============================================ || || Wildnews Bulletin 1st January 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 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Editor writes: Happy New Year to all you Lincolnshire Wildlife Recorders. Firstly, check out our President-elect Colin Smith’s invitation to ensure that what you observe in the natural world can pass into the data which can have positive consequences for the conservation of nature. His suggestion probably also broadens your outlook – it certainly did in my case. I can now confidently name one Lincolnshire moss in my street! Investigate immediately below. Nige Lound writes of a 2024 season of exceptional moth recording by a ‘resident’ volunteer at Gibraltar Point which resulted in 36 new species for the reserve, but also flagged the non-appearance of a very similar number of moths which would have been expected to occur. Seven of the 604 species logged in this intensive operation were new to Lincolnshire. Margaret of Frithville has been making her own strides with new moth records for her garden. It is possible to assess your own patch for moths by investigating flowering buddleia and red valerian and other nectar bearing plants after dark. Correspondents have sent in a mass of interesting news items for you to browse through at your leisure. Good luck in 2025 with your wildlife experiences. We are always ready to share them in the bulletin. 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 LNI’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 (https://irecord.org.uk/help/how-do-i). 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 to confirm the record if you possibly can. The first species is Grey-cushioned Grimmia Moss. Grimmia pulvinata is a distinctive species which forms delightful neat little green cushions on almost any wall. This species should be easily found and in Lincolnshire there aren’t any other species of Grimmia that might cause confusion, although there are a few other silvery species that can be found on walls (such as Wall Screw-moss). However, the very compact neat, rounded cushions distinguish the Grimmia. If capsules are present, they usually bend back into the cushions, and straighten out once they are ready to disperse the spores. There is a photo and more guidance can be found on the British Bryological Society website: https://www.britishbryologicalsociety.org.uk/learning/some-common-bryophytes/common-mosses-on-walls/ the current record distribution Map can be seen at https://lnu.org/grimmia-pulvinata-2/ *** Donna Nook Seals ***: Information from Ruth Taylor. For "Pupdates" on the Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust website, see: https://www.lincstrust.org.uk/get-involved/top-reserves/donna-nook Parking is currently in Stonebridge car park at the end of Marsh Lane. The local landowner will be opening his field car park in November, £5 for all day parking and port-a-loos will be available. Currently the nearest toilets are the public ones in North Somercotes. No dogs allowed along the seal viewing area when the seals are in to avoid disturbance and disease transference between the species. If possible, avoid visiting at a weekend as it can be very busy with several thousand people arriving over the two days. There are seal wardens on site to answer any questions you might have. There is private catering on site although not guaranteed to be there every day. There is also a little shop with all proceeds coming to Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust to support our work at Donna Nook. Nige Lound writes from Gibraltar Point…. During 2024 at Gib, we were fortunate enough to have a volunteer, Sam Goddard, resident in one of the pods at Syke’s Farm. Apart from being a keen birder Sam is also well into his moths, and it is primarily due to his presence that between us we managed to trap on 158 nights and record 33942 Moths of 604 species. Trapping nights would see a minimum of 2 traps out, one in Syke’s Farm car park area and one in the Plantation. Occasionally we had as many as 4 traps out, other areas of the reserve covered were the Orchard, Lambert’s Pond, East Dunes, North Building, Square Pond, and Mill Hill. Our efforts were well rewarded. At the end of the year, we had recorded 7 Moths new for Lincs and 35 Moths new for Gib. Moths new for Lincs were; Scarce Maple Stilt. Caloptilia hemidactylella. Marbled Fern. Musotima nitidalis. Banded Sable. Spoladea recurvalis. Radford's Flame Shoulder. Ochropleura leucogaster L-album Wainscot. Mythimna l-album. Oak Rustic. Dryobota labecula. Porter's Rustic. Athetis hospes. There were, however, many Moths NOT recorded