============================================ || || Wildnews Bulletin || 1st October 2025 || News of Lincolnshire Wildlife || LNU: http://lnu.org/ || || Please email Editor on: philporterento@outlook.com || ============================================ In this issue... 1. Information, events, news and requests - mostly local. 2. Wildlife Highlights from Rare Bird Alert. 3. Wildlife reports around the county. Contributions welcome... 4. NNRs, RSPB and LWT Reserves : Saltfleetby/Theddlethorpe. Gibraltar Point, Coastal Country Park 5. Bardney Limewoods NNR: Chambers Farm Wood. 6. Other Reserve Reports - links. 7. Sending in Bulletin Reports - contributors please read! 8. Contact information - recorders and specialists... 9. Notes about these wildlife reports. 10. Bulletin publicity policy. 11. Events Diary - what's on. 12. ...and finally. Mostly national/international wildlife stories. ============================================ To interest new readers please use the "Forward to a Friend" link at the end of every Bulletin, or suggest anyone interested visits the LNU website and signs up that way. https://lnu.org/publications/wildnews-bulletin/ Reports here are open. They are available to county recorders of the Lincolnshire Naturalists' Union; Lincolnshire Bird Club and Lincolnshire Environmental Record Centre [LERC]. Compare earlier years/months. Past Bulletins archive [in text format] from 2009: http://rogerparsons.info/bulletinportal.html Views expressed by contributors are not necessarily those of the Lincolnshire Naturalists' Union or associated organisations. Please copy and paste URLs if/as necessary. ============================================ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 1. INFORMATION, EVENTS, NEWS AND REQUESTS ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Editor [Phil] writes: In recent years vagrant y-b warblers from eastern Siberia have become quite numerous here considering the vast distance they cover in the 'wrong' direction to find themselves in western Europe. Apparently, there is now a recognised 'Y-B Warbler Season' for birders in UK during October/ November, which is keenly anticipated. I read that there is an on-going discussion as to whether some of these birds are evolving into a new regular migration route to the west rather than the south, but I don't know that there is evidence yet that many, if any, return eastwards in the spring. Yellow-browed Warbler - RSPB https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/yellow-browed-warbler Yellow-browed Warbler - BTO https://www.bto.org/learn/about-birds/birdfacts/yellow-browed-warbler Yellow-browed Warbler - British Birdsongs https://www.british-birdsongs.uk/yellow-browed-warbler/ Phil Porter's email is: philporterento@outlook.com Roger Parsons' email is: old.museum@yahoo.co.uk Luke Hartley writes re. Records from LNU Field Meetings… Would attendees to send records from LNU field meetings through to me as soon as is reasonable. Any and all records are useful, they don't all have to be long and comprehensive lists! Hopefully timely records would make for a much smoother process of writing up the field meetings, and disseminating records to the landowners who have been welcoming and accommodating to us! Many thanks, Luke. hartley026@gmail.com The Bulletin Portal -past Bulletins archive [in text format] from 2009. http://rogerparsons.info/bulletinportal.html BTO's tracked Cuckoos Latest updates Wilfrid, Jim, Winston, Norman, Ashok, Sayaan and Cuach Cores. https://www.bto.org/cuckoos Loch of the Lowes SWT Webcam https://scottishwildlifetrust.org.uk/things-to-do/watch-wildlife-online/loch-of-the-lowes-webcam/ LINCOLNSHIRE CORONATION COAST NATIONAL NATURE RESERVE Delphine Suty of Natural England writes… Make a difference – volunteer with us! We are looking for individuals with good botanical skills. Your role will be to assist our team in surveying some of the rare plants on the reserve. Mainly a spring to summer activity, you will assist in the recording of the population, its location and status. The role can be done alone, with friends or other volunteers. We record data through iRecord and share with the Lincolnshire Naturalist Union and the Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland We will support your mileage, equipment, and further training as these become available. Please contact us at saltfleetbytheddlethorpennr@naturalengland.org.uk People’s Trust for Endangered Species (PTES) You might