============================================ || || 29th May 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; 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: I was prompted by a colleague at the LNU field meeting at Grimsthorpe Park last Saturday to promote a riveting entomological podcast and I made the mistake of committing its title to memory. I think it must have been this one ‘How insects transformed our world’ by Erica McAlister in 10 parts. If not, would my informant please put me right! In the meantime, this one is definitely worth looking at. Bob Sheppard writes on the decline of nesting Little Owls, but offers us encouragement as to the fortunes of other birds of prey, including a veteran Barn Owl. 20 Spoonbills at Alkborough Flats must be a sight to see, similarly a Red-footed Falcon at Saltfleetby/Theddlethorpe. A video link to the private affairs of garden hedgehogs in Boston is also fascinating. Altogether we have a high standard of incoming information this week. Enjoy! Note Charlie Barnes' June field visits of the Coleopterists Society of Britain and Ireland to Whisby and the coast. These sound very interesting days. No fee but you need to sign up! More here: *** Coleopterists Society of Britain and Ireland *** Charlie Barnes writes: In case anyone is interested, I'll be leading two visits to Lincolnshire on behalf of ColSoc - the Coleopterists Society of Britain and Ireland - one at Whisby and another to the coast on the 1st and 2nd June, respectively. You have to be a supporter for insurance purposes but there is currently no fee so you just have to sign up - details below. All abilities/interests welcome! To become a supporter please go to www.colsoc.org/get-involved and sign up. To express an interest in attending a field meeting please send an email to colsocinfo+fieldmeetings@gmail.com. *** Bob Sheppard’s news *** The barn owls at the Len Pick Trust nest are doing well. The eldest chick is nearly four weeks old. Next week's better weather will dry the land and hopefully help the voles to breed. At present the owls are surviving on a diet of field mice and young rats but they need voles if the chicks are to thrive as they get bigger. The camera feed is a bit unreliable sometimes. https://www.lenpicktrust.org.uk/owl-project/ The peregrine chicks at St James's Church, Louth will be ringed on Thursday at three weeks old. This is the perfect time as they can be sexed and will still be in the nest tray. In another week they will start to wander around the walkway, exploring their surroundings. http://www.louthperegrines.org.uk/latest-news.html Alan and I are busy monitoring little owl nest boxes this month. Numbers of occupied sites are dropping year on year. We will probably have around sixty occupied boxes this year but many regular sites have lost their adults. We don't know the reason. A few years ago we monitored ninety successful pairs in our Lincolnshire nest boxes! We are already starting to monitor our barn owl boxes. This is a huge task so we often split up to cover more nests and ring more adults and chicks. Fingers crossed, but it does look like a good year. Alan had a red-letter day earlier this week when he caught one of our barn owls near Boston which had been ringed as a chick nearly seventeen years ago! This is a new UK longevity record for the species. We await ratification from the BTO. With the failure of the Loch of Lowes ospreys this season I recommend readers switch to another nest in the Highlands at Loch Arkaig. The pair at this nest have three chicks on camera 2. They bring in a wide variety of fish including an occasional flat fish. https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/trees-woods-and-wildlife/osprey-cam/?utm_source=%252ospreycam&utm_medium=furl Roger Parsons adds: BTO's tracked Cuckoos are on their way northwards. https://www.bto.org/cuckoos *** Charlotte Parker writes on Coronaviruses in wildlife. *** Charlotte Parker writes on Coronaviruses in wildlife. I am a PhD student at the University of Nottingham, working on a follow-on project from the SARS-CoV-2 in UK wildlife study that was conducted during the pandemic. My project aims to look at detecting other coronaviruses, aside from SARS-CoV-2, in species of UK Mustelids and foxes: Badgers, Pine Marten, American Mink, Otters, Weasels, Polecats (ferrets), Stoats and red foxes. I am looking for samples from these