during the year which we would reasonably expect at Gib. Agapeta zoegana, Brown China-mark, Thistle Ermine, Scalloped Hook-tip, Mallow, Streamer, Water Carpet, Rivulet, Triple-spotted Pug, Currant Pug, Shaded Pug, Narrow-winged Pug, Small Yellow Wave, Magpie, Scorched Wing, Brindled Beauty, Puss Moth, White-line Dart, Coast Dart, Double Dart, Gothic, Light Brocade, Flame Wainscot, Shark, Grey Shoulder-knot, Brown-spot Pinion, Miller, Alder Moth, Bird’s Wing, Small Angle Shades, Olive, Clouded Brindle, Small Clouded Brindle, Rufous Minor, Bordered Straw, Beautiful Golden Y, Plain Golden Y. All records are subject to clarification by Martin Gray but many have already been confirmed and any errors in this or the attached are purely down to me! Big thanks from me to Sam for his boundless enthusiasm and company on countless early mornings and Martin Gray for advice on IDs and numerous genetalic determinations throughout the year. Phil Porter's email is: philporterento@outlook.com Roger Parsons' email is: old.museum@yahoo.co.uk BTO's tracked Cuckoos - 12 south of the Sahara https://www.bto.org/cuckoos *** This week's mostly-local news stories: *** In photos: 2024 captured in Lincolnshire https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c20nr26g88no Watch: Barn owl perched on moving car https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/videos/c4gl8d1vd0eo Why 2025 is all about the big stuff https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cwyxjne97rwo Poultry to be kept indoors amid rise in bird flu https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c4gjp0nepddo Stranded whale died despite marine rescue effort https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cdxz2ywq0wpo Plans submitted for anaerobic digestion plant https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c33drneeym2o Vehicles speeding through village tops 3,000 - report https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ckgnjw2d00ko Vandals uproot cherry trees in park attack https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cdxz2r1q2kpo Region's councils to be scrapped in shake-up https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ce32npwe0xgo Rural England under attack, says councillor https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c98leezk5jzo Police chief warns of cuts despite funding boost https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c4g2zdl5g8zo Dambusters collection could sell for £10,000 https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c3rqjd9zn49o Regions to get almost £100m to fix potholes - Lincolnshire https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c5ywq11z95go Bee-harming pesticides' emergency approvals to end https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cwyp5p4dqj3o A secret tunnel, a haunting and the real Get Carter https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cjr4g7n3xy0o Inside the hidden garden in the heart of a city https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c8ew7d7x0wyo An increased appetite for healthy cookery courses https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cn9x70wn817o People warned not to disturb seals on beach https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cn08ww41590o Clear out your cables - action week planned https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c07g5318vkgo *** 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 2nd January - Sunday 5th January Headline: Rain this morning. Hill snow later in north. Turning colder. Thursday: Cold, with many areas struggling to get above freezing, but mostly dry with sunny spells. However, more cloudy and windy near coasts with wintry showers. Maximum temperature 2 °C. Outlook for Friday to Sunday: Very cold with widespread frosts, perhaps severe. Mostly dry with sunny spells, but coastal and Peak District wintry showers. Perhaps more widespread snow Sunday, but low confidence. Breezy at times. UK long range weather forecast Sunday 5th January - Tuesday 14th January A cold start to this period, with a mix of snow, sleet and rain showers in the north. Milder air may make inroads from the south during the first Sunday and Monday, bringing snow, rain and perhaps strong winds, but the northern extent of this is unclear and it may be that most or all of the UK remains in the colder air. Beyond this, the weather looks rather varied, with high pressure, cold air and wintry showers more likely across the north and northeast, spells of rain, snow and strong winds more likely in the south and southwest, and an uncertain balance between these two regimes. Overall, temperatures are more likely to be below