============================================ || || Wildnews Bulletin 27th 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: I send my thanks to all the contributors and correspondents. Now that I have been editing the Bulletin for a while, I would like to invite more readers to include their wildlife observations, musings or recommendations to freshen up and develop the content. What about ‘My favourite bird / plant / invertebrate etc. etc.? By all means suggest other themes if they occur to you. Phil Porter's email is: philporterento@outlook.com Roger Parsons' email is: old.museum@yahoo.co.uk *** Donna Nook Seals ***: Information from Ruth Taylor. 221124 - Weekly pupdate: 1116 pups, 1268 cows and 408 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: *** How England's largest 'fish motorway' actually works https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cly29n8nelpo? Gritters cover almost 30,000 miles during cold snap https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c3vl04yg23ro Escaped emu recaptured after four weeks on the run https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c62411ewkxdo Man denies poisoning birds of prey https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cvged5dd7xzo Elvis cigar among singer's items up for auction https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cy8n16z3l49o Appeal to raise £3m to buy ancient woodland https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cvgxze1g09eo Mystery drones seen over three US air bases in UK https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cly2j54g5j9o *** 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 28th November - Sunday 1st December Headline: Breezy with rain clearing later in the day. Turning colder. Thursday: A cold and dry day on Thursday, with areas of freezing fog slow to clear or perhaps persisting all day in some areas. Maximum temperature 5 °C. Outlook for Friday to Sunday: Areas of freezing fog early Friday, clearing as wind strengthens. Becoming milder, with rain later. Mostly dry and cloudy Saturday. Sunny spells and bands of blustery showers on Sunday. UK long range weather forecast Sunday 1st December - Tuesday 10th December Starting mainly unsettled, with showers or longer spells of rain for many parts of the UK. It will also be quite windy, especially towards the north and west. It will be mild, although the strong winds will make it feel rather cold. High pressure then looks like building close to or over the UK through early December. This will result in drier but also probably generally slightly cooler conditions, and increase the risk of overnight frost and fog. The largely dry, settled theme is likely to be punctuated by brief unsettled and milder spells though, with areas of low pressure crossing the UK, bringing some spells of wind and rain. Temperatures overall generally near average, but rather cold where any fog persists. *** For Astronomers and Sky-watchers *** Sky At A Glance https://skyandtelescope.org/observing/sky-at-a-glance/ Night Sky - highlights https://www.rmg.co.uk/stories/blogs/astronomy Full Moons 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 RSBP *** Brian Patterson writes… Our local branch of the Grimsby and Cleethorpes RSPB has a talk planned for Monday the 16th December at 7.30pm at The Holy Trinity Parish Hall in Cleethorpes, DN35 7LH. The evening starts at 7.30pm and costs £5 per person which includes the cost of refreshments. The talk will be given by Christopher Hall on "Antarctica, in search of the Emperor Penguin". *** Grimsby and Cleethorpes Area Group LWT *** On Monday 9th December 2024 the group will hold their next indoor meeting where speaker Alan Ball will be giving an illustrated presentation "Birds of the Gambia." He says this country has a rich variety of wildlife with particularly colourful and approachable birds. This will take place in Grimsby Town Hall DN31 1HU and starts at 7.30pm. Admission £4, all are welcome. There will be festive refreshments donated by our members, a raffle and tea & coffee will also be available. For further information please contact secretary David Ball 07711716063 or visit our website www.grimsbywildlifetrust.org.uk We are also on Facebook 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 19/11 Covenham Reservoir, Great Northern Diver flew east. Deeping St James, Ring-necked Duck 1w drk. at Main Lake, Deeping Lakes, Black-necked Grebe, 1w drk Scaup. Frampton Marsh, Hen Harrier. Gibraltar Point, .2 Little Auks flew north past, Velvet Scoter, Great Northern Diver, 3 Scaup. Huttoft Bank, Little Auk on sea at Huttoft Car Terrace, Sooty Shearwater, Black-throated Diver, Little Gull. Mablethorpe, 4 Little Auks flew past, 3 Great Northern Divers flew past, Market Deeping, 1+ Hawfinch at Eventus car park.football ground. Saltfleet Haven, Glaucous Gull ad flew north past. Little Auk flew north, drk Velvet Scoter flew south. 20/11 Anderby Creek, 2 Little Auks flew north past. Barton-upon-Humber, Little Auk. Baston and Langtoft Pits, Black-throated Diver on South Pit. then flew NW over Old Wader scrape. Cut End, SE of Boston, Little Auk flew past.. Deeping St James, Ring-necked Duck 1w drk. at Main Lake, Deeping Lakes. Black-necked Grebe, 1w drk Scaup. Frampton Marsh, Slavonian Grebe on lagoon. Gibraltar Point, Little Auk flew past, Long-tailed Duck. Huttoft Bank, .4 Scaup flew past Huttoft Car Terrace. Velvet Scoter. Mablethorpe, 2 Little Auks on sea, then flew south, 2 drk Scaup flew north. Wolla Bank, 2 Grey Phalarope flew north past. 21/11 Cleethorpes. 9 Snow Buntings on outer beach. Deeping St James, Ring-necked Duck 1w drk on Main Lake, Black-necked Grebe, Deeping Lakes. Frampton Marsh, Red-necked Grebe at River Witham mouth, 2 Slavonian Grebes, Long-tailed Duck., Gibraltar Point, Little Auk on sea off Greenshank Creek. Little Auk flew past, Black-throated Diver, Snow Bunting on beach. Huttoft Bank, .2 Little Auks flew past Huttoft Car Terrace Mablethorpe 1+ Little Auk flew north past. 22/11 Deeping St James, Ring-necked Duck 1w drk on Main Lake, 1w drk Scaup, Deeping Lakes. 23/11 Deeping St James, Ring-necked Duck 1w drk on Main Lake, 2 Glossy Ibises flew towards River Welland. Frampton Marsh, Spotted Redshank from 360 hide. 24/11 Deeping St James, Ring-necked Duck 1w drk on Main Lake, 1w drk Scaup, Deeping Lakes. East Halton Skitter, Water Pipit, then flew across Humber. Frampton Marsh, Hen Harrier ringtail. 25/11 Cowbit, Little Auk flew west over. Deeping St James, Ring-necked Duck 1w drk on Main Lake, 1w drk Scaup, 2 Glossy Ibises, Deeping Lakes. Frampton Marsh, Hen Harrier ringtail, Gibraltar Point, .ringtail Hen Harrier, Eastern Stonechat sp probably Siberian 1w male, Long-tailed Duck flew south. Black-necked Grebe. Huttoft Bank, Scaup on sea from Huttoft Car Terrace. 26/11 Deeping St James, Ring-necked Duck 1w drk on Main Lake, 1w drk Scaup, Deeping Lakes. East Halton Skitter, Water Pipit, then flew across Humber. Frampton Marsh, Hen Harrier ringtail. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 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 22/112024 Blue Tit 2 Great Tit 2. Pied Wagtail 2. House Sparrow 8+ Blackbird 2 Robin 2 Dunnock Collared Dove 2 Woodpigeon 6 Domestic pigeon 7 Jackdaw 12+ Black-headed gull party 12+ BARDNEY GARDEN TF117700 Phil and Mary Porter 21st November About 200 Pink-footed Geese flow north. We saw our first Starling for several weeks, and Mary noticed a Grey Squirrel picking Sycamore helicopters and eating the seeds. 