============================================ || || Wildnews Bulletin 30th Oct 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: The last couple of weeks’ weather has really ‘shuffled the pack’ as regards birds in Britain including Lincolnshire. The Black-faced Bunting breeds in the far east of Asia and normally spends the winter in SE China and northern India. Despite this, the first-winter bird found at Donna Nook (see below) is the 12th to have reached Britain since 1994 and two others have been seen recently in the country. Yet more are at large in parts of Europe. By the look of the pictures I have seen, its discovery was a near- miracle as it accompanied some reed buntings and looks to be quite similar in plumage. At the same time, hundreds of Hawfinches have arrived in Britain, mostly in the south-east, where over 100 roosted together in Surrey, but a few have reached our county. Much the same happened six years ago and gave a lot of people the opportunity to get to see this normally very scarce and secretive bird. Meanwhile, more than two dozen different species of American birds had been recorded in the Azores during the last week including songbirds, raptors, and herons. Strange days indeed! Phil Porter's email is: philporterento@outlook.com Roger Parsons' email is: old.museum@yahoo.co.uk BTO's tracked Cuckoos - 9 south of the Sahara - in the Sahel. https://www.bto.org/cuckoos *** This week's mostly-local news stories: *** ‘It’s appalling’: original bramley apple tree being neglected, say campaigners https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/oct/26/original-bramley-apple-tree-being-neglected-say-campaigners Changes made to solar farm proposal - North Kesteven. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cr545mrqqe0o Big UK emissions cut needed, says climate watchdog https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c62jrn55n6yo Drivers face roadside eye checks as nights draw in https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c93q8e4w78eo *** 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 31st October - Sunday 3rd November Headline: Variable amounts of cloud, brightest in the east. Thursday: Partly cloudy with some bright intervals at times. Winds strengthening over western hills, with low cloud and hill fog. Remaining mild. Maximum temperature 14 °C. Outlook for Friday to Sunday: Bright Friday before a band of rain moves southward later. Cloudy but dry Saturday. Dry and bright with sunny spells Sunday. Light winds throughout. UK long range weather forecast Sunday 3rd November - Tuesday 12th November High pressure is likely to dominate the weather across many parts of the UK during this period. This will mean plenty of dry and settled weather through to the middle of November. Where skies clear overnight some areas of fog and frost are likely to develop. Southern areas are expected to be mainly dry during this period. Any more unsettled conditions and periods of rain are more likely to affect areas further north, particularly the far north and northwest of Scotland. Winds will likely be light in the south, but there could be some spells of strong winds across the north. Temperatures will probably be close to normal overall, although some cold nights are possible at times *** 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 https://www.rmg.co.uk/stories/topics/meteor-shower-guide BBC Sky at Night Magazine website https://www.skyatnightmagazine.com/news *** EVENTS *** *** Boston Area Group LWT *** Talk – ‘Wildlife of Albania’ by Gill Walsh Thursday 14th November 2024 at 7.30pm Centenary Methodist Church, Red Lion Street, Boston, PE21 6NY Free admission but there will be a retiring