normal than above, but day to day and regional variations are likely. *** For Astronomers and Sky-watchers *** Nasa makes history with closest-ever approach to Sun https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cgrwdxpljyxo Sky At A Glance - Jupiter, high in the east these evenings Mercury is having its best dawn apparition of 2024. https://skyandtelescope.org/observing/sky-at-a-glance/ Night Sky - highlights - January - shortly... https://www.rmg.co.uk/stories/blogs/astronomy Full Moons - next 13th January 2025. https://www.rmg.co.uk/stories/topics/full-moon-calendar Meteor shower dates - Quadrantids peak 3-4 January.2025. https://www.rmg.co.uk/stories/topics/meteor-shower-guide BBC Sky at Night Magazine website. See Saturn disappear behind the Moon in the New Year. https://www.skyatnightmagazine.com/news *** EVENTS *** *** L.N.U. / LINCOLNSHIRE BIRD CLUB JOINT MEETING *** On Saturday 25th January 2025 at Whisby Nature Park Education Centre Lincoln SK910662 at 2 pm. Refreshments will be available. Parking £2 Illustrated talk by LBC Chairman Phil Espin, “The Birds of a Lincolnshire Market Town” This talk is based on the book of the same title recently published by L.B.C. and written by Phil and his great friend John Clarkson who tragically died before publication. An appreciation of this book can be found at https://thewryneck.blogspot.com/2024/08/birds-of-lincolnshire-market-town.html *** GRIMSBY AND CLEETHORPES AREA GROUP LWT *** The Shorebirds of Gibraltar Point On Monday 13th January 2025 at 7.30pm we will be holding our next indoor meeting where we will be welcoming Richard Doan who will be giving an illustrated presentation about the shore birds of Gibraltar Point including the protection of Lincolnshire's only breeding colony of Little Terns. This will take place in Grimsby Town Hall DN31 1HU. Admission £4, all are welcome. There will be a raffle, book sale and refreshments available. For further information on indoor meetings please contact Jackie Kirk 07464 636926 Bird walk - Resident and Wintering Wildfowl of Covenham Reservoir On Saturday 18th January 2025 at 8am you are invited to join us on a bird walk at Covenham Reservoir with Graham Hicks where we will be looking for resident and winter wildfowl. Meet Graham at the main car park Grid Ref TF317009. Please dress suitability for the weather and terrain. This is a free event however donations will be welcomed for the Trust. For further information on the walks please contact Graham Hicks 07979 089890 For further information on all our events visit our website www.grimsbywildlifetrust.org.uk and 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/ *** THE NATURAL HISTORY AND GEOLOGY SECTION OF THE SCUNTHORPE MUSEUM SOCIETY *** Our first meeting for 2025 is on Monday, 13th January, when we will be visited by Dr Graziella Iossa, Senior Lecturer in Zoology and Programme Leader at the University of Lincoln. She will be giving an illustrated talk on "The World of the Red Fox". The red fox is one of the most successful mammals in the world. In this talk, we will learn how it lives, reproduces and adapts to some of the most challenging environments in the world and explore its complicated relationship with humans. Dr Graziella Iossa is the wife of Professor Carl Soulsbury who is unable to give this talk as originally arranged. Dr Iossa also did her PhD on urban foxes, has worked on and published papers on foxes and has delivered fox talks also. We start at 7.15pm in the Small Hall, Room 1, of the Old Brumby United Church, Ashby Road, Scunthorpe, DN16 2AQ, which is immediately next to the Applegreen filling station near Brumby crossroads. ALL ARE WELCOME TO OUR MEETINGS. There is free car parking at the Church, on the nearby roadside, and at the St Hugh's Church opposite. There is a £3 entry charge for non-members of the Scunthorpe Museum Society. Light refreshments are available for a £1 charge at the mid-talk break. 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 16/12 Saltfleetby/Theddlethorpe Dunes, Eastern Stonechat sp at Crook Bank briefly. 17/12 Boultham Mere. Yellow-browed Warbler near hide. Deeping High Bank, 3 Bewick's Swans all ads in harvested beet field, west of Cloot Drove with 450 Whooper Swans. East Halton Marshes, Red-necked Grebe at Winter's Pond. Frampton Marsh, Spoonbill on North Scrape. Gibraltar Point, Velvet Scoter flew south past, Hubbert's Bridge near Boston, Hen Harrier male. Saltfleetby/Theddlethorpe Dunes, 2 Shorelarks on beach at Crook Bank. Throckenholt, 2 Bewick's Swans both ads with 15 Whooper swans. 18/12 Deeping St James, 2 Glossy Ibises at Deeping Lakes along River Welland bank. Frampton Marsh, Spoonbill. Hen Harrier ringtail. 