============================================ || || Wildnews Bulletin 26th 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: Check out the section on Roadkill. I have inserted a request from Cleethorpes Wildlife Rescue who want to hear about wildlife fatalities on the roads to analyse distributions in case hotspots can be identified over time, followed by consultation with local authorities to look at ways of reducing the number of collisions. A link is provided to send them information online pinpointing the localities. Dave Miller at Lincolnshire Coastal Country Park gives us phenomenal numbers of Red-throated Divers flying offshore on the 22nd, and Owen Mountford at Saltfleetby/Theddlethorpe on 23rd. Meanwhile a ploughed field at Winteringham is hosting an Eastern Yellow Wagtail which presumably set out from its home range in the far east of Siberia/far west of Alaska, intending to arrive in south-east Asia or Indonesia for the winter, and is possibly now ‘puzzled’. Colin Smith’s new target for readers to iRecord should be well supported as it concerns the Holly leaf Miner Phytomyza ilicis. This fly is woefully under recorded in the county and readers can be reassured that this mine is the only one found on holly, at least in Great Britain. In my experience, mines are hardly found on variegated holly leaves. It will be interesting to see if this is borne out. As usual, Colin’s piece below includes links to pictures of the mines. 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/ Learn a new species and boost Lincolnshire’s natural history record! Colin Smith, LNU President-elect 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 iRecord at 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 Thanks to those who added records for our second map filling species. We received 11 records from 4 recorders for the small Bramble Leaf miner moth Stigmella aurella. Please do join in as all records are valuable and help our understanding of the county's changing natural history. The next species is Holly Leaf-miner Phytomyza ilicis. It is a small fly that is difficult to identify as an adult. The larva mines the leaves of holly. As holly is an evergreen the mines can be found throughout the year and are easy to find being light in colour against the dark background of the holly leaves. There are photos and more guidance can be found on theNature Spot website: https://www.naturespot.org/species/phytomyza-ilicis The current record distribution map can be seen at https://lnu.org/phytomyza-ilicis-holly-leaf-miner/ Please continue to record the previous species; Grey cushioned Grimmia moss, Bramble Leaf Miner moth Jelly-ear fungus and the lichen Lecidella elaeochroma *** This week's mostly-local news stories: *** Fresh public consultation over power line plan - Isle of Axholme https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c74e4wdjl3go Museum improvement plans to be discussed - Lincoln https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cy9deql501jo Five arrested on suspicion of hare coursing - Digby https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cn48yjxjejwo Police arrest four more men over hare coursing - all from Spalding https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c1kjel93km0o RAF tests new drones in the skies over Lincolnshire https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c0l1wdjwxnwo Church vandals steal tapestry and break cross - West Keal https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c778xp8k1n6o Centuries-old documents on display for first time - includes Charter of the Forest https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ceqjxqe1l4no Overnight closures planned for A16 roadworks between Boston and Sibsey https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cq8y2y25zg8o *** 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 27th February - Sunday 2nd March Headline: Rain soon arriving, afternoon sunny spells and heavy showers. Thursday: Showers soon clearing to leave a largely dry day with some sunny spells. Overnight frost and fog likely. Light winds. Maximum temperature 9 °C. Outlook for Friday to Sunday: A largely dry and settled period, with some sunny spells by day. Overnight frost and fog likely. Turning cloudier on Saturday. Temperatures around average. UK long range weather forecast Sunday 2nd March - Tuesday 11th March A split in weather conditions is likely across the country for the start of spring. Northwestern areas will see bouts of rain and stronger winds as Atlantic weather systems arrive from the west. These spells of wet and windy weather will move southeast to some degree at times. However, high