============================================ || || Wildnews Bulletin 26th March 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: This week’s Bulletin contains all the information you could possibly want to help you enjoy the partial solar eclipse in safety on Saturday, how to gen up on your local hedgehogs and track the return of our cuckoos from Africa. LWT GRIMSBY AND CLEETHORPES AREA GROUP members, check the events sections if you are attending Saturday’s meeting at Grimsby Cemetery as the assembly time has changed! Phil Porter's email is: philporterento@outlook.com Roger Parsons' email is: old.museum@yahoo.co.uk The Bulletin Portal is available again. Maintenance completed. http://rogerparsons.info/bulletinportal.html Past Bulletins archive [in text format] from 2009. http://rogerparsons.info/bulletin2009mar22.txt BTO's tracked Cuckoos 1- Wilfred,Nick, Hafen, Joe and Cleeve are on the way home! 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 The next species is Dark-edged Beefly Bombylius major A smallish fly that looks like an all-brown bee, combining hovering with blurred wings in front of flowers to feed, and incredibly fast darting flight which enables it to disappear and start hovering again a little distance away at another flower like a hummingbird. It settles only infrequently to allow sight of a long, needle-thin proboscis and a single pair of wings which are darkened along the front margin. In summer, females flick eggs towards the nesting holes of ground-nesting solitary bee species. The larvae crawl in to each feed on a bee larva and pupate in the bee nest for the winter. The adults start emerging at this time of year. They are only seen in warm sunny places, including gardens and hedgerows. There is a photo and more guidance can be found on the Buglife website: https://www.buglife.org.uk/bugs/bug-directory/dark-edged-bee-fly/ and the current record distribution Map can be seen at https://lnu.org/bombylius-major-dark-edged-bee-fly/ Please continue to record the previous species; Grey cushioned Grimmia moss, Bramble Leaf Miner moth Jelly-ear fungus, Lichen Lecidella elaeochroma and Holly Leaf Miner fly and Springy Turf-moss. *** This week's mostly-local news stories: *** Peregrine falcons lay eggs at cathedral https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/videos/cj92d2d8133o Concern in resort as crash ship pellets wash up https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c15qy413wkwo Farmer fined after traps and poison found on land - West Ashby. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cx2gk82j480o Men sentenced after 'cockerel treadmill' found - Beckingham https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cvgpx7xn13no Collapsed church repair was 'mission impossible' https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cn4yrzerwjro Vehicles seized in anti-social behaviour crackdown https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cx2e1n26g25o First case of bird flu in sheep found on UK farm https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c3w1jj0jzl2o Give hedgehogs the edge this Hedgehog Awareness Week https://www.britishhedgehogs.org.uk/give-hedgehogs-the-edge-this-hedgehog-awareness-week/ Developing a National Camera Trap Survey for Hedgehog Conservation https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/developing-a-national-camera-trap-survey-for-hedgehog-conservation-tickets-1248122751749 *** 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 20th March - Sunday 23rd March Headline: Sunny and dry by day, cold and partly cloudy overnight. Thursday: Another dry, bright and warm day on Thursday, with long sunny spells in the morning. Sunshine perhaps becoming hazy in the afternoon. Cool and cloudy overnight. Maximum temperature 18 °C. Outlook for Friday to Sunday: A foggy start Friday, with sunny spells to follow. Spells of rain and showers over the weekend, these perhaps heavy, but some sunny intervals also possible. Less warm. UK long range weather forecast Thursday 27th March - Sunday 30th March Headline: Early fog clearing. Fine and dry with warm sunny spells. Thursday: Early fog and low cloud will slowly lift and clear to give another fine and dry day, with plenty of warm sunshine. Light winds. Cloud and rain arriving overnight. Maximum temperature 17 °C. Outlook for Friday to Sunday: Early rain gradually clearing to leave mostly dry and bright conditions