19/12 Covenham Reservoir, Wheatear reported. East Halton Marshes, Red-necked Grebe at Winter's Pond. Gibraltar Point, Great Northern Diver off. 20/12 Deeping St James, Long-eared Owl at Main Lake, in ivy, Deeping Lakes East Halton Marshes, Red-necked Grebe at Winter's Pond. Saltfleetby/Theddlethorpe Dunes,dead Little Auk found on beach at Crook Bank. Tallington Lakes, Ring-necked Duck 1w drk - £5 entry 21/12 Deeping St James, Long-eared Owl at Main Lake, in ivy, 2 Glossy Ibises Flew over, Deeping Lakes East Halton Marshes, Red-necked Grebe at Winter's Pond. Frampton Marsh, 2 Hen Harriers 1 male over saltmarsh, Caspian Gull reported. Freiston Shore, Hen Harrier. Gibraltar Point, Snow Bunting near shorebird hut. Humberston Fitties, 5 Ruddy Shelduck reported on sandbank opposite yacht club 22/12 Covenham Reservor, Slavonian Grebe in NE corner/noprth side.. East Halton Marshes, Red-necked Grebe at Winter's Pond, Russian White-fronted Goose with Pink-footed Geese in field at entrance to Winter's Pond. Gibraltar Point, Bittern on Jackson's Marsh in NW corner of scrape. 23/12 Cleethorpes, 5 Ruddy Shelducks on mudflats then in field west of lagoon. East Halton Marshes, Red-necked Grebe at Winter's Pond. Frampton Marsh, Hen Harrier ringtail. Humberston Fitties 6 Ruddy Shelducks, then flew inland with Dark-bellied Brent Geese. Huttoft Car Terrace, Red-necked Grebe, off. Kirkby Underwood, Hawfinch at Callan's Lane Wood. Willow Tree Fen, Hen Harrier ringtail.roosted. 24/12 Chowder Ness, Richard's Pipit Deeping St James, Long-eared Owl at Main Lake, on island, Deeping Lakes North Thoresby, Hen Harrier ringtail at Churchthorpe. Rimac, Hen Harrier ad male, 2 Water Pipits Tongue End, 2 Bewick's Swans with c222 Whooper Swans and 15 Common Cranes, in field north of River Glen. Uffington, Hawfinch between River Welland and Stamford seweage works. 25/12 Deeping St James, Long-eared Owl at Main Lake, in ivy, Deeping Lakes Freiston Shore, 2 Bewick's Swans. 26/12 Frampton Marsh, Water Pipit, Hen Harrier male over saltmarsh from Raptor Viewpoint.. 2712 Frampton Marsh, Spoonbill on wet grassland between sea wall as East Hide. Humberson, Ruddy Shelduck in field at south end of Thorpe Park Gold Club. with Dark-bellied Brent Geese. 28/12 Anderby Creek, Caspian Gull 1w, Tallington Lakes, Ring-necked Duck 1w drk - £5 entry 29/12 Deeping St James, 3 Long-eared Owls roosting on island at Main Lake, Deeping Lakes. 2 Glossy Ibises along River Welland near southern entrance. East Halton Marshes, Red-necked Grebe still at Winter's Pond. Scaup on Humber. Gibraltar Point, 3 Water Pipits. Langtoft. Goosander at west End GP - view from Greatford Cut. Tetney Marshes, Hen Harrier male. 30/12 Baston Langtoft Pits, Ring-necked Duck 1w drk at west end. Deeping St James, Long-eared Owl roosting on island at Main Lake, Deeping Lakes. 2 Glossy Ibises along River Welland nea East Halton Marshes, Red-necked Grebe still at Winter's Pond. Grainthorpe Haven, Hen Harrier male along Coal Shore Lane near Sea Farm. 31/12 Gibraltar Point, Water Pipit flew over Sykes Farm. Grainthorpe Haven, Hen Harrier male along Coal Shore Lane near Sea Farm. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 3. WILDLIFE NEWS FROM AROUND THE COUNTY ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Find the Grid Reference - don't forget - it's important Grab a Grid Reference: https://www.bnhs.co.uk/focuson/grabagridref/html/index.htm UK Grid Reference Finder: http://www.gridreferencefinder.com/ ROAD KILLS? PLEASE LET US KNOW. Every drive is a transect! Hedgehogs? Badgers? Otters? Reports welcome. *** County Wildlife Reports from Readers *** Thanks to our regular contributors across the county. Much appreciated. We rely on readers to send in observations and welcome records from everyone, experts to beginners. Please keep your reports coming. BARDNEY - THE GREEN TF120694 R + A Parsons 23/12/2024 Saw my first Snowdrops today on the roadside here opposite the Old Angel pub.. Pied Wagtail 1 House Sparrow 10 Blackbird 2 Wren 1 working our parsley for insects. Robin 1 Dunnock Collared Dove 3 Woodpigeon 4 Domestic pigeon Jackdaw 8 Starling, 20 Black-headed gull occasional raids 10 Robin singing on 28th Dec. BARDNEY GARDEN TF117700 Phil and Mary Porter As the winter routine sets in the garden has been pretty quiet and predictable. We have only had one bird feeder out because of considerable trouble with too many rats during the autumn. Blue and great tits are fairly plentiful (one great tit with a badly damaged face; it seems to be some sort of fungal attack) and difficult to count, goldfinches likewise. Blackbirds have fluctuated with periods when males have seemed predominant