============================================ || || Wildnews Bulletin 5th February 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. ============================================ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 1. INFORMATION, EVENTS, NEWS AND REQUESTS ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Editor writes: Last July, Mary and I went to Gunby Hall near Spilsby and very much enjoyed the gardens planted with many unusual species and varieties of plants. The estate’s churchyard as richly endowed with lichens giving the impression that the walls and headstones had never been cleared of their lichens, so complete and varied was the coverage. I almost delved into these organisms many years ago, but while the Frank S. Dobson authoritative illustrated guide was affordable, much of the preparation equipment was not, and I moved on to other subjects. I consulted Charlie Barnes at Greater Lincolnshire Nature Partnership where Lincolnshire’s wildlife records are stored, to check that the site had been surveyed and he replied that 35 species had been recorded by county recorder Prof. Mark Seaward in 2009. Experts on Lichens are a rare species indeed, but for any reader ls proficient in this field (or knows someone who is), I then asked Charlie if there were churchyards that had not been surveyed for lichens, and it turns out that there are a lot! He kindly sent me the link https://maps.glnp.org.uk/greater-lincolnshire-nature-partnership/maps/a2455732-dfc2-11ef-a486-02af6ed49e2d/Churches-without-lichens which maps dozens of examples with no lichens recorded. The British Lichen Society https://britishlichensociety.org.uk/ offers plenty of advice on how to photograph lichens well, together with a section covering 20 common lichens to learn, plus much other encouragement to investigate these strange organisms. Phil Porter's email is: philporterento@outlook.com Roger Parsons' email is: old.museum@yahoo.co.uk BTO's tracked Cuckoos - 11 still south of the Sahara https://www.bto.org/cuckoos Lock of the Lowes SWT Webcam https://scottishwildlifetrust.org.uk/things-to-do/watch-wildlife-online/loch-of-the-lowes-webcam/ *** This week's mostly-local news stories: *** Tyres dumped in local nature reserve - Greetwell Hollow https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c78wv6z571po Potential nuclear waste sites identified - Lincolnshire https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c62qe2wqvj7o Dog poo rules 'tricky' to police, say officers https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c360xn89xklo Farmers in bird flu 'panic' call for UK vaccine plan https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/crm7d2yv878o Cleethorpes-London service delayed at least a year https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cjde02n02p2o Police force warns it could cut 200 officers https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c75zv7wq1qzo Nature reserve enjoys resurgence of bearded tits -Blacktoft Sands https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c7vd81832qno Puffin food fight goes to court - Bempton Cliffs https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/clyz95v18qpo Fly alongside a stunning starling murmuration - Cambridgeshire https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/videos/cn9375g2n8eo *** 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 6th February - Sunday 9th February Headline: Chilly with sunny spells Thursday: Any patches of mist or freezing fog clearing through the morning to give a dry day with plenty of long sunny spells. Widespread frost and freezing fog patches redeveloping overnight. Maximum temperature 7 °C. Outlook for Friday to Sunday: Turning colder through this period with widespread frosts. Some sunshine Friday, but cloud amounts increasing into the weekend with a strengthening easterly breeze bringing an increasing risk of wintry showers. UK long range weather forecast Sunday 9th February - Tuesday 18th February High pressure will likely sit to the northeast of the UK during this period. Consequently, winds across many areas are likely to come from an easterly quadrant, exacerbating the cold feel, with temperatures often below average. At first, there is the chance of more widespread precipitation, most likely mainly rain, across southernmost areas, before this clears away. Thereafter, there is a risk of some sleet or snow showers feeding in on the east to southeasterly wind, though many places may remain dry. Also a small chance of Atlantic fronts making inroads