============================================ || || Wildnews Bulletin 20th November 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: You’ll notice a new LWT / LCC location for wildlife observations this week. My former colleague Dave Miller has started to send his observations from the Lincolnshire Coastal Country Park area from Sandilands to Chapel St. Leonards, and inland to Huttoft and Mumby. In contrast to the close focus of most wildlife reserve units, this area is on a true landscape scale, and I look forward to a closer insight into its biological assets. Phil Porter's email is: philporterento@outlook.com Roger Parsons' email is: old.museum@yahoo.co.uk *** Donna Nook Seals ***: Information from Ruth Taylor. 151124 – Weekly pupdate: 444 pups, 694 cows and 178 bulls. 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. BTO's tracked Cuckoos - 12 south of the Sahara https://www.bto.org/cuckoos *** This week's mostly-local news stories: *** Disruption as county sees first snow of winter https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c1wj4v1z1zro Emu rescue efforts 'scuppered' by people 'in 4x4s' https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ce3yd2krgeko Luxury cars swiped in spate of keyless car thefts https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cj6k0n1edlno Tell us how you would cut air pollution - council https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cx2l0597y21o Inside the lab fighting an Asian hornet invasion https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cx2lk3gppj7o Grants for at-risk heritage sites in Lincolnshire https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cpvz1r77vweo Dog owners to face £100 fines for leaving waste https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/clyv39qn267o *** Weather News and Forecast *** https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/ https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/warnings-and-advice/uk-warnings#? Snow Warning East Midlands | East of England | North East England | SW Scotland, Lothian Borders | Yorkshire & Humber What to expect: Some roads and railways likely to be affected with longer journey times by road, bus and train services; Some injuries from slips and falls on icy surfaces; Probably some icy patches on some untreated roads, pavements and cycle paths; Some short term loss of power and other services is likely. Thursday 21st November - Sunday 24th November Headline: Wintry showers near coasts, dry inland. Cold. Tonight: A very cold night with a severe overnight frost developing, particularly in rural areas. Winds decreasing mostly light but brisker near the coast. Minimum temperature -6 °C. Thursday: Another cold day with a chance of snow showers returning to some areas, mainly Derbyshire, on Thursday. A slow thaw during daylight hours but icy stretches persisting in places. Maximum temperature 4 °C. Outlook for Friday to Sunday: Friday cold with wintry showers near coasts. Some snow probable Saturday morning with rain by evening. Very windy. Sunday milder and brighter with rain clearing and remaining windy. UK long range weather forecast Sunday 24 Nov - Tuesday 3 Dec An unsettled start, with a spell of very strong winds and some rain or showers for all parts. It will be mild for most parts, especially towards the southeast, although the strong winds will make it feel rather cold. The start of next week looks like turning colder for all parts, with a return of wintry showers for a time, especially in the north. Conditions then look like settling down as high pressure builds across the country. Although the high may drift off to the east later next week, mainly dry and settled conditions seem likely to persist, especially towards the south and east where fog may become an issue. Temperatures trending back towards average, but overnight frosts are likely and rather cold days where fog persists. *** For Astronomers and Sky-watchers *** 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 *** *** L.N.U. / LINCOLNSHIRE BIRD CLUB JOINT MEETING *** On Saturday 25th January 2025 at Whisby Nature Park Education Centre Lincoln SK910662 at 2 pm. Refreshments will be available. Parking £2 Illustrated talk by LBC Chairman Phil Espin, “The Birds of a Lincolnshire Market Town” This talk is based on the book of the same title recently published by L.B.C. and written by Phil and his great friend John Clarkson who tragically died before publication. An appreciation of this book can be found at https://thewryneck.blogspot.com/2024/08/birds-of-lincolnshire-market-town.html *** 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 *** 