remember earlier in the year, Wildlife charity PTES called for the British public to survey spectacular Stag Beetles this summer. Their project report has just been released. Search First ever national analysis of stag beetles gives crucial insight into species population and distribution in UK for all the background, analysis, resources and downloads. *** LEARN A NEW SPECIES AND BOOST LINCOLNSHIRE’S NATURAL HISTORY RECORD! *** Colin Smith, LNU President writes… A core function of the LNU is to encourage wildlife recording. We would like everyone’s help to fill in the recording gaps for some of the more common Lincolnshire species. Each fortnight we will introduce a species with a link to a current distribution map and details of the species to look out for. Please look out for the species in your area or when you are out and about in the County. You can record what you see on: https://irecord.org.uk/ This is the LNU’s chosen digital platform for biological recording. It is free to register with and easy to use, but if you have any difficulty get in touch via the LNU website and we will try to help. There is a comprehensive guide to getting started on the iRecord home page above. Click on Help. After a month, details of the records received and an updated map will be Issued here on your Bulletin. On iRecord, you will have access to millions of wildlife records from across the UK, and will be able to organise your own records within its database. Please do join in and record these species and any others you find. Take the best close-up picture you can. The next species is the Apple Leaf Miner Lyonetia clerkella This is a very small moth that looks like a tiny feather quill giving it its Latin name, the caterpillar takes the theme a step further by leaving squiggly lines on the leaves of its host plant. These lines are where it has fed and removed the green pigment from the leaf. They feed on a wide range of trees but they particularly like cherry on which they cannot be confused with anything else. Please look out for the mines on cherry and record them as such on iRecord. Pictures and further information can be found at the British Leafminers website:- http://www.leafmines.co.uk/html/Lepidoptera/L.clerkella.htm the current record distribution Map can be seen at https://lnu.org/lyonetia-clerkella-apple-leaf-miner/ Thanks to those who added records for our previous map filling species. We received 15 records from 9 recorder for the Dock Bug Coreus marginatus. Please do join in as all records are valuable and help our understanding of the county's changing natural history. *** This week's mostly-local news stories: *** Spending of £1.8m for coastal walk bridge agreed - Gibraltar Point https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c4g2j54re50o Environment Agency failed to visit serious pollution incidents, files show https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cy4jk8njpngo Cordon in place after firearms arrest - Wainfleet. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ceq2z0g71xyo Vape shops or empty shops? The high street dilemma - Scunthorpe https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c74010vm7pdo Charity bans drone launches from sculpture site - Norton Disney https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ce80qrl0588o Sanctuary home to two record-breaking donkeys https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c9301drqwlgo PM reiterates asylum pledge over RAF Scampton https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/crkj7kv0lkno Dismissed as a joke, UK's first rice crop ripe for picking after hot summer https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c1wgeq702dyo *** 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 October - Sunday 5th October Headline: Unsettled with outbreaks of rain. Thursday: Mostly dry and overcast, with winds strengthening through the afternoon. A band of rain moving in overnight, heavy at times, with strong and blustery winds. Maximum temperature 20 °C. Outlook for Friday to Sunday: Generally unsettled on Friday and Saturday with outbreaks of rain, locally heavy at times. Winds will be strong, with gales likely in places. Drier but staying windy on Sunday. UK long range weather forecast Sunday 5th October - Tuesday 14 Oct A deep low will probably be clearing to the east or northeast of the UK at the start of this period, leaving the UK in a broadly westerly pattern for the following few days. Within