from the west, especially later in this period, which could also bring the possibility of at least transient snow. Overnight frost is likely to feature during this period, particularly where skies are clear. *** For Astronomers and Sky-watchers *** Crescent Moon and Venus light up the night sky https://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/articles/c3914yk4g7wo Sky At A Glance - highlights to 8th February The waxing crescent Moon pairs up with Saturn, then Venus. https://skyandtelescope.org/observing/sky-at-a-glance/ Night Sky - RMG - highlights - February. https://www.rmg.co.uk/stories/blog/astronomy/night-sky-highlights-february-2025 Full Moons: 12th February - the "Snow Moon" https://www.rmg.co.uk/stories/topics/full-moon-calendar Meteor shower date https://www.rmg.co.uk/stories/topics/meteor-shower-guide BBC Sky at Night Magazine website Lunar eclipse visible from Europe 13-14 March 2025. https://www.skyatnightmagazine.com/news *** EVENTS *** *** L.N.U. AGM & Talk *** On Saturday 22nd March 2025 at Whisby Nature Park Education Centre Lincoln SK910662 at 2 pm. Refreshments will be available. Parking £2 The AGM will be followed by a talk by outgoing president, Paul Scott “The Sir Joseph Banks Centre - Past, Present, and Future”. Synopsis - "Many members may be familiar with Sir Joseph Banks, thanks to numerous talks given across the county and beyond over the past 20 years. However, the history of the building and the Joseph Banks Society remains less well-known. This lecture explores the evolution of the building and how the Joseph Banks Society has transformed into a unique natural science centre and museum.” *** Boston Area Group LWT *** Talk - Nature's Favourites by Neil Smith Thursday 13th February 2025 at 7.30pm Centenary Methodist Church, Red Lion Street, Boston, PE21 6NY Free admission but there will be a retiring collection. Refreshments will be served in the interval. Non members are welcome. *** GRIMSBY/CLEETHORPES RSPB *** Our local group have arranged a talk for the evening of Monday 17th of February at 7.30pm at The Holy Trinity Church (formally known as Corpus Christi) on Grimsby Road, Cleethorpes, DN35 7LH. The talk is titled "Champions of the flyway" by Mark Pearson. *** SOUTH LINCOLNSHIRE RSPB GROUP*** "The Amazing Life of the Swift". An illustrated Slideshow Talk by Alasdair McKee of the RSPB showcasing these amazing birds and what we can do to help them. Wednesday 9th April 2025 at 7-30pm at Boston Tennis Club. Full details at https://group.rspb.org.uk/southlincolnshire/ "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. Full details at https://group.rspb.org.uk/southlincolnshire/ *** Grimsby and Cleethorpes Area Group LWT: *** Coral Reefs of the Caribbean Sea and Indian Ocean- with Vicki Bush On Monday 10th February 2025 the Grimsby and Cleethorpes Area Group LWT hold their next indoor meeting where Vicki Bush will be giving an illustrated presentation on coral reefs of the Caribbean Sea and Indian Ocean. She will give an introduction to the life of coral reefs and will explain how these small animals create the foundations for a diverse ecosystem and the dangers they face. This will take place in Grimsby Town Hall DN31 1HU and starts at 7.30pm. Admission £4, all are welcome. There will be a raffle, book sale and refreshments will be available. For further information please contact David Ball (secretary) 07711716063 or visit our website www.grimsbywildlifetrust.org.uk We are also on Facebook The Natural History and Geology Section of the Scunthorpe Museum Society Our next meeting is on Monday, 10th February when traveller and speaker John Giles will be giving his illustrated talk entitled "Galapagos - The Enchanted Isles" John says "This is an illustrated introduction to the Galapagos by a traveller to these wonderful and extremely varied lands. The talk introduces the physical and natural histories of the Galapagos Islands and, importantly, the effect that these differing environmental conditions have had on shaping the diversity of life across the islands. We will consider how this diversity has occurred, the roles played by natural and sexual selection and how these have affected the scientific view of what is a "species" and led to a changing view of evolutionary relationships. Finally, I think I should offer some remarks with regard to the pressures on the Islands , such as invasive species and the possible long term value of these remarkable Islands." The meeting starts at 7.15pm and will be in Room 1, the Small Hall, at the Old Brumby United