pressure is likely to have more influence across the south of the UK, at least at first. Here, there should be a good deal of fine/dry weather during early March with a chance of night frosts and morning fog patches. Through the course of this period there is an increasing chance of unsettled conditions becoming more dominant across the UK. Temperatures generally around average, notwithstanding some chilly nights, though with milder interludes likely. *** For Astronomers and Sky-watchers *** The asteroid hits and near-misses you never hear about https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c5y494xkp3yo Sky At A Glance - highlights 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: https://www.rmg.co.uk/stories/topics/full-moon-calendar Meteor shower date - next big one April Lyrids. 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.” *** GRIMSBY AND CLEETHORPES AREA GROUP LWT *** On Monday 10th March the Grimsby and Cleethorpes Area Group will hold their next indoor meeting where Helen Gamble will give an illustrated talk "God's Acre - Cherishing our churchyards, graveyards and cemeteries”. Helen will help us look at all aspects of these areas from their function as a place of worship to an open space for community use and their diverse range of habitats for wildlife as well as their historic value. 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 and refreshments available. For further details please contact our secretary David Ball - 07711716063 On Saturday 29th March you are invited to join us for a morning walk in Grimsby Cemetery with Graham Hicks looking for signs of Spring. Meet Graham at 8am in Grimsby Crematorium car park on Weelsby Avenue DN32 0BA. Please dress sensibly according to the weather conditions and wear stout footwear and bring binoculars if you have them. This is a free event however donations will be welcomed for the Trust. For further information please contact Graham Hicks - 07979 089890 There are details of these events on our website www.grimsbywildlifetrust.org.uk We are also on Facebook *** 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/ *** 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 18/2/2025 Anderby Creek, 3 Tundra Bean Geese and 22 Russian White-fronted Geese in field at north end of Stone's Lane. Coningsby, Osprey flew west over. - report was erroneous. Deeping St James, 5+ Long-eared Owls at Deeping Lakes. 2 Glossy Ibises at River Welland. Gibraltar Point, 1 Water Pipit. 19/2/2025 Anderby Creek, 22 Russian White-fronted Geese in field at north end of Stone's Lane. Deeping St James, 7 Long-eared Owls at Deeping Lakes. 2 Glossy Ibises at River Welland. Frampton Marsh, 5 Bewick's Swans. Gibraltar Point, 21 Russian White-fronted Geese at Tennyson's Sands from Harvey's Hide. Black Brant with 300 Dark-bellied Brent Geese. Temple Bruer, Hawfinch at St John the Baptist Church. Winteringham, Eastern Yellow Wagtail in ploughed field north of Composition Lane. No parking on Composition Lane. 20/2/2025 Anderby Creek, 29 Russian White-fronted Geese in field at north end of Stone's Lane. Deeping St James, 2 Glossy Ibises at River Welland/Maxey Cut confluence, Deeping Lakes. Gibraltar Point, Black Brant with Dark-bellied Brent Geese, 2 Common Cranes flew north,.10 Russian White-fronted Geese in cereal field near Croftmarsh. Winteringham, Eastern Yellow Wagtail in ploughed field north of Composition Lane. No parking on Composition Lane. 21/2/2025 Anderby Creek. 29 Russian White-fronted Geese in field at north end of Stone's Lane. Deeping St James, 2 Glossy Ibises at River Welland/Maxey Cut confluence, Red-breasted Mergansers 1w drk, sic Deeping Lakes. Far Ings, Sand Martin from Ness Hide. Frampton Marsh, Spotted Redshank. Gibraltar Point, 13 Russian White-fronted Geese, Black Brant with Dark-bellied Brent Geese at Tennyson's sands.. Immingham, Caspian Gull at North Beck Drain. Winteringham, Eastern Yellow Wagtail in ploughed field north of Composition Lane. No parking on Composition Lane. Scaup at Bagmore Lake west of Winterton. At Roxby, near Winterton Road. Walk past landfill and take bridleway north for 1/2ml. 22/2/2025 Alkborough Flats, Little Gull ad. 2 Sand Martins. White Wagtail. Deeping St James, 4+ Long-eared Owls at Deeping Lakes, . 2 Glossy Ibises at River Welland/Maxey Cut confluence Frampton Marsh, 2 Scaup 1 drk. Gibraltar Point, Velvet Scoter offshore. Grimsby. 