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 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 Mail Lake, juv Spoonbill flew NE. 13/11 Caythorpe, Hawfinch in yews west of churchyard, then flew off. East Halton Skitter, Grey Phalarope, south of, off Sea Wall. Far Ings, Slavonian Grebe on Ness Lake. Gibraltar Point, probably Northern Harrier flew north past, then north past Wolla Bank, then north past Mablethorpe, Grimsby, Black Redstart at fish dock. 14/11 Cleethorpes, 5 Snow Buntings in dunes. Far Ings, Slavonian Grebe from Ness Hide. Fosdyke Wash, Hen Harrier male over saltmarsh at River Welland Mouth. Friskney,.Hen Harrier ringtail over marsh. Gibraltar Point, 2 Sooty Shearwaters, Red-necked Grebe, Slavonian Grebe. Eastern Stonechat sp. 1w male. [Siberian or Amur Stonechat], Lapland Bunting flew south. Long-tailed Duck flew past. Huttoft Bank, .2 Sooty Shearwaters flew past Huttoft Car Terrace. Mablethorpe 2 Sooty Shearwaters, Long-tailed Duck. 15/11 Gibraltar Point, Eastern Stonechat sp 1w male. [Siberian or Amur Stonechat], 2 Lapland Buntings flew south. 2 Snow Buntings on beach. Langtoft, Hawfinch fem. in churchyard. Saltfleetby/Theddlethorpe. 30 Snow Buntings on edge of outer saltmarsh. Spoonbill flew north over Rimac saltmarsh. 16/11 Baston and Langtoft Pits, Ferruginous Duck, then flew towards Tallington Lakes. Deeping St James, Black-necked Grebe on Main Lake, Deeping Lakes. Gibraltar Point, Eastern Stonechat sp 1w male. [probably Siberian] Slavonian Grebe flew north past, Great Northern Diver on sea, Hen Harrier ringtail flew south past. Seacroft, Siberian Chiffchaff. 17/11 Alkborough Flats, Little Auk on River Trent, then flew south. Cleethorpes, 2 Snow Buntings on beach. Deeping St James, w drk Scaup, Ring-necked Duck and Black-necked Grebe on Main Lake east of island, Deeping Lakes. East Halton Skitter, 2 Purple Sandpipers on Humber between East Halton and Winter's Pond. Gibraltar Point, Eastern Stonechat sp 1w male, [probably Siberian] at Mill Hill. Yellow-browed Warbler at halfway sycamores. Goxhill Haven, Snow Bunting along shoreline between haven and Dawson City. Holbeach St Matthew, Hen Harrier male at saltmarsh. Skegness, Middlemarsh Farm, Caspian gull 1w. 18/11 Deeping St James, 2 Glossy Ibises at Deeping Lakes along River Welland. Black necked Grebe juv at Deeping Lakes, 1w drk Scaup.. Frampton Marsh, Red-necked Grebe at River Witham mouth. Russian White-fronted Goose, Purple Sandpiper. Gibraltar Point, Yellow-browed Warbler, Snow Bunting on beach. Eastern Stonechat sp. 1w male. [probably Siberian] at East Dunes north of Mill Hill Langtoft, 2+ Hawfinches in churchyard. Saltfleetby/Theddlethorpe, Spoonbill flew west over road. 19/11 Covenham Reservoir, Great Northern Diver flew east. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 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 to beginners. Please keep your reports coming. BARDNEY - THE GREEN TF120694 R + A Parsons 15.11.2024 Pied Wagtail ad male flew over garden.11am, later under feeders. Regular Black-headed Gull raiding party of 25+. Dunnock under fat feeder. BARDNEY GARDEN TF117700 From 14th November 2024 Mary Porter There was a definite "changeover" day towards the end of last week. Having spotted numerous insects, including red admiral butterflies on the 13th (mentioned in last week's bulletin), the 14th saw a drop in temperature and numerous blackbirds, mostly female, appeared in the garden. They were feeding on a cotoneaster tree that has very small berries, and on the red hips of Rosa glauca, as well as apples. Goldfinches were also feeding on teasel heads as well as joining in the throng of blue tits, great tits and chaffinches (with the occasional greenfinch) on the sunflower hearts. The cold snap that bought in snow and ice also bought in a small flock of fieldfares, which we could hear at the bottom of the garden, but couldn't see enough to count or see if they were on our apples. A very dowdy male great spotted woodpecker has come back to the sunflower dispenser. The squirrel's antics trying to climb up the bird feeder pole resembled a cartoon character as it scrambled up, then gently slid back down on the icy surface. It reminded us to look out for some sort of grease to put on the pole to deter rodents in general. BASSINGHAM SK918587 Jeremy Hutchinson 18/11/24 Stoat BOSTON Havenside Nature Reserve TF341425 - TF351412 heading towards Fishtoft Tracey Lenton 13/11/2024 early afternoon 1 hour after low tide I took advantage of a sunny day, after so much overcast and grey weather, for a walk along the Witham as it heads out to sea. Cormorants singly and in pairs were flying up and down the river, there were a few Curlews, Geese