============================================ || || Wildnews Bulletin 13th Nov 2024 || News of Lincolnshire Wildlife || LNU: http://lnu.org/ || || Please email Editor on: philporterento@outlook.com || ============================================ 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 format] 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 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Editor writes: During the last week, I discovered that I am not using the Rare Bird Alert entry in our Bulletin to anything like its full value. The lists of weekly scarce and rare birds are interesting, although I stopped aspiring to actually go and see these wanderers a long time ago, but I had never delved deeper into the site. By clicking on the link for Articles in our RBA feature below, you can view an immense ongoing archive of short articles on a whole range of subjects, predominantly birds obviously, but also including conservation news and other general wildlife subjects. Many thanks to RBA for allowing us to reproduce their Lincolnshire material. Donna Nook Seals: Information from Ruth Taylor. 01/11/24 : Seal Count 11 pups, 68 cows, 33 bulls. 08/11/24 Donna Nook Seal Count: 128 pups, 229 cows, 33 bulls. Only about 20 pups visible from the viewing area at the time of the count. For "Pupdates" on the Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust website, see: https://www.lincstrust.org.uk/get-involved/top-reserves/donna-nook Parking is currently in Stonebridge car park at the end of Marsh Lane. The local landowner will be opening his field car park in November, £5 for all day parking and port-a-loos will be available. Currently the nearest toilets are the public ones in North Somercotes. No dogs allowed along the seal viewing area when the seals are in to avoid disturbance and disease transference between the species. If possible, avoid visiting at a weekend as it can be very busy with several thousand people arriving over the two days. There are seal wardens on site to answer any questions you might have. There is private catering on site although not guaranteed to be there every day. There is also a little shop with all proceeds coming to Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust to support our work at Donna Nook. Phil Porter's email is: philporterento@outlook.com Roger Parsons' email is: old.museum@yahoo.co.uk BTO's tracked Cuckoos - 12 south of the Sahara https://www.bto.org/cuckoos *** This week's mostly-local news stories: *** Footage captures baby seal pup moments after birth https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/clyv1581yz4o Over £40k paid in compensation for pothole damage https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/clyvke4e9v7o Badger damage 'more severe' than first thought https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/czd5rvmdmz6o People urged not to disturb seals on coast https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cvgl8qz9n3lo Beach dog ban renewed to preserve Blue Flag status https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cn8l61ygnqyo Pylons would be 'carbuncles' - shadow minister https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c629g37zz4yo Fungi in Folklore - Plantlife https://www.plantlife.org.uk/fungi-in-folklore/ When should you rescue a hedgehog? An expert guide https://theconversation.com/when-should-you-rescue-a-hedgehog-an-expert-guide-243177 NatureSpot - Identifying Fungi https://www.naturespot.org.uk/gallery/fungi Air ambulance flies 30,000th mission https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cqj0y9jgjggo Energy storage plan delayed due to fire concerns https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c2dljgl6gx9o Regulatory scrutiny and engagement for geological disposal https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/geological-disposal-scrutiny-of-rwms-work-annual-reports/regulatory-scrutiny-and-engagement-for-geological-disposal-annual-report-2023-to-2024 Residents to have their say on flooding strategy https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cnvj1l3rgedo *** Weather News and Forecast *** https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/ https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/warnings-and-advice/uk-warnings#? East Midlands weather forecast Thursday 14th November - Sunday 17th November Headline: Mostly dry. Thursday: A rather cloudy start to the day, with some low cloud, mist and hill fog. Otherwise, largely dry with some bright or sunny spells developing into the afternoon. Light winds. Maximum temperature 12 C. Outlook for Friday to Sunday: Largely dry with some bright or sunny spells on Friday, before a narrow band of rain moves quickly south on Saturday. Turning colder with showers following on Sunday. Breezier. UK long range weather forecast Sunday 17th November - Tuesday 26th November Turning more unsettled and significantly colder as we head into the weekend with rain or showers for most regions, The heaviest and most frequent spells of rain are most likely in the north where they are likely to turn wintry, especially to the hills of Scotland, but perhaps also to lower levels in the far north as colder air digs south. The chance of any widespread or disruptive snowfall affecting more populated areas at this stage however remains low. Less certainty for the south but even here there is a chance of some more organised rain, and potentially some hill snow. Often windy, with a chance of gales at times, especially in the north and east. Temperatures falling below average and feeling particularly cold in the strong winds. *** For Astronomers and Sky-watchers *** New study on moons of Uranus raises chance of life https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cgk1333k0ypo Sky At A Glance https://skyandtelescope.org/observing/sky-at-a-glance/ Night Sky - highlights - November https://www.rmg.co.uk/stories/blogs/astronomy Full Moons - 15th November https://www.rmg.co.uk/stories/topics/full-moon-calendar Meteor shower dates - Leonids; 6-30 November https://www.rmg.co.uk/stories/topics/meteor-shower-guide BBC Sky at Night Magazine website https://www.skyatnightmagazine.com/news *** EVENTS *** *** Grimsby and Cleethorpes Area Group LWT *** Autumn Migrants on Cleethorpes Seafront and at Anthony's Bank - a morning bird walk Carolyn Davis writes On Saturday 23rd November 2024 you are invited to join the Grimsby and Cleethorpes Area Group LWT on a morning bird walk on Cleethorpes seafront and at Anthony's Bank looking for autumn migrants with Graham Hicks. Meet Graham at 8am in the Cleethorpes Leisure Centre car park DN35 0BY. Please dress sensibly according to the weather conditions with appropriate footwear and bring binoculars if you have them. This is a free event however donations will be welcomed for the Trust. For more information contact Graham on 07979089890 *** RSPB Grimsby/Cleethorpes *** Brian Patterson writes… The next talk for our local RSPB Grimsby/Cleethorpes group will take place on Monday the 18th November at 7.30pm at The Holy Trinity Church on Grimsby Road, Cleethorpes, DN35 7LH. The talk will be presented by Craig Rolston on "Bird ringing on the Lower Derwent Valley" *** Lincoln LWT *** Richard Davidson writes… Lincoln Area Group Talk 21st November 2024: “Exciting Times at Wilder Doddington” Project Officer Isobel Wright returns with news of much progress on the rewilding of the Doddington Hall estate. A lot has happened since her first talk to us in December 2022. 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. STAYING SAFE Please copy and paste URLs if/as necessary.... Cold-weather alerts - 1 Nov 2024 - 31st March 2025 https://ukhsa-dashboard.data.gov.uk/weather-health-alerts/cold 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 6/11 Deeping St James, 2 Glossy Ibises at Deeping Lakes, along River Welland. Frampton Marsh, Wood Sandpiper on South Scrape. Freiston Shore, Slavonian Grebe on lagoon. Gibraltar Point, Yellow-browed Warbler at Aylmer Avenue. Lapland Bunting flew over Millennium Ridge, White-fronted Goose flew in off sea. Tallington Lakes, Ferruginous Duck ad drk on main lake. Access £5. Use main entrance off A1175 