============================================ || || Wildnews Bulletin || 11th Sept 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: There are two articles on the possible effect of Marsh Harrier predation on wader chicks included in the news stories this week. It seems to me that there are no black and white issues on subjects like this, only shades of grey. The next story explains how Lincolnshire Wolds National Landscape is to be a platform for ‘Nature Calling’, a national art project which will feature artistic endeavours inspired by the natural and cultural heritage of the area backed by £2M of funding. These are all important reads. Phil Porter's email is: philporterento@outlook.com Roger Parsons' email is: old.museum@yahoo.co.uk BTO's tracked Cuckoos - 8 already south of the Sahara - in the Sahel. https://www.bto.org/cuckoos *** This week's mostly-local news stories: *** Lincolnshire Heritage Open Days 6th-15th September 2024 https://www.heritagelincolnshire.org/heritage-open-days Five seabirds added to UK red list of most concern https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c78ljx5lez1o When does autumn start? https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/learn-about/weather/seasons/autumn/when-does-autumn-start Race against time in Asian hornet battle https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c9842gleykzo Lincolnshire Beekeepers to learn how to fight Asian hornets https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c9352vn2g15o Three fined £50,000 over hare coursing offences https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cx293xke1zqo Viking Way ban after motorcycles 'damage' trail - Sewstern Lane and The Drift https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c0qey4gj8jgo New breeding technique aims to bring back oysters https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c8er8e30rn0o Half a million oysters to be introduced to Humber estuary in restoration plan https://www.theguardian.com/environment/article/2024/sep/10/half-a-million-oysters-introduced-humber-estuary-restoration-plan Chalk quarry unveils expansion plans https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cp8n6knnde8o South Reston Villagers say they are excluded from pylon talks https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cx2evnw9g0lo Barton-upon-Humber Link road gets go ahead 30 years after proposal https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/clywr464z3zo Relief in Scampton as RAF site asylum plan ditched https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cn02np7zwyvo Marsh harrier diet and predation of nesting waders https://www.gwct.org.uk/blogs/news/2024/september/marsh-harrier-diet-and-predation-of-nesting-waders/ Marsh harriers unlikely to have a major impact on breeding waders https://community.rspb.org.uk/ourwork/b/science/posts/marsh-harriers-unlikely-to-have-a-major-impact-on-breeding-waders Lincolnshire Wolds National Landscape Major Hub in £2M Ground-Breaking National Art Project The Lincolnshire Wolds National Landscape is going to feature as a major hub in a £2M ground-breaking national art project, Nature Calling, which is funded by Arts Council England, the Department for Environment, Farming and Rural Affairs (Defra) and National Landscapes in England. Nature Calling is a first for National Landscapes because of its size, scope and the level of investment. It aims to inspire communities across England to connect with National Landscapes, increasing their access to nature, improving their wellbeing [1] and inspiring a sense of belonging in these special places [2]. Nature Calling will bring together the 34 National Landscapes in England, local arts organisations and community groups from within a 30-minute journey time of their nearby National Landscape. They will work together to co-create artworks inspired by these iconic places and the results will then be shared with the public in a Season of Art from May - October 2025. It is expected that 70,000 people will take part. National Landscapes are the UK’s nearby countryside. 