collection. Refreshments will be served in the interval. Non-members are welcome. *** The South Lincs RSPB Group *** FREE EARLY MORNING GUIDED WALK AT WESTGATE WOODS, BOSTON PE21 7JE Saturday 16/11/2024 at 8-30am. Booking essential. Optional breakfast at 7-30am Full details at https://group.rspb.org.uk/southlincolnshire/ *** Grimsby and Cleethorpes Area Group LWT *** On Monday 11th November 2024 the Grimsby and Cleethorpes Area Group LWT hold their next indoor meeting where the Trust President, Geoff Trinder will give his RESCHEDULED, illustrated talk “My involvement with the Trust and my travels worldwide." This will take place in Grimsby Town Hall DN31 1HU and starts at 7.30pm. Admission £4, all are welcome. Raffle, refreshments and Trust Christmas cards and calendars will be available *** The Natural History and Geology Section of the Scunthorpe Museum Society *** Our November meeting on Monday, 11th November, consists of the Scunthorpe Museum Society's whole Society AGM followed by an illustrated talk by our geologist member Paul Hildreth on "Building Stones - with a particular Focus on Lincolnshire and York". A talk to serve as an introduction to both Mike Ashton’s talk on Lincoln Cathedral and a planned outdoor event in August 2025. Building stones can provide important information to students and researchers from a range of disciplines: history, geology, archaeology, social sciences etc. This talk will focus on the factors that influenced the use of certain building materials, mainly in Lincolnshire and York, and the distribution of building stone in Lincolnshire. Starting at 7.15pm, the meeting will be held in the small hall, room 1, at the Old Brumby United Church, Ashby Road, Scunthorpe, DN16 2AQ, which is immediately next to the Applegreen filling station near to Brumby crossroads. ALL ARE WELCOME TO OUR MEETINGS. There is a free car park at the Church and also at St Hugh's Church opposite as well as at roadside parking bays nearby. All attendance is recorded and there is a £3 entry charge for non-members of the Scunthorpe Museum Society. There is a mid-talk break when tea/coffee and biscuits are available for a small charge. *** The Scunthorpe and Brigg Local Group of the Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust. *** At our November meeting on Thursday, 14th November, local photographer Des Lloyd visits to give us his talk entitled "My Local Patch During Lockdown". Des will talk about the species he photographed in our local area during lockdown showing photos of the subjects that he captured on camera. He will use the actual prints from the photos (16x12 ) during his talk, the same ones that were used in the LWT winter 2022 Lapwing magazine. ALL ARE WELCOME TO OUR MEETINGS. We meet at 7.30pm in the St Hugh's Church Hall, Ashby Road, Scunthorpe, DN16 2AG, which is at Brumby cross roads opposite the Applegreen filling station. There is a free car park at the church or on the nearby roadside. There is a £2.50 entry charge which includes coffee or tea plus biscuit at the mid-talk break. STAYING SAFE Please copy and paste URLs if/as necessary.... The Heat-health Alert Service - sign up. https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/warnings-and-advice/seasonal-advice/heat-health-alert-service 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 23/10 Deeping St James, Black-necked Grebe juv on main lake, Long-eared Owl still on island, Deeping Lakes Gibraltar Point, 2 Bewick;s Swans both ads flew over Middlemarsh Farm, Water Pipit at Jackson's Marsh. Huttoft Bank, Black-throated Diver. Sandilands, 8 Snow Buntings. Sutton-on-Sea, Snow Bunting flew north over. 24/10 Deeping St James, Black-necked Grebe juv on main lake, just east of island. Frampton Marsh, Red-necked Grebe on Marsh farm Grassland. Gibraltar Point, Ring Ouzel at East Dunes. Saltfleetby/Theddlethorpe, Yellow-browed Warbler at Sea View. Caythorpe, Ring Ouzel heard. East Halton Marshes, 2 Water Pipits. North Willingham, Common Crane in field by pool south of A631 east of entrance of Ash Farm Barns. 