Friday. Dry and bright Saturday. Some patchy rain is possible overnight. Dry with sunny spells Sunday. Temperatures near normal. UK long range weather forecast Sunday 30th March - Tuesday 8th April The end of March will likely see a transition from unsettled conditions to predominantly dry weather with drier conditions gradually spreading in from the south, though how quickly this transition occurs is less clear and it may well be that the start of the period sees some further rain in places. Into the first week of April, settled weather is expected to cover much of the UK. Most places are expected to be dry with clear or sunny spells and light winds. Some periods of unsettled weather could develop at times and if this happens any rain or showers are most likely to affect southern areas. Temperatures will likely be close to normal overall, though some cold nights are possible at times. *** For Astronomers and Sky-watchers *** Partial solar eclipse LIVE - Saturday 29 March 2025 | Live coverage from 10am https://www.rmg.co.uk/whats-on/online/solar-eclipse-march-2025-uk-live-stream Sky At A Glance - highlights - 21-30 March - including the Partial Solar eclipse.. https://skyandtelescope.org/astronomy-news/observing-news/this-weeks-sky-at-a-glance-march-21-30/ A partial eclipse of the Sun for most of Europe on. March 29th. View safely. https://skyandtelescope.org/astronomy-news/observing-news/this-weeks-sky-at-a-glance-march-21-30/ Eclipsewise https://www.eclipsewise.com/solar/SEprime/2001-2100/SE2025Mar29Pprime.html Don't forget to view the eclipse safely! https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/solar-eclipse-guide.html RAS: How to observe an eclipse safely https://ras.ac.uk/sites/default/files/2018-06/SEP.BookletGeneral.v2.MEDres.pdf Night Sky - RMG - highlights - including partial Solar eclipse. https://www.rmg.co.uk/stories/blog/astronomy/night-sky-highlights-march-2025 Full Moons: 13th April. https://www.rmg.co.uk/stories/topics/full-moon-calendar Meteor shower date - next big one April Lyrids .16-25 April - peak 22nd. https://www.rmg.co.uk/stories/topics/meteor-shower-guide BBC Sky at Night Magazine website https://www.skyatnightmagazine.com/news *** EVENTS *** *** GRIMSBY AND CLEETHORPES AREA GROUP LWT *** PLEASE NOTE THAT THE MEETING TIME FOR THIS EVENT HAS BEEN CHANGED. PLEASE MEET AT 9;00 NOT 8,00. due to the Cemetery gate not being unlocked until this time. 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 9am 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 *** Horncastle and Woodhall Spa LWT Area Group *** We will be hosting a talk on the ‘Birds of Prey in Lincolnshire’ from Alan Ball on Thursday 17th April at 7.30pm. The talk will be at Banovallum House, Manor House Street, Horncastle, LN9 5HF. The event is free and open to everyone. Refreshments will be available. For further information please email Viv Rhodie on vivianrhodie@gmail.com *** 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 17/3/2025 Baston+Langtoft Pits, Russian White-fronted Goose in field north of Wader Pit. from Baston Outgang Road with Greylag Geese. Bourne, South Fen, Dark-breasted Barn Owl [form guttata] near Christmas Tree Farm. Deeping St James, Caspian Gull 1w, at East Pit, Deeping Lakes, then flew south. Frampton Marsh, Spoonbill. Stallingborough, 6 Ruddy Shelducks at Cross Marsh. 18/3/2025 Bourne, South Fen, Dark-breasted Barn Owl [form guttata] near Christmas Tree Farm. Deeping St James, Caspian Gull 1w, Ring-necked Duck 1w drk, at West Pit, Deeping Lakes. Frampton Marsh, Spoonbill. Freiston Shore, Water Pipit. Langtoft, Ferruginous Duck ad drk at West End GPs from Greatford Cut. 1w drk Ring-necked Duck. Pyewipe, Caspian Gull 1w at Novartis Ings. 19/3/2025 Caythorpe. Hawfinch flew over. Deeping St James, 2+ Long-eared Owls at Main Lake opposite hide, Deeping Lakes. Langtoft, Ferruginous Duck ad drk at West End GPs from Greatford Cut. 1w drk Ring-necked Duck. Gibraltar Point, Bearded Tit flew over Tennyson's Sands, ringtail Hen Harrier off Wash Viewpoint. 