species to screen for coronaviruses, with the aim of detecting and characterising any novel viruses we find. The types of samples we are after range from non-invasive faecal samples, oronasal/rectal swabs, and tissue samples from cadavers. If you can, and are interested in contributing to this study contact: charlotte.parker@nottingham.ac.uk *** This week's mostly-local news stories: *** Rise in people stuck in beach mud along the east coast prompts warning https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-humber-69065873 Battle of Britain planes grounded after pilot killed in Spitfire crash https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-lincolnshire-69065857 Bomber Command Centre celebrates 500,000th visitor https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c5110vzkyd0o RAF Coningsby: Helicopter crash simulated for training exercise https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-lincolnshire-69059697 Man injured in early hours village shooting https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cneex4wpme4o Asian hornets pose 'massive risk', beekeeper warns https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cd11vewkx4po More than 30 tonnes of waste cleared from Crosby alleyways https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-humber-69058495 Goxhill Villagers say council is ignoring them on HGVs https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ce44ng5g91wo Beckingham: Three arrested in cockfighting investigation https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-lincolnshire-69059125 Eagles changed migration route to avoid Ukraine war https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c88z0p33413o Breeding Woodcock Survey shows an ongoing decline despite some small regional increases https://www.gwct.org.uk/news/news/2024/may/breeding-woodcock-survey-shows-an-ongoing-decline-despite-some-small-regional-increases/ *** Weather News and Forecast *** https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/ https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/warnings-and-advice/uk-warnings#? Thursday: 30th May A mix of sunshine and, perhaps thundery, showers. During the afternoon, showers become confined to the Derbyshire hills with some lengthy sunny spells developing particularly on the coast. Maximum temperature 19 °C. Friday 31st May to Sunday 2nd June: Showers lighter and more isolated from Friday with sunny spells. Temperatures near normal. Rather breezy at times. Sunday 2nd June - Tuesday 4th June: Early in June, conditions are likely to be more settled due to the influence of high pressure extending east over the country. A few showers could still develop in places but for most it will be a dry at the start of the period with plenty of sunshine. Feeling warm generally though cooler near the coast where onshore breezes develop. This fair weather is likely to continue for a few days into the following week, but thereafter the outlook becomes more uncertain. The south of the UK will probably be drier, although not ruling out scattered showers at times. Cooler and cloudier further northwest, where rain is more likely. Temperatures will probably be around normal or a little above average. *** For Astronomers and Sky-watchers *** Spotting Noctilucent Clouds https://www.rmg.co.uk/stories/topics/space-astronomy/noctilucent-clouds May Night Sky - highlights: https://www.rmg.co.uk/stories/blog/astronomy/night-sky-highlights-may-2024 June Night Sky - highlights: https://www.rmg.co.uk/stories/blog/astronomy/night-sky-highlights-june-2024 shortly... Full Moons 2024 - Strawberry Moon - 24th June https://www.rmg.co.uk/stories/topics/full-moon-calendar Meteor shower dates 2024 https://www.rmg.co.uk/stories/topics/meteor-shower-guide BBC Sky at Night Magazine website https://www.skyatnightmagazine.com/news *** EVENTS *** *** Lincolnshire Naturalists Union Field Meeting *** Saxilby Nature Project, Sunday 23rd June 2024 A new site for LNU field meetings Northwest of Saxilby. – Access courtesy of Ross and Eleanor Smith. 