Stamford Road. 7/11 Baston Langtoft Pits,. Ferruginous Duck drk at South Pit. Caythorpe, Hawfinch Deeping St James, 2 Glossy Ibises at Deeping Lakes, along River Welland East Halton, 14 Hawfinches flew over Skitter Beck. Frampton Marsh, Tundra Bean Goose flew east over with Pink-footed Geese. American Wigeon drk north of path between visitor centre and Sea Bank car park with c800 Wigeon. Hen Harrier. Russian White-fronted Goose flew west. Freiston Shore, Slavonian Grebe on lagoon. Gibraltar Point, Red-necked Grebe flew south past. Market Deeping, Hawfinch flew over Molecey Mill Pit. Marston sewage works, Hawfinch flew south over. Rippingale, Hawfinch. Saltfleetby/Theddlethorpe. Long-eared owl trapped and ringed, Saltfleet Haven. Sturton by Stow, Hawfinch Trusthorpe to Sutton -on-Sea, 2 Snow Buntings between in Marram Grass. 8/11 Caythorpe 3 Hawfinches flew over. Far Ings, Slavonian Grebe on Western Approaches Pit. Frampton Marsh, Hen Harrier, Twite. Gibraltar Point, Red-necked Grebe offshore, Hawfinch flew south, over Sykes Farm. Saltfleetby/Theddlethorpe. Black Redstart at Saltfleetby St Clement by barn at the start of track to Elm House. Yellow-browed Warbler near Brickyard Dunes. Sutton-on-Sea, Yellow-browed Warbler. 9/11 Belton, north of Epworth, Hawfinch near orchard. Caythorpe ,Hawfinch flew over. Donna Nook.2 Spoonbills both imm on saltmarsh, then flew north. Frampton Marsh, Purple Sandpiper east of path near East Hide. 2 Hen Harriers 1 male. Market Deeping, Knot at Molecey Mill Pit. Pinchbeck. 2 Hawfinches flew over. Tallington Lakes, Ferruginous duck ad drk on Main Lake. Hawfinch. Entry £5. 10/11 Caythorpe, Hawfinch in yew east of churchyard. Deeping St Jame, Black-necked Grebe at Deeping Lakes on Main Lake. Frampton Marsh, Water Pipit, Spotted Redshank. Gibraltar Point, 2 Hawfinches flew south over. Yellow-browed Warbler with tit flock. 3 Twite flew south, 23 Russian White-fronted Geese flew over Tennyson's Sands. Moulton Marsh, Bewick's Swan by seawall in fields.. Sutton-on-Sea, 2 Snow Buntings by beach huts on beach. 11/11 Far Ings, Slavonian Grebe on Western Approaches Pit. Frampton Marsh, Spoonbill juv, Water Pipit at River Witham mouth. Gibraltar Point, Woodlark flew south over. Huttoft, 6 Snow Buntings flew north over beach. Langtoft, Hawfinch in churchyard. Mablethorpe, Long-tailed Duck flew north past, Pomarine Skua flew north past. Pyewipe. Caspian Gull 2w on saltmarsh. Saltfleetby/Theddlethorpe, Spotted Redshank Rimac, over saltmarsh. Wigtoft west of Sutterton, Hawfinch flew north over. 12/11 Caythorpe, Hawfinch flew over. Barton-upon-Humber,. Red-breasted Merganser flew west up Humber, Scaup fem. Chapel Point, Leach's Petrel north past North Sea Observatory. Pomarine Skua, Black-throated Diver flew north.. Chapel St Leonards, Cory's Shearwater, 2 Leach's Petrels, 2 Pomarine Skuas, 4 Black-throated Divers, 3 Velvet Scoters. Deeping St James, .2 Glossy Ibises along River Welland. Far Ings, .Slavonian Grebe on Western Approaches Pit. Frampton Marsh, Little Stint. Gibraltar Point, Pomarine Skua flew south past, 2 Slavonian Grebes, Red-necked Grebe, Twite, 2 Snow Buntings. 4 Little Auks. 2 Pomarine Skuas flew past. Grimsby, Black Redstart at fish docks, 2 Hawfinches over Heneage Road., Huttoft Bank, .2 Leach's Petrels, 2 Grey Phalaropes, 3 Arctic Terns. Mablethorpe, 3 Little Auks- 2 north, 1 south, 2 Black-throated Divers, 2 Great Northern Divers. Tallington Lakes, Ferruginous Duck ad drk on Main Lake, juv Spoonbill flew NE. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 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. TATTERSHALL, HUNTERS LANE TF224584 David Robinson I'm sorry to say my wife found what we believe to be a Jack Snipe dead on the road on Sunday the 10th November. I have attached a photo so you can positively identify the bird. Such a shame to see it dead, I presume hit by a car. (Correctly identified Ed.) *** 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 to beginners. Please keep your reports coming. ALKBOROUGH Steve Hiner 11/11/24 Bearded Tit x 6 Blackbird x 6 Black-headed Gull x 5 Carrion Crow x 2 Cettis Warbler x 2 Chaffinch x 6 Coot x 7 Curlew x 4 Fieldfare x 61 Gadwall x 12 Goldfinch x 12 Great Tit x 2 Greylag Goose x 15 Jackdaw x 2 Kestrel x 1 Little Grebe x 1 Long-tailed Tit x 5 Mallard x 9 Marsh Harrier x 2 Moorhen x 1 Mute Swan x 3 Pink-footed Goose x 350+ Pintail x 2 males Redshank x 4 Redwing x 135 Robin x 1 Rook x 7 Shelduck x 2 Sparrowhawk x 1 female Starling x 150+ Teal x 35 Tufted Duck x 9 Whooper Swan x 8 Wood Pigeon x 12 Mole x 1 dead on track BARDNEY - THE GREEN TF120694 R + A Parsons 11/11/2024 13 Whooper swans flew over garden approx. 