6 Ruddy Shelducks on mud on Humber Estuary. Huttoft Bank, 2 Black-throated Divers flew south past. Slavonian Grebe. Winteringham, Eastern Yellow Wagtail in ploughed field north of Composition Lane. No parking on Composition Lane 23/2/2025 Deeping St James, Sand Martin, 1+ Long-eared Owl at Deeping Lakes, 2 Glossy Ibises at River Welland/Maxey Cut confluence. Frampton Marsh, 2 Scaup 1 drk. on reedbed. Goxhill Haven, Richard's Pipit, Goxhill Aerodrome - no general access. Mablethorpe, Red-necked Grebe. Sutton-on-Sea, 2 Black-throated Divers. Whisby - Smew ad drk at quarry on lake off Job's Lane. Winteringham, Eastern Yellow Wagtail in ploughed field north of Composition Lane. No parking on Composition Lane 24/2/2025 Deeping St James, 2+ Long-eared Owl at Deeping Lakes. Frampton Marsh, 2 Scaup on reedbed Freiston Shore - Scaup Marston sewage works, Siberian Chiffchaff by feeders. Whisby - Smew ad drk at quarry on lake off Job's Lane. Winteringham, Eastern Yellow Wagtail in ploughed field north of Composition Lane. No parking on Composition Lane ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 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 R + A Parsons 24/2/25 Blue Tit 1+ Great Tit 2 Blackbird 2,,1f. Collared Dove 3 Pied Wagtail m Robin 1+ Starling flock 12+ Wood Pigeon 5 Black-headed Gull raiding flock of 25+ Domestic Pigeon 7+ House Sparrow 12+ Dunnock Raven regularly heard calling from nearby tree. BARDNEY GARDEN TF117700 Phil and Mary Porter 22nd February Mary heard a few Fieldfares passing over which reminded me of how few we seem to have encountered in the immediate vicinity this winter compared to the majority of previous years. BLANKNEY Farmland around TF078602 Woodland around TF071602 Phil and Mary Porter 22nd February 2025 We had a morning visit looking for hares after successful walks in previous years at this time of year, but whereas the fields had been more-or-less fallow then, today they held short vegetation and no hares were seen except for the carcase of one thrown into the top of a hedge. The hedgerows were well grown and thriving but almost empty of bird- life except for the occasional Robin. It is often difficult to count Skylarks on linear walks but a few were singing unseen. Otherwise it seemed to be typical arable ‘pigeon and crow’ country, so we returned to the Blankney carpark area where 2 Song Thrushes were performing nicely, and proceeded through the wooded pathway towards the B1188 Sleaford Road. There were some quite large old trees of Ash and Beech among Yews and Pine, and lots and lots of Snowdrops which were at their best. The birds included Nuthatch, Mistle Thrush, Goldcrest (heard), 2x Great Spotted Woodpecker (1 drumming), Goldfinch (small flock not seen well), 5x Chaffinch, 3x Stock Dove, 2x Buzzard, 2x Kestrel. More Skylark song over adjacent grassland. Finally, a Red Kite was over the carpark as we left. LINWOOD WARREN TF136874 Colin Smith 20/02/2025 Second outing of the portable moth trap now we finally have some warmer weather Pale Brindled Beauty Phigalia pilosaria 52 Winter Shade Tortricodes alternella 24 Dotted Border Agriopis marginaria 16 Chestnut Moth Conistra vaccinii 7 March Moth Alsophila aescularia 5 Spring Usher Agriopis leucophaearia 2 A total of 106 moths; also in the trap were 1 Birch Shieldbug Elasmostethus interstinctus and 1 Tree Slug Lehmannia marginata the latter is a surprisingly mobile species but did not fly in! SOUTHREY - River Witham R + A Parsons 22/2/2025 Goosander, 3m, 3f on River Witham 100 metres north of Southrey from Water Rail Way. 10.15am ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 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 https://gibraltarpointbirdobservatory.blogspot.com/ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 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 writes… After very spring-like few days, some things seem to be on the move and one of the locals recorded the year’s first butterfly locally just off the reserve! 190225 - 7 snow bunting on the foreshore edge south of Crook Bank, seen flying inland mid-afternoon likely to a roost site. 8 shelduck in 4 pairs on Brickyard Lane saltmarsh. Merlin hunting passerines around Rimac car park, where 3 cattle egret were still feeding adjacent to. 3 stonechat and a chiffchaff also around Rimac dunes. Another chiffchaff still at Brickyard Lane. 200225 - starfish wrecks along the beach post-storm weather replaced by hundreds of washed up cuttlefish around Mablethorpe North End and Rimac. 12 lapwing flew in-off the sea and another 19 flew south offshore. 3 red kite in flight above Rimac entrance. 12 black-tailed godwit and 2 ringed plover on wet grassland south of Crook Bank. 210225 - red kite drifting slowly south along the inland side of Crook Bank dunes late morning, and another flew north past Brickyard Lane early morning. 190+ dunlin feeding on wet foreshore areas out from Sear's Track. 