flew overhead at one point (41 counted from video), Lapwings 2, Little egret 1, Redshanks were numerous, a large flock of Seagulls (70+) on the far side mud bank. I was also lucky enough to see a seal in the water, its head showing then it dived underwater. CARLTON LE MOORLAND SK909581 Jeremy Hutchinson All the following have been within the last 2 weeks, but dates have been lost with my notebook. A group of Long-tailed Tits visit the garden most days, and I suspect (but not certain) that they often roost here. A very vocal Raven was heard one morning, the first for some time; when I managed to spot it I saw that it was being mobbed by a pair of Crows in the manner they adopt when harassing Buzzards. I can't recall having witnessed this before. After a lapse of a few months I have occasionally heard Little Owls in the area. COLEBY SK980605 Jeremy Hutchinson 14/11/24 Red Kite x 3 HOLYWELL LAKE Ian Misselbrook 18th November 2024 1350-1500 A fairly good WeBS count on Monday with a good range of species and numbers. I have included all species which I entered on Birdtrack. Black-headed Gull 52 Blackbird 3 Blue Tit 3 Buzzard 1 Carrion Crow 3 Chaffinch2 Coal Tit 2 Common Gull 1 Coot 6 Cormorant 2 Gadwall 28 Goldfinch 4 Great Tit 2 Grey Heron 1 Grey Wagtail 1 Greylag Goose 3 Jackdaw 8 Kestrel 1 Little Egret 1 Little Grebe 13 Long-tailed Tit 4 Mallard 91 Moorhen 31 Mute Swan 2 Pied Wagtail 1 Robin 4 Rook c 40 Shoveler 6 Stock Dove 2 Teal 6 Tufted Duck 20 Wigeon 31 Woodpigeon 6 Wren 6 Grey Squirrel 1 HORKSTOW SE987179 Jenny Haynes 14 November 2024 Two nuthatches visiting a bird feeder today, in between two squirrels attempting to get seeds from the retracting feeders. Persistent little creatures! Great spotted woodpecker has appeared a few times this week as well. Other birds include: Robin, wren, blackbird, blue and great tits, goldfinch, chaffinch and greenfinch. A kestrel has been seen across the road a few times. There is also the ever present rook colony that roosts in the old, mainly beech trees in the neighbouring fields, their cries a continuous sound backdrop when I’m in the garden. LINCOLNSHIRE COASTAL COUNTRY PARK Dave Miller, LWT Coast and The Wolds (South) Warden 14th November: at sea there were 19 Eider, 60 Common Scoter and 2 Sooty Shearwaters moving north. 15th November: 3 Cattle Egrets, Water Pipit and a Bar-tailed Godwit on Anderby Marsh. 16th November: 3 Cattle Egret still on Anderby Marsh, 6 Whooper Swan and 3 Fieldfare flying south. 17th November: an amazing aerial duel at Huttoft Marsh with a Merlin chasing after a Skylark, the lark got away. 63 Barnacle Geese and a Cattle Egret at Anderby Marsh. Southerly movement involving 7 Whooper Swan, 3 Red-breasted Merganser, Goosander and 80 Gannet. Snow Bunting flying north. 18th November: Great White Egret at Chapel Pits, Whooper Swans and Black-throated Diver going south, Goosander and Pomarine Skua flying north. 19th November: the Starling flock has moved to Chapel Six Marshes with tens of thousands still coming in, Two Goldeneye flying north at Huttoft Car Terrace. NETTLETON GAME FARM Ben Jacob 16th November 2024 The hollies hadn’t had a bumper crop this year but the pigeons have decimated what berries there were already. More berries on the cotoneasters but the blackbirds have had a feast on these too Is it me or do we only see male blackbirds at this time of the year? SOUTHREY Water Rail Way going north. R + A Parsons 15.11.2024 A young fox crossed the road in from of us as we drove to Southrey, going from Birch Wood to Southrey Wood. We headed north into the wind rather than south. There were numerous winter thrushes about, mainly Fieldfares with Redwings and a few blackbirds. Badger activity was remarkable, signs of enthusiastic "worming" scrapes to major sett excavations. Some of these now appear to have had a structural impact on the railway embankment. A Green Woodpecker was heard too. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 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 this week from Owen Beaumont, with thanks to all contributors. Daily News and Wildlife Sightings 131124 – 47 lapwing flew north-east over Rimac in two flocks. 8 gannet flew north over the sea, 3 gannet flew south and 24 shelduck on the sea. Adult male marsh harrier flew over Brickyard Lane foreshore. 1000+ gulls on the beach mid afternoon with others joining the roost. 110 dunlin, 65 sanderling, turnstone, 75 curlew, 12 redshank, 2 grey plover and 6 oystercatcher at Brickyard Lane over high tide. 141124 – 2000 mixed black-headed and common gull on fields adjacent to Churchill Lane. Woodcock flew in-off the sea and landed in Rimac outer dunes, where a snow bunting flew south. Great northern diver flew north over the sea and 24 eider flew north. Peregrine roosting on Rimac foreshore, and ringtail hen harrier and sparrowhawk over the saltmarsh in the morning. 