4pm. BARDNEY GARDEN TF117700 Mary Porter 10th November 2024 Looking out of the kitchen window, around 7.30am on a very dull, damp morning, I noticed the line of apple trees, which extend from near the window, down the garden, seemed to be alive with small fluttering birds. The leaves were all twitching, and there were blue tits and great tits flying from the trees towards our sunflower heart dispenser. I grabbed the binoculars to try and make some sense of it all. The main action in the trees was coming from a flock of long-tailed tits. The most I saw at once was 8, but I'm sure there were more than that. There were also at least x8 blue tits, x2 great tits and one coal tit. More tantalizing still, whilst watching the long-tailed tits in the apple tree I could have sworn I saw a treecreeper, just "nudging" its way round the back of the trunk. I didn't get a good look at it and disappeared, so it will have to remain a mystery. 12th November 2024 At around 7.15am when there was only gloomy daylight outside, I could hear a commotion of blackbirds outside the window, along with some “pink-pink” chaffinch warning calls. I drew up the window blind, just in time to see at least a dozen blackbirds flapping and flying around our trees, all seeming to concentrate on something just out of sight. A very fast, larger bird flew straight away from me from the middle of the garden. I’m assuming it was a sparrow hawk as they are regular visitors every day. It was an interesting spectacle, as, up until then, blackbird numbers have been very low, so I can only assume the majority of these were migrants. 13th November Our large-leafed variegated Ivy must be on its last legs for nectar production but in sunny weather today, it is busy with many bluebottles and a few hoverflies and wasps, with two Red Admirals apparently sunbathing rather than feeding. FISKERTON FEN TF083718 Mary Porter 11th November 2024 On the first sunny day for weeks, we had a tip-off from Richard Davidson that there were “Over 30 white egrets” at Fiskerton Fen. As I was just leaving for an appointment in Lincoln, I grabbed the binoculars and camera and popped in for a few minutes. I’m glad I did! At least x30 little egrets with at least x3 great white egrets amongst them. They were showing very well in the sunshine, mostly standing about, seemingly doing very little except enjoying the warmth. Occasionally, one would rather lugubriously take off and flap towards the opposite bank, as if following the sunshine. A couple of visitors came in to the hide to say there were indeed more egrets up in the trees and on the bank alongside and behind the bird hide, which weren’t visible from inside. Whilst watching, there was a sudden commotion, and they all took off, flapping about in alarm. A lone marsh harrier had appeared, but it was soon joined by a very plucky crow who harassed it so much, it disappeared off towards the river – for the time being anyway. Visitors have also mentioned a starling roost later on in the day, so it would be good to return at dusk to see if there is a murmuration. GOLTHO, WRAGBY Ben Jacob 8th November Several Robins Pincushion (Bedeguar) Galls noted on wild roses This is the gall of Diplolepis rosae NETTLEHAM GAME FARM Ben Jacob 7th November Some flowers now showing on gorse bushes SEDGE HOLE CLOSE LWT Nature Reserve Steve Hiner 01/11/24 Blackbird x 3 Blue Tit x 2 Carrion crow x 4 Chaffinch x 9 Dunnock x 1 Fieldfare x 32 Goldfinch x 6 Great Tit x 2 Greylag Goose x 12 over Jackdaw x 4 Redwing x 7 Robin x 2 Stock Dove x 1 