20/3/2025 Belton Estate, Scaup drk. Bourne, South Fen, Dark-breasted Barn Owl [form guttata] near Christmas Tree Farm. Deeping St James, 1+ Long-eared Owl at Main Lake from hide. Langtoft, Ferruginous Duck ad drk,1w drk Ring-necked Duck at West End GPs from Greatford Cut. 21/3/2025 Anderby Creek. Snow Bunting. Bourne, South Fen, Dark-breasted Barn Owl [form guttata] near Christmas Tree Farm. Frampton Marsh, Spoonbill, Scaup drk on Reedbed. Langtoft, Ferruginous Duck ad drk,1w drk Ring-necked Duck at West End GPs from Greatford Cut. Whisby, Smew ad drk at Thorpe Landfill at quarry on lake off Job's Lane. 22/3/2025 Bourne, South Fen, Dark-breasted Barn Owl [form guttata] near Christmas Tree Farm. Deeping St James, 2 Glossy Ibises on West Pit, Deeping Lakes. Frampton Marsh, 3 Little Gulls from 360 hide. male Hen Harrier. early morning. Caspian Gull 2w flew thru, Water Pipit, Spoonbill. Langtoft, Ferruginous Duck ad drk, 1w drk Ring-necked Duck at West End GPs from Greatford Cut. Molecey Mill Pit, Garganey drk east of King Street in flooded field, Tallington Lakes, Scaup 1w fem. Entry £5. West Deeping, 2 Avocets, Spoonbill, east of King Street in flooded field, flew towards Molecey Mill Pit. 23/3/2025 Bourne, South Fen, Dark-breasted Barn Owl [form guttata] near Christmas Tree Farm. Deeping St James, Long-eared Owl at Main Lake from hide. 2 Glossy Ibises on West Pit, Deeping Lakes. Stallingborough, 6 Ruddy Shelducks at Cress Marsh. 24/3/2025 Bourne, South Fen, Dark-breasted Barn Owl [form guttata] near Christmas Tree Farm. Black Redstart male in garden for 2nd day. Deeping St James, Kittiwake ad at East Pit, Deeping Lakes, then flew off. Langtoft, Ring-necked Duck at West End GPs viewed from Greatford Cut, Rimac, Black Redstart fem/1w male. 25/3/2025 Bourne, South Fen, Dark-breasted Barn Owl [form guttata] near Christmas Tree Deeping St James, Long-eared Owl at Main Lake from hide. 2 Glossy Ibises on West Pit, Deeping Lakes. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 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. Roadkill LINCOLN EASTERN BYPASS TF003693 25/3/2025 Brenda Edlington Badger west side of road 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 w/o 20/3/25 Blackbird 2m.1f Collared Dove 3 Pied Wagtail m and f Robin m + f Starling flock 12+ Wood Pigeon 7 Jackdaw 8+ Black-headed Gull raiding flock of 12+ Domestic Pigeon 8+ House Sparrow 10+ Dunnock 2 BARDNEY GARDEN TF117700 Phil Porter Week 19-26th March White Sweet Violets have started to appear, always weeks later than the purple ones always with a purplish spur at the back of the flower. Various Dog-violet forms will follow. The odd Brimstone butterfly has been about in sunny periods, but no whites yet. We have a Pieris bush which looks as if it has suffered from an bad attack of the Andromeda Lacebug Stephanitis takeyai which continually pierces the leaves to feed, leaving them very pale and emaciated. The bug itself is most attractive and we found many a few years ago when the symptoms last occurred. Mary Porter Week 19th-25th March With the milder weather, I've been putting the trail cam out hoping for hedgehogs, but none so far. We didn't see any sign last year either. It did, however, show some charming footage of both a chaffinch and a dunnock collecting dog hairs for their nests. Watching them hop about with their little "moustaches" was a delight. House sparrows continue to investigate both the nestbox "terrace" and the starling box that we put on the house wall, but no actual nest making has been spotted. The blue tits appear to have won the battle with a bumblebee over a nestbox, but it has been buzzing about nearby, so that might be not quite settled yet. The mole is still very active, much to the benefit of the blackbirds and robins, who are getting a bumper crop of earthworms from them. The wood pigeons, at least 10 of them, have been picking the developing flower buds off the evergreen honeysuckle. They have been there every day and are absolutely decimating it. Chiffchaffs have been calling, as has a distant green woodpecker. We have seen one brimstone butterfly on warmer days, and both a queen wasp and a green lacewing were active around the house on 24th. There are still plenty of 7 spot ladybirds around. Just before dispatch, there was a Coal Tit on the feeders, which we haven’t spotted for some time now. BOSTON My garden TF338441 Tracey Lenton 24/03/2025 There has been a lot of croaking at night of late, today there were 6 frogs in the pond, 4 single and 1 pair. Bumble bees, buff-tailed, are visiting the heather and grape hyacinths are starting to flower too which they like. A Holly blue butterfly made a fleeting visit through the garden. Forget-me-nots in bud, one or two flowering. I discovered some white violets under a shrub today, purple ones are