============================================ || || Wildnews Bulletin || 20th August 2025 || 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. ============================================ 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. Gibraltar Point, Coastal Country Park 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. ============================================ To interest new readers please use the "Forward to a Friend" link at the end of every Bulletin, or suggest anyone interested visits the LNU website and signs up that way. https://lnu.org/publications/wildnews-bulletin/ 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 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Phil Porter writes Obscure invertebrates don’t get mentioned very often in our notes so I though I’d enlarge on the interesting snippet from the Saltfleetby/ Theddlethorpe posting below about Dactylochelifer latreillei, the Marram Grass Chelifer, from Rimac. https://www.chelifer.com/?page_id=211 Chelifers are Psuedoscorpions quite closely related to true scorpions but without a sting-bearing ‘tail’. They are also very much smaller, around 3mm in the case of this species, so they are very rarely noticed much less identified. Many live in moss or compost-like materials and prey on even smaller fry., but the Marram Grass Chelifer is a coastal specialist and is found in association with the plant along the lowland eastern coasts of Britain and northern Europe, often sheltering under tide-line debris. ‘Dactylochelifer’ means ‘finger claw’, and on the link you will see that the claws are indeed slender and finger-like. ‘latreillei’ honours the distinguished French natural historian Pierre André Latreille - https://www.nature.com/articles/131159b0. Phil Porter's email is: philporterento@outlook.com Roger Parsons' email is: old.museum@yahoo.co.uk BTO's tracked Cuckoos - Latest updates - south of the Sahel: Wilfrid, Jim, Winston, Norman, Ashok, Sayaan and Cuach Cores. https://www.bto.org/get-involved/volunteer/projects/cuckoo-tracking Loch of the Lowes SWT Webcam - link down on 14th. "Our osprey camera is temporarily unavailable due to storm damage. We are working to fix it as quickly as possible and apologise for any inconvenience." https://scottishwildlifetrust.org.uk/things-to-do/watch-wildlife-online/loch-of-the-lowes-webcam/ *** LEARN A NEW SPECIES & BOOST LINCOLNSHIRE’S NATURAL HISTORY RECORD! *** Colin Smith, LNU President writes… A core function of the LNU is to encourage wildlife recording. We would like everyone’s help to fill in the recording gaps for some of the more common Lincolnshire species. Each fortnight we will introduce a species with a link to a current distribution map and details of the species to look out for. Please look out for the species in your area or when you are out and about in the County. You can record what you see on: https://irecord.org.uk/ This is the LNU’s chosen digital platform for biological recording. It is free to register with and easy to use, but if you have any difficulty get in touch via the LNU website and we will try to help. There is a comprehensive guide to getting started on the iRecord home page above. Click on Help. After a month, details of the records received and an updated map will be Issued here on your Bulletin. On iRecord, you will have access to millions of wildlife records from across the UK, and will be able to organise your own records within its database. Please do join in and record these species and any others you find. Take the best close-up picture you can. The next species is the Sycamore Aphid Drepanosiphum platanoidis, This is a very common species across the county and can be so numerous at times that the sticky substance they exude can cover everything beneath them. They can be found on the underside of Sycamore leaves, they are green. There is another species Periphyllus acericola that is black, so please feel free to record both. As you can see from the map despite this being an extremely common species there are very few records. Please help to fill the gaps. Pictures and further information can be found at:- Drepanosiphum platanoidis (Common Sycamore aphid) identification, images, ecology. The current record distribution Map can be seen at: Drepanosiphum platanoidis, Sycamore Aphid – The Lincolnshire Naturalists' Union hanks to those who added records for our previous map filling species. We received 47 records from 27 recorders for the Common red soldier beetle Rhagonycha fulva. Please do join in as all records are valuable