 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: 01383 669 124 Email: chris.r.dufeu@gmail.com When asking for help: Please give 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. Lincolnshire Badger Group https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100093647842292 email lincolnshirebadgergroup@hotmail.com Lincs Environmental Records Centre: http://www.glnp.org.uk/ Natural England: http://www.naturalengland.org.uk/ NHBS Natural history equipment or books. https://www.nhbs.com/ The Flora of Lincolnshire by Joan Gibbons: downloadable LNU book Atlas of the terrestrial and semi-aquatic Mammals of Lincolnshire: https://lincsnaturalist.files.wordpress.com/2021/06/mammalatlas.pdf *** For the Geologists *** Please copy and paste URLs if/as necessary. Independent - Geology: https://www.independent.co.uk/topic/geology Lincolnshire Geodiversity Group: https://www.lincswolds.org.uk/discovering/geology-1 Geology of the Lincolnshire Wolds: https://www.lincswolds.org.uk/special-features/geology The Geology of Lincolnshire: downloadable LNU book Pterosaur: Unique flying reptile soared above Isle of Skye https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-68207021 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 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 unwise or untimely 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 *** https://lnu.org/meetings/ https://lnu.org/meetings/indoor-meetings/ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 12 ...AND FINALLY... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ National or international stories... Toxic run-off from roads not monitored, BBC finds https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-68130715 Should more British homes be built using straw? https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-68005481 This coastal ecosystem was degraded and damaged. Then, the otters came in https://www.zmescience.com/science/news-science/this-coastal-ecosystem-was-degraded-and-damaged-then-the-otters-came-in/ We’ve found out how earless moths use sound to defend themselves against bats – and it could give engineers new ideas https://theconversation.com/weve-found-out-how-earless-moths-use-sound-to-defend-themselves-against-bats-and-it-could-give-engineers-new-ideas-222767 New insect lab to tackle deadly diseases https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cjl3r71ley2o Natural History Museum - Over half of Britain's plant species are now non-native https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/news/2023/march/over-half-britains-plant-species-now-non-native.html#:~:text=This%20is%20the%20finding%20of,and%20agriculture%20driving%20the%20turnover. Antarctica mysteries to be mapped by robot plane https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-68170278 Devon tree planting: Work to recreate lost rainforest https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-devon-68127144 *** Mail Fails *** None this week. ----------------- ~ THE END ~ ----------------- (..until next week!) Roger Parsons old.museum@yahoo.co.uk http://rogerparsons.info/