springing up around the garden for a few weeks now. I have noticed some very small, pale green maggots/caterpillars. They appear to be descending down gossamer strands from the leylandii hedge, I am not sure if they are their own threads or coming down spider webs. 25/03/2025 Bee fly on dandelion A clump of ox-eye daisy had 10+ ladybirds 7-spot A wasp was hovering around the wooden compost bin BURGH LE MARSH TF496640 Colin Smith 19/3/25 I was out inspecting crops and as it was a sunny day I examined the car roof when I got back to the car. There were four species of water beetle, Helophorus grandis, Berosus affinis, Helophorus brevipalpis and Ochthebius minimus also the money spider Erigone atra. I had a silver car for the last few years and this collecting method has been very productive but I was worried it might not work with the black car I have now, obviously the beetles are easily fooled, sometimes there can be dozens of them. CHAMBERS FARM WOOD BUTTERFLY GARDEN. TF 147740 Margaret Westcott 20.03.2025 The vagaries of our weather! We froze in February, had Icy wind early March, then a balmy day's gardening on March 18th. The perennials are all cut back, buddleias pruned and the beds mulched with compost. Some of the middle beds are being revamped and reset with perennials. Our pond has had attention, removing excess moss and rushes. Newt have been seen, also lots of ramshorn snails and possibly a Dwarf Pond Snail. In the blackthorn hedge, we have at least 50 Brown Hairstreak eggs, which is a new record. We have seen only one butterfly, a Small Tortoiseshell, which flitted about the heather bed all day. One moth was spotted and identified as an Early Grey. Numerous queen bumblebees are about, including Buff-tail and Vestal Cuckoo. Flowering plants this month include heather, primrose, viburnum, hellebore and a new winter-flowering honeysuckle. New volunteers always welcome. FAR INGS Angela Buckle 23rd March. Common storkbill, White violets. Birds. Chiffchaff, Long tailed tit, Bittern booming. HORKSTOW SE987179 Jenny Haines 20 March 2025 Two male brimstone butterflies in my garden this afternoon. Yesterday I released a peacock butterfly from my greenhouse where I suspect it had been overwintering. We also saw three roe deer in the field opposite. 23 March 2025 There was a lot of birdsong in my garden this morning so I used my identification app and it came up with 10 species: Robin Greenfinch Chaffinch Blue tit Great tit Rook Goldfinch Jackdaw Blackbird Magpie Quite a chorus! A small cherry tree in my garden was full of honey bees with a few bumblebees as well. Another aural chorus! NETTLEHAM Brenda Edlington TF 005756 Hedgehog sightings on camera Last sighting was 1/1/2025 16/3/2025 19.54 one medium hedgehog 18/3/2025 2.20 one large 19/3/2025 20.51 one medium 19/3/2025 21.07 one large, one medium, large one drinking from bird bath 20/3/2025 greenfinches - 2 together m and f, first time I've seen more than 1 for a long time - hopefully a breeding pair 21/03/2025 1.03 one large Every night since one or more hedgehogs Small white - first of the year 2 house sparrows in the garden - they've been absent all winter WHISBY NATURE PARK SK 910 663 Brenda Edlington 20/3/2025 Blackbird Blue tit Buzzard Canada goose Chaffinch Chiffchaff Coot Cormorant Crow Dunnock Gadwall Goldeneye 1m, 1f Great tit Greylag goose Gull black-headed Gull lesser black-backed Jackdaw Long-tailed tit Mallard Moorhen Mute swan Oystercatcher Pochard Reed bunting (at feeders) Robin Teal Tufted duck Wood pigeon Peacock butterfly WILLINGHAM WOODS Angela Buckle 19th March Opposite leaved Saxifrage, Wood anemone, Dogs Mercury, Common chickweed. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 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… 190325 – firecrest in trees around the old terminal site south of Crook Bank, plus a pair of bullfinch and a kingfisher. Jack snipe and common snipe Crook Bank outer dunes. 3 little ringed plover and 9 common snipe on wet grassland south of Crook Bank. 5 chiffchaff scattered throughout the dunes south of Crook Bank. Estimated 30,000 starling around Elm House Farm and adjacent fields in a few large groups. Also 4 marsh harrier displaying/disputing over the scrapes. c30 whooper swan and 15 mute swan flew in from the north and landed around Sea View washlands and Rimac Lagoon. Siskin flew south over Churchill Lane. 200325 – a minimum of 10 singing chiffchaff on the Common Bird Census plot around Rimac south. Also 2 cettis warbler, goldcrest, 2 redwing, 2 woodcock and a barn owl on the plot. Male and ringtail hen harrier flew south through the dunes at Rimac, as did a single siskin. 