25/10 Donna Nook, Black-faced Bunting with Reed Buntings on alignment between Stonebridge car park and Pye's Hall. Frampton Marsh, Little Stint on South Scrape, Spotted Redshank on North Scrape. Gibraltar Point, Yellow-browed Warbler at East Dunes. 26/10 Caythorpe, 3+ Hawfinches flew over. Deeping St James, Black-necked Grebe juv at Deeping Lakes on main lake, Long-eared Owl on island. Donna Nook, Black-faced Bunting 1w with Reed Buntings on alignment between Stonebridge car park and Pye's Hall, later in hawthorn by Stonebridge Car Park. Trapped and released. Several reports. Frampton Marsh, Wood Sandpiper. Gibraltar Point, Parrot Crossbill IDd with sound recordings, Hawfinch at The Plantation. Goxhill Haven, 2 Twite. Willow Tree Fen, Hen Harrier. 27/10 Caythorpe, Hawfinch flew over. Deeping St James, Black-necked Grebe juv at Deeping Lakes on main lake, 2 Long-eared Owls roosting on island. Donna Nook, Ring Ouzel, Snow Bunting and 3 Twite, Bewick's Swan Frampton Marsh, Wood Sandpiper, male Hen Harrier, Freiston Shore, Black-necked Grebe on lagoon. Gibraltar Point, probable Continental Coal Tit - nominate form ‘ater’, Ring Ouzel, Yellow-browed Warbler and Hawfinch at The Plantation, Hen Harrier, 2 Water Pipits, . Goxhill Haven, 2 Twite. 28/10 Donna Nook, Water Pipit Frampton Marsh, Wood Sandpiper, male Hen Harrier, Common Crane over. 29/10 Barton-upon-Humber, Hawfinch flew over garden. Caythorpe, Hawfinch flew over., 2 Hawfinches flushed from hedge.. Deeping St James, Donna Nook, Black-faced Bunting 1w between Stonebridge and Pye's Hall. Fishtoft, 3 Hawfinches flew west over Hobhole. Frampton Marsh, Wood Sandpiper in SW corner of Reedbed, American Wigeon drk on wetland, Hen Harrier. Freiston Shore, Water Pipit on lagoon, Hawfinch flew over. Fulbeck, Hawfinch. Gibraltar Point, Hawfinch and Yellow-browed Warbler in Plantation, Ring Ouzel over. 2 Water Pipits. Marston Sewage Works, Bearded Tit trapped and ringed. Sutton-on-Sea, 10 Twite flew south over. 30/10 Freiston Shore, Slavonian Grebe on lagoon. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 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. BARTON ON HUMBER TA02322114 Jenny Haynes 27 October 2024 B1206 Dead badger. Unmarked when I passed by at 10am but it had disappeared later, when I returned. RIBY ROAD. Angela Buckle 29th October Deer *** 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 23/10/2024 Regular visitors: Blackbird 2, Robin 2; Starling 16; House Sparrow 12; Woodpigeon 2+;. Collared Dove 3+; Domestic Pigeon 4-5; Great Tit, Blue Tit, Jackdaw 12+; Magpie 1; Black Headed Gull 12+; 24/10 Raven calling from its regular perch at 10.30am, later seen flying over at 11.15am Honeybees and bumblebees seen working "Mahonia" blossom. Green spider Nigma walckenaeri observed on a Lemon Tree leaf. Last recorded here 2021 on a web across a concave profile door handle. Characteristic, see: https://srs.britishspiders.org.uk/portal.php/p/summary/s/nigma+walckenaeri BARDNEY GARDEN TF117700 Mary Porter 30th October One bat on the last few nights of the period BARDNEY RECREATION AREA TF123693 Phil and Mary Porter 26th October Meadow Pipit 3-4 in allotment; 2 in newly cut grass Reed Bunting 1 in adjacent small-holdings Goldfinch 8 in newly cut-grass margins with dandelion seedheads, 5 in small-holdings Pied Wagtail 4 on newly cut grass, 2 on sports