and help our understanding of the county's changing natural history. AnchorAnchorAnchorAnchorAnchorAnchorAnchor *** This week's mostly-local news stories: *** Sonic boom heard after RAF scrambled to incident https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c7vl8vdj225o Application lodged for farmland solar project - Ealand and Keadby https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cwy058gw19lo Wildfire warning as warm weather continues https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cx2qnvn571ro Birds strike Red Arrows jet before VJ Day flypast https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/czer807l71xo Leaves falling, berries ripe, but it's hot. Is autumn coming early? https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c2enmn7j3zjo Cannabis grow worth £500k seized after raid- Bottesford https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/crr2nyrpey9o Police warning after seal pup bitten by dogs - Mablethorpe https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/crkz7mpp3pno Company fined for dumping illegal waste in village- Long Bennington https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cj3lzxk6zk5o Potential buyer for oil refinery as deadline looms https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cn0rxgvxyrpo *** 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 21st August - Sunday 24th August Headline: Largely dry with patchy cloud and sunny intervals. Thursday: A dry and partly cloudy day with sunny intervals and a gentle breeze. Chance of an isolated light shower near coasts. Maximum temperature 19 °C. Outlook for Friday to Sunday: A mostly fine, dry and settled period with sunny spells and variable cloud, however isolated showers remain possible on Friday. Temperatures slowly rising through the weekend. UK long range weather forecast Sunday 24th August- Tuesday 2nd September High pressure is likely to be the dominant feature at first, which would bring widely fine and dry weather for the Sunday of the Bank Holiday weekend. Whilst this is happening, low pressure in the Atlantic is expected to bring a change in weather to the UK, though the timing of any specific features is currently uncertain. From early to mid-week, high pressure is likely to become increasingly eroded from the west as areas of low pressure and frontal systems start to move in from the Atlantic, leading to more changeable conditions with spells of rain through the remainder of the week and the following weekend. Temperatures likely warm or very warm to start before quickly trending towards average. Anchor*** For Astronomers and Sky-watchers *** New signs found of giant gas planet in 'Earth's neighbourhood' https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cx2xezw3dkpo Perseid meteor shower: When, where and how to catch a glimpse https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cwy7d7e82gno Space and astronomy highlights in 2025 - June to August https://www.rmg.co.uk/stories/space-astronomy/space-astronomy-highlights-2025#June AuroraWatch UK https://aurorawatch.lancs.ac.uk/ The SpaceWeather website https://spaceweather.com/ Full Moons https://www.rmg.co.uk/stories/topics/full-moon-calendar Meteor shower dates - 7 July – 24 August - The Perseid meteor shower https://www.rmg.co.uk/stories/topics/meteor-shower-guide BBC Sky at Night Magazine website https://www.skyatnightmagazine.com/news Current Position of ISS https://www.astroviewer.net/iss/en/ *** EVENTS *** *** Natural History and Geology Section of the Scunthorpe Museum Society *** Our first "indoor season" season meeting for 2025-2026 takes place on Monday, 8th September. The speaker for this meeting will be Tammy Smalley, Head of Conservation for the Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust, who will be giving her illustrated talk on "Nature's Recovery in Greater Lincolnshire". Tammy is a well-known, enthusiastic speaker for the care and conservation of wildlife who will reveal much to enhance the positive aspects about our Lincolnshire wildlife status. The meeting will be held in the St Bernadette's Church Hall, Ashby Road, Scunthorpe, DN16 2RS, starting at 7.15pm. ALL ARE WELCOME TO OUR MEETINGS. There is a large, free car park at the Church the entrance being almost opposite the Priory Hotel on Ashby Road. There is a £5 entry charge for non-members of the Scunthorpe Museum Society. There will be a mid-talk break during which light refreshments will be available for a £1 charge. Not to be missed, this will be a memorable meeting back in our St