10.30 for 11.00 start and finish about 16.00..Car parking nearby off Sykes Lane. Grid reference: SK 87562 76768 What3Words: villas.hack.fixture – nearest postcode: LN1 2NS Habitats: Ponds, scrub and grassland on ex-arable land Leaders: Luke Hartley 07399 322211 hartley026@gmail.com, Brian Hedley brian_hedley@hotmail.com and Sarah Lambert 07784169260 sarah.lambert7@ntlworld.com https://what3words.com/villas.hack.fixture *** 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/ *** Lincoln RSPB *** Volunteer opportunities available for people who are passionate about wildlife and conservation. Lincoln RSPB is running the Peregrine Watch at Lincoln Cathedral again this year. All weekends in June and July. Prior experience isn’t necessary, enthusiasm is more important. For more information, contact Gwen M. Randall, Volunteer co-ordinator. gwen.randall@ntlworld.com STAYING SAFE Please copy and paste URLs if/as necessary. Bird flu: Defra advice to the general public is to leave corpses alone and report the findings - but that landowners should dispose of birds themselves. https://www.gov.uk/government/news/bird-flu-latest-situation-avian-influenza-prevention-zone-declared-across-great-britain 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 - look at the RBA website: http://www.rarebirdalert.co.uk/ For RBA's excellent articles: https://www.rarebirdalert.co.uk/RealData/Articles.asp 20/5 Alkborough Flats, Tundra Bean Goose. Anderby Creek, Wood Sandpiper at Anderby Marsh. Cowbit, 3 Sanderlings at north end of Cowbit Wash, drk Garganey. 2 Arctic Terns, Curlew Sandpiper flew north, Little Stint. Frampton Marsh, 2 Wood Sandpipers, 3 Little Gulls all 1s on Reedbed, Black-, winged Stilt on corner of Marsh Farm grassland on fen. Red Breasted Goose on Marsh Farm grassland with Dark-bellied Brent Geese, 12+ Little Gulls. Gibraltar Point, 5 Spoonbills, 2 Little Gulls, Black-throated Diver flew past, Velvet Scoter. 21/5 Cowbit, Scaup 1w drk north end. Cowbit Wash, 4 Sanderlings, Turnstone Chapel Six Marshes, Red-backed Shrike male just north of car park. Frampton Marsh, Black-winged Stilt, Red Breasted Goose on Marsh Farm grassland with Dark-bellied Brent Geese, Wood Sandpiper Gibraltar Point, 7 Spoonbills on Tennyson's Sands, 3 Woodlark, 2 Stint spp Little Gulls. Saltfleetby/Theddlethorpe, Temminck's Stint flew north over north end of Sea View Washlands, 1s Little Gull. 22/5 Cowbit, Little Stint, drk Garganey, 3 Grey Plovers at north end of Cowbit Wash 7 Sanderling briefly. Deeping High Bank, Grey Plover flew over Crowland Wash. Frampton Marsh, Wood Sandpiper, Black-winged Stilt NE corner of Roads Farm grassland, 9 Little Gulls on Reedbed, Freiston Shore, Wood Sandpiper. Gibraltar Point, Red-backed Shrike male on fence by beach path, 3 Spoonbills 3 1s Little Gulls, on Moat Scrape. Saltfleetby/Theddlethorpe Dunes, 1, possibly 2 Temminck's Stints Pectoral Sandpiper at Crook Bank on wet grassland behind scrapes. 23/5 Frampton Marsh, Lesser Yellowlegs 1s on footpath from car park. Wood Sandpiper 1s fem Black-winged Stilt, Little Gull. Gibraltar Point, 5 Little Gulls,- 3 at Tennyson's Sands. 24/5 Alkborough Flats, 20 Spoonbills. Cowbit, 2 Sanderlings at north end of Cowbit Wash. Frampton Marsh, Black-winged Stint in NW corner of Marsh Farm grassland. Gibraltar Point, Bee Eater flew north over, Great Northern Diver flew south past Little Gull flew south Saltfleetby/Theddlethorpe Dunes, Pectoral Sandpiper south of Crook Bank on wet grasslasnd behind scrapes, 2 Temmick's Stints. 25/5 Cowbit, 6 Sanderlings, Little Stint, at north end of Cowbit Wash Deeping St James, Glossy Ibis on East Pit, Deeping Lakes. Frampton Marsh, Black-winged Stint in NW corner of Marsh Farm Grassland on fen, Wood Sandpiper. 12+ Little Gulls. 26/5 Cowbit, 2 Grey Plovers and Little Stint at north end of Cowbit Wash. Pyewipe, Caspian Gull 1s at Novartis Ings Rimac, Red-backed Shrike, then flew south. Gibraltar Point, Spoonbill. Wolla Bank, Red-backed Shrike fem in reedbed. 27/5 Cowbit, 4 Sanderlings and Little Stint at north end of Cowbit Wash. Frampton Marsh, 2 Little Gulls in flooded field opposite reservoir. Black- winged Stilt 1s fem, opposite visitor centre, 3 Spoonbills. Gibraltar Point, Icterine Warbler singing at Mill Hill. Hen Harrier. Saltfleetby/Theddlethorpe Dunes, Golden Oriole, then flushed. 28/5 Cowbit, Little Stint at north end of Cowbit Wash. Gibraltar Point, Firecrest in East Dunes. Saltfleetby/Theddlethorpe Dunes, Red-footed Falcon in dunes south of Crook Bank car park. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 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 observations and welcome records from everyone, experts or beginners. Please keep your reports coming. BARDNEY - THE GREEN TF120694 R + A Parsons Regular hedgehog on trail-camera, 19/5 at 00.18hrs and 24/5 at 00.26hrs 25/4: Fungi in area: Glistening Inkcap, Coprinellus micaceus, trooping at base of tree on footpath between Church Lane and Viking Way. 26/5/2025 Roe Deer ad seen running east 7am along Silver Street, Bardney BARDNEY GARDEN TF117700 Phil and Mary Porter 22nd – 29th May 2024 Early in the period there was a family of Blue Tits in the garden but not one we could pin down to our nestbox pair where feeding was continuing on 28th. We also have a fledged Robin which seems to be thriving. A male Great Spotted Woodpecker is taking sunflower hearts away and this is the first visit for an unusually long time. Mary heard a Whitethroat sing on 21st, which we think is a new species for the garden, but it was a one-off occurrence. Another evening Barn Owl fly-through provided a thrill on 23rd. We started to hear Cuckoo calls close by from the 25th, including the hiccoughing variant. On 27th, Mary heard several Long-tailed Tits passing through at a leisurely pace so we presume it was probably a family party. There were a couple of tandem blue damselfly pairs around and the pair we identified was Azure. A Peacock butterfly that ventured out was in a very ragged state, accompanied by at least one Holly Blue. Other lepidoptera were Mint Moths and the occasional Silver Y. A Great Tit family arrived but, previously, something mysterious had gone awry with the brood we had in our box. The young Robin is still about. Goldfinches invaded our border outside the kitchen window very early this year feeding on the very first heads of Perennial Cornflower that had only just gone over. They also seemed to be attracted to the undeveloped pods of Dame’s Violet. We usually see this activity much later in the year. We enjoy seeing birds feeding naturally on our seeding plants especially at such close range. On 29th, a Kestrel took prey out of the garden. We couldn’t see what the item was but the kestrel was chased by a small bird. BOSTON TF338441 My garden Tracey Lenton 23/05/2024 Back garden 2 hedgehogs on the lawn between 6:20am and around 7am, one curled up, the other nudging it. One moved away soon after I went out to video, the curled up one remained still for about 15-20 minutes before dashing into the flower border. Courtship behaviour? https://drive.google.com/file/d/1cQI1odjqcud77TTKWnqcoqn6dJeCMEJv/view?usp=drive_web https://drive.google.com/file/d/1FASlmH41LNw_OWUZT9dXYEVTxs6-qpt6/view?usp=drive_web 27/05/2024 Front garden There are several clumps of purple toadflax which are attracting a lot of white-tailed bumble bees, one red-tailed bumble bee seen today. CHAMBERS FARM WOOD Butterfly Garden TF147739 Margaret Westcott May 2024 The volunteers have worked in the garden on two days this month, and recorded five species of butterflies: Brimstone, Green-veined White, Holly Blue, Orange-tip and Peacock. We have also seen the Mint Moth, and larvae of the Mullein Moth and Six-spot Burnet Moth. Hairy Shield-bugs have been massing on the tops of plants, with the occasional Crucifer Shield-bug. Beetles are a good find, especially when they don't scurry away, like the Purple Loosestrife Beetle, which could be a first for the garden. Damselflies are emerging, Large Red and Azure. FAR INGS Angela Buckle 26th May. Vipers bugloss, Hairy tare, Hedgerow cranesbill, Self heal, Eyebright, Cut leaved cranesbill. KETTLETHORPE Alison Brownlow 23.05.2024 Copious amounts of cuckoo spit on Willow, Spittlebug black/ brown. Smaller, normal, cuckoo spit on Creeping thistle, Dock, Goosegrass, Stinging nettle and Lavender. Spittlebug green. KINGERBY BECK MEADOWS Angela Buckle 25th May. Garlic-mustard, Wood dock, Hogweed, Rough chervil, Ground-ivy, Dog-rose, Creeping buttercup, Meadow buttercup, Yellow rattle, Common sorrel, Red clover, Southern marsh orchid, Pignut, Ox-eye daisy Adders-tongue fern, Cowslip, Frog orchid, Fairy flax, Common cats-ear, Meadow sweet, Bugle, Common mouse-ear. NETTLEHAM Brenda Edlington TF 005756 24/25 May Various times in daylight and at night. Fox cub caught on cameras 2 days running. Was laying in the hedgehog box that a hedgehog had taken some nesting material into but not used, with its head poking out of the entrance. A tight squeeze. Later seen on camera in the garden nosing about round the hedgehog feeding box (which 2 hedgehogs are still visiting). Fox not seen since. First time I’ve seen a fox in 38 years of living here, although other people have seen them nearby. 