Church, Ashby Road, Scunthorpe, DN16 2AQ which is immediately next to the Applegreen filling station near Brumby Crossroads. There will be a mid-talk break with light refreshments available for a small charge. ALL ARE WELCOME TO OUR MEETINGS. There is a car park at the Church or also at the St Hugh's Church opposite or on the nearby roadside. There is a £3 entry charge for non-members of the Scunthorpe Museum Society. *** THE SCUNTHORPE AND BRIGG LOCAL GROUP OF THE LINCOLNSHIRE WILDLIFE TRUST *** The first meeting for 2025 of our Scunthorpe and Brigg Local Group of the LWT will be on Thursday, 13th February when we will be visited by Mike Pickwell, our local wildlife and landscape photographer from Cleethorpes, who will be giving us his illustrated talk entitled "An Island Year". In this talk Mike covers the wildlife and landscapes of the Outer Hebrides and the Balearic Island of Menorca. The meeting starts at 7.30pm and will take place in the St Hugh's Church Hall, Ashby Road, Scunthorpe, DN16 2AG, which is opposite the Applegreen filling station on Ashby Road near to Brumby Crossroads. ALL ARE WELCOME TO OUR MEETINGS. There is a small car park at the Church, and also parking across the road at the Old Brumby United Church and on the nearby roadside. There is a £2.50 entry charge for the meeting which includes light refreshments at the mid-talk break. *** SOUTH LINCS RSPB GROUP *** have announced the 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.... Cold-weather alerts - 1 Nov 2024 - 31st March 2025 https://ukhsa-dashboard.data.gov.uk/weather-health-alerts/cold Bird flu: Defra advice to the general public is to leave corpses alone and report the findings - but that landowners should dispose of birds themselves. https://www.gov.uk/government/news/bird-flu-latest-situation-avian-influenza-prevention-zone-declared-across-great-britain Lyme Disease reminder https://www.hse.gov.uk/agriculture/zoonoses-data-sheets/lyme-disease.pdf Road works and hold-ups https://roadworks.org/ Met Office Severe Warnings https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/warnings-and-advice/uk-warnings Met Office Severe Weather E-mail Service - sign up http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/about-us/guide-to-emails EasyTide http://easytide.ukho.gov.uk/EasyTide/EasyTide/index.aspx Environment Agency Flood Warnings - Lincolnshire https://flood-warning-information.service.gov.uk/warnings?location=lincolnshire Environment Agency Flood Information/Floodline - sign up https://www.gov.uk/sign-up-for-flood-warnings ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 2. WILDLIFE HIGHLIGHTS ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ *** Bird News from Rare Bird Alert *** Rare Bird Alert has kindly given permission to reproduce their pager reports. A big thank you from us all. Readers interested in a pager - look at the RBA website: http://www.rarebirdalert.co.uk/ For RBA's excellent articles: https://www.rarebirdalert.co.uk/RealData/Articles.asp 27/1/2025 Frampton Marsh, Hen Harrier male. Gibraltar Point, Black-thoated Diver. Mablethorpe, Black Redstart fem/1w male at Queen's Park between tennis courts.and chalets. 28/1/2025 Deeping High Bank, 8 Short-eared Owls, 2+ Bewick's Swans near Gull Farm with 1000 Whooper Swans. Deeping St James. Long-eared Owl at Main Lake, in ivy near hide, Deeping Lakes. Louth, Black Redstart at St James's Church, Saltfleetby/Theddlethorpe Dunes, Caspian Gull 1w on beach at Crook Bank,. Black Throated Diver. 29/1/2025 Baston Langtoft Pits, Ring-necked Duck 1w drk.. Louth, Black Redstart at St James's Church. 30/1/2025 Baston Langtoft Pits, Ring-necked Duck 1w drk at Langtoft West End. Deeping St James. 3 Long-eared Owls at Main Lake, in ivy near hide, Donna Nook, Spoonbill. Gibraltar Point, 2 Water Pipits. Sutton on Sea, Red-necked Grebe on lake Lakeside Springs. 31/2/2025 Belton Estate, NNE of Grantham, 2 Hawfinches in yews. Deeping St James. 2 Glossy Ibises at Deeping Lakes. Frampton Marsh, Hen Harrier ringtail, Bewick's Swan. 1/2/2025 Alkborough Flats, Water Pipit. Deeping St James, 3 Long-eared Owls at Main Lake in ivy, Deeping Lakes, 2 Glossy Ibises by River Welland, 4 reported at Main Lake later. Frampton Marsh, Hen Harrier ringtail from Sea Bank over saltmarsh. Gibraltar Point, ringtail Hen Harrier from Wash Viewpoint. Huttoft Bank, Tundra Bean Goose, Caspian Gull 1w. Sutton on Sea, Red-necked Grebe on lake at Lakeside Springs. Thurlby Fen, 2 Bewick's Swans in field viewed from River Glen bank. Willow Tree Fen, Hen Harrker male in roost. 