Bernadette's venue. *** Scunthorpe and Brigg Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust Local Group *** The first indoor meeting for the 2025-2026 "indoor season" takes place on Thursday, 11th September. At that meeting we are visited again by Rolf Williams who will be giving his illustrated talk entitled "Crossing Boundaries". Those who attended Rolf's last talk in April will remember his enthusiastic, informative delivery about the conservation work in which he was involved when he lived in Kent. This talk comes from his nature explorations in Iraq and covers bird migrations including birds with which we are familiar in UK. Rolf served in the Royal Navy and when the flagship's deck filled with migrating birds he is "ordered" to an Iraqi oil platform to witness this spectacle. The meeting starts at 7.30pm in the St Hugh's Church Hall, Ashby Road, Scunthorpe, DN16 2AG, which is opposite the Applegreen filling station near to the Ashby Road/ West Common Lane crossroads. ALL ARE WELCOME TO OUR MEETINGS. There is a car park at the Church or at the Old Brumby United Church opposite or on the nearby roadside. There is a £2.50 entry charge which includes coffee or tea and biscuits during the mid-talk break. SIR JOSEPH BANKS SOCIETY Past president Paul Scott writes: An exhibition on Miss E. Joan Gibbons and the Flora of Lincolnshire. This exhibition is all about Miss Gibbons, her work, and the publishing of the Flora of Lincolnshire. Learn more about this extraordinary lady and the botanical history of Lincolnshire. The exhibition is open to the public, free of charge, Thursday to Saturday 10:00am to 4:00pm at the Joseph Banks Centre, 11-13 Bridge Street, Horncastle. LN9 5HZ until September 6th. enquiries@joseph-banks.org.uk , 01507 700012. On certain Saturdays, please contact us to find out which, the curator of this exhibition, Debbie Lincoln, will be in the Centre to talk you through Miss Gibbons' life and work. *** SOUTH LINCOLNSHIRE RSPB GROUP *** "Waders of The Wash" An illustrated Slideshow Talk by local RSPB Volunteer and photographer Jeremy Eyeons showcasing the wide variety of waders which can be found around the Wash estuary. Wednesday 24th September 2025 at 7-30pm at Boston Tennis Club. Please note this talk has now been changed to 8th October. Full details at https://group.rspb.org.uk/southlincolnshire/ *** SOUTH LINCS RSPB GROUP *** Dates for their 2025 programme of "Bird and Seal Watching Cruises" aboard The Boston Belle into The Wash estuary. There are 12 cruises scheduled for 2025 starting on Easter Monday and ending in October. Full details including availability, dates, costs, booking etc. are on the website. https://group.rspb.org.uk/southlincolnshire/ STAYING SAFE Please copy and paste URLs if/as necessary... The Heat-Health Alert Service in England runs from 1 June to 30 September each year. You can register for alerts on this link. https://ukhsa-dashboard.data.gov.uk/weather-health-alerts/heat Bird flu: Defra advice to the general public is to leave corpses alone and report the findings - but 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://www.google.com/search?q=government+flood+warnings+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 Abbreviations Juv = juvenile Ad = adult 1s/w, 2s/w = first/second summer/winter (age or plumage) 10.8/2025 Baston Langtoft Pits, Turnstone juv at South Pit. Deeping St James, Spotted Redshank. at East Pit, Deeping Lakes Frampton Marsh, Pectoral Sandpiper from Reedbed Hide. Freiston Shore, Curlew Sandpiper on south lagoon from viewing platform. Gibraltar Point, 6 Pied Flycatchers. Wood Sandpiper. Leadenham, 4 Caspian Gulls ad2 1s juv. at landfill Saltfleetby/Theddlethorpe Dunes, 3 Caspian Gulls, 2s + 2juvs on beach. at Crook Bank 13/8/2025 Alkborough Flats, Pectoral Sandpiper. from Prospect Hide then flew towards reedbed. Boultham Mere, 5 Spoonbills. Coleby, Quail male singing at west end of Heath Road. Deeping St James, Wood Sandpiper on East Pit, Deeping Lakes. Gibraltar Point, Pied Flycatcher 1w trapped and ringed. 2 Pied Flycatchers. Long-tailed Skua. White-rumped Sandpiper, Caspian Gull. 14/8/2025 Alkborough Flats, Pectoral Sandpiper. from Prospect Hide. Baston Langtoft Pits, Turnstone juv at South Pit. Frampton Marsh, White-rumped Sandpiper from sea bank. Gibraltar Point, Pied Flycatcher at north end of West Dunes. Pied Flycatcher near Sykes Farm entrance. Black Tern flew south past. Mablethorpe, Black-throated diver flew north past Sea View Car Park. 15/8/2025 Alkborough Flats, Pectoral Sandpiper ad from Prospect Hide. Baston Langtoft Pits, Turnstone juv at South Pit with Lapwings. Caythorpe, ESE of, Caspian Gull juv, at Freiston Heath Lane reservoir. Frampton Marsh, Temminck's Stint on Reedbed Lagoon, flew towards Reedbed hide. Wood Sandpiper from Reedbed Hide. Freiston Shore, Little Stint, Curlew Sandpiper on south lagoon from viewing platform. Gibraltar Point, White-rumped Sandpiper, Glossy Ibis, Black Tern, Wood Sandpiper. Leadenham, 3 Caspian Gulls all 1s at landfill. Toft Newton Reservoir, Sanderling. 