Tree Sparrow x 19 Wood Pigeon x 4 Wren x 1 THURNHOLMES (within 300m of SK797984 unless stated) Steve Hiner & Paul Snow 31/10/24 Great White Egret x 1 in fields north of Thurnholmes 11:50hrs 04/11/24 Barn Owl x 1 01:50hrs Blackbird x 4 Blue Tit x 2 Carrion Crow x 2 Chaffinch x 7 Common Buzzard x 1 Fieldfare x 7 Goldfinch x 4 Greylag Goose x 25 over Thurnholmes Grey Partridge x 9 Heron x 1 over Thurnholmes Long-tailed Tit x 15 Pied Wagtail x 1 Redwing x 18 Sparrowhawk x 1 female Starling x 300+ in murmuration over Thurnholmes Tree Sparrow x 7 Wood Pigeon x 9 Wren x 1 Hedgehog x 1 House Mouse x 3 07/11/24 Barn Owl x 1 03:30hrs Blackbird x 8 Black-headed Gull x 52 following tractor in fields around Thurnholmes Blue Tit x 2 Carrion crow x 3 Chaffinch x 12 Dunnock x 1 Fieldfare x 38 Goldfinch x 4 Great Tit x 4 Grey Partridge x 7 Mallard x 3 Pink-footed Goose x 150+ north over Thurnholmes Redwing x 58 Robin x 1 singing high in tree tops Tawny Owl x 1 calling 04:00hrs Wood Pigeon x 6 WATER RAIL WAY Bardney to Bardney Lock TF108696 Phil and Mary Porter 7th November The walk out was pretty dull. About 10 Mallard and a pair of Moorhens were on the Witham but apart from a few Blue and Great Tits in the hedgerows and c.6 House Sparrows feeding on seed left out on an improvised tray, small birds were not much in evidence. In the verge, a patch of ‘Dog-vomit’ Slime-mould. At the Lock, a flock of c. 200 Lapwings and a few Jackdaws suddenly rose from a field of grass that had been just long enough to hide them. A Great White Egret was next to the Old Witham channel. A single Cormorant flew past. A Grey Heron was evidently quite agitated and calling loudly. At the end of the return walk the tall conifer hedgerow at Station Road held Goldcrests which were calling (Mary tells me!) but only glimpsed very briefly and at least 4 Long-tailed Tits. On arriving home, we saw quite a large flight of Pink-footed Geese which would probably have been more or less overhead on our walk earlier. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 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 6th – 12th November 2024 Report this week from Owen Beaumont, with thanks to all contributors. Daily News and Wildlife Sightings 061124 – yellow-browed warbler calling near Brickyard Lane. 11 cattle egret and great white egret at Rimac. 8 black-tailed godwit Paradise Lagoon and 2 stonechat around nearby pillbox. 2500 starling flew south through Theddlethorpe. 071124 – 9 cattle egret Rimac dunes with cattle. On Paradise Lagoon 61 shoveler, 49 teal, 142 black-headed gull and 10 black-tailed godwit. 2 stonechat opposite pillbox between Sea View and Paradise. 3000 starling flew south over Churchill Lane saltmarsh in two flocks. A small arrival of winter thrushes in the afternoon. Long-eared owl Saltfleet Haven area. 081124 – woodcock, chiffchaff and 3 goldcrest Sea View, and 2 marsh harrier over saltmarsh nearby. 11 cattle egret 25 redwing, 2 fieldfare and sparrowhawk Rimac, and a late swallow flying around the car park early afternoon. Yellow-browed warbler calling again at Brickyard Lane. Tawny owl heard at Sear’s Track and another at Churchill Lane. Siskin flying south through the morning, including a group of 16. Black redstart in the yard at Elm House Farm. 091124 – singles of blackcap, chiffchaff, brambling plus a few goldcrest around Sea View. Yellow-browed warbler calling at Brickyard Lane, plus 2 woodcock and a stonechat in the dunes. 2 woodcock also in dunes near Churchill Lane. 4 cattle egret and 4 whooper swan flew south over Brickyard Lane. 10 blackbird and 6 redwing under apple tree at Sea View, with others arriving through the day including 17 song thrush, 30 redwing and blackbirds. 101124 – around Sea View grey wagtail, 8 redwing, chiffchaff, female marsh harrier and 6 cattle egret. Another chiffchaff and a Cetti’s warbler at Rimac. Great white egret flew south over Brickyard Lane, where 40 redwing, 40 blackbird and 2 brambling were present early afternoon but soon moved on. 5 eider flew south over the sea. 14 gadwall Rimac freshwater marsh scrape, 11 cattle egret with livestock in the dunes and 2 stonechat nearby. 