22/23 May Great tits fledged from blue tit box. Before nesting they were pecking at the wood on the inside of the hole even though a metal protection plate surrounds the hole. It was a tight squeeze for them but they were determined! WALESBY WOODS Angela Buckle 21st May. Red campion, Ribwort plantain, Sherard’s rose, Herb Bennett, Cow parsley, Doves-foot cranesbill, Common dog-rose, Common storksbill, Honeysuckle, Mouse-ear, Forget-me-not, Three-nerved sandwort, Gorse, Green alkanet, Greater celandine, Sheep’s sorrel, Thyme-leaved speedwell, Cleavers, Tormentil, Foxglove, Creeping buttercup, Black medick, Lesser trefoil, Ground-ivy, Brooklime, Pignut, Heath speedwell, Ox-eye daisy, Columbine, Dame’s violet, Shining cranesbill. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 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 RSPB Reserves: https://www.rspb.org.uk/days-out/reserves ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 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 22nd – 28th May 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 220524 - Sea View Washlands: 2 common sandpipers, little gull present with black-headed gulls, barn owl hunting over dunes and tawny owl calling nearby. Pectoral sandpiper and at least 1 Temminck’s stint on wet grassland south of Crook Bank. 100+ swift flew south early afternoon after rain stopped. 230524 - Paradise lagoon: 13 mute swans, 2 shelduck, 2 coot and 9 mallard. Pectoral sandpiper and 2 Temminck’s stint on wet grassland south of Crook Bank. Several hundred swift flew south early morning. 1 house martin and 1 swallow overhead at Sea View. Mistle thrush feeding at Sea View and 1 speckled wood butterfly seen. Barn owl seen flying over dunes. 240524 - On flooded pasture land near the southern area of the NNR the pectoral sandpiper and 2 Temminck’s stints still present. Yellow rattle and hound’s tongue in flower on the dunes. Bittern booming late evening, Rimac freshwater marsh. Bittern also seen briefly in flight mid-morning. Whimbrel and 2 curlew Rimac saltmarsh lagoon. 250524 - Drake garganey on Sea View Washlands. 260524 - Sea View Washlands: grey plover in fine plumage stayed briefly before flying off south, drake garganey still present. Female red-backed shrike in dune scrub Rimac south, being mobbed by local passerines. A moth trap at Rimac caught: small elephant hawk-moth, treble lines, white ermine, com-mon swift, flame shoulder, shears, bright line brown eye, brown rustic, square spot rustic, common carpet, poplar hawk-moth, eyed hawk-moth, grass rivulet, setaceous Hebrew character, marbled minor, cinna-bar, common wainscot and peppered moth. 270524 - Water vole swam across the Eau near Sea View bridge. Female golden oriole reported from the dunes south of Crook Bank. Good raptor passage throughout the morning, with approximately 30 red kite, 16 buzzard, 1 marsh harrier, 1 peregrine, 1 hobby. 2 kestrel flew south, along with 200+ swift, 100 swallow, 20 house martin and 1 sand martin. 2 newly fledged little egret on wet grassland south of Crook Bank, presumably from a local colony. 30 sanderling, most in breeding plumage, on the beach at Mablethorpe North End. 2 common tern and 2 first summer little gull flew south over the sea. 4 cuckoo between Brickyard Lane and Crook Bank. 4 Cetti’s warbler singing between Churchill Lane and Brickyard Lane. 280524 - Single black-tailed godwit Sea View Washlands. Male red-footed falcon in the dunes south of Crook Bank mid-morning, plus 3 cuckoo including a female ‘bubbling’. Short-eared owl and barn owl hunting over saltmarsh south of Rimac. 3 Egyptian goose on Sea View Washlands. 700 swift and 100 house martin flew south late-morning. Other Local Reserves 240524 – Donna Nook: Short eared owl hunting over saltmarsh. Cuckoo heard. Mixed flock of dunlin and ringed plover on beach, pair of avocet, pair of Brent geese, pair of shelduck, single turnstone over saltmarsh. 2 pairs of oystercatcher. 260524 – Donna Nook: 2 corn bunting singing, several yellow hammers, swallows feeding along wa-terways. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 5. BARDNEY LIMEWOODS NNR ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ These cover a huge area. Reports always welcome. The history of the Lincolnshire Limewoods: https://www.forestryjournal.co.uk/features/19111877.lincolnshire-limewoods/ The Forestry Commission visitor advice: https://www.forestryengland.uk/article/coronavirus-visitor-guide ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Butterfly Conservation Lincolnshire Branch: https://butterfly-conservation.org/300/lincolnshire-branch.html Chambers Farm Wood - Butterfly Garden - gardening dates and times: Next dates: 4th June, 18th June, 2nd July, 16th July 2024 https://butterfly-conservation.org/in-your-area/lincolnshire-branch/chambers-farm-wood-butterfly-garden Lincolnshire Dormouse Group Gemma Watkinson writes This summer, as there are forestry works being undertaken by Forestry England over the summer at Chambers Farm Woods, we will have limited access to the woods this year, and things may need to change at short notice. To manage visitor numbers, we are going to need to limit non-licenced visitors to around 10 people, and will require those who are interested in joining each session to email through to 'sign-up' no later than a week before each session. Please email lincsdormousegroup@gmail.com if you are interested in joining us. The summer dates we so far have approved with FE for nest box checks are: Saturday 15th June Sunday 21st July Saturday 17th August As always for the summer sessions, we will meet at 9.30am, and this will be outside the wood centre in the car park, but this may need to change. Looking forward to another dormouse-filled summer! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 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 Lincolnshire County Council - Local 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 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ *** Links "not to be missed" *** Please copy and paste URLs if/as necessary. CONTACTS LIST Lincolnshire Naturalists' Union LNU Website: http://lnu.org/ LNU Twitter feed: https://twitter.com/LincsNaturalist 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: *** For the Geologists *** Please copy and paste URLs if/as necessary. 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 UK Fossils in Lincolnshire https://ukfossils.co.uk/category/lincolnshire/ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 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. [Views expressed in the Bulletin do not necessarily reflect the policies or opinions of the LNU or associated organisations. In particular this applies to agencies, especially charities, taking a political stance.] ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 11. LNU EVENTS DIARY ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ *** LNU Events *** https://lnu.org/meetings/ https://lnu.org/meetings/indoor-meetings/ *** Lincolnshire Naturalists Union Field Meeting *** Saxilby Nature Project, Sunday 23rd June 2024 A new site for LNU field meetings Northwest of Saxilby. – Access courtesy of Ross and Eleanor Smith. 10.30 for 11.00 start and finish about 16.00..Car parking nearby off Sykes Lane. Grid reference: SK 87562 76768 What3Words: villas.hack.fixture – nearest postcode: LN1 2NS Habitats: Ponds, scrub and grassland on ex-arable Leaders: Luke Hartley 07399 322211 hartley026@gmail.com, Brian Hedley brian_hedley@hotmail.com and Sarah Lambert 07784169260 sarah.lambert7@ntlworld.com https://what3words.com/villas.hack.fixture ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 12 ...AND FINALLY... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ *** National or international stories *** Extinct ‘mountain jewel’ plant returned to wild - in secret location https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cjkkm4re518o Atlantic to get 'extraordinary' hurricane season https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cw441ng00wxo Top scientists urge action against faeces in rivers https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cv22dl509vjo Climate change made UK's waterlogged winter worse https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cp992nxxe7do Invader 'choking' native plants, gardeners warned https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c5113eq77p9o How genes shape birdsong, even when birds grow up far from home https://theconversation.com/how-genes-shape-birdsong-even-when-birds-grow-up-far-from-home-230789 *** Mail Fails *** None ----------------- ~ THE END ~ ----------------- (..until next week!) Roger Parsons old.museum@yahoo.co.uk http://rogerparsons.info/