============================================ || || Wildnews Bulletin || 10th December 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. 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 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Editor writes: Rob from Healing (see ‘Reports from Readers’ below) suggests that he has not seen House Sparrows lately and asks if other readers are having the same problem? I remember in the 1950’s that sparrows were ubiquitous and that in autumn and winter it was common (at least in the West Midlands) to disturb huge flocks from fields and hedgerows with a roar of wings. The other day I was browsing through a mountain of British Wildlife back-numbers where I read an estimate that Britain had lost an estimated 10 million sparrows; I can’t remember the time parameters involved but it is obvious that the species is comparatively ‘thin on the ground’ now. But are there any areas where they have disappeared entirely? Please comment. Richard Davidson has been kind enough to send me some links to outdoor family events with a wildlife theme from the Wildlife Trusts over Christmas. https://www.lincstrust.org.uk/events/2025-12-19-christmas-second-hand-book-sale https://www.lincstrust.org.uk/events/2025-12-20-drop-eco-festive-decoration-making https://www.lincstrust.org.uk/events/2025-12-22-santas-winter-quest https://www.lincstrust.org.uk/events/2026-01-01-welcome-2026 https://www.lincstrust.org.uk/events/2026-01-02-new-year-beach-clean-gibraltar-point Phil Porter's email is: philporterento@outlook.com Roger Parsons' email is: old.museum@yahoo.co.uk The Wildlife Trusts Planning & Infrastructure Bill Amendment 130 The Lords defend nature against the Planning Bill Please look at this petition – e-mail your MP https://action.wildlifetrusts.org/page/180301/action/1?ea.tracking.id=PIB_webpage Donna Nook - Weekly seal 'pupdate' https://www.lincstrust.org.uk/get-involved/top-reserves/donna-nook/weekly-update If you are likely to visit the seals at Donna Nook, please consult this site before doing so to keep up to date with site requirements to ensure the welfare of the colony throughout their breeding cycle. BTO's tracked Cuckoos - Latest updates - south of the Sahel: https://www.bto.org/get-involved/volunteer/projects/cuckoo-tracking Loch of the Lowes SWT Webcam. https://scottishwildlifetrust.org.uk/things-to-do/watch-wildlife-online/loch-of-the-lowes-webcam/ *** Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust *** “Wilder Lincolnshire Podcast” https://www.lincstrust.org.uk/what-we-do/about/wilder-lincolnshire-podcast LINCOLNSHIRE CORONATION COAST NATIONAL NATURE RESERVE Delphine Suty of Natural England writes… Make a difference – volunteer with us! We are looking for individuals with good botanical skills. Your role will be to assist our team in surveying some of the rare plants on the reserve. Mainly a spring to summer activity, you will assist in the recording of the population, its location and status. The role can be done alone, with friends or other volunteers. We record data through iRecord and share with the Lincolnshire Naturalist Union and the Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland We will support your mileage, equipment, and further training as these become available. Please contact us at saltfleetbytheddlethorpennr@naturalengland.org.uk *** LEARN A NEW SPECIES AND 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 are the COMMON LINCOLNSHIRE WOODLICE For December and the Christmas holiday season I thought rather than just one species we could try to fill in the gaps for all the common species of Woodlice. This is a good time to get the children involved if you will be seeing any over Christmas. A walk in the woods on boxing day and turn over a log or two. There are links to the five common species below and you may need a magnifying glass to examine the head and tail for identification. The pygmy woodlouse is not surprisingly very small so that is the real challenge they are common in leaf litter. I have also included the pill millipede as it can be confused with the woodlouse but easily separated. Lincs for identification are as follows:- https://www.naturespot.org/species/pill-woodlouse https://www.naturespot.org/species/common-shiny-woodlouse https://www.naturespot.org/species/common-striped-woodlouse https://www.naturespot.org/species/common-rough-woodlouse https://www.naturespot.org/species/common-pygmy-woodlouse https://www.naturespot.org/species/pill-millipede Maps for all species as follows, plenty of gaps for these very common species https://lnu.org/armadillidium-vulgare-common-pill-woodlouse/ https://lnu.org/oniscus-asellus-common-shiny-woodlouse/ https://lnu.org/philoscia-muscorum-common-striped-woodlouse/ https://lnu.org/porcellio-scaber-common-rough-woodlouse/ https://lnu.org/trichoniscus-pusillus-common-pygmy-woodlouse/ https://lnu.org/glomeris-marginata-pill-millipede/ Thanks to those who added records for our previous map filling species. We received 16 records from 8 recorders for the Yellow Fieldcap Bolbitius titubans. Please do join in as all records are valuable and help our understanding of the county's changing natural history. *** This week's mostly-local news stories: *** Abandoned 60ft barge found drifting down a river - Langrick. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cj4qyn8xl7xo Watch: Mystery beaver filmed at nature reserve - Norfolk https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/videos/c0l9ndg0j6po Watch: Swan stops traffic on four-lane motorway - Northants https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/videos/ce91vmp3kplo CCTV captures foxes frolicking in Lincoln https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/videos/ckgd3301zlmo Volunteers sought for tree planting over winter - N Lincs https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c8e9408ljw4o Plans for anaerobic digestion plant approved - Wragby https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c208n35j5n1o RSPCA warning as pony abandoned on public footpath - Owston Ferry https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c8xdv0edzj0o Abandoned fair ride among items dumped by roadside https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cd6x3q2vd7eo *** 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 4th December - Sunday 7th December Headline: Wednesday, mostly dry with sunny spells. Breezy but mild. Thursday: Generally dry with bright spells and remaining breezy but mild. Best of the brightness in the morning, turning cloudier late in the day, perhaps with a few spots of drizzle. Maximum temperature 11 °C. Outlook for Friday to Sunday: Band of rain moves erratically east on Friday, drier conditions to follow with winds easing. Saturday and Sunday turning windy again. Dry start probably turning wetter later. Staying mild. UK long range weather forecast Sunday 7th December - Tuesday 16th December A continuation of a similar pattern to that seen through early December is anticipated, especially at first, as frontal systems from the Atlantic spread into and across the UK, interspersed with some temporary drier interludes. These will bring spells of rain, which may be heavy at times leading to the risk of some impacts given how wet it has been lately, especially in the west. In addition, there is also potential for some periods of strong winds at times too. Whilst it will often be mild, later in the period there may be a slight downward trend in temperature, especially across northern parts of the UK, and the chance of drier spells increases. There may also be a slightly higher chance of some wintry hazards at times in the north. *** For Astronomers and Sky-watchers *** Last supermoon of the year lights up the East https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cwygq7xxgpko Last supermoon of 2025 captured in photos from around the world http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/articles/cn5lk2512gyo Stargazers capture northern lights display https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c623n1m4n5yo Get ready for those Geminid meteors. 4-20th December - peak 14th https://www.rmg.co.uk/stories/space-astronomy/geminid-meteor-shower-uk-dates-how-to-see Seven celestial events to look for in the December night sky https://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/articles/cn0kg15nlppo Spaceweather.com https://spaceweather.com/ Full Moons https://www.rmg.co.uk/stories/space-astronomy/full-moon-calendar-2025 Meteor shower dates https://www.rmg.co.uk/stories/space-astronomy/meteor-shower-guide-2025 Comet Lemmon (C/2025 A6) on Comet Watch https://www.cometwatch.co.uk/ Night Sky Highlights - December https://www.rmg.co.uk/stories/space-astronomy/astronomy/night-sky-highlights-december-2025 AuroraWatch UK for geomagnetic data: https://aurorawatch.lancs.ac.uk/ BBC Sky at Night Magazine website https://www.skyatnightmagazine.com/news *** For the Geologists *** Please copy and paste URLs if/as necessary Watch: Moment Hawaii volcano eruption engulfs camera https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/videos/ckgm4yjl214o 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 https://lnu.org/publications/books/the-geology-of-lincolnshire/ UK Fossils in Lincolnshire https://ukfossils.co.uk/category/lincolnshire/ *** EVENTS *** *** LWT LINCOLN AREA GROUP TALK *** 18th December: “The Wilder Humber Project, in Lincolnshire” An overview of this ground breaking and ambitious project to rejuvenate habitats along the Humber Estuary by Project Officer Imogen Bentley. Including all about their new wild plant nursery at Saltfleetby-Theddlethorpe National Nature Reserve where they will be developing saltmarsh and sand dune plant propagation techniques and practices. This is our Christmas meeting so contributions of seasonal food to consume in the interval would be appreciated! 