320 wigeon Elm House Farm. 42 curlew and 110 wigeon on scrapes near Sea View. 111124 – 720 pink-footed goose and 26 whooper swan flew from roost on Rimac lagoon. Water rail calling Rimac freshwater marsh. 7 marsh harrier and 2 ringtail hen harrier flew over saltmarsh. 3 skeins of pink-footed goose flew south in the morning, totalling c1000 birds. Pomarine skua flew north over the sea then landed and a long-tailed duck flew north. An immature spoonbill also flew north over the sea and appeared to land on Rimac foreshore. 2 stonechat, 11 cattle egret, 20 meadow pipit and 8 reed bunting Rimac dunes. 3 short-eared owl, 2 jack snipe, 4 yellowhammer, 20 meadow pipit Crook Bank outer dunes, and another short-eared owl arrived high off the sea at Mablethorpe North End. 8 whooper swan (2 juveniles) flew south over Rimac at dusk. 121124 – going north over the sea were 7 brent goose, 2 velvet scoter, 59 common scoter, 42 teal, pintail, 28 wigeon, great crested grebe, 4 pomarine skua, arctic skua, 5 kittiwake, 2 little auk, black-throated diver, 2 great northern diver, 10 gannet, and south went 6 shelduck, little auk, black-throated diver, 6 gannet. 6 starling and a rock pipit arrived off the sea. Snow bunting flew north along the outer dunes Saltfleet Haven area. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 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 *** Butterfly Conservation Lincolnshire *** Chambers Farm Wood Butterfly Garden Volunteers Margaret Westcott writes… With November, our gardening season comes to a close, and the garden is left in the hands of Nature. It's not been a good year for our lepidoptera, and many of the more unusual species have been missing. A strange Spring and fluctuating weather meant large parts of the garden were water- logged. Newly emerged queen bumblebees and overwintering butterflies raise the spirits. A large number of Brown Hairstreak eggs adorn the blackthorn twigs, each in its own little crook. In the bee hotels, we detect sealed entrances, and contemplate new life. The garden entrance has a new dedication board, beautifully scripted. Come in and sit quietly amongst the fallen leaves and stands of Seed heads. Gardening starts in February next year. New volunteers are always welcome. Gardening days for 2025. February 8th; March 4th & 18th; April 1st 15th; May 6th & 20th; June 3rd & 17th; July 1st & 15th; August 5th & 19th; September 2nd & 16th, October 7th & 21st; November 4th. margaretwestcott7@hotmail.co.uk https://butterfly-conservation.org/in-your-area/lincolnshire-branch/chambers-farm-wood-butterfly-garden *** Lincolnshire Dormouse Group *** lincsdormousegroup@gmail.com All being well we should get a permit for the following dates for our winter coppicing sessions: Sunday 17th November 2024 Saturday 14th December 2024 Sunday 19th January 2025 Saturday 15th February 2025 Sunday 16th March 2025 We will meet at Chambers Farm Woods outside the wood centre at 10am over the winter, and the session normally runs until mid afternoon, with a break for a packed lunch picnic in the woods. Please be aware that the toilet block at Chambers remains closed. No experience is necessary, just enthusiasm! All tools are provided, but I would recommend that if you have your own gardening gloves to bring these along, but we have some that you can borrow too. Also, a brief summary of the October box check results: The number of dormouse sightings at the October box check was somewhat lower than in recent months with 17 found, one of which was dead. This was less than half the number found in September and also half the number found in October 2023. The dead dormouse had a visible fur clip at position E. It wasn’t possible to determine if there were more clips on the other side of the body so there are 3 possibilities for the identity of the mouse, E, BE or BEF, all of which have been seen in nearby boxes. Most of the dormice found were new sightings (ie no fur clipping visible) but 5 were re- captures. Each year we seem to have one dormouse that is seen multiple times and this