25th November A Raven flew along Abbey Road towards the village ‘cronking’ sonorously. FISKERTON FEN TF083718 Phil and Mary Porter 21st November We decided to make a late afternoon visit to see the Starling murmuration that had been reported. There was quite a bit of activity at 3.30 and a steady recruitment over the next 45 mins resulted in an estimated 4000 birds when they started to go down into the reeds on the far side of the pit. Usually that is the end of the spectacle but for some reason they could not settle and we guessed that there were predators lined up waiting. Hundreds of Starlings were constantly on the move in the gathering gloom and they began to occupy the reeds just outside the hide, clearly flattening the stems. Then a Sparrowhawk flashed by and the chaos continued to a soundtrack of loud chattering. We remarked that the birds would be using up valuable energy but though the activity reduced, it was still going on when we left. It seems reasonable to suppose that there must be some casualties every evening in these crushes of roosting birds and that the phenomenon would attract scavengers in the reeds to take advantage but of course we can’t know for sure. LINCOLNSHIRE COASTAL COUNTRY PARK Dave Miller, LWT Coast and The Wolds (South) Warden 20th November: movement out at sea with 2 Little Auk, Grey Phalarope, 1537 Kittiwake, 3 Little Gull, 2 Eider, Snow Bunting, Arctic Skua and 50 Gannet flying past. 21st November: Rock Pipit at Sandilands golf course, a pair of Stonechat along the promenade, Bittern at Chapel Pit, Bearded Tits at Wolla Bank Reedbed, at least 5 Marsh Harriers along the coast, 138 Golden Plover along Huttoft Sea Lane. Saturday 23rd November: Scaup flying north at Huttoft Car Terrace, 42 Stock Dove and 5 Grey Partridge at Huttoft Sea Lane, Blackcap in Huttoft. Sunday 24th November: Great White Egret at Chapel Pit, Pintail flying south at Huttoft Car Terrace, Peregrine chasing Fieldfare at Wolla Bank. 25th November: 5 Curlew, 24 Gadwall, 2 Kestrel, 270 Lapwing, Peregrine, 4 Redshank, 2 Sanderling, Shelduck, 11 Shoveler, 5 Snipe, 280 Teal, 450 Wigeon and a Water Pipit on Anderby Marsh. 26th November: Woodcock at Chapel Six Marshes, Great White Egret at Chapel Pit, 4 Stonechat at Huttoft Marsh, 160 Fieldfare along Jolly Common Lane and 300 Linnets feeding on sunflowers. WOOLSTHORPE BY COLSTERWORTH November 2024 Jane Ostler This month I have been confined to house and garden, but this has been an opportunity to make comparisons from old notebooks and to spend time observing what is on my own doorstep. It has been an exceptionally mild autumn with late autumn colour followed by strong winds and leaf fall. Small apples left on trees have developed to huge sizes and native plants like Ivy-leaved Toadflax are still in flower. Until the sudden drop in temperature and snow overnight on 19th November, insects had plenty of nectar to feed on from garden plants. The Bumble bee Bombus terrestris, Hoverflies (though no Marmalade flies) and Seven-spot Ladybirds climbed out from shrubs in the sun but we have had no Harlequin Ladybirds this year. Red Admirals and Small Whites were the last of the regular butterflies and just one Small Tortoiseshell. Snow covering the lawn left the Grey Squirrel unable to find the hazel nuts he had buried in the lawn and the male Blackbird unable to find the Apple remains. Just one adult Blackbird now, he has chased off the two immature males and the female is nowhere to be seen. Jackdaws are the great survivors. Ousted from the chimney next door after they had fledged they gather on the roof in the morning, finding food in unfrozen places where the snow hasn't reached, near the house and the compost heap. Today with the snow only just melted the woodpigeons have restarted their courtship displays. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 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 Snowfall on 201124 was the earliest to settle since at least 2012 at Sea View. Other November snow activity in recent years includes a flurry on 30th in 2023, a dusting on 28th in 2021, up to 2cm but thawed 30th in 2017 and snow grains on 21st in 2015. Lowest November frost since 2012 recorded on 211124 with a ground frost of -11.25°C and air frost of -7.75°C. A maximum of 3.5°C recorded through the day on 211124, compared with a maximum air temperature of 17.0°C on 241124. 