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. *** GRIMSBY RSPB GROUP *** Talk at Holy Trinity Parish Hall, Grimsby Road, Cleethorpes. DN35 7LH Time: 7.30 pm Admission: £5.00 (this includes tea/coffee and biscuits) Monday 15th December: “Around the world in 3,650 days”. A wildlife talk. Speaker-Ashley Grove-wildlife photographer and tour guide. *** THE SCUNTHORPE AND BRIGG LOCAL GROUP OF THE LINCOLNSHIRE WILDLIFE TRUST *** Our last meeting for this year is on Thursday,11th December. We will be visited by Darren Johnson, the RSPB Community Engagement Officer based at RSPB Blacktoft Sands, who will be giving his talk on "Moths in the Humber Estuary". Conservation and wildlife have been Darren's passion for many years as has photography and videography. He has found it amazing to combine them all in his career with the RSPB. Our meeting takes place as always in the small hall at St Hugh's Church, Ashby Road. Scunthorpe, DN16 2AJ, starting at 7.30pm. This venue is opposite the Apple Green filling station on Ashby Road, near to the traffic lights at the crossroads of Ashby Road with Old Brumby Street/West Common Lane. There is free parking at the Church, at the Old Brumby United Church opposite, and on the nearby roadside. There is a £2.50 entry charge which includes light refreshments at the mid-talk break. *** BOSTON AREA GROUP LWT *** Thursday 11th December at 7.30pm Talk - An Introduction To British Orchids by Geof Lee The talk will include many of the British Orchid species and where to find them. Venue - Centenary Methodist Church, Red Lion Street, Boston, PE21 6NY Free parking in the car park on the right hand side of the church. Interval refreshments will be served. Non members welcome and entry is free but there will be a retiring collection. *** SOUTH LINCS RSPB GROUP *** Dates for their 2026 programme from Easter 2026 Full details including availability, dates, costs, booking etc. will be on the website. in due course. STAYING SAFE Please copy and paste URLs if/as necessary... The Cold-Health Alert Service in England runs from 1 November to 31 March each year. You can register for alerts on this link. https://forms.office.com/pages/responsepage.aspx?id=mRRO7jVKLkutR188-d6GZn06Ss-xPLpCuYeyOZ-eFiFUMEVIMDRTOE5FVzFFM0NXNjFMWUlWMkJVMCQlQCN0PWcu 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) 3/12/2025 Cleethorpes Coast, Glossy Ibis, Lapland Bunting. Covenham Reservoir, Great Northern Diver, Black Throated Diver. Slavonian Grebe. 4/12/2025 Covenham Reservoir, 2 Black Throated Divers. Gibraltar Point, Water Pipit, long-tailed Duck. North Hykeham, probable Siberian Lesser Whitethroat in garden at Mulberry Avenue for possibly 9 days. Pyewipe, juv Glaucous Gull at Novartis Ings. 5/12/2025 Cleethorpes Coast, Glossy Ibis Covenham Reservoir, Great Northern Diver, Black Throated Diver juv. Langtoft, Ferruginous Duck ad drk at West End GPs viewed from Greatford Cut. North Hykeham, probable Siberian Lesser Whitethroat in garden at Mulberry Avenue for possibly 9 days. 6/12/2025 Cleethorpes Coast, Glossy Ibis Covenham Reservoir, Great Northern Diver, Black-throated Diver juv. Slavonian Grebe. Common Scoter. Horse Shoe Point, Twite Langtoft, Ferruginous Duck ad drk at West End GPs viewed from Greatford Cut. North Hykeham, probable Siberian Lesser Whitethroat in garden at Mulberry Avenue. 7/12/2025 Covenham Reservoir, Slavonian Grebe, Black-throated Diver, Great Northern Diver, Black-necked Grebe. East Halton Marshes, Water Pipit flew over Marsh Lane on wet grassland. Gibraltar Point, Snow Bunting, Great Northern Diver, Slavonian Grebe, Langtoft, Ferruginous Duck ad drk at West End GPs viewed from Greatford Cut. Mablethorpe, Siberian Chiffchaff in ditch north of Haven entrance, north end of Quebec Road. Tallington Lakes, Scaup 1w fem. Saltfleetby/Theddlethorpe Dunes, 30 Snow Buntings at Crook Bank. 8/12/2025 Donna Nook, Twite reported. Mablethorpe, Siberian Chiffchaff in ditch by Golden Sands entrance. Gibraltar Point. Velvet Scoter. Sandtoft, Hoopoe east of, at Sandtoft Road - present c. 1 week. Tetney Marshes, Velvet Scoter. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 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 *** 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 A & R Parsons 5/12/2025 Jackdaws , 6 or so are regulars with an extended group of 12+ House sparrows - local flock numbers 20+ Black-headed Gulls are very alert to the throwing out of scraps. If they don't move fast the local Jackdaws will beat them to it. I estimate over 25 gulls are active in this part of Bardney. I now feed scraps on a tray on the birdtable as the gulls find this difficult to negotiate but Jackdaws can manage to do it, As a result the gulls have switched to piracy, aiming to get food from successful Jackdaws. BARDNEY, Abbey Road TF117700 Mary Porter 5th December 2025 A Song Thrush was singing in duet with a Robin About 200 Pink-footed Geese flew north HEALING TA223104 Rob Julier 3/4 December 2025 Garden birds Blackbird Blue tit Chaffinch Crow Dunnock Goldfinch Great spotted woodpecker Great tit Greenfinch Long tailed tit Magpie Robin Sparrowhawk Starling Wood pigeon Wren Have any readers seen any House sparrows this year? HORNCASTLE - OLD RIVER BAIN TF256691 Phil Porter 8th December 2025 Delighted to see a fairly confiding Kingfisher along a stretch with ideal willow stems overhanging the river, north of the footbridge. Although there were plenty of Alder trees, only 2-3 Siskins came into view. Calls suggested that there were more. Blue Tits, Chaffinches and Mallards also present in small numbers during the short walk. A Mistle Thrush sang near the carpark next to the Indoor Bowls Centre. Identifiable riverside vegetation was typical of enrichment and a tendency to flood; Comfrey, Cleavers and Cow Parsley. POTTERHANWORTH AND NOCTON AREA Colin Smith and Tim Dorrington 3/12/25 We had a walk round the area and found the following;- POTTERHANWORTH WOOD TF070668 on a pile of logs Yellow Brain Tremella mesenterica Hairy Curtain Crust Stereum hirsutum Turkeytail Trametes versicolor Crystal Brain Fungus Exidia nucleata Scurfy Twiglet Tubaria furfuracea Purple Jellydisc fungus Ascocoryne sarcoides Silverleaf Fungus Chondrostereum purpureum Jelly Ear Fungus Auricularia auricula-judae Hairy Bracket Trametes hirsuta White Cheese Polypore Tyromyces chioneus POTTERHANWORTH, CARR DYKE TF073668 Lots of nettles still growing here Nettle Psyllid Trioza urticae still feeding in large numbers not showing any sign of hibernating yet. Nettle leafhopper Eupteryx urticae still surviving past their normal emergence window Field Damsel Bug Nabis ferus Common Damsel Bug Nabis rugosus Auchenorrhyncha Empoasca decipiens several of these which normally feed on trees then going into hibernation. They are nowadays moving to low growing plants to feed while waiting for cold enough weather to hibernate. Common nettle aphid Microlophium carnosum also still active well passed time to hibernate. Further along there were some brassica plants wiith 13 other species of insects. NOCTON HALL TF069640 Cushion Bracket Phellinus pomaceus Sycamore Tarspot Rhytisma acerinum Raspberry Slime Mould Tubifera ferruginosa Collared Earthstar Geastrum triplex Tawny Funnel Lepista flaccida NOCTON HALL TF063637 among leaves collected in growth on oak tree Varied Ochre moth Ypsolopha ustella Brindled Buff moth Agonopterix arenella Common Brindled Brown moth Agonopterix heracliana Common Footman moth Eilema lurideola caterpillars NOCTON TF061639 A very large Dryad's Saddle Polyporus squamosus covered in a parasitic fungus Hydropisphaera peziza which forms tiny orange balls. Loads of other things and lots of birds all quite incredible for the time of year. WASPS NEST TF076650 Cauliflower Gall Mite Aceria fraxinivora on ash tree WASPS NEST, farm path TF076640 Lichen Lecidella elaeochroma fruiting in large stripes and looking like barcodes on the ash trees Dock Bug Coreus marginatus Gorse silken fungus beetle Micrambe ulicis Gorse Weevil Exapion ulicis Birch Catkin Bug Kleidocerys resedae all on the gorse bushes. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 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 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 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 Donna Nook - Weekly seal 'pupdate' https://www.lincstrust.org.uk/get-involved/top-reserves/donna-nook/weekly-update If you are likely to visit the seals at Donna Nook, please consult this site before doing so to keep up to date with site requirements to ensure the welfare of the colony throughout their breeding cycle. A slightly short sightings-list this week but still some nice wildlife to be found. 031225 – 4 cattle egret with cows north of Churchill Lane. 154 golden plover roosting on MOD foreshore north of Churchill Lane. Chiffchaff and blackcap along the cut roadside at Mablethorpe North End. Colour ringed adult herring gull on Mablethorpe beach ringed at Harewood Landfill Site, York, on 26th October 2015 making it at least 14 years old. Ocean sunfish washed up along the strand line at Mablethorpe North End following a sequence of high tides. 061225 – pair stonechat around Paradise Lagoon mid-morning. 