============================================ || || 31st January 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 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Roger writes: "The roads to Lincoln" Bardney has been a crossing-point of the River Witham from prehistoric days. The Witham itself a navigable access to the inland port of Lincoln and Romans extended that with a canal to the Humber. Today many people here make their way to Lincoln via Branston or "Short Ferry" and Fiskerton. Here's an update. Shortferry is open again after the recent flooding. However, major works with a road closure are planned this year. The Bardney/Branston Causeway rebuild is starting next month. https://www.lincolnshire.gov.uk/news/article/1747/branston-causeway-rebuild-happening-next-month Short Ferry: Flooded road reopens after months underwater https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c72gee9p39zo *** This week's mostly-local news stories: *** Lincoln Festival of History announced https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cv20myvkzgno Spilsby theatre remains on 'at risk' register https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-lincolnshire-68132285 Holderness Hedgehog Hospital says 2023 was a record year https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-humber-68129352 RSPB Garden Birdwatch 2024: Fewer wild birds visiting UK gardens https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-68099428 Rare moonflower set to bloom again in Cambridge https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cambridgeshire-68131271 Peterborough charity aims to make conservation more diverse https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cambridgeshire-68109443 More links in "...and finally ..." at the end of the Bulletin. Thanks to all who sent in news, reports and contributions this week. Phil [and Roger ] 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#? U.K. Outlook 28th January – 6th February Sunday 4 Feb - Tuesday 13 Feb Changeable conditions at first, with spells of mild, wet and windy weather punctuated by drier, cooler interludes. The northwest is likely to see the heaviest and most frequent or most persistent rain, while the southeast will tend to be drier overall. Largely cloudy with the best of any sunshine in the east. There is a chance colder conditions could then become established more widely during the first full week of February, with increased chance of wintry weather, especially northern and central UK, should Atlantic cloud and rain be forced to track across the south of the country. Equally, similar conditions to the start of the period could well prevail; confidence is low at this range in the weather type which will become most dominant. *** For Astronomers and Sky-watchers *** Full Moons 2024 https://www.rmg.co.uk/stories/topics/full-moon-calendar February's Night Sky: Highlights. [Shortly] https://www.rmg.co.uk/stories/blog/astronomy/night-sky-highlights-january-2024 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 *** 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 *** 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. Event booking https://www.gwct.org.uk/eventbooking?eventNodeId=28877 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 iDeer Project: What are your perceptions of wild deer in England and Wales? https://www.gwct.org.uk/blogs/news/2024/january/ideer-project-what-are-your-perceptions-of-wild-deer-in-england-and-wales/ *** 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/ 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. 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 22/1 Lesser Yellowlegs 1w, Hen Harrier from Sea Bank Viewpoint, Frampton Marsh. Water Pipit, 2 Scaup, Freiston Shore. Twite, 8 Snow Buntings, Waxwing, 3 Long-tailed Ducks, Gibraltar Point NNR. 2 Russian White-fronted Geese at Winter's Pond, East Halton Marshes. 23/1 Glossy Ibis near Maxey Cut/River Welland, Deeping Lakes, Deeping St James. Hen Harrier male, Marston sewage works. 