field, 1 in cemetery Dunnock 2 in small-holdings BARDNEY, ABBEY ROAD TF117699 Phil and Mary Porter 29th October About 70 Pink-footed Geese flew south-west. Kestrel hovered behind houses. BOSTON TF338441 My garden Tracey Lenton 26/10/2024 A young hedgehog came on to the patio at around 8-8:15 pm and took hedgehog food from the plate I put out. Food gets eaten almost every night and usually I see an adult. I haven't seen youngsters in many years so this was very encouraging. BOSTON River Witham Sea bank towards Fishtoft TF 349 414 Tracey Lenton 26/10/2024 A still, overcast afternoon, tide in. 3 Little egrets, one stalking and finding food in the shallows. Several Redshank on the mud at the water's edge. HORKSTOW SE987179 Jenny Haynes 27 October 2024 A pair of long-tailed tits seen in my garden. The nuthatch was seen again, twice, on a feeder. SEDGE HOLE CLOSE LWT Nature Reserve Steve Hiner 04/10/24 Blackbird x 1 Blue Tit x 2 Carrion Crow x 4 Chaffinch x 1 Green Woodpecker x 1 Goldfinch x 6 Jackdaw x 4 Kestrel x 1 Robin x 1 Stock dove x 1 Wood Pigeon x 4 Yellowhammer x 1 Green-veined white x 2 Red Admiral x 1 Speckled Wood x 1 Common Darter x 1 THURNHOLMES (within 300m of SK797984 unless stated) Steve Hiner & Paul Snow 03/10/24 Blackbird x 4 Blue Tit x 2 Carrion Crow x 4 Chaffinch x 2 Common Buzzard x 1 Cormorant x 1 over Thurnholmes Dunnock x 1 Goldfinch x 4 Great Tit x 2 Green Woodpecker x 1 Jackdaw x 2 Kestrel x 1 Magpie x 2 Pied Wagtail x 1 Robin x 1 Rook x 15 in fields around Thurnholmes Stock Dove x 2 Tawny Owl x 2 calling 01:15hrs Tree Sparrow x 15 Wood Pigeon x 3 including 1 on nest in stables Wren x 1 House Mouse x 1 Large White x 2 Red Admiral x 2 Speckled Wood x 1 Common Darter x 2 08/10/24 Barn Owl x 1 09:15hrs Blackbird x 2 Carrion Crow x 1 Chaffinch x 2 Common Buzzard x 1 Dunnock x 1 Grey Partridge x 8 Kestrel x 1 Pied Wagtail x 3 Robin x 1 Starling x 35 Tawny Owl x 3 calling 01:50hrs Tree Sparrow x 31 Wood Pigeon x 6 including 1 fledged from nest in stables Wren x 1 Green-veined White x 2 Red Admiral x 1 Common Darter x 1 13/10/24 Blackbird x 11 Blue tit x 4 Bullfinch x 2 Carrion Crow x 2 Chaffinch x 4 Common Buzzard x 2 Dunnock x 1 Goldfinch x 4 Grey Partridge x 12 Heron x 1 over Thurnholmes Kestrel x 1 Mallard x 4 over Thurnholmes Mute Swan x 2 Owston Ferry Warping Drain Robin x 1 Sparrowhawk x 1 female Tree Sparrow x 12 Wood Pigeon x 6 Wren x 1 Yellowhammer x 1 Common Shrew x 1 Large White x 2 Common Darter x 3 21/10/24 Barn Owl x 1 23:00hrs Blackbird x 2 Black-headed Gull x 17 over Thurnholmes Blue Tit x 2 Carrion Crow x 2 Dunnock x 1 Goldfinch x 4 Green Woodpecker x 1 Grey Partridge x 11 Jackdaw x 2 Magpie x 2 Pied Wagtail x 1 Robin x 1 Skylark x 2 singing high over Thurnholmes Tawny Owl x 1 calling 01:50hrs Wood Pigeon x 6 Grey Squirrel x 1 House Mouse x 2 Peacock x 1 24/10/24 Barn Owl x 1 01:20hrs Blackbird x 2 Common Buzzard x 2 Dunnock x 1 Goldfinch x 6 Kestrel x 1 Mistle Thrush x 1 singing from top of Scots Pine Moorhen x 1 Mute Swan x 2 Owston Ferry Warping Drain Pied Wagtail x 1 Red-legged Partridge x 3 Robin x 1 Sparrowhawk x 1 male eating Blackbird in the orchard Tawny Owl x 1 01:50hrs Wood Pigeon x 6 25/10/24 Sparrowhawk x 1 male got caught in rabbit netting but managed to free itself 28/10/24 Pink-footed Goose x 125 North East over Thurnholmes Redwing x 12 WILLINGHAM WOODS 29th October, Angela Buckle Lots of White Saddle, Yellow Swamp Brittle-gill. Red Kite on the way. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 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 23rd – 30th October 2024 Contributors: - Peter & Janet Roworth, John Walker, Matt Blissett, Ruth Taylor, Owen Beaumont, Cliff Morrison and Dean Nicholson. Thank you to all other contributors. Daily News and Wildlife Sightings 231024 – Yellow-browed warbler, blackcap and goldcrest at Sea View. Yellow-browed warbler and chiffchaff at Brickyard Lane. 5 bearded tit and great white egret around Rimac freshwater marsh scrape. Merlin flew over Rimac car park. 2 wheatear along mid-foreshore between Churchill Lane and Brickyard Lane. 156 dark-bellied brent along Saltfleet Haven edges, and a total of 367 in the wider Haven area. 241024 – Yellow-browed warbler and chiffchaff at both Sea View and Brickyard Lane. Female peregrine falcon on Crook Bank outer foreshore. 5 cattle egret in roadside fields Sea View. 2 stonechat Rimac dunes. A green sandpiper flew up from a roadside ditch near Churchill Lane and continued south. 15 whooper swan Elm House Farm. Butterflies – wall, small copper Rimac; 2 comma, 2 peacock, speckled wood Churchill Lane; red admiral, speckled wood Brickyard Lane. Dragonflies – 3 ruddy darter, migrant hawker Rimac; 4 ruddy darter Churchill Lane. 251024 – Yellow-browed warbler in willows south of Churchill Lane. Snow bunting calling from the foreshore near Sear’s Track in the morning mist. 261024 – Snow bunting and 14 pied wagtail Brickyard Lane saltmarsh and a short-eared owl flew out of foredunes and continued south. 15 siskin, redpoll and small numbers of greenfinch and meadow pipit flew south throughout the morning. 7 whooper swan south over Saltfleet Haven. 2 stonechat and sparrowhawk around Sear’s Track. A relatively big southerly movement of pink-footed goose over Mablethorpe North End in the morning and whooper swan moving in smaller numbers. 271024 – Kingfisher flew along the Great Eau at Sea View. 20 whooper swan on Rimac Lagoon, later joined by 5 extra before all flying south. 5 marsh harrier over the saltmarsh in the afternoon. 52 whooper swan flew south over Elm House Farm. 2 Egyptian goose around pools at Saltfleet Haven. 281024 – 8 whooper swan (1 juvenile) landed on Rimac Lagoon then flew south-west. 44 wigeon, 8 redshank and 2 rock pipit on Rimac car park scrape, and a cattle egret flew south. 2 cetti’s warbler singing around Rimac dunes and another at Sea View bridge. 3 stonechat on f oredune scrub between Churchill Lane and Brickyard Lane. 10 black-tailed godwit Paradise Lagoon. 4 stonechat, 17 pink-footed goose and 32 curlew Elm House Farm. 4 cattle egret roadside Theddlethorpe and 1 at Sea View. 291024 – Merlin hunting over saltmarsh near Sea View and short-eared owl flew south over the saltmarsh mid-afternoon. 57 shoveler and 12 black-tailed godwit on Paradise Lagoon. The first fieldfare of the autumn flew west over the dunes. 9 eider flew south past Saltfleet Haven, 18 twite flew south over the saltmarsh and a snow bunting flew north. Great white egret Rimac freshwater marsh scrape. Cattle egret, 121 curlew, 182 teal, 580 wigeon, 29 shoveler on wet grassland south of Crook Bank, and 4 goosander and 400+ pink-footed goose flew south. 76 cormorant flew to roost on poplars by the Great Eau north of Sea View. Butterflies – red admiral Mablethorpe North End. Dragonflies – ruddy and common darter Churchill Lane. Other reserves: Donna Nook: 251024 – Lincolnshire’s first and the UK’s 12th record of black-faced bunting found between Stonebridge and Pye’s Hall. Also woodcock, 200 redwing, 40 song thrush, 30 blackbird and 20 dunnock. 261024 – The black-faced bunting was seen at Quad 3 mid-morning. Also here were 20 redwing, stonechat, 2 cetti’s warbler, kingfisher, 18 whooper swan, 600 lapwing, 150 golden plover, 3 marsh harrier. 2 brambling flew south. 271024 – Bewick’s swan, snow bunting, 3 twite and ring ouzel reported. Stonechat and 11 whooper swan quad 3. An additional 35 whooper swan flew south over the dunes. 