17 greenfinches in top of sycamores at Sea View. Cattle egret with cows south of Churchill Lane and a sparrowhawk over. Barn owl quartering grass field adjacent to Churchill Lane. Water rail and Cetti’s warbler heard around Churchill Lane. Grey wagtail Sea View. 071225 – 454 shelduck along Saltfleet Haven mid-morning. Siberian chiffchaff still showing well in roadside main drain Mablethorpe North End. 081225 – 400+ pink-footed geese south in several skeins throughout the morning and another 200+ flying towards Elm House Farm. 2 eider flew north over the sea. 20+ snow bunting around Crook Bank outer dunes mid-morning. Jack snipe, 2 stonechat and rock pipit also around Crook Bank outer dunes. Wader roost around Crook Bank included 700+ sanderling, 400+ dunlin, 24 knot, 11 bar-tailed godwits, 14 grey plover and 44 oystercatchers. 8 rock pipit Brickyard Lane saltmarsh and 3 shore lark still on developing saltmarsh south of Brickyard Lane. On the saltmarsh between Rimac and MOD 120 linnet, 95 skylark, 8 rock pipit, 7 reed bunting, 2 stonechat, 5 snipe, 4 lapwing, 4 shoveler, 2 marsh harrier. 091225 – Siberian chiffchaff still feeding along main roadside drain Mablethorpe North End along with common chiffchaff, blackcap, kingfisher and 2 grey wagtails. Donna Nook: 051225 - Weekly pupdate: 1752 pups, 748 cows and 444 bulls on the beach. The total pup count for the season so far is 1891. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 5. BARDNEY LIMEWOODS NNR ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ These cover a huge area. Reports always welcome. The history of the Lincolnshire Limewoods: https://www.forestryjournal.co.uk/features/19111877.lincolnshire-limewoods/ The Forestry Commission visitor advice: https://www.forestryengland.uk/article/coronavirus-visitor-guide ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Butterfly Conservation Lincolnshire Branch: https://butterfly-conservation.org/300/lincolnshire-branch.html *** Butterfly Conservation Lincolnshire *** Chambers Farm Wood Butterfly Garden Volunteers Email: margaretwestcott7@hotmail.co.uk https://butterfly-conservation.org/in-your-area/lincolnshire-branch/chambers-farm-wood-butterfly-garden *** Lincolnshire Dormouse Group *** lincsdormousegroup@gmail.com ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 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: 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. 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 diving ducks | The Wildlife Trusts https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/wildlife/how-identify/how-identify-diving-ducks 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 https://lincsnaturalist.files.wordpress.com/2017/06/the-flora-of-lincolnshire-e-joan-gibbons.pdf Atlas of the terrestrial and semi-aquatic Mammals of Lincolnshire https://lincsnaturalist.files.wordpress.com/2021/06/mammalatlas.pdf ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 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 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ New details to come.... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 12 ...AND FINALLY... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ *** National and International Stories *** Country diary: Lapwings are birds of my childhood – finally they have returned | Birds | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/dec/06/country-diary-lapwings-are-birds-of-my-childhood-finally-they-have-returned Should lynx and wolves be reintroduced to Britain and Ireland? Young people have mixed feelings https://theconversation.com/should-lynx-and-wolves-be-reintroduced-to-britain-and-ireland-young-people-have-mixed-feelings-269139 Incredible Close-Up of Spider Silk, a South Pole Sunrise, and Frog Mass Reproduction: Stunning Entries at Royal Society Photography Competition https://www.zmescience.com/other/great-pics/incredible-close-up-of-spider-silk-a-south-pole-sunrise-and-frog-mass-reproduction-stunning-entries-at-royal-society-photography-competition/ German hairy snails are disappearing from London’s River Thames https://www.popsci.com/environment/german-hairy-snail-london/ Deep-sea mining tests impact over a third of seabed animals - scientists https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cedx2p8gnx9o Volcanic eruption may have triggered Europe's deadly Black Death plague https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cy5gr2x914ro Wild boars fighting in road prompts police warning - Hampshire https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cx2d32qzy0vo Waste from UK's largest opencast mine 'poses significant risk' https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c62vzw30y0qo How the solar storms that cause the Northern Lights can wreak havoc on Earth https://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/articles/c4g4ey8zxnzo *** Mail Fails *** Brian Rice - soft bounce If you experience any such problem in future please let Alex know. mrapickwell@gmail.com ----------------- ~ THE END ~ ----------------- (..until next week!) Roger Parsons old.museum@yahoo.co.uk http://rogerparsons.info/