66% of people in England (44 million) live within 30 minutes of a National Landscape, over 1 million people live within them and at least 170 million people visit every year. Nature Calling aims to encourage even more communities to feel welcome to enjoy these special places on their own terms. Here at the Lincolnshire Wolds National Landscape, we will work with communities in the surrounding market towns in both East and West Lindsey Districts, Northeast Lincolnshire District and communities within the Wolds itself. Our producing partner is Magna Vitae Trust for Leisure & Culture, who are a local charitable trust bringing culture to Lincolnshire’s communities. As the project develops, we will share information about how people can get involved. John Watkins, Chief Executive of the National Landscapes Association said: “The great thing about Nature Calling is that it’s a chance for new voices to interpret the National Landscapes of England in new ways. Arts Council England and Defra funding means we can deliver our first all-England arts programme with six National Landscape teams working with artists to celebrate these iconic places with a season of events in 2025.” Darren Henley, Chief Executive, Arts Council England, said: “Throughout time, our greatest artists have been inspired by England’s wonderful landscape. Now, we’re supporting a new generation of artists to bring to life their own awe-inspiring work in response to our natural environment. I’m excited to see what they will create.” Nature Calling is a partnership project between the National Landscapes Association, Activate Performing Arts, Poetry School and 6 National Landscapes that will operate as key hubs of activity [3]. Taking inspiration from National Landscapes, writers will start the creative process with words in the form of poetry, song, prose or rap for example. Using these words, local communities will work with artists to co-create their presentation piece for the Season of Art. This could include dance, theatre, installation, digital, or music. To get find out more and ways to get involved visit www.naturecalling.org.uk *** Weather News and Forecast *** https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/ https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/warnings-and-advice/uk-warnings#? Outlook for Thursday to Saturday: Cool with sunny spells and blustery showers on Thursday. Isolated rural frost possible Friday morning followed by a dry, sunny day with light winds. Turning cloudy and breezy Saturday. Forecast: 14th-23rd September It will likely be quite cloudy with outbreaks of rain and potentially strong winds across northwestern areas on Saturday, while somewhat drier and brighter in more southern and eastern parts. By Sunday this wetter zone of weather is likely to sink further south into more central parts, with s howers following into the northwest. Confidence is low for early next week, but the chance of some rain or showers in places, more especially in the west and northwest, before a trend towards higher pressure building in the vicinity of the UK from midweek onwards, leading to a more blocked pattern thereafter. After a chilly start to the weekend, temperatures will return to near-normal for mid-September, possibly above-average in places from later next week. *** 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 *** *** Lincolnshire Naturalists Union Field Meeting *** Wilder Doddington – Sunday 20th October Doddington, west of Lincoln. 12.00 for 13.00 start and finish about 16.00. Car parking at the Wagon Shed, Doddington Hall. Habitat: Heathland and moorland, woodland Leader: Leader: Ray Halstead 07772 613640 ray.halstead@tiscali.co.uk Grid reference: SK 89987 69936 What3Words: juggled.excavated.onions nearest postcode: LN6 4RU *** South Lincs RSPB Group *** Jeremy Eyeons writes: The South Lincs RSPB Group's details of their 2024 "Seal and Birdwatching" cruises aboard "The Boston Belle". There are twelve cruises organised for 2024, ending on 24th October. Full details on this website, including ticket prices, booking arrangements, sailing times and dates etc. Booking is essential. https://group.rspb.org.uk/southlincolnshire/ *** RSPB Grimsby Local Group *** Martin Francis writes…. "It has turned autumnal (not that it was ever very summery) so that must mean that the RSPB Grimsby Local Group's Programme of Indoor Meetings and Trips for 2024/25 is about to get under way. And it is, - starting on Monday 16th September (just over a week away) when Laurence Rose, RSPB's Retired Director for Northern England, will give us an illustrated talk, 'Bringing Them Back'. That is followed by a Car-share Trip to Frampton on Sunday 22nd September All the details are on our website Home - Grimsby Local Group (rspb.org.uk) I look forward to seeing you at the Meeting, or on the Trip, or both. *** The Scunthorpe and Brigg Local Group of the Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust *** Our first indoor meeting since the spring and summer outdoor