this we are likely to see further spells of rain and strong winds at times, these more likely affecting northern and northwestern areas, but all parts of the UK could see some rain from time to time. Towards mid-month, there is a signal, albeit a weak one, for pressure to build in the vicinity of the UK, with a better chance of more areas seeing some longer drier interludes. On the whole temperatures look to be fairly close to average, though some chilly nights are to be expected at times. *** For Astronomers and Sky-watchers *** Bright auroras appeared when Earth’s magnetic field linked with the Sun’s. The SpaceWeather website https://spaceweather.com/ Five celestial events to look out for this autumn https://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/articles/c39rvxz4jr1o AuroraWatch UK for geomagnetic data: https://aurorawatch.lancs.ac.uk/ The SpaceWeather website https://spaceweather.com/ https://spaceweather.com/images2025/14sep25/Lauri-Kangas-IMG_4035-1_1757910956_strip.jpg Full Moons https://www.rmg.co.uk/stories/topics/full-moon-calendar Meteor shower dates https://www.rmg.co.uk/stories/topics/meteor-shower-guide BBC Sky at Night Magazine website https://www.skyatnightmagazine.com/news Current Position of ISS https://www.astroviewer.net/iss/en/ *** EVENTS *** LNU Fungus Foray - Goslings Corner Wood on Sunday 19 October Parking at Goslings Corner Wood car park 12:00 for 13:00 start and finish about 16:00 Leaders: Ray Halstead & Tim Bruning Habitat: Limewoods Grid reference: TF 14336 74872 What3Words: edge.cheerily.area Nearest postcode: LN8 5QB Please aim to car share to the event where possible, as parking may be quite tight in the event of a large turnout. Remember to send all records to Luke Hartley (hartley026@gmail.com). All records, common or rare, are valuable! *** Boston Area Group Lwt Talk *** 9th October : “Weeds, the good the bad and the wonderful”, an illustrated talk by Libby John. Starts at 7.30pm at Centenary Methodist Church, Red Lion Street, Boston, PE21 6NY. There will be an interval for refreshments. Admission is free but there will be a retiring collection. *** Grimsby and Cleethorpes Area Group LWT *** On Monday 13th October the group will be welcoming Gillian Walsh and listening to her illustrated talk "Madeira and the Canary Islands" which will include fauna, flora and geology of these islands. This will take place in Grimsby Town Hall DN31 1HU and starts at 7.30pm. Admission £5, all are welcome. Trust sales of Christmas cards and calendars, raffle and refreshments will be available. On Saturday 18th October the group welcomes people to join them on a Fungus Foray in Bradley Woods, Bradley Road, Bradley, Grimsby DN37 0AH with Mick Binnion. Meet in the car parking area for a 11am start. Please wear stout footwear and dress according to the weather. This is a free event however donations will be welcomed for the Trust. For further information on these events contact our secretary David Ball 07711 716063 or email davidballnorthhampton@gmail.com *** GRIMSBY/CLEETHORPES RSPB GROUP *** “Crossing Boundaries – A unique story of birds and people on the high seas of Iraq” by Rudolf Williams (speaker, photographer, film maker and artist, dedicated to inspiring individuals to connect with nature) Monday, October 20st 2025 Venue: Holy Trinity Parish Hall, Grimsby Road, Cleethorpes. DN35 7LH Time: 7.30 pm Admission: £5.00 (this includes tea/coffee and biscuits) *** SOUTH LINCOLNSHIRE RSPB GROUP*** "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. Please note this talk has now been changed to 8th October. Full details at https://group.rspb.org.uk/southlincolnshire/ The Scunthorpe and Brigg Local Group of the Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust Our next meeting will take place on Thursday, 9th October, starting as usual at 7.30pm in the St Hugh's Church Hall, Ashby Road, Scunthorpe, DN16 2AJ. At the meeting we will be visited by The Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust's CEO Paul Learoyd who will be giving his illustrated talk that is entitled "Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust: past, present and future". Paul will give an illustrated talk on the work of the Trust, highlighting some of Lincolnshire’s incredible wildlife, looking back over the last 75 years, giving an update on some current activity and give his thoughts on what the future may bring. ALL ARE WELCOME TO OUR MEETINGS. Our St Hugh's venue is opposite the Applegreen