201124 – 2 little auk on the sea then flew north; 2 drake scaup, female red-breasted merganser and 4 drake goldeneye flew north over the sea in the morning. 70 sanderling, 30 dunlin, 5 grey plover and 3 bar-tailed godwit on the morning tide at Brickyard Lane. Fieldfare and 2 blackbird flew in-off the sea. 2 short-eared owl, 2 stonechat, jack snipe, 4 woodcock and 50+ blackbird around Crook Bank. Woodcock flew out of shelterbelt near Sea View. Ringtail hen harrier and cattle egret flew north over wet grassland near Crook Bank. 4 snipe flew west over Mablethorpe North End likely having arrived off the sea. In the afternoon, 206 kittiwake flew south over the sea in 10 minutes, 148 curlew flew into roost and 2 heron flew south over the dunes at Brickyard Lane. 211124 – 250+ curlew roosting on the beach in the morning. 21 snow bunting on the beach at Sear’s Track. 22 snipe Rimac saltmarsh. Stonechat and woodcock Rimac dunes. Woodcock, sparrowhawk and buzzard Brickyard Lane where a fieldfare flew over. 221124 – adult Mediterranean gull on the sea then flew north. 3 woodcock Brickyard Lane dunes. 202 golden plover, 16 lapwing, 46 curlew on a thawing Elm House Farm early afternoon. Short-eared owl hunting over Sea View Washlands late afternoon. 231124 – adult Mediterranean gull flew over Mablethorpe North End. 251124 – 149 teal, 75 shoveler, 3 tufted duck, 14 black-tailed godwit, redshank on Paradise Lagoon. 12 fieldfare flew over Sea View. Water pipit near the old tank at MOD and cattle egret with cattle north of Churchill Lane. Approx 20 snow bunting flew along the foreshore with a group of sanderling at Brickyard Lane. 261124 – 9 snow bunting flew south along Crook Bank outer beach and another 10+ were feeding on the saltmarsh edge at Brickyard Lane. Also on Brickyard Lane saltmarsh 30 skylark, 12 rock pipit and 18 meadow pipit. 5 yellowhammer Crook Bank outer dunes and 7 Brickyard Lane outer dunes. Male merlin flew over MOD. Male sparrowhawk flew over Sea View saltmarsh and woodcock flew up from the dunes. 5 cattle egret Rimac dunes and 2 on Sea View Washlands. A redpoll flew north over Rimac, and 2+ flew south over Crook Bank. 2 woodcock in dunes south of Crook Bank and 2 mistle thrush Crook Bank car park. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 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: 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 wood mice 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. Studying oxygen isotopes in sediments from Rutland Water Nature Reserve https://www.bgs.ac.uk/news/studying-oxygen-isotopes-in-phosphates-in-one-of-europes-biggest-artificial-reservoirs/ 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 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ *** 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 Feral Dogs Vs. Wildlife – A Human-made Disaster in the Making https://www.wildlifeconservationtrust.org/feral-dogs-vs-wildlife-a-human-made-disaster-in-the-making/ RSPB to close 'loss-making' visitor centre https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cn8gmekr4pmo Swan rescue charity to close after 50 years https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cj0j6n1r811o Floods cause 'major incident' in Northamptonshire https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c245jv3086yo New monitoring for disease risk among feral pigs https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cg4l9n6vgn6o More than 30 stranded whales rescued in New Zealand https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c1dpl21x0x7o Snaring banned in Scotland from Monday 25th November https://www.gwct.org.uk/blogs/news/2024/november/snaring-banned-in-scotland-from-monday-25th-november/ *** Mail Fails *** san@alf-resco.co.uk - soft bounce - message could not be delivered. Mark Bibby - soft bounce - message could not 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/