meetings takes place. On Thursday,12th September when we will be given an illustrated talk by our local well-known naturalist John Davison on Wildlife in Taiwan. John's deep interest in wildlife has motivated him to travel to many parts of the world. He has always returned with a fascinating and interesting presentation of images to give us an enjoyable evening that enhances our knowledge of world wildlife. The meeting takes place in the St Hugh's Church Hall, Ashby Road, Scunthorpe, DN16 2AG, and starts at 7.30pm. ALL ARE WELCOME TO OUR MEETINGS. There is free parking at the Church and on the nearby roadsides. There is an entry charge of £2.50 which includes tea/coffee and biscuits at the mid-talk break. *** Lincoln LWT *** Richard Davidson writes… Lincoln Area Group Talk 19th September 2024 : The Geology of the Lincolnshire Wolds Helen Gamble (Project Officer for the Lincolnshire Wolds Countryside Service) will present an illustrated talk on the geology of the Lincolnshire Wolds and how that influences its landscape and wildlife. 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.... 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 4/9 Covenham Reservoir, Scaup drk, Black Tern. Frampton Marsh, 17 Curlew Sandpipers, 9 Little Stints, 44 Spoonbills, 15 Spotted Redshanks, Baird's Sandpiper on Roads Farm Grassland from Sea Bank. Gibraltar Point, Wryneck on cycle track near North Hide. 3+ Pied Flycatchers. Saltfleetby-Theddlethorpe Dunes, Pied Flycatcher at Crook bank. 5/9 Anderby Creek, Pied Flycatcher, Long-tailed Skua flew past, 7 Sooty Shearwaters, Black-throated Diver. 2 Black Terns. Baston and Langtoft Pits 3 Black Terns all juvs, Caspian Gull 1w at T-junction Pit. Frampton Marsh, Baird's Sandpiper on Reedbed, 18+ Curlew Sandpipers, 6 Little Stints, 1w Little Gull. Gibraltar Point, 2 Wrynecks at Sykes Farm along track, Wryneck at Harvey's Hide, 2 Pied Flycatchers, Long-tailed Skua flew south past. Northcoates Point, Long-eared Owl in scrub on bank. Sutton-on-Sea, Sabine's Gull juv flew north past, 2 Sooty Shearwaters, 2 ad Black Terns, Black-throated Diver, Caspian Gull. 6/9 Anderby Creek, 3 Pied Flycatchers. Little Stint. Baston and Langtoft Pits, Black Tern juv.. Burgh-le-Marsh, Wryneck in garden. Chapel Six Marshes, Pied Flycatcher. Deeping St James, Glossy Ibis on East Pit, Deeping Lakes. Donna Nook, Red-backed Shrike in car park, Wryneck, 3 Pied Flycatchers. Frampton Marsh, 38 Spoonbills on reedbed, 11+ Curlew Sandpipers, 3 Little Stints. Freiston Shore, , 2 Curlew Sandpipers. Gibraltar Point, 4 Pied Wagtails in plantation, Osprey flew south. 6 Spotted Redshanks, Long-tailed Skua flew past, Pomarine Skua, Sooty Shearwater. Huttoft Bank, Pied Flycatcher. Saltfleetby-Theddlethorpe Dunes, Cory's Shearwater. Skegness, Caspian Gull 1w at beach car park. Sutton-on-Sea, 3 Sooty Shearwaters flew north past. 7/9 Anderby, Caspian Gull.at Anderby Creek. Baston and Langtoft Pits, .Black Tern juv. at Wader Pit. Deeping St James, " Pied Flycatchers along coast road to Pye's Hall. Donna Nook, Red-backed Shrike 1w by track to Pye's Hall, Barred Warbler south of Pye's Hall in scrub. East Halton Marshes at Winter's Pond, Garganey, 1w Caspian Gull. Frampton Marsh, 7+ Curlew Sandpipers from, Sea Bank. 5 Little Stints on Reebed, 40 Spoonbills Gibraltar Point, 2 Honey Buzzard, 1 from Wash Viewpoint and near North Building from Mill Hill, Barred Warbler at Wash Viewpoint, Icterine Warbler at Mill Hill, 2 Pied Flycatchers. Wryneck at north end of Seacroft and at south of Visitor Centre, Wood Warbler trapped and ringed at East Dunes. Saltfleetby-Theddlethorpe Dunes, Red-backed Shrike 1w in dunes at Brickyard Lane, Pied Flycatcher at Sea View. Seacroft, Wryneck, then flew south. 8/9 Boston, Hen Harrier ringtail at Cut End. Baston and Langtoft Pits, Black Tern juv at Wader Pit. Deeping St James, Glossy Ibis at West Pit, Black Tern briedly at Deeping Lakes. Donna Nook, Red-backed Shrike in scrub towards beach near car park., 2 Red-backed Shrikes both juvs, by new embankment in bushes. Pied Flycatcher, Nightingale. East Halton, Garganey juv.at Winter's Pond, East Halton Marshes. Black Tern flew suth down Humber. Frampton Marsh, 2 Little Stints, 20 Spoonbills on Reedbed.. Gibraltar Point, Honey Buzzard around Visitor Centre briefly, 2 Pied Flycatchers, Richard's Pipit flew towards East Dunes, Wryneck near Bird Obs near Heligoland trap briefly. Pyewipe, 3 Black Terns, 2 1w Caspian Terns, Novartis Ings. 9/9 Baston and Langtoft Pits Black Tern juv at Wader Pit Gibraltar Point, 36 Spoonbills on Tennyson's Sands. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 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 6/9/2024 Raven flew NE over garden calling at 14.15hrs. 2 Pied Wagtails in garden, flock of up to 5 on The Green. 10/9/2024 Great Tit, Robin, Blackbird m + f, Starling 6, Magpie, Jackdaw 8, House Sparrow 20+, Pied Wagtail 2, Woodpigeon 4, Collared Dove 3. BARDNEY GARDEN TF117700 Phil and Mary Porter 8th September 2024 We always get a special thrill out of seeing birds in the garden that do not come under the usual category of ‘garden birds’, so 2, or possibly 3 Chiffchaffs this morning were a treat. We got an excellent view of their dark legs to confirm the identification. There was also a good view of a bathing juvenile Blackbird, and we have had to make the most of every one we could come across, in a year that has seemed, in the end, to be pretty disastrous for their breeding success. A Speckled Wood had to do a lot of flying as it refused to move from the airspace along which I needed to walk through repeatedly and a Brimstone put in an appearance. Mary saw a flock of about 30 Goldfinches fly up the street outside underlining the onset of autumn. 9th September The highlight of the day was a very low flyover from a Buzzard, calling loudly. 11th September A few Red Admirals are starting to take an interest in the first ivy f lowers and we also saw a very fine Large White. A Common Carder Bee was still feeding from aster flowers. Our giant Gorse bush has a few clusters of unseasonal yellow buds waiting to open. Our many plants of Purple Toadflax have leaves hollowed out and whitish from the feeding of the Agromyzid fly- maggots of Chromatomyia horticola. A Common Darter dragonfly was still active. A couple of dogwalk observations today might inspire me to look for some more ‘gutter and wall’ plants next week in the village. We found a seedling of Tansy in a gutter, and also a prostrate spray of Small Mallow emanating from an open-plan border onto the footpath. There seem to be more rather ‘composty’ gutters around at the moment which might spring some surprises later on, so don’t tell the council!. BOSTON STANDISH GROVE PE21 9EA Heather Bishop 4th September 2024 about midday A small moth landed on the beech hedge by our trailers. At first I thought it had wiggly edged wings like a Comma butterfly, but on closer look, it was had very pale wings with black border which blended in with the dark hedge. The closest we could find on the internet was Clouded Border moth. HORKSTOW SE987179 Jenny Haynes 4 September 2024 Several times this week I’ve heard male and female tawny owls nearby early hours of the morning. Female sounded as if she was in my garden last night. Bats were around earlier this week. Small and large white butterflies have been in the garden and one red admiral was seen yesterday. Buzzards have been flying overhead recently, one quite low down. NETTLETON LODGE GAME FARM Ben Jacob Observations from 1st week September Cormorant flying over regularly from adjacent fishing ponds this week. Oak knopper gall and oak marble gall forming on oaks Beefsteak fungus (Fistulina hepatica) starting to grow on one of the senior oak trees. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 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 4th – 11th September 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 040924 – Pied flycatcher and 2 reed warbler in scrub north of Crook Bank and 2 turtle dove in open dunes. Pied flycatcher and 2 wheatear south of Crook Bank. At least 460 Canada geese flew south along the inland side of the dunes throughout the morning. Common sandpiper outer dune slack Crook Bank. 3 yellow wagtail flew north. Pied and 3 spotted flycatcher near Sea View work base plus 2 redstart. Another wasp spider found near Rimac car park. 060924 – Bittern flew off MOD pool North of Churchill Lane. Grey wagtail flew south over Mablethorpe North End. 35 ringed plover, 10 dunlin, 5 knot, 3 sanderling and 160 sandwich tern Crook Bank foreshore. 4 wigeon and 28 shelduck flew north. 68 curlew and 1 whimbrel feeding on stubble field at Brickyard Lane. Pied flycatcher at Crook Bank. 5 wheatear between Sea View and Paradise, spotted flycatcher around Sea View. 2 ivy bees near Churchill Lane. Spotted flycatcher and tree pipit also in the Churchill Lane area. An impressive arrival saw 50+ wheatear, 3 whinchat, 2 pied flycatcher and a yellow wagtail around Saltfleet Haven. 