2 Waxwings at Costcutter, Princess Drive, Grantham. Lesser Yellowlegs 1w by visitor centre car park, Frampton Marsh. 2 Scaup, Freiston Shore . Velvet Scoter flew south past, 1+ Snow Bunting, 3 Long-tailed Ducks on sea, Gibraltar Point. Smew ad drk at quarry off Job's Lane, Thorpe Landfill, Whisby. Caspian Gull, Cress Marsh, Stallingborough. 24/1 1+ Long-eared Owl, Main Lake, Deeping Lakes, Deeping St James. Hen Harrier male. 5 Cattle Egrets, Cut End, SE of Boston. Lesser Yellowlegs 1w by visitor centre car park, Hen Harrier male. from Sea Bank Viewpoint, Frampton Marsh. 2 Scaup, Freiston Shore. Smew redhead on Jackson's Marsh, Gibraltar Point. Hen Harrier male, Marston sewage works. Great Northern Diver on reservoir wall, Shag by sailing club, Covenham reservoir. Great Grey Shrike by George Twigg trail along hedgerow, Doddington. Great Northern Diver flew upriver between Pyewipe and Immingham. Great Northern Diver over Far Ings west of Barton-upon-Humber. 25/1 2 Long-eared Owls, Main Lake, Deeping Lakes, Deeping St James. 33+ Bewick's Swans on Crowland Wash near Crowland Water Tower, Deeping High Bank Lesser Yellowlegs 1w by visitor centre car park, Frampton Marsh. Scaup, Freiston Shore. 5 Waxwings by cycle track near North Hide, 4 Shorelarks on beach north of Greenshank Creek, Twite, 8 Snow Buntings, Gibraltar Point NNR. Shag, Covenham reservoir. c200 Twite, Donna Nook. 26/1 2 Hen Harrier ringtails in roost, Willow Tree Fen. 20 Bewick's Swans, west side of River Welland, Deeping High Bank. Lesser Yellowlegs, by visitor centre car park, Hen Harrier, Frampton Marsh. Scaup, Freiston Shore. 4 Shorelarks on beach near Greenshank Creek, Lapland Bunting flew south, 3 Long-tailed Ducks, Gibraltar Point NNR Hen Harrier ringtail. Rimac, Saltfleetby/Theddlethorpe Dunes NNR. Great Northern Diver taken into care, Covenham reservoir Great Grey Shrike by George Twigg trail along hedgerow, Doddington. c30 Snow Buntings on outer beach, Cleethorpes. 15 Waxwings at Baysgarth Park, Barton-upon-Humber. 27/1 Glossy Ibis on West Pit, Long-eared Owl, Deeping Lakes, Deeping St James. 20 Bewick's Swans, west side of River Welland, Deeping High Bank. Velvet Scoter fem/1w drk on River Welland, 16 Turnstones from Cradge Bank, Grey Plover, Cowbit. Hen Harrier 2w male, Marston Sewage Words Lesser Yellowlegs in field by visitor car park, Frampton Marsh. 2 Scaup, Freiston Shore. 3 Long-tailed Ducks on sea, 2 Velvet Scoters, Black-throated Diver, 2 Water Pipits, 3 Waxwings flew south, Gibraltar Point. Great Grey Shrike by George Twigg trail along hedgerow, Doddington. Green-winged Teal drk on Paradise Pool just south of Saltfleet Haven, Saltfleetby/Theddlethorpe NNR. 3 Waxwings at Costcutter, Princess Drive, Grantham. 100+ Twite, Donna Nook. Glossy Ibis at Kingsway Gardens by Kingsway LNR, Scunthorpe. 28/1 Short-eared Owl, 6 Common Cranes, Willow Tree Fen. Velvet Scoter fem/1w drk on River Welland, from Cradge Bank, Cowbit. 2 Bewick's Swans at Cowbit Marsh, 21 Turnstones, Grey Plover Cowbit. Short-eared Owl on artificial Sand martin bank, Deeping Lakes. 37+ Bewick's Swans in field with Whooper Swans,by Aksew's Drove, Deeping High Bank. 3 Russian White-fronted Geese, Stanton's Pit, WSE of Bourne. Lesser Yellowlegs in field by visitor car park, Frampton Marsh. 2 Scaup on lagoon, Freiston Shore. Waxwing, 5 Russian White-fronted Geese flew south, 2 Shorelarks on beach north of Greenshank Creek, 3 Snow Buntings, Gibraltar Point NNR. Green-winged Teal drk on Paradise Pool just south of Saltfleet Haven, Saltfleetby/Theddlethorpe NNR. Purple Sandpiper at outfall, Trusthorpe. Caspian Gull 1w on beach between Huttoft car terrace and Mogg's Eye. Great Grey Shrike by George Twigg trail along hedgerow, Doddington. Glossy Ibis at Kingsway Gardens by Kingsway LNR, Scunthorpe. 29/1 Long-eared Owl in ivy, Main Lake, Deeping Lakes, Deeping St James. 2 Short-eared Owls at Huttoft Bank car terrace. Velvet Scoter fem/1w drk, 32 Bewick's Swans, Cowbit Wash, on River Welland, from Cradge Bank, Cowbit. Lesser Yellowlegs in field by visitor car park, Hen Harrier, Frampton Marsh. 