291024 – The black-faced bunting was relocated on the saltmarsh edge near Pye’s Hall. The first grey seal pup of the season born, along with 5 cows and 4 bulls present. *** DONNA NOOK SEAL NEWS *** 30th October: Pups: 5, Cows: 28, Bulls: 8. 1st pup born 29th October. They aren’t all visible. Pupdates will be announced on the Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust website and the Donna Nook Warden Facebook page. 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 portaloos 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. Ruth Taylor Outer Humber & Coast Assistant Warden Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust Tel: 07867 794475 Email: rtaylor@lincstrust.co.uk ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 5. BARDNEY LIMEWOODS NNR ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ These cover a huge area. Reports always welcome. The history of the Lincolnshire Limewoods: https://www.forestryjournal.co.uk/features/19111877.lincolnshire-limewoods/ The Forestry Commission visitor advice: https://www.forestryengland.uk/article/coronavirus-visitor-guide ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Butterfly Conservation Lincolnshire Branch: https://butterfly-conservation.org/300/lincolnshire-branch.html Chambers Farm Wood - Butterfly Garden - gardening dates and times: Next date: 5th November 2024 https://butterfly-conservation.org/in-your-area/lincolnshire-branch/chambers-farm-wood-butterfly-garden Lincolnshire Dormouse Group Autumn dormouse activities Gemma Watkinson writes; 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. BGS Groundwater Flooding Susceptibility: helping mitigate one of the UK’s most costly hazards https://www.bgs.ac.uk/news/mitigrating-groundwater-flooding-susceptibility/ 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/ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 12 ...AND FINALLY... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ National and international stories England experiences Hawfinch influx https://www.birdguides.com/news/england-experiences-hawfinch-influx/ Raptor conservation success should be recognised despite the unacceptable crimes of a few https://www.gwct.org.uk/blogs/news/2024/october/raptor-conservation-success-should-be-recognised-birdcrime-report/ Rogue gamekeepers killing birds of prey, says RSPB https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cn4y42y5wn4o UK export of millions of endangered eels to Russia attacked as ‘bonkers’ https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/oct/22/conservationists-criticise-uk-export-of-millions-of-endangered-eels-to-russia Bird crime across the UK showing no signs of stopping https://www.rspb.org.uk/whats-happening/news/bird-crime-across-the-uk-showing-no-signs-of-stopping? Why do the clouds go dark when it’s going to rain? Try our kids’ quiz https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2024/oct/26/why-do-the-clouds-go-dark-when-its-going-to-rain-try-our-kids-quiz? Playing in mud and dirt can boost your child’s immune system – here’s how https://theconversation.com/playing-in-mud-and-dirt-can-boost-your-childs-immune-system-heres-how-241532 'Unsustainable' breeding season for British Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers https://www.birdguides.com/news/unsustainable-breeding-season-for-british-lesser-spotted-woodpeckers/ Ancient oak named after a band is UK Tree of the Year https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cpvzn3vxlxno *** Mail Fails *** Garry Steele - soft bounce - message could not be delivered to one or more recipients. 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/