070924 – Red-backed shrike, 3 pied flycatcher, redstart and 4 garden warbler in dunes near Brickyard Lane. 8 whinchat, 12 wheatear, 2 stonechat, pied flycatcher, merlin Saltfleet Haven area. 2 wheatear Sea View and kingfisher on the Eau. 27 wigeon and 7 turnstone flew high west inland into fog. 10+ wheatear, whinchat and spotted flycatcher on fence lines at Elm House Farm, green sandpiper and 2 redshank on scrapes. 080924 – 4 wheatear Elm House Farm track and 350 golden plover flew over. Around Sea View: 2 pied flycatcher, 2 spotted flycatcher, 2 redstart, 3+ garden warbler, wheatear and 4 goldcrest. Pied flycatcher, redstart, 2 garden warbler, wheatear Sea View to Rimac. 2 pintail, 10 wigeon, 90 teal and green sandpiper Rimac scrape. 58 shelduck on foreshore north of old tank. On Paradise Lagoon: 5 black-tailed godwit, 34 teal, 31 common gull, 46 black-headed gull, 4 lapwing. Whimbrel and 2 greenshank flew over saltmarsh. Great spotted woodpecker and wheatear near Paradise Lagoon. Butterflies: 70+ red admiral, painted lady, male brimstone, comma, 2 small heath Sea View-Rimac south. Damselflies: 3 paired willow emeralds Brickyard Lane. 090924 – 230 sandwich terns and Mediterranean gull Brickyard Lane foreshore. 3 spotted flycatcher and redstart around Sea View. 3 wheatear Elm House Farm track and hobby flew south west. The first skein of 60 pink-footed geese of the autumn flew south. 100924 – 150+ meadow pipit flew south in the morning. Whinchat and wheatear together at Sear’s Track pools. Brent goose flew north with 4 cormorants. 180 sandwich tern and 170 sanderling Crook Bank foreshore. 270 pink-footed goose flew south in several skeins early afternoon. Redstart in scrub Sea View. 3 wheatear along Elm House Farm track. Other Local reserves 040924 – Donna Nook: Shag and spotted redshank on realignment pools. Barred warbler in dune scrub. Muckton Wood: Speckled wood butterflies, great spotted woodpecker, buzzard overhead. 070924 – Red-backed shrike near Stonebridge car park. 4 wheatear. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 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: 17th September 2024 https://butterfly-conservation.org/in-your-area/lincolnshire-branch/chambers-farm-wood-butterfly-garden Lincolnshire Dormouse Group Autumn dormouse activities Gemma Watkinson writes; I finally have confirmation that we have a permit for the nest box checks in September and October! Apologies for the delay. These will be: Sunday 22nd September Saturday 19th October Anyone interested in joining us for either session should email through to 'sign-up' no later than a week before each session. Please email lincsdormousegroup@gmail.com if you are interested in joining us. Did you know that dormice have a very distinctive way of opening a hazelnut? Dormouse chewed hazelnuts have a smooth inner rim with toothmarks at an angle to the hole on the nut surface and look a little like a clog. Now is a great time of year to be looking out for hazelnuts on the floor while you are out walking in the woods. 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: 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 *** 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/ *** Lincolnshire Naturalists Union Field Meeting *** Wilder Doddington – Sunday 20th October Doddington, west of Lincoln. 12.00 for 13.00 start and finish about 16.00. C ar parking at the Wagon Shed, Doddington Hall. Habitat: Heathland and moorland, woodland Leader: Leader: Ray Halstead 07772 613640 ray.halstead@tiscali.co.uk Grid reference: SK 89987 69936 What3Words: juggled.excavated.onions nearest postcode: LN6 4RU ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 12 ...AND FINALLY... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ National and international stories Major solar project given go-ahead by government https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/crkm5p1x6deo Which rural area will take the UK’s nuclear waste? https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/czx6e2x0kdyo Puffins increase on Farne Islands despite bird flu https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cr7rpmyjk7mo Anti-pollution law to threaten water bosses with jail https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cwy5dwlwkwro Cat 'returns from dead' four days after cremation https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c79wyjgv39po *** Mail Fails *** Hazel Allen - Undelivered Mail Returned to Sender san@alf-resco - Host not found - message could not ne delivered. ----------------- ~ THE END ~ ----------------- (..until next week!) Roger Parsons old.museum@yahoo.co.uk http://rogerparsons.info/