and there have been frequent squabbles showing that their numbers are greater than the plot can support. The lack of feeders has meant that chaffinches have been fewer than usual. Robins, dunnocks and wrens have been about in 2’s and 3’s. Collared doves have decreased enormously these last few years and greenfinches have become intermittent lately. But we did get a lovely surprise on 28th December when a jay bounced through the garden along the row of fruit trees while we happened to be watching. Long-tailed tits are also a bonus from time to time, and occasionally a buzzard or two will pass over fairly low down. BENNIWORTH HAVEN TF229824 Colin Smith 19/12/2024 Winter Moth Operophtera brumata Common Footman Moth caterpillar Eilema lurideola Leafhopper Zygina angusta FAR INGS Angela Buckle 25th December A walk round Far Ings on Christmas day. Creeping comfrey, Greater snowdrop, White deadnettle, Dandelion, Creeping buttercup, Autumn hawkbit, Daisy, Red dead nettle, Shepherds purse, Flowering cherry, Smooth sow-thistle, Cowslip, Gorse. FRITHVILLE TF298489 Margaret Westcott 2024 / 2023 Brimstone 2/4 Comma 3/4 Gatekeeper 4/4 Green-veined White 5/5 Holly Blue 2/4 Large Skipper 1/1 Large White 7/14 Meadow Brown 2/5 Orange-tip 4/3 Painted Lady 1/1 Peacock 13/27 Red Admiral 5/18 Ringlet 3/5 Small Tort 5/2 Small White 5/2 Speckled Wood 5/7 This represents 16 species, with no Small Coppers or Small Skippers in 2024 NEW MOTHS recorded in 2024 were: Grey Shoulder-knot (March) Buttoned Snout Nb (June) Dwarf Cream Wave (July) Least Carpet (July) Knot Grass (July) Small Square Spot (August) HOLYWELL LAKE WeBS 21/12/2024 Ian Misselbrook Mute Swans 2 Canada Geese 26 Hybrid Canada x Greylag 1 Coot 8 Moorhen 27 Cormorant 3 Little Egret 1 Little Grebe 18 Mallard 32 Gadwall 26 Teal 6 Wigeon 32 Tufted Duck 32 Black-headed Gulls 2 Grey Wagtails 2 Buzzards 2 Carrion Crows 5 Jackdaws 20+ Skylarks 2 Robins 3Dunnocks 3 Blackbirds 6 Wrens 2 Great Tits 2 Blue Tits 4 Chaffinches 5 LINCOLNSHIRE COASTAL COUNTRY PARK 17th December: Corn Bunting flying south at Wolla Bank, 23 Red-throated Diver off Huttoft Car Terrace. 18th December: 774 Lapwing, 414 Wigeon, 176 Teal, 26 Shoveler, 16 Dunlin and a Peregrine at Anderby Marsh. 21st December: Anderby Marsh: 383 Lapwing, 54 Golden Plover, 4 Black-tailed Godwit, 11 Redshank, 6 Dunlin, and 2 Goosander. 22nd December: Fulmar flying south, 670 Wigeon at Anderby Marsh as well as a Peregrine. 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 Mobile: 07919 326646 Tel/Fax: 01754 898079 LINWOOD WARREN TF133876 Colin Smith 18/12/2024 It was a very windy day so I decided to go and see if any interesting insects were blown out of the pine trees. The most surprising was Large pine aphid Cinara pinea these were none winged and I was not expecting them to be around at this time of year. Collected 4 specimens and over the next two days they produced 27 young. Also found were Eyed Ladybird Anatis ocellata a tree living ground beetle Dromius quadrimaculatus a ladybird Scymnus suturalis Birch Shieldbug Elasmostethus interstinctus pine plantbug Acompocoris alpinus Tarnished Plant Bug Lygus rugulipennis STANTON’S PIT and neighbouring pools 21/12/2024 Ian Misselbrook Brief visit Black-headed Gulls 3 Blackbird 2 Carrion Crow 5 Chaffinch 2 Gadwall 9 Great-spotted Woodpecker 1 Grey Heron 1 Grey Partridge 2 Jackdaws Lapwings 4 Long-tailed Tits 12 Magpie Moorhen 3 Robin 2 Teal 16 Woodpigeons 2 Wren 1 WILLINGHAM FOREST Picnic area TF140884 Colin Smith 28/12/2024 Had a look around the broom bushes here, loads of insects about in including Bishop's Mitre Shieldbug Aelia acuminata Broom Flower Bug Anthocoris sarothamni Groundbug Stygnocoris fuligineus 16-spot Ladybird Tytthaspis sedecimpunctata Harlequin Ladybird Harmonia axyridis Pine Ladybird Exochomus quadripustulatus Seven-spot Ladybird Coccinella septempunctata Leafhopper Empoasca vitis Leafhopper Megophthalmus scabripennis, these should have died off months ago, Planthopper Javesella dubia Broom psylid Arytaina genistae Broom Bruchid Bruchus loti Nut Leaf Weevil Strophosoma melanogrammum Lichens Physcia adscendens and Xanthoria polycarpa ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 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 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Owen Beaumont Tel: 07900264428 Reserve Manager Saltfleetby-Theddlethorpe Dunes NNR Sea View Road, Saltfleetby St. Clements, LN11 7TR www.gov.uk/natural-england 191224 – 2 raven flew south along the dunes at Brickyard Lane mid-morning, and one flew north over the saltmarsh at Sea View shortly after. 