2/2/2025 Deeping St James, 4 Long-eared Owls at Main Lake in ivy, Deeping Lakes Frampton Marsh,, Hen Harrier ringtail north of reedbed. Tetney Marshes, 4 Ruddy Shelducks on foreshore with Dark-bellied Brent Geese. 3/2/2024 Deeping St James, 3 Long-eared Owls at Main Lake in ivy, near Hide Deeping Lakes, Frampton Marsh, 10 Bewick's Swans, the flew off, Hen Harrier. Freiston Shore, 4 Bewick's Swans flew south over. Gibraltar Point, Black-throated Diver, 10 Water Pipits, Hen Harrier. Pyewipe, Caspian Gull 1w at Novartis Ings. Saltfleetby/Theddlethorpe Dunes, 10 Russian White-fronted Geese.in field south of Crook Bank car park. Sutton-on-Sea, Red-necked Grebe at Lakeside Springs. Thurlby Fen, 2 Bewick's Swans in field from River Glen bank. 4/2/2024 Belton Estate near Grantham, 1+ Hawfinch in yews. Deeping St James, 2 Long-eared Owls at Main Lake in ivy, near Hide Deeping Lakes, Langtoft, Ferruginous Duck drk at West End, no sign in afternoon. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 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 *** 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 2/2/25 Blackbird 2m Collared Dove 2 Pied Wagtail 1 Robin 1 Starling 12+ Wood Pigeon 4 Black-headed Gull flock of 15+ Domestic Pigeon 5 House Sparrow 8+ Raven calling from favourite tree 4pm. BARDNEY, River Witham between Bardney and Bardney Lock Reporter: A. Parsons Date: 2 February 2025. Goosander, 3 male and 1 female. Halfway to the lock. Doing quite a lot of diving! BARDNEY GARDEN TF117700 Phil and Mary Porter 31st January 2025 Mary saw an unusually large group (since we reduced feeding) of 10 Goldfinches and also heard a Bullfinch nearby, the first for a very long time. 2nd February 2025 3 Long-tailed Tits fed in an apple tree right next to the house for while. We seem to have seen fewer and less often often this winter overall. 3rd February 2025 Our current regular Great Spotted Woodpecker is a rather dusky individual so presumably in its first year. It completes with our two Grey Squirrels as the most successful consumer of bulk sunflower hearts. Other visitors; Goldfinch, Greenfinch, Chaffinch, House Sparrow, Blackbird, The increasingly shattered and sodden remains of taller herbaceous plants continue to provide habitat for feeding Wrens and Dunnocks. NETTLEHAM BECK (Vicarage Lane to Watermill Lane) Brenda Edlington TF008752 Grey wagtail seen on most visits moving up and down the beck in the winter months. NETTLEHAM Brenda Edlington TF 005756 30/1/2025 Yellowish warbler in the apple tree - I haven't heard any singing but think it was probably a chiffchaff. 26/1/2025 Garden Bird Watch, cloudy but dry Blackbird 3 Black-headed gull 1 Blue tit 2 Chaffinch 3 Crow 2 Dunnock 1 Goldfinch 5 Great tit 2 Long-tailed tit 1 Robin 1 Woodpigeon 7 A crow lunged at a woodpigeon and took 12 light-coloured feathers out of its tail. The surprised pigeon flew off. This is the lowest total count and equal lowest number of species seen since I started keeping Garden Bird Watch records in 2004. Garden rainfall for 2024 Approx 721mm/28 ins - a bit wetter than average but down on 2023. Wettest month February 113mm followed by September 96mm. Driest month August 19mm followed by November 37mm. WATER RAIL WAY Bardney to Bardney Lock TF107697 Phil and Mary Porter 30th January 2025 A short walk along the persistently turbid River Witham produced precious little on the way out. The lack of small birds along the pathside hedgerow was extraordinarily evident. Cormorants commuted this way and that, a Goosander flew past us upstream and a Moorhen or two was on the river. Mary picked out a party of 4 Brown Hares in the adjacent field grazing happily and they were still together on the return journey. But it wasn’t until we reached the lock that we saw very much. As usual there was a Great White Egret on the bank of the Old River, joined by 2 Grey Herons which eventually saw it off, but there were a lot of waterfowl on the semi-flooded Branston Island including about 100 swans, many of which were audibly Whooper Swans, with the nearest birds Mutes Swans, Greylag Geese and Mallard as you would imagine. Most of the birds were beyond binocular range but a party of 15 Shovelers flew closer. On the return, we finally saw a Blue Tit in the riverside willows!! Half way back we saw two extremely noisy Buzzards calling loudly in unusual phrases. They eventually settled in a small evergreen plantation on the opposite bank. A Song Thrush popped out of the hedgerow near the Station Road exit. WILLINGHAM FOREST, Dog Kennel Farm TF143883 Colin