13 pintail and 550 pink-footed geese flew off Rimac saltmarsh lagoon, and 3 more pintail flew off freshwater marsh scrape. 9 cattle egret and stonechat pair Rimac dunes. 151124 – immature spoonbill flew high north over Rimac. 6 pintail and a water rail Rimac freshwater marsh scrape. A woodcock flew out of willows south of Rimac, and stonechat pair still near Rimac car park. 10 cattle egret Rimac dunes with cows and 3 fieldfare flew west. 600+ pink-footed goose flew off Rimac foreshore in two groups early morning, and 2000+ starling flew north over the saltmarsh in several groups. Kingfisher Mablethorpe North End. 2 late swallows sat on wires at Sea View mid-afternoon. 4 blackcap and 2 cetti’s warbler in dune scrub Brickyard Lane. 161124 – 1300 woodpigeon on fields adjacent to Churchill Lane. Ringtail hen harrier flew over Elm House Farm. Female house sparrow at Sea View. 1600 pink-footed geese flew into roost in the evening. 181124 – 2+ bearded tit Rimac reedbed. Water pipit flew out from freshwater marsh and dropped back in. 72 wigeon and 2 pintail on Rimac freshwater marsh scrape. 2 male and 1 female stonechat Rimac dunes. 5 marsh harrier hunting over Rimac saltmarsh over morning high tide. 2 snow bunting foredune edge Sear’s Track. 2 short-eared owl, jack snipe and 3 common snipe Crook Bank outer dunes. Barnacle goose and hybrid flew north over Crook Bank. Brambling flew south over Mablethorpe North End an another over Rimac. 2 stonechat and woodcock Crook Bank dunes. Whooper swan and pochard on wet grassland south of Crook Bank. In the afternoon short-eared owl over Rimac saltmarsh. 3 water rail and 3 cetti’s warbler Rimac freshwater marsh/reedbed and another water rail calling on the saltmarsh. 3 fieldfare flew west from Sea View. 4 whooper swan and 1800 pink-footed geese flew into roost at dusk. A colour ringed sanderling on the beach at Mablethorpe North End was ringed on Orkney in May 2024. 191124 – a morning seawatch in brisk north-easterly wind – going north were 4 gadwall, 94 teal, eider, 10 goldeneye, 45 kittiwake, 3 little auk, great northern diver and 22 gannet; and south went 5 eider, 6 goldeneye, 1910+ kittiwake, little auk, 2 great northern diver, 6 gannet. 40 sanderling and 50 knot Brickyard Lane foreshore. 9 cattle egret with cows Rimac dunes. 1500+ pink-footed geese flew to roost mid-afternoon. Woodcock Brickyard Lane dunes. Other reserves: Donna Nook: 151124 – Weekly pupdate: 444 pups, 694 cows and 178 bulls. 874 brent goose, spoonbill and 3 red-breasted merganser on realignment. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 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 (i.e. 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 *** https://lnu.org/meetings/ https://lnu.org/meetings/indoor-meetings/ *** L.N.U. / LINCOLNSHIRE BIRD CLUB JOINT MEETING *** On Saturday 25th January 2025 at Whisby Nature Park Education Centre Lincoln SK910662 at 2 pm. Refreshments will be available. Parking £2 Illustrated talk by LBC Chairman Phil Espin, “The Birds of a Lincolnshire Market Town” This talk is based on the book of the same title recently published by L.B.C. and written by Phil and his great friend John Clarkson who tragically died before publication. An appreciation of this book can be found at https://thewryneck.blogspot.com/2024/08/birds-of-lincolnshire-market-town.html ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 12 ...AND FINALLY... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ National and international stories Schools close as parts of UK see first snow of season https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/clyd9xwe33no 'The sixth great extinction is happening', conservation expert warns https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c93qvqx5y01o Fenland town's wonky Christmas tree wish comes true https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cgmve2lz2rmo Flatulence tax: Denmark agrees deal for livestock emissions levy https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c20nq8qgep3o Have your say: Defra's new Hedgerow Regulations Consultation now open https://www.gwct.org.uk/blogs/news/2024/october/have-your-say-defras-new-hedgerow-regulations-consultation-now-open/ *** 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. Maurice Feest - soft bounce - message couldn't be delivered. ----------------- ~ THE END ~ ----------------- (..until next week!) Roger Parsons old.museum@yahoo.co.uk http://rogerparsons.info/