2 bumblebees in flight around Churchill Lane in 15.5 degree warmth. 220225 - 26 black-tailed godwit, greenshank, 11 curlew, 8 lapwing, 8 gadwall, 5 tufted duck and a mix of winter wildfowl on Sea View Washlands. 3 cattle egret by Rimac car park. Great white egret, 3 tufted duck, 3 pochard and 2 Cettis warbler Rimac freshwater marsh, and a stonechat in the dunes. 858 pink-footed geese feeding on Elm House Farm grassland in field 5. Several hundred red-throated diver flying north and south over the sea, and c100 on the sea. 230225 - 1636 red-throated diver, red-necked grebe, 2 great crested grebe, razorbill, gannet flew north over the sea, and 2 eider flew south. Raven flew south over the dunes at Sea View. 240225 - song thrush in full song at Sea View. 900 pink-footed geese flew over Sea View at dawn from roost area to Elm House Farm area. 250225 – 900+ red-throated diver flew north over the sea in two hours, and 100+ were on the sea. Diver movement ceased throughout the day, but picked up mid-afternoon with hundreds of birds flying in from both directions and landing on the sea around Mablethorpe North End. 1400 pink-footed geese also flew north offshore in the morning and 2 whooper swan flew south. A probable glaucous gull flew south distantly offshore mid-afternoon. 26 curlew on the edge of Paradise Lagoon late morning. 2 cattle egret around Rimac car park. 1350 wigeon and 620 lapwing amongst the winter waders and wildfowl on wet grassland south of Crook Bank. Butterflies – the first butterfly of 2025 to be recorded locally was a small tortoiseshell seen just beyond the reserve boundary near Mablethorpe North End. 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 18th February: 5 White-fronted Goose south over Anderby Marsh, 580 Wigeon, 148 Teal, 92 Gadwall, 16 Shoveler, 4 Shelduck, 16 Dunlin and 5 Snipe on Anderby Marsh, 49 Curlew on Huttoft Marsh and a Great Crested Grebe on Huttoft Pit. 20th February: Red Kite south over Anderby Marsh, 29 White-fronted Goose, 10 Shelduck, Pochard, 3 Tufted duck and 21 Dunlin on Anderby Marsh, Stonechat and Mistle Thrush on Huttoft Marsh. 22nd February: massive southerly movements of birds with over 2,000 Red-throated Divers moving out at sea along with Skylark and Meadow Pipit. Barn Owl and Short-eared Owl over Wolla Bank Reedbed. 23rd February: 233 Red-throated Diver plus singles of Black-throated Diver and Great Northern Diver on sea at Huttoft Car Terrace. Skylark, Chaffinch and Meadow Pipit moving south. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 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. 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: 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. 'Stunning' 100-million-year-old fossil found in rock https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cz7e28ne383o 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.” FIELD MEETINGS 2025 Luke Hartley writes… First few field meetings below. Parking/meeting locations will be confirmed in due course! Doddington Hall - Sunday 27 April, meet from 11am, 12-4pm Stenigot Estate - Sunday 18 May, meet from 11am, 12-4pm Grimsthorpe Estate - Saturday 14 June, meet from 11am, 12-4pm Seacroft Dunes, Skegness - Saturday 19 July, meet from 11am, 12-4pm Theddlethorpe-Saltfleetby - Sunday 3 August, meet from 10am, 10:30-TBC ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 12 ...AND FINALLY... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ National and international stories Scientists probe gulls' 'weird and wonderful' appetites https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c2erkry8jn8o Fog harvesting could provide water for arid cities https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cvgw3l7p79po World's glaciers melting faster than ever recorded https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cy4ly8vde85o Young country diary: A sky full of geese is an awe-inspiring sight https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/feb/22/young-country-diary-a-sky-full-of-geese-is-an-awe-inspiring-sight Country diary: A copious display of lichen – how did it get here? https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/feb/21/country-diary-a-copious-display-of-lichen-how-did-it-get-here Dark side of bright nights taking toll on forgotten invertebrates https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/feb/21/light-pollution-bright-nights-invertebrates-bats-moths The Big 8: common UK bumblebees https://www.bumblebeeconservation.org/resource/the-big-8-common-uk-bumblebees/ *** Mail Fails *** None :-) ----------------- ~ THE END ~ ----------------- (..until next week!) Roger Parsons old.museum@yahoo.co.uk http://rogerparsons.info/