2 Scaup on lagoon, Freiston Shore. 4 Shorelarks on beach near Greenshank Creek, Lapland Bunting, 23 Snow Buntings, 4 Water Pipits, 2 Waxwings, male Hen Harrier, redhead Smew, 3 Long-tailed Ducks, Gibraltar Point NNR. Great Northern Diver juv released again, Covenham reservoir. 5 Snow Buntings on outer beach, Cleethorpes. 13 Waxwings at 23 Riverside Drive, Humberston. Glossy Ibis at Kingsway Gardens by Kingsway LNR, Scunthorpe. 30/1 Hen Harrier ringtail, Willow Tree Fen. 2w Hen Harrier male, Marston Sewage Works. Lesser Yellowlegs in field by visitor car park, ringtail Hen Harrier, Frampton Marsh. 2 Scaup, Freiston Shore. Green-winged Teal drk on Paradise Pool just south of Saltfleet Haven, Cattle Egret in field by Rimac car park, Saltfleetby/Theddlethorpe NNR. Dead Great Northern Diver, Covenham reservoir. Water Pipit, Buck Beck, Cleethorpes Coast LNR ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 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 w/o 25/1/2024 Pied wagtail m, Dunnock, Chaffinch m+f, Great Tit, 2 Blue Tits, House Sparrow [12+], Robin 1+, Blackbird 3m+2f, Starling [18+], LBB Gulls [12+], Jackdaw [12], Woodpigeon [4+], Collared Dove [2+], domestic pigeon [6]. BARDNEY GARDEN TF117700 Mary Porter 29th January A flock of 16 goldfinches in one of our apple trees today. Up to 10 is more usual. BOSTON TF338441 Tracey Lenton 28/01/2024 My garden I have done some general tidying up in the garden today and saw a few 7-spot ladybirds and one 22-spot yellow ladybird, disturbed a moth which looked like a plume moth. I also saw the following birds, no doubt attracted by the garden activity which I submitted to the Big Garden Birdwatch. They are common to the garden on a daily basis except for the wren which I see occasionally. Blackbird 1 m 1 f Collared dove 2 Have seen as many as 6 this month at any one time, more than I usually get. Dunnock 1 Robin 1 Wood pigeon 2 Wren 1 CARLTON LE MOORLAND SK909581 Jeremy Hutchinson 22/1/24 Our newly-returned Little Owls were seen mating (also on 24th) at dusk, which seems unusually early to me. The Ash tree they live in, which has a number of cavities which attract cavity-nesting birds, also receives interest from Stock Doves and Jackdaws. Also, while I was watching the Little Owls I noticed three Rabbits playing along the boundary hedge in which the nesting tree stands. Rabbits have almost vanished from around here in recent years (presumably due to the RHD virus), so I am wondering whether they are developing resistance to the virus. 20/1/24 At about 14.00 a large White-tailed Bumblebee was seen in the sunshine on the pavement outside our house; when I tried to move it to a safer place it flew away, which surprised me given the air temperature was only 8 degrees C or so. 21/1/24 A pair of vocal Ravens were flying around the village, the first seen or heard for 10+ days. 22/1/2024 Plume Moth seen on a house sign, the first I have ever seen in January. On another note, a few weeks ago there was an item on the news about a garage in Builth Wells (Powys) in which the owner's work bench was being mysteriously tidied up overnight. The use of a trail camera showed that a Wood Mouse/Mice were picking up small items and depositing them in a container. I have recently also had an example of this behaviour at home. Having heard mouse activity between the ground floor ceiling and the first floor, I put a container on poison bait in the space between the two. (I do not like killing them, but dare not risk a fire due to electrical wiring being chewed). When I next checked the bait, the container was full of plaster nibs, bits of timber, slate and even a short length of electrical wiring. The mouse activity continued, so it put a trap down: when I checked it he following day there was a Wood Mouse in it. Clenched in the mouse's teeth was a splinter of floor board 125mm x 10mm. None of these materials are used for making their nests, so what prompts this behaviour