16/8/2025 Alkborough Flats, Pectoral Sandpiper from Prospect Hide. Deeping St James, Glossy Ibis ad on East Pit, Deeping Lakes. Frampton Marsh, Temminck's Stint ad, and 2 Curlew Sandpipers and Wood Sandpiper from Reedbed Hide. 2+ Little Stints. White-rumped Sandpiper at River Welland Mouth.from boat. Gibraltar Point, Pied Flycatcher trapped and ringed at East Dunes. Huttoft Bank Pit, 576 Yellow Wagtails roosted. Middlemarsh Farm west of Skegness, 2 Caspian Gulls. 17/8/2015 Boultham Mere, 6 Spoonbills 1 juv. Frampton Marsh, Little Stint, 2 Curlew Sandpiper 1 ad 1 juv, 2 Little Stints. Garganey, Wood Sandpiper. Gibraltar Point, Wood Sandpiper on Tennyson's Sands. 18/8/2025 Alkborough Flats, Pectoral Sandpiper from Prospect Hide. Frampton Marsh, Curlew Sandpiper, from Reedbed Hide. Toft Newton Reservoir, 2 Sanderlings 19/8/2025 Alkborough Flats, Pectoral Sandpiper from Prospect Hide. Deeping St James, Glossy Ibis ad on East Pit, Deeping Lakes. Frampton Marsh, 2 Curlew Sandpipers, from Reedbed Hide, 2 Little Stints. Leadenham, 3 Caspian Gulls a 2s juv, at landfill. Mablethorpe, 2 Black Terns flew north past Sea View car park. Manby, Pectoral Sandpiper at Manby Flashes. 20/8/2025 Alkborough Flats, Pectoral Sandpiper from Prospect Hide. Manby, Pectoral Sandpiper, 2 Little Stints at Manby Flashes. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 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. Request from Cleethorpes Wildlife Rescue Can You Help Us? We’re mapping wildlife fatality hotspots on roads to help improve safety for both animals and drivers. Over time, this data could support efforts to work with local authorities to make high-risk areas safer. If you come across a deceased animal or are aware of one, please report the Location ”when it’s safe to do so” by: Dropping a pin on the map provided Sharing a What3Words location Providing the street name While we are unable to collect deceased wildlife, your information could help prevent future incidents. Thank you! Please share to help spread the word. Report deceased wildlife on the link below: https://form.jotform.com/.../report-roadside-deceased... *** County Wildlife Reports from Readers *** Thank you to all contributors. We rely on readers to send in observations and welcome reports from everyone, experts to beginners. Please keep your reports coming. BARDNEY - The Green TF120694 A & R Parsons 17/8/2025 Continuing bat echolocation at 55kHz starting about 21.30hrs and ending with a brief burst between 03.30 and 04.30hrs. Dunnock Pied Wagtail f in garden for an hour of so morning of 17th. No a regular. Sparrow flock of 12+ - several juvs. Starling flock of about 20. Magpies 4, 2 juvs. BARDNEY GARDEN TF117700 Phil and Mary Porter 16th August 2025 A large Humming-bird Hawk Moth spent a short time feeding on Phlox flowers. 18th August 2025 Recently a family party of about 6 Greenfinches has been conspicuously quick to visit the sunflower hearts as soon as they are put out. Goldfinches have generally declined to similar numbers. A juvenile Great Spotted Woodpecker is still visiting to feed. BARDNEY VILLAGE Phil and Mary Porter 19th August 2025 Although we have seen Small Mallow on a number of occasions growing out of cracks in hard surfaces, it has always been seen as a straggle of stems seemingly under extreme duress which the small, rather dull, palest pink flowers do little to enliven. This year, for some reason, there are 3 hearty spreading mats looking much more cheerful around the centre of the village at this time when the soil must be dust-dry as Bardney has missed the areas local showers recently. BARDNEY WATER RAIL WAY (upstream) Phil and Mary Porter 16th August 2025 A walk to Bardney Lock produced two plants of note. We don’t remember seeing Hawkweeds along this stretch, at least not in the quantity that we saw. The plants were in full flower and although they are a very difficult group to separate, I think they were Umbellate Hawkweed. The other point of particular interest was a plant forming mats in the river channel formed by