Smith 3/2/2025 Black Snail Beetle Silpha atrata Ground beetle Limodromus assimilis Mould beetle Cartodere nodifer Mould beetle Cartodere bifasciata Nuthatch Treecreeper TF142880 Pine needle fungus Lophodermium pinastri Water Measurer Hydrometra stagnorum Buzzing Spider Anyphaena accentuata Snake-back Spider Segestria senoculata Trashline Orb Weaver Spider Cyclosa conica Harvestman Nemastoma bimaculatum Dingy Footman caterpillar Eilema griseola Brindled Buff moth Agonopterix arenella Tawny Oak Tortrix moth Acleris ferrugana Plantbug Buchananiella continua Plantbug Cardiastethus fasciiventris Rove beetle Stenus bifoveolatus ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 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 Saltfleetby-Theddlethorpe Dunes NNR 220125 – 2 white-fronted geese and 3 barnacle geese mixed in with Canada and greylag geese around Sea View washlands, later seen at Elm House Farm. Chiffchaff in trees by Rimac car park. 230125 – 2 white-fronted geese in fields by Rimac entrance with Canada geese and 3 barnacle geese again on Sea View washlands. Pintail pair on Rimac car park scrape. Cattle egret in pasture south of Rimac car park. 240125 – wind gusting up to 63.2mph near Sea View during Storm Eowyn. 250125 – 12 snow bunting on Crook Bank inner foreshore and 2 on the outer beach. 2 cattle egret and pintail pair around Rimac car park. 19 pintail flew from Rimac saltmarsh with 30 mallard and a great white egret also seen nearby. A flock of 500+ small waders on Rimac foreshore; a majority dunlin but smaller numbers of sanderling, knot and ringed plover, plus a peregrine sat on the foreshore. 11 curlew and 1 black-tailed godwit on Sea View washlands. 650 pink-footed geese Elm House Farm field 6. 260125 – 15 snow bunting, 12 linnet, 10 sanderling feeding on developing saltmarsh out from Sear’s Track. 1000+ pink-footed geese on Elm House Farm field 5. 270125 – peregrine, male stonechat and water rail around Crook Bank outer dunes and 23 snow bunting feeding on developing saltmarsh on Crook Bank foreshore. 50 pink-footed geese and 69 curlew on arable fields adjacent to Crook Bank dunes. Large skein of pink footed geese flew over Sea View in the evening. 3 barnacle geese on wet grassland south of Crook Bank with 500 Canada geese. 280125 – green woodpecker and mistle thrush at Sea View. 290125 – black-throated diver flew north over the sea at Mablethorpe North End. 2 red kite drifted low over Crook Bank car park and continued north along the dunes past Rimac. Male bullfinch Crook Bank dune scrub. First winter Caspian gull loafing on the beach at Crook Bank, later seen on wet grassland south of Crook Bank where a pintail pair were feeding. 300125 – 300+ pink-footed geese landed on Elm House Farm wet grassland. 310125 – 1 fieldfare at Sea View. Teal, wigeon, shelduck, shoveler, lapwing and little grebe on Sea View Washland and Great Eau. Male marsh harrier and 3 cattle egret around Rimac dunes. 010225 – water rail screeching at Churchill Lane. 020225 – pair of buzzards displaying around Churchill Lane. Bird song increasing around the dunes, with robin, chaffinch and blue tit heard throughout the day. 030225 – 10 Russian white-fronted geese and 80 curlew feeding in arable field next to Crook Bank car park. 4 stonechat Crook Bank outer dunes and a woodcock in dunes south of Crook Bank. 12 oystercatcher, 5 Grey Plover and 6 bar-tailed godwit on the tideline at Crook Bank. Stonechat near Paradise Lagoon. 27 pintail Rimac saltmarsh lagoon mid-afternoon and a further 9 with mallard on Rimac saltmarsh. Good numbers of waders and wildfowl on wet grassland south of Crook Bank, including 1020 wigeon and 2 pintail. 2 buzzard, marsh harrier, 400+ wigeon, 120 Canada geese, 2 lapwing Elm House Farm field 1. 040225 – great white egret Rimac freshwater marsh and 2 cattle egret around Rimac car park. A peregrine flew low north along the dunes between Rimac and Sea View. 11 black-tailed godwit with 400 wigeon, 150 teal, 40 shoveler and a drake pintail on Elm House Farm field 5. On Paradise Lagoon 2 curlew, 2 shoveler, 2 redshank, 4 tufted duck, 22 teal, 2 little grebe, 2 grey heron and 6 reed bunting. Other reserves: 300125 – Tetney Blow Wells: Cetti’s warbler singing, 2 woodcock, little grebe, buzzard flew over, great spotted woodpecker drumming. Donna Nook: Skylark singing over dunes, 1 fieldfare. 310125 – Welton-le-Wold: kestrel hunting over reserve, skylark singing in adjacent field. 