3 red kite drifted south-west past Crook Bank late morning and another flew south over MOD track early afternoon. 210325 – a welcome 4.5mm of rain throughout the day. Kingfisher flew along the Eau Outfall next to Paradise Lagoon. A nice mix of wetland birds from Sea View washlands screen including mallard, gadwall, shoveler, shelduck, wigeon, teal, tufted duck, coot, curlew, redshank, lapwing, black-tailed godwit and black-headed gull. 230325 – a moderate emergence of common toads and frogs in the morning, with some spawn laid in dune slack ponds. 9 lapwing at Elm House Farm including 4 displaying over the scrapes. 4 curlew, 126 wigeon, 10 mallard, 2 heron, 13 skylark, 5 meadow pipit and marsh harrier also around Elm House Farm, and another 190 wigeon on roadside scrapes north of Sea View. 240325 – female type black redstart on fences around Rimac car park mid-afternoon before moving into the dunes and perching on hawthorns. Female stonechat also near Rimac car park. 3 cattle egret and 2 great white egret on Rimac freshwater marsh scrape, and an increase in grey heron locally including 3 along the Eau at Rimac and a group of 4 flying towards the coast at sunset. White wagtail and 3 black-tailed godwit on Sea View washlands. 7 chiffchaff around Crook Bank and Mablethorpe North End, and 25 golden plover in flight over. 710 wigeon, 70 teal, 26 mallard, 20 shoveler, 6 shelduck, 5 tufted duck, pintail pair, gadwall, 5 little ringed plover (some displaying birds), 5 dunlin, 30 lapwing, 2 oystercatcher, 2 snipe, 21 curlew, 13 redshank on wet grassland south of Crook Bank. Male stonechat Elm House Farm. 250325 – black redstart still present on the open ground with hawthorns close to Rimac car park. 15+ chiffchaff around Rimac including a few silent birds. 3 cattle egret and a great white egret on Rimac freshwater marsh scrape. Male and female wheatear Elm House Farm, and a white wagtail in the same field. Red kite drifted north over Saltfleet Haven area. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 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 No records this week ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 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 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 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 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. 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/ 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 Sort 'pothole plague' or lose cash, councils warned https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c0eg39e01w8o 'Delays mean deaths - ban toxic lead ammunition now', experts urge government https://www.wwt.org.uk/news-and-stories/news/delays-mean-deaths-ban-toxic-lead-ammunition-now-experts-urge-government Time to stop blaming bats and newts for blocking development? A new fund could support nature and ease building delays https://theconversation.com/time-to-stop-blaming-bats-and-newts-for-blocking-development-a-new-fund-could-support-nature-and-ease-building-delays-252765 Heathrow fire shows just how vulnerable UK energy infrastructure is – we’ve simulated the major climate-related risks https://theconversation.com/heathrow-fire-shows-just-how-vulnerable-uk-energy-infrastructure-is-weve-simulated-the-major-climate-related-risks-252843 Trees felled in storm 'helping support nature' https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cnvz8ljzz8ro UK draws up new disease-threat watch list https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cr72d7p5dl2o Archaeologists find 'unprecedented' Iron Age hoard https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cd9241dq40qo Glowing spiral in UK sky believed to be caused by SpaceX launch https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c241073v66jo Ramsons https://www.gwct.org.uk/wildlife/species-of-the-month/2025/ramsons/ How animals shape the planet in surprising ways https://theconversation.com/how-animals-shape-the-planet-in-surprising-ways-250701 *** Mail Fails *** Imogen Wilde – soft bounce ----------------- ~ THE END ~ ----------------- (..until next week!) Roger Parsons old.museum@yahoo.co.uk http://rogerparsons.info/