year it is Francis, who has been found 5 times in Ivy Wood 2. For the first time in at least 3 years, we found dormice in all of the woods surveyed, with a 25g male being the first sighting since 2021 in Minting Far End. It was a good month for shrews, with 6 being found, 4 of which were in Ivy Wood East. There were also more woodmice than of late, with 7 in Ivy East (6 in one box!) and 7 in Little Scrubbs. Also found were 4 bats in Ivy Wood West and 6 BLE bats in Minting Triangle. Reminder from Gemma Watkinson: We are interested to know whether dormice have naturally dispersed into other woodlands in the Lincolnshire Limewoods area (or indeed if there are any remnant isolated populations elsewhere in the county). For anyone walking in the Limewoods area, particularly in those woodlands closest to Chambers Farm Woods (e.g. Camshaws Wood, Austacre and New Park Woods, and Broadwater Forest, Thistle Storr Wood, Glad Wood and College Wood) please keep a look out for any hazelnuts that you think may have been opened by a dormouse. More information on how to undertake a nut hunt can be found on the People’s Trust for Endangered Species website and this document illustrates the distinctive marks to look out for as well as what nuts opened by voles, birds and squirrels also look like. https://ptes.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Help_us_find_hazel_dormice_generic.pdf Please let us know what you find, and send us photos of any nuts you think may have been opened by dormice. Happy Nut Hunting! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 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 to the editor as early as possible. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 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/ 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: nichol20@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 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 the recorder promptly. Don't forget a thank you for the help. That is always welcomed. Dragonfly Identification help https://british-dragonflies.org.uk/odonata/species-and-identification/ 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 Bat Identification https://www.bats.org.uk/about-bats/what-are-bats/uk-bats/ NHBS - Frequencies of British Bats https://media.nhbs.com/equipment/British%20Bat%20Frequencies.pdf Slug ID Help Chris du Feu will help with slug identification. Tel: 01383 669 124 Email: chris.r.dufeu@gmail.com 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: downloadable LNU book *** 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 the editor: 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 *** 2025 programme is in preparation. Watch this space! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 12 ...AND FINALLY... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ National and international stories Leeches are making a medical comeback – here’s why we should celebrate it https://theconversation.com/leeches-are-making-a-medical-comeback-heres-why-we-should-celebrate-it-242636 Making farming better for bees: https://theconversation.com/making-farming-better-for-bees-can-we-breed-crops-that-produce-more-nectar-and-pollen-241830 Wildlife fears as water turns black at nature spot https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cj0jm936p35o Energy smart meter issues creating north-south divide https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cq52382zd1no Microplastics May Now Be Messing with Our Weather and Climate. Here’s What That Means https://www.zmescience.com/science/news-science/microplastics-may-now-be-messing-with-our-weather-and-climate-heres-what-that-means/ *** Mail Fails *** san@alf-resco.co.uk - soft bounce - message could not be delivered to one or more recipients. Mark Bibby - soft bounce - message could not be delivered to one or more recipients. Jackie Nicholson - soft bounce - something went wrong and your message couldn't be delivered. ----------------- ~ THE END ~ ----------------- (..until next week!) Roger Parsons old.museum@yahoo.co.uk http://rogerparsons.info/