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 29th January: Red Kite flying south, Red-necked Grebe still at Sutton-on-Sea. 30th January: Hen Harrier, Pintail, Goosander, 3 Black-tailed Godwit, 2 Dunlin, Sanderling, Snipe and Kingfisher at Anderby Marsh, White-fronted Goose and Merlin along Jolly Common Lane. 3rd February: Red-necked Grebe still in Sutton-on-Sea, 860 Pink-footed Geese in fields near Wolla Bank, 102 Gadwall, pair of Tufted Duck, Marsh Harrier and male Pintail on Anderby Marsh. 4th February: 5 Egyptian Geese and Water Pipit on Anderby Marsh. 5th February: 6 Corn Bunting flying south and 52 Red-throated Diver on sea at Wolla Bank. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 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 Gardening days for 2025. February 18th; March 4th & 18th; April 1st & 15th; May 6th & 20th; June 3rd & 17th; July 1st & 15th; August 5th & 19th; September 2nd & 16th, October 7th & 21st; November 4th. margaretwestcott7@hotmail.co.uk https://butterfly-conservation.org/in-your-area/lincolnshire-branch/chambers-farm-wood-butterfly-garden *** Lincolnshire Dormouse Group *** lincsdormousegroup@gmail.com All being well we should get a permit for the following dates for our winter coppicing sessions: Saturday 15th February 2025 Sunday 16th March 2025 We will meet at Chambers Farm Woods outside the wood centre at 10am over the winter, and the session normally runs until mid afternoon, with a break for a packed lunch picnic in the woods. Please be aware that the toilet block at Chambers remains closed. No experience is necessary, just enthusiasm! All tools are provided, but I would recommend that if you have your own gardening gloves to bring these along, but we have some that you can borrow too. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The NNR includes the following sites: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Chambers Farm Woods (comprises Ivy Wood; Little and Great Scrubbs Woods; Minting Wood; Hatton Wood, Hatton Plantation and Minting Park; and also three areas of grassland: Little Scrubbs Meadow and extension), Small Meadow and Big Meadow. Since all have their own management plans, please give the actual location when reporting). College Wood; Cocklode & Great West Woods; Hardy Gang Wood; Newball Wood; Rand Wood; Scotgrove Wood; Southrey Wood and Wickenby Wood. Many of these include both areas of ancient woodland or important grassland. Many are also designated Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Records which provide a six-figure grid reference are of particular value to the Forestry Commission. Other woods included in the NNR but without public access: Stainfield Wood; Stainton & Fulnetby Woods (access by public bridle way only). ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 6. OTHER RESERVE REPORTS AND HIGHLIGHTS. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Discover Woodland Trust woods near you- including the best woods for walks, wildlife watching, family fun and heritage. https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/visiting-woods/woods/#=undefined&view=map Lincolnshire County Council - Local Nature Reserves https://www.lincolnshire.gov.uk/coast-countryside/nature-reserves Links to "Other Reserves" are welcome. Your suggestions, please. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 7. SENDING IN BULLETIN REPORTS ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The purpose of the Bulletin is to encourage biological recording in Lincolnshire. We aim to increase the number of people reporting observations to Recorders or via iRecord. https://www.brc.ac.uk/irecord/ The Bulletin is a FREE service. We ask you to provide reports, questions, news or relevant articles from time to time. Descriptive pieces are welcome. You don't have to stick to lists! Please help us to help you. When sending in reports please follow this layout to save re-editing: Place Name: IN CAPITALS with Grid Reference if you have it. Your Name: Real names please, not aliases. Put it in each time, for each location Date: Species list [Alphabetical?] & numbers [and observations?] e.g. Blackbird - 24 [And please, no home-grown abbreviations. Species Names in full.] Bulletin mailing times may vary. It usually goes out on Wednesdays/ Thursdays in time for the weekend. Please e-mail in contributions to the editor as early as possible. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 8. CONTACTS AND USEFUL WEBSITES ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ *** Links "not to be missed" *** Please copy and paste URLs if/as necessary. CONTACTS LIST Lincolnshire Naturalists' Union LNU Website: http://lnu.org/ LNU Twitter feed: https://twitter.com/LincsNaturalist LNU e-mail: info@lnu.org Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust: https://twitter.com/LincsWildlife Lincs Bird Club: https://twitter.com/Lincsbirding LBC County Bird Recorder: recorder_south@lincsbirdclub.co.uk The Sir Joseph Banks Society: https://twitter.com/sirjosephbanks Lincolnshire Bat Group: http://www.lincsbatgroup.co.uk/ Butterfly Conservation Lincolnshire Branch: https://twitter.com/BC_Lincolnshire Lincsbirders: https://twitter.com/lincsbirders Lincolnshire Chalk Streams Project: https://lincolnshirechalkstreams.org/ Lincolnshire Chalk Streams Trust: https://lincolnshirechalkstreamstrust.org.uk/ South Lincolnshire Flora Group: https://bsbi.org/south-lincolnshire-v-c-53 The Wolds Fungi Group: Contact Paul Nichol via email: nichol20@gmail.com Lincolnshire Dormouse Group: Contact: lincsdormousegroup@gmail.com FIGHTING WILDLIFE CRIME Wildlife Crime https://www.lincs.police.uk/advice/advice-and-information/wc/wildlife-crime/ SPECIES IDENTIFICATION AND RECORDING Please copy and paste URLs if/as necessary. LNU Recorders and Specialists: https://lnu.org/specialists/ Downloads of LNU books: https://lnu.org/publications/books/ Recording with "iRecord": https://www.brc.ac.uk/irecord/ iRecord is recommended by the LNU as an appropriate platform for on-line recording When asking for help: Please give the very best information you can provide. If you are not sure, ask what is needed from you to confirm identification. Photographs are helpful but not every species can be identified from a photograph. When asked for further details, get back to the recorder promptly. Don't forget a thank you for the help. That is always welcomed. 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 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 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 Atlas of the terrestrial and semi-aquatic Mammals of Lincolnshire: downloadable LNU book *** For the Geologists *** Please copy and paste URLs if/as necessary. BGS - Seabed geology data: results from stakeholder consultation https://www.bgs.ac.uk/news/seabed-geology-data-consultation/ 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/ *** L.N.U. AGM & Talk *** On Saturday 22nd March 2025 at Whisby Nature Park Education Centre Lincoln SK910662 at 2 pm. Refreshments will be available. Parking £2 The AGM will be followed by a talk by outgoing president, Paul Scott “The Sir Joseph Banks Centre - Past, Present, and Future”. Synopsis - "Many members may be familiar with Sir Joseph Banks, thanks to numerous talks given across the county and beyond over the past 20 years. However, the history of the building and the Joseph Banks Society remains less well-known. This lecture explores the evolution of the building and how the Joseph Banks Society has transformed into a unique natural science centre and museum.” As soon as the 2025 Field Meeting are available on the LNU Website details will be posted here. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 12 ...AND FINALLY... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ National and international stories Drone footage shows suspected hare coursing https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cp8qj8v8m5mo Could the UK actually get colder with global warming? https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cn938ze4yyeo Pet flea treatments may be harming wildlife – but owners can help https://theconversation.com/pet-flea-treatments-may-be-harming-wildlife-but-owners-can-help-248481 No targets for aviation or farming in UK climate plan https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cyv4g7000m4o Asteroid contains building blocks of life, say scientists https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c7vd1zjlr5lo Climate change made LA fires worse, scientists say https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cd9qy4knd8wo Five reasons for UK Government to restore nature in 2025 https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/blog/david-allwright/five-reasons-uk-government-restore-nature-2025 Why bats need tunnels https://theconversation.com/why-bats-need-tunnels-248782 Monthly musings – Mouldiwarp the earth hog https://www.gwct.org.uk/blogs/news/2025/january/monthly-musings-%E2%80%93-mouldiwarp-the-earth-hog/ *** Mail Fails *** slincsfens - hard bounce - message could not be delivered. ----------------- ~ THE END ~ ----------------- (..until next week!) Roger Parsons old.museum@yahoo.co.uk http://rogerparsons.info/