is a mystery to me. Any ideas welcome. HORKSTOW SE987179 Jenny Haynes 25 January 2024 I saw a peacock butterfly in the Tesco car park at Barton on Humber yesterday. Such a surprise. In addition the snowdrops in Horkstow churchyard are in flower and oddly, they are in my garden are in flower too. Usually, mine are a good two or three weeks behind those in the churchyard. HORKSTOW SE987179 Jenny Haynes 28 January 2024 I’ve just done the RSPB Garden Birdwatch and here are the results. Blackbird 3 Blue tit 11 Chaffinch 14 Coal tit 1 Dunnock 1 Goldfinch 3 Greenfinch 3 Great spotted woodpecker 1 Great tit 7 Pheasant 3 Robin 1 Tree sparrow 2 Wood pigeon 1 What was most noticeable was the small number of goldfinches. Until very recently, they were the most numerous bird in my garden. MESSINGHAM SAND QUARRY SE 908 032 Brenda Edlington 26/1/2024 Blackbird Black-headed gull Blue tit Bullfinch Buzzard Chaffinch Coot Cormorant Crow Gadwall Goldeneye – males displaying throwing their heads back Great tit Greylag goose Jay Lapwing Long-tailed tit Mallard Marsh harrier Mute swan Pochard Robin Shelduck Shoveler Teal Tufted duck Wood pigeon Wren NETTLETON 5090 4013 TA108001 Ben Jacob 27th January Pine Ladybird Exochomus 4-pustulatus seen resting on stack of clay pigeons at Nettleton Lodge shooting school. Not seen this species before NETTLEHAM TF 005756 Brenda Edlington 22/1/2024 Large adult hedgehog seen 4 times on camera between 7-8pm 4°C 24/1/2024 Goldcrest 25/1/2024 Green Lane Nettleham Goldcrest SCOTHERN TF 03071 77141 Su Colman 24/01/2024 16:05 I got a bit overexcited this afternoon - my first ever waxwings (2) flew into an ash tree on the edge of Scothern and gave us a really nice view. SEDGE HOLE CLOSE LWT Nature Reserve Steve Hiner 17/01/24 Barn Owl x 1 08:15hrs Blackbird x 12 Blue Tit x 2 Carrion Crow x 4 Chaffinch x 1 Fieldfare x 7 Great Spotted Woodpecker x 1 Jackdaw x 6 Lesser Redpoll x 9 Redwing x 4 Robin x 1 Wood Pigeon x 6 Wren x 1 30/01/24 Blackbird x 4 Black-headed Gull x 2 over Blue Tit x 4 Carrion Crow x 2 Chaffinch x 2 Fieldfare x 35 Great Tit x 2 Green Woodpecker x 1 Greylag Goose x 6 over Jackdaw x 4 Redwing x 18 Robin x 1 Stock Dove x 2 Wood Pigeon x 8 Wren x 1 THURNHOLMES (within 300m of SK797984 unless stated) Steve Hiner & Paul Snow 16/01/24 Barn Owl x 1 Althorpe 22:30hrs SE837107 18/01/24 Blackbird x 8 Black-headed Gull x 130 in fields around Thurnholmes Blue Tit x 2 Chaffinch x 1 Common Gull x 6 over Thurnholmes Fieldfare x 15 Goldfinch x 4 Lesser Redpoll x 15 Redwing x 28 Siskin x 4 Starling x 130 in fields around Thurnholmes Tawny Owl x 1 02:15 Wood Pigeon x 12 19/01/24 Blackbird x 15 Black-headed Gull x 32 over Thurnholmes Blue Tit x 2 Carrion Crow x 2 Chaffinch x 2 Dunnock x 1 Fieldfare x 15 Great Tit x 1 Greenfinch x 1 Lapwing x 51 over Thurnholmes Redwing x 25 Robin x 1 Starling x 135 Wood Pigeon x 4 24/01/24 Blackbird x 4 Blue Tit x 6 Carrion Crow x 1 Common Buzzard x 4 Collared Dove x 3 Fieldfare x 15 Great Tit x 2 Kestrel x 1 Long-tailed Tit x 7 Magpie x 2 Redwing x 21 Robin x 1 Shoveler x 1 male Owston Ferry Warping Drain Tawny Owl x 1 01:15hrs Wood Pigeon x 4 1st Daffodil in flower in orchard (last year 18/02/23) 29/01/24 Blackbird x 7 Blue Tit x 4 Carrion Crow x 1 Chaffinch x 1 Common Buzzard x 1 Dunnock x 1 Fieldfare x 58 Great Tit x 2 Kestrel x 1 Linnet x 2 Long-tailed Tit x 25 Redwing x 39 Robin x 1 Tawny Owl x 1 01:10hrs Wood Pigeon x 6 House Mouse x 4 WOOLSTHORPE-BY-COLSTERWORTH SK92/24 Jane Ostler On 1st January 2024, in a brief spell of sunshine between the rain, a Queen Buff-tailed Bumblebee was feeding on winter honeysuckle flowers on our south-facing wall. There were 21 kinds of plants in flower but only three kinds of wildflowers – Red and White Deadnettle and Ivy-leaved Toadflax. Reports of Snowdrops were misleading as they were of cultivated species/varieties and not Galanthus nivalis. Early signs of Spring were: Rooks returning to nesting sites Jackdaws in pairs on roofs Blue Tits exploring a previous nesting site in a gap in an old stone wall. A wren with a downy feather in its mouth A Mistle Thrush in full song in the wind-blown branches of a walnut tree A snatch of song from a Great Tit Ash trees showing green buds. Gardens had very mixed results, some remarking on the lack of blackbirds, others of influxes of greenfinch and goldfinch on seed-feeders and blue tits on fat balls. There has been just one isolated report of a waxwing in a garden. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 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 24th – 30th January 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 240124 – 170 herring gull sheared south over the sea in strong winds. Purple sandpiper still on Mablethorpe beach. 250124 - Paradise lagoon: 15 gadwall, 65 shoveler, 4 mallard, 47 teal. Woodcock flew from dunes near Sea View. 5 cattle egret in field south of Rimac car park. 3 stonechat, 2 water rail and 2 Cetti’s warbler Rimac reedbed. 3 woodcock flew out from under dune scrub Rimac south. Great white egret and 700 pink-footed goose at Elm House Farm. 270124 - Green-winged teal still present at Paradise lagoon, plus 25 gadwall. Drake green-winged teal with wildfowl on Paradise Lagoon. 670 pink-footed goose flew north-west mid-morning. 64 sanderling on the foreshore between Brickyard Lane and MOD. 546 pink-footed goose, 800 golden plover and 135 lapwing at Elm House Farm. 280124 - A nice sight of several hundred wildfowl, mainly wigeon and teal with 212 lapwing at Sea View washlands. Single drake pintail with mallard on the saltmarsh and 4 marsh harriers hunting over the area. Green-winged teal again on Paradise Lagoon, although often elusive in reed fringes. 180 brent geese and 650 pink-footed geese at Elm House Farm. 290124 - Paradise lagoon: 32 gadwall and single cattle egret of note. A pre-roost gathering of 7 water pipit at Rimac mid-afternoon. Peregrine over Rimac saltmarsh and 3 cattle egret in field south of the car park. 2 stonechat, 2 Cetti’s warbler and a water rail also at Rimac. 2 male tawny owl vocal at Sea View late evening. Woodcock in dune scrub Brickyard Lane. 300124 – Drake green-winged teal again on Paradise Lagoon, displaying to female Eurasian teal. Female pochard also on Paradise Lagoon, grey wagtail in river outfall and great spotted woodpecker drumming nearby. Woodcock flew out Paradise Wood. Water rail calling on the saltmarsh edge at Sea View and 800+ pink-footed goose flew over to roost in the evening. Cattle egret on Sea View Washland. Other Local Reserves 260124 – Muckton Wood: Great spotted woodpecker, woodcock, bullfinch, jay, hare, redpoll, nuthatch. Fir Hill: Long-tailed tit. Welton-le-Wold: Kestrel, buzzard, 3 mistle thrush. Legbourne Wood: Primrose and snowdrops in flower, jay. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 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 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 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... North Devon beaches cleaned by volunteers in day of action https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-devon-68116870 Kent seals under threat due to pontoon plans, wildlife trust says https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-kent-68100069 Silent fields: a cocktail of pesticides is stunting bumblebee colonies across Europe, study shows https://theconversation.com/silent-fields-a-cocktail-of-pesticides-is-stunting-bumblebee-colonies-across-europe-study-shows-220108 Hermit crabs are 'wearing' our plastic rubbish https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-68071695 Devon tree planting: Work to recreate lost rainforest https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-devon-68127144 Green Man: Nesting ospreys ruin ministers' £4.25m festival farm plan https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-politics-68128437 *** Mail Fails *** None this week. ----------------- ~ THE END ~ ----------------- (..until next week!) Roger Parsons old.museum@yahoo.co.uk http://rogerparsons.info/