sturdy stems supporting leaves like round flat parasols and obviously growing rapidly. Imagine a Nasturtium growing in fertile soil. I believe this was Floating Pennywort Hydrocotyle ranunculoides a pernicious escapee from America which is one of the most troublesome invasive aquatic to deal with. I will contact the Canal and River Trust about this plant when I can get a decent image. The abundant Field Bindweed in the verges seemed to have a very high proportion of flowers with a large amount of pink in the petals and looked most attractive. Also very eye-catching were the perfect flowers of Field Sow-thistle at their best. BROCKLESBY INTERCHANGE, slip road, Angela Buckle 17th August. Chicory. CARLTON LE MOORLAND SK909581 Jeremy Hutchinson 12/08/25 15.00 - Red Kite hunting over stubble field while straw was being baled. Early evening a group of 15-20 House Martins were hawking insects above the garden, joined by the occasional Swallow or two, and briefly by a Swift which was clearly heading south in a hurry. At dusk I had the pleasure of watching 3 bats hunting up and down in front of the house. I don't know which species they were, other than they were larger than Pipistrelles. On several occasions one flew so close to me that I could hear the faint pitter-patter of their wings. 13/08/25 Late morning a male Sparrowhawk flew over the garden, found a thermal and then soared for a while. Later in the day I spotted a Buzzard soaring on a thermal a few hundred yards away, the noticed a much smaller raptor soaring above it, (I think that it was a female Sparrowhawk, but it was too far away to be certain). While I was watching, the smaller bird made a half-hearted stoop at the Buzzard, which jinked away. Before long both were out of sight. I cleaned out the two dishes of water I keep in the garden for the wildlife, replenished the water, and was pleased to soon spot a Greenfinch drinking from one, followed shortly afterwards by three juvenile Great Tits doing likewise. 16/08/25 21.00 Watching the bats again when a Barn Owl flew over way above roof- top height then emitted a blood-curdling shriek, which startled my companion. I often hear this cry, but this was the first sighting for some time. GS Woodpecker seen and heard daily. Butterfly numbers have dwindled to very few over the last week to ten days. The local Buzzards' youngster (I think there is only one) is unusually pale in colour. It landed in the stubble field across the road a few days ago and was immediately mobbed by the local crows until it took the hint and flew off. Bronze Shield Bugs are more numerous than usual this year, mainly on the raspberries. FAR INGS Angela Buckle 17th August. Common fleabane, Devils-bit scabious. HORKSTOW Jenny Haynes SE987179 16 August 2025 I was woken early this morning by a very loud ‘barking’ noise in my garden, which turned out to be a muntjac. I’ve never heard one before and was startled by how loud they are. I also didn’t know they were in the area. A sign that there are more night flying moths around might be the number I’ve been evicting from my bedroom at night. I’ve not had to do that for many years. Bird activity in my garden has diminished and there are also fewer butterflies around. Those that are a mainly whites. LOUTH, HORNCASTLE ROAD LN11 9LD TF 324867 Nick Adams Saturday 16.08.2025 15:00 BST Three calling Ring-necked Parakeet (Psittacula krameri) flew over, north to south. Not heard previously or since. NETTLETON GRANGE GAME FARM Ben Jacob 12th August Green woodpecker flew over shooting range Lesser spotted woodpecker working line of old posts for food Oak bush cricket Meconema thlassinum seen on garden water butt 18th August 2 x Evening Primrose Oenothera biennis noted on the shooting ground yesterdayNot recorded this plant at Nettleton Lodge before. STAPLEFORD SK873576 Jeremy Hutchinson 15/08/25 Having recently said the I hadn't seen a Hobby since May, I was very pleased to see a male bird flying quickly eastwards at about 20-25m. WILLINGHAM WOODS. Angela Buckle Jenny Haynes 16th August. Angelica, Common fleabane, White-flowered Hemp-nettle, Redshank, Red bartsia, Enchanters nightshade. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 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 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ GIBRALTAR POINT NNR ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Gibraltar Point Bird Observatory https://gibraltarpointbirdobservatory.blogspot.com/ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ LINCOLNSHIRE COASTAL COUNTRY PARK ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Dave Miller Coast and The Wolds (South) Warden Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust Sykes Farm Nature Reserve Office Gibraltar Point National Nature Reserve Gibraltar Road Skegness PE24 4SU 15th August: Huttoft Pit: 7 Little Ringed Plover, 7 Dunlin, 2 Water Rail, 2 Grey Heron, 3 Redshank, Spotted Redshank, Sparrowhawk, 3 Shelduck, 24 Black-tailed Godwit, 5 Green Sandpiper, Common Sandpiper, 18 Curlew, Great White Egret, 5 Snipe and 387 Yellow Wagtail coming into roost at dusk. 16th August: at sea 3 Little Tern, Cory’s Shearwater and Great Skua flying south, Little Gull flying north. 576 Yellow Wagtail into roost at Huttoft Pit this evening. 17th August: 2 Great Skua, 2 Arctic Skua, 2 Fulmar and a Little Tern flying south. At Huttoft Pit there were 19 Dunlin, 66 Golden Plover, 22 Black-tailed Godwit, 5 Redshank, 5 Green Sandpiper, Greenshank, 3 Little Ringed Plover, Snipe, 2 Ringed Plover, Buzzard, Sparrowhawk and 648 Yellow Wagtail coming into roost. 18th August: Curlew Sandpiper, 33 Dunlin, 2 Ruff, juvenile Caspian Gull at Huttoft Pit. At dusk 723 Yellow Wagtail into the roost here. 19th August: at sea Arctic Skua, Great Skua and Yellow-legged Gull. Curlew Sandpiper and 5 Ruff at Huttoft Pit. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 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 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Owen Beaumont Tel: 07900264428 Reserve Manager Saltfleetby-Theddlethorpe Dunes NNR part of the Lincolnshire Coronation Coast NNR Sea View Road, Saltfleetby St. Clements, LN11 7TR www.gov.uk/natural-england Twitter @NEEastMidlands 130825 – garden warbler in scrub at Brickyard Lane. 18 whimbrel flew south-west in one group. Osprey perched on post on Rimac foreshore. Green woodpecker feeding on ants at Sea View. 5 green sandpiper and 6 teal Sea View washlands. 60+ house martin feeding actively over the saltmarsh near Saltfleet Haven. 12+ yellow wagtail flew south/south-west over Rimac dunes in 20 minutes and a hobby flew south along the dunes. Butterflies – clouded yellow Sea View car park; painted lady Sea View; 105 small heath, 11 wall Rimac. 140825 – overnight thunderstorm brought heavy rain, with 7.7mm recorded at Sea View. Redshank, ruff and 5 little egret Sea View washlands. Black-throated diver flew north over the sea past Mablethorpe North End. 20+ whimbrel and a greenshank flew south in the morning. Whinchat on fence next to Elm House Farm bird hide. Red kite flew west and great white egret flew south over Mablethorpe North End mid-afternoon. Odonata – southern hawker Churchill Lane dune frontage. Butterflies – brimstone Churchill Lane. 150825 – 92 ringed plover, 260 dunlin, 32 sanderling, curlew sandpiper on MOD foreshore. 5 green sandpiper and cattle egret Sea View Washlands late afternoon. Grasshopper warbler reeling, 10+ lesser whitethroat, several willow warblers, greenshank Rimac to Churchill Lane. Butterflies – painted lady, wall Rimac; clouded yellow, 2 holly blue Sea View; 2 clouded yellow north of Rimac car park; 2 brown argus, 32 common blue, 74 meadow brown, 1 small copper, 2 small/Essex skipper, 43 small heath, 9 speckled wood, 10 wall Paradise-Rimac. Hummingbird hawk-moth near Churchill Lane. 160825 – 38 ringed plover flew high west over Brickyard Lane in a single group. Redpoll flew south then back north over Brickyard Lane dunes. Odonata – fresh southern hawker Churchill Lane dune frontage. 2 hornet hoverflies Churchill Lane. 170825 – cattle egret on Paradise Lagoon late morning. 180825 – green woodpecker near Sea View. 130+ golden plover flew high north-east over Sea View saltmarsh. 165 teal and 130 common scoter flew north over the sea past Mablethorpe North End in two hours in the morning. A green sandpiper flew south over Brickyard Lane dunes and a greenshank flew over Mablethorpe North End. 190825 – green sandpiper and 14 teal on the Eau from Sea View mid-morning, and a single little ringed plover on a dry Rimac freshwater marsh scrape. Late afternoon 14 teal, 3 little ringed plover and 3 green sandpiper on Sea View Washlands. Green woodpecker calling near Sea View work base. Juvenile Arctic skua flew north along the beach past Brickyard Lane, flushing 32 sandwich terns. Adult cattle egret with cows on Elm House Farm seen from the main road. In the afternoon, a probable adult roseate tern, 2 black tern, 2 little tern, manx shearwater and whimbrel flew north over the sea, and 9 arctic skua flew south, including a flock of 6, plus 125 oystercatcher. Donna Nook: 180825 – 3 ‘Marram grass chelifer’ (Dactylochelifer latreillei) found under driftwood in the dunes. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 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 *** https://butterfly-conservation.org/300/lincolnshire-branch.html Chambers Farm Wood Butterfly Garden Volunteers Gardening days for 2025. 2nd & 16th; September, 7th & 21st, October, 4th; November margaretwestcott7@hotmail.co.uk https://butterfly-conservation.org/in-your-area/lincolnshire-branch/chambers-farm-wood-butterfly-garden ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ *** Lincolnshire Dormouse Group *** lincsdormousegroup@gmail.com Gemma Watkinson writes.. The permit has been received and the above dates have been confirmed for the box checks this season. Sep Sun 21st Oct Sat 18th ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 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. Boston Woods Trust https://www.bostonwoods.co.uk/ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 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. Tuesday latest. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 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. Local Bat Helpline Grounded bats, bat problems, advice and information. Contact the new Lincolnshire Bat Group co-ordinator as above: Email:info@lincsbatgroup.co.uk Or by phone on 01526 344726, who will be able to help you. Confidential Bat Records You may send confidential bat records direct to the above, who will make sure they are securely passed on to the new recorder. 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. How to identify ladybirds| NatureSpot https://www.naturespot.org/WildlifeGuides/12CommonLadybirds How to identify bumblebees| The Bumblebee Conservation Trust https://www.bumblebeeconservation.org/ Dragonfly Identification help https://british-dragonflies.org.uk/odonata/species-and-identification/ 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 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 Anchor Why scientists hope seabed mud could reveal Antarctic Ocean secrets https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cm2vz9jg8jzo 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 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 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 submitting reports, e.g. unusual plants, please send 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 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ September and October Field Meetings to be confirmed ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 12 ...AND FINALLY... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ *** National and International Stories *** Project to reintroduce ospreys hits 300 milestone https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cp3ee6ex7yno? Answering the call of the Curlew – RSPB https://members.rspb.org.uk/answering-the-call-of-the-curlew/ From bees doing maths to fish driving cars: teaching animals irrelevant skills can help unlock the secrets of cognition – podcast AnchorAnchorAnchorAnchor https://theconversation.com/from-bees-doing-maths-to-fish-driving-cars-teaching-animals-irrelevant-skills-can-help-unlock-the-secrets-of-cognition-podcast-262288 Homemade fertilisers / RHS Gardening https://www.rhs.org.uk/garden-jobs/homemade-fertilisers? Dangerous seas forecast for US East Coast as Hurricane Erin grows https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c3r41zeqnexo AnchorAnchorAnchor 'The water had no mercy': Hundreds killed as floods ravage north Pakistan https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ce3jeed2798o Faces of Welsh convicts sent to Australia recreated by AI https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cp89egm7ze9o How langurs babysit to practise for motherhood https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/videos/cy40py39gdlo Scientific American: Why This Seabird’s Superpooper Lifestyle Is Amazing Scientists https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/these-seabirds-pooping-habits-shock-scientists/ Solar Trees Could Save Forests From Deforestation While Generating the Same Power as Solar Farms https://www.zmescience.com/feature-post/technology-articles/sustainability/renewable-energy/solar-trees-could-save-forests-from-deforestation-while-generating-the-same-power-as-solar-farms/ *** Mail Fails *** None this week ----------------- ~ THE END ~ ----------------- (..until next week!) Roger Parsons old.museum@yahoo.co.uk http://rogerparsons.info/