3 snow bunting on the beach between Brickyard Lane and Crook Bank. Pink-footed geese roosting on Elm House Farm grassland overnight during the full moon. 201224 – 150 curlew flew off from foreshore roost at sunrise. Water pipit Rimac freshwater marsh perched on scrub then heard calling in flight. Pink-footed geese flying in from the north and south, dropping down onto Elm House Farm to join c1400 feeding birds. Hen harrier flew over the saltmarsh mid-afternoon. Great white egret and stonechat pair Rimac dunes. 3 cattle egret roosting by the Eau near Rimac then seen feeding in pony pasture field. 221224 – chiffchaff in willows at Brickyard Lane car park, the first record for a number of weeks. Male siskin on feeder at Mablethorpe North End. 231224 – chiffchaff in garden at Sea View. 2 barn owl hunting early morning near Churchill Lane. 2 short-eared owl flew out of the dunes near Quarry Hill, Rimac. 6 cattle egret around Rimac – 1 Rimac south with livestock, 3 pony pasture at Rimac entrance and 2 in the field south of Rimac car park. Siskin flew north over Sea View, where 3 goldcrest were in conifer trees. 7 black-tailed godwit, 90 curlew, 240 wigeon, 40 teal and female pintail on Elm House Farm. Donna Nook: 201224 – Weekly pupdate: 756 pups, 67 cows and 166 bulls. The total pup count so far this season is 1647. 652 brent geese on the realignment, including 3 pale-bellied but 0 juveniles. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 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: Sunday 19th January 2025 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. Reminder from Gemma Watkinson: We are interested to know whether dormice have naturally dispersed into other woodlands in the Lincolnshire Limewoods area (or indeed if there are any remnant isolated populations elsewhere in the county). For anyone walking in the Limewoods area, particularly in those woodlands closest to Chambers Farm Woods (e.g. Camshaws Wood, Austacre and New Park Woods, and Broadwater Forest, Thistle Storr Wood, Glad Wood and College Wood) please keep a look out for any hazelnuts that you think may have been opened by a dormouse. More information on how to undertake a nut hunt can be found on the People’s Trust for Endangered Species website and this document illustrates the distinctive marks to look out for as well as what nuts opened by voles, birds and squirrels also look like. https://ptes.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Help_us_find_hazel_dormice_generic.pdf Please let us know what you find, and send us photos of any nuts you think may have been opened by dormice. Happy Nut Hunting! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The NNR includes the following sites: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Chambers Farm Woods (comprises Ivy Wood; Little and Great Scrubbs Woods; Minting Wood; Hatton Wood, Hatton Plantation and Minting Park; and also three areas of grassland: Little Scrubbs Meadow and extension), Small Meadow and Big Meadow. Since all have their own management plans, please give the actual location when reporting). College Wood; Cocklode & Great West Woods; Hardy Gang Wood; Newball Wood; Rand Wood; Scotgrove Wood; Southrey Wood and Wickenby Wood. Many of these include both areas of ancient woodland or important grassland. Many are also designated Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Records which provide a six-figure grid reference are of particular value to the Forestry Commission. Other woods included in the NNR but without public access: Stainfield Wood; Stainton & Fulnetby Woods (access by public bridle way only). ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 6. OTHER RESERVE REPORTS AND HIGHLIGHTS. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Discover Woodland Trust woods near you- including the best woods for walks, wildlife watching, family fun and heritage. https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/visiting-woods/woods/#=undefined&view=map Lincolnshire County Council - Local Nature Reserves https://www.lincolnshire.gov.uk/coast-countryside/nature-reserves Links to "Other Reserves" are welcome. Your suggestions, please. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 7. SENDING IN BULLETIN REPORTS ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The purpose of the Bulletin is to encourage biological recording in Lincolnshire. We aim to increase the number of people reporting observations to Recorders or via iRecord. https://www.brc.ac.uk/irecord/ The Bulletin is a FREE service. We ask you to provide reports, questions, news or relevant articles from time to time. Descriptive pieces are welcome. You don't have to stick to lists! Please help us to help you. When sending in reports please follow this layout to save re-editing: Place Name: IN CAPITALS with Grid Reference if you have it. Your Name: Real names please, not aliases. Put it in each time, for each location Date: Species list [Alphabetical?] & numbers [and observations?] e.g. Blackbird - 24 [And please, no home-grown abbreviations. Species Names in full.] Bulletin mailing times may vary. It usually goes out on Wednesdays/ Thursdays in time for the weekend. Please e-mail in contributions to the editor as early as possible. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 8. CONTACTS AND USEFUL WEBSITES ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ *** Links "not to be missed" *** Please copy and paste URLs if/as necessary. CONTACTS LIST Lincolnshire Naturalists' Union LNU Website: http://lnu.org/ LNU Twitter feed: https://twitter.com/LincsNaturalist LNU e-mail: info@lnu.org Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust: https://twitter.com/LincsWildlife Lincs Bird Club: https://twitter.com/Lincsbirding LBC County Bird Recorder: recorder_south@lincsbirdclub.co.uk The Sir Joseph Banks Society: https://twitter.com/sirjosephbanks Lincolnshire Bat Group: http://www.lincsbatgroup.co.uk/ Butterfly Conservation Lincolnshire Branch: https://twitter.com/BC_Lincolnshire Lincsbirders: https://twitter.com/lincsbirders Lincolnshire Chalk Streams Project: 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. Dragonfly Identification help https://british-dragonflies.org.uk/odonata/species-and-identification/ Local Bat Helpline Grounded bats, bat problems, advice and information. Contact Annette Faulkner on 01775 766286 Email: annettefaulkner@btinternet.com Confidential Bat Records You may send confidential bat records direct to Annette Faulkner on: annettefaulkner@btinternet.com Bat Identification https://www.bats.org.uk/about-bats/what-are-bats/uk-bats/ NHBS - Frequencies of British Bats https://media.nhbs.com/equipment/British%20Bat%20Frequencies.pdf Slug ID Help Chris du Feu will help with slug identification. Tel: 01383 669 124 Email: chris.r.dufeu@gmail.com USEFUL WILDLIFE LINKS Please copy and paste URLs if necessary. Lincolnshire Badger Group https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100093647842292 Email: lincolnshirebadgergroup@hotmail.com Lincs Environmental Records Centre: http://www.glnp.org.uk/ Natural England: http://www.naturalengland.org.uk/ NHBS Natural history equipment or books.https://www.nhbs.com/ The Flora of Lincolnshire by Joan Gibbons: downloadable LNU book Atlas of the terrestrial and semi-aquatic Mammals of Lincolnshire: downloadable LNU book *** For the Geologists *** Please copy and paste URLs if/as necessary. Lincolnshire Geodiversity Group: https://www.lincswolds.org.uk/discovering/geology-1 Geology of the Lincolnshire Wolds: https://www.lincswolds.org.uk/special-features/geology The Geology of Lincolnshire: downloadable LNU book UK Fossils in Lincolnshire https://ukfossils.co.uk/category/lincolnshire/ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 9. NOTES ABOUT THESE WILDLIFE REPORTS ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ We do our best to ensure accuracy in our reporting. However, records are sent in by a variety of reporters; from complete beginners to professionals. They may vary in reliability and occasionally may be difficult or impossible to verify. If further information is needed please contact the editor: Bulletins are sent to Recorders at Lincolnshire Environmental Records Centre [GNLP], Lincolnshire Naturalists' Union and Lincolnshire Bird Club. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 10. BULLETIN PUBLICITY POLICY ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ When sending in reports, e.g. unusual plants, please report any sensitive news directly to recorders. Not the Bulletin. We don't want to spoil things with unwise or untimely publicity. Thank you. Please respect the interests of wildlife and site owners if you report on national networks. Interest in wildlife is not a licence to act irresponsibly or thoughtlessly to landowners, who may well be partners in important conservation work. [Views expressed in the Bulletin do not necessarily reflect the policies or opinions of the LNU or associated organisations. In particular this applies to agencies, especially charities, taking a political stance.] ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 11. LNU EVENTS DIARY ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ *** LNU Events *** https://lnu.org/meetings/ https://lnu.org/meetings/indoor-meetings/ *** L.N.U. / LINCOLNSHIRE BIRD CLUB JOINT MEETING *** On Saturday 25th January 2025 at Whisby Nature Park Education Centre Lincoln SK910662 at 2 pm. Refreshments will be available. Parking £2 Illustrated talk by LBC Chairman Phil Espin, “The Birds of a Lincolnshire Market Town” This talk is based on the book of the same title recently published by L.B.C. and written by Phil and his great friend John Clarkson who tragically died before publication. An appreciation of this book can be found at https://thewryneck.blogspot.com/2024/08/birds-of-lincolnshire-market-town.html ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 12 ...AND FINALLY... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ National and international stories Phew, turtle doves: ban on annual shoot raises hopes for endangered bird https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/jan/01/turtle-doves-european-shoot-ban-species-recovery Homes left shaking as mini earthquake epicentre pinpointed as Notts village https://www.nottinghampost.com/news/local-news/homes-left-shaking-mini-earthquake-9803513 National Trust warns UK's most precious heritage at risk from extreme weather https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c20e338wlxno Major report joins dots between world's nature challenges https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cwyxkz41knzo Trouble in Arctic town as polar bears and people face warming world https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c5yg344zz1ro One in four properties at flood risk by 2050 - report https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c99x4599gr7o Government has broken the law on sewage - watchdog https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c4g38drwmrlo Bronze Age massacre victims likely cannibalised https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/crl3jn3elz3o Ancient landmarks closed off to walkers, campaigners say https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cn4x7qg43v7o Roadmap to fix England's potholes revealed https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c5ygv2y2e1eo The rock houses of England's last cave people https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cewxy457l2po 'I grew up in a cave that my parents bought' https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c07gzyng9ego Deadline to record forgotten footpaths to be scrapped https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cy89yddgg7yo Bird flu kills 20 big cats at US animal sanctuary https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/clyvx4d1n4vo Butterfly Emergency https://butterfly-conservation.org/emergency Seal hospital seeks funds for storm-rescued pups https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cj6zyrl519go? Saving Britain’s turtle doves https://www.saga.co.uk/magazine/life/saving-britains-turtle-doves Blob-headed fish and amphibious mouse among 27 new species found in ‘thrilling’ Peru expedition https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/dec/20/blob-headed-fish-and-amphibious-mouse-among-27-new-species-found-in-thrilling-peru-expedition Factors influencing nest site selection in a rapidly declining shorebird, the Eurasian curlew https://www.bto.org/our-science/publications/peer-reviewed-papers/factors-influencing-nest-site-selection-rapidly Grey Squirrels infiltrating last Red Squirrel strongholds, survey suggests https://www.birdguides.com/news/grey-squirrels-infiltrating-last-red-squirrel-strongholds-survey-sugge/ Brambling: masters of the mast https://www.birdguides.com/articles/species-profiles/brambling-masters-of-the-mast/ Ants outperform humans at group puzzle-solving activity https://www.zmescience.com/science/biology/ants-outperform-humans-at-group-puzzle-solving-activity/ The Science Behind Why Labradors Are Always Hungry https://www.zmescience.com/ecology/animals-ecology/labrador-science-hungry/ Reintroduction of butterfly in England a 'success' https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cvgpqneeekyo Fly brain breakthrough 'huge leap' to unlock human mind https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c0lw0nxw71po UK churchyards are havens for rare wildlife, finds conservation charity https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/dec/26/uk-churchyards-are-havens-for-rare-wildlife-finds-conservation-charity Seal colony thriving 'thanks to secluded site' https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cwy3dvw14vgo BBC returns to RSPB Arne for live Winterwatch shows https://www.swanage.news/bbc-returns-to-rspb-arne-for-live-winterwatch-shows/ *** Mail Fails *** Mark Bibby - soft bounce - message could not be delivered. ----------------- ~ THE END ~ ----------------- (..until next week!) Roger Parsons old.museum@yahoo.co.uk http://rogerparsons.info/