filling station near to the crossroads of Ashby Road (A159) with West Common Lane/ Old Brumby Street. There is a small free car park at the Church and roadside parking nearby. There is a £2.50 entry charge for the meeting which includes a drink of coffee or tea drink plus biscuits at the mid-talk break. Please don't miss this exceptional meeting where we can learn more about our wildlife and the nature reserves in our county and also meet the CEO of our Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust. The Natural History and Geology Section of the North Lincolnshire Museum Society Our next meeting is on Monday, 13th October, taking place in the St Bernadette's Church Hall, Ashby Road, Scunthorpe, DN16 2RS, starting at 7.15pm as usual. The first 20 minutes or so will be taken up by our AGM when we hope to appoint some new committee members to bring some new ideas. Following the AGM we will be given an illustrated talk entitled "Raptors of Europe" by our well-known local birder/photographer Graham Catley. Graham is a very accomplished bird photographer, ornithologist, and author of several bird books and other publications. He is a regular guest speaker for the Society and will be talking on this ever-popular subject. ALL ARE WELCOME TO OUR MEETINGS. Our venue, St Bernadette's Church Hall is opposite the Priory Hotel on Ashby Road which is the main A159 road into Scunthorpe from Gainsborough. There is a large, free car park at the Church. There is a £5 entry charge for non-members of our Society. Light refreshments will be available for a £1 charge during the mid-talk comfort break. STAYING SAFE Please copy and paste URLs if/as necessary... Bird flu: Defra advice to the general public is to leave corpses alone and report the findings - but landowners should dispose of birds themselves. https://www.gov.uk/government/news/bird-flu-latest-situation-avian-influenza-prevention-zone-declared-across-great-britain Lyme Disease reminder https://www.hse.gov.uk/agriculture/zoonoses-data-sheets/lyme-disease.pdf Road works and hold-ups https://roadworks.org/ Met Office Severe Warnings https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/warnings-and-advice/uk-warnings Met Office Severe Weather E-mail Service - sign up http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/about-us/guide-to-emails EasyTide http://easytide.ukho.gov.uk/EasyTide/EasyTide/index.aspx Environment Agency Flood Warnings - Lincolnshire https://www.google.com/search?q=government+flood+warnings+lincolnshire Environment Agency Flood Information/Floodline - sign up https://www.gov.uk/sign-up-for-flood-warnings ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 2. WILDLIFE HIGHLIGHTS ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ *** Bird News from Rare Bird Alert *** Rare Bird Alert has kindly given permission to reproduce their pager reports. A big thank you from us all. Readers interested in a pager - look at the RBA website: http://www.rarebirdalert.co.uk/ For RBA's excellent articles: https://www.rarebirdalert.co.uk/RealData/Articles.asp Abbreviations Juv = juvenile Ad = adult 1s/w, 2s/w = first/second summer/winter (age or plumage) 24/9/2025 Gibraltar Point, Black Redstart. Pyewipe, Little Stint at Novartis Ings. 25/9/2025 Freiston Shore, Glossy Ibis on on South Lagoon, 5 Little Stints, 6 Curlew Sandpipers. Gibraltar Point, Hawfinch at East Dunes. 26/9/2025 Donna Nook, Yellow-browed Warbler by MOD base. Freiston Shore, Sooty Shearwater flew south past. Long-tailed Skua 2 Curlew Sandpipers, 2 Little Stints. Gibraltar Point, 2 Yellow-browed Warblers, 1 in pines at North Car Park, 1 at Shoveler's Pond. Sooty Shearwater flew south past. Saltfleetby/Theddlethorpe Dunes, Yellow-browed Warbler in pines west of Crook Bank, car park, another in scrub near beach at Brickyard Lane near beach access path. Theddlethorpe, American Golden Plover with Golden Plovers north of terminal in field east of Rotten Row. 27/9/2025 Ancaster, 6 Glossy Ibises flew over. Deeping St James, 2 Glossy Ibises along River Welland, south of West Pit, Little Stint at East Pit, Deeping Lakes. Donna Nook, Barred Warbler at Stonebridge car park, in hedge near road. East Halton, Snow Bunting male and Little Stint on estuary. Freiston Shore, 4 Curlew Sandpipers, Frampton Marsh, Little Stint from Reedbed Hide, 4 Curlew Sandpipers. Saltfleetby/Theddlethorpe Dunes, Wood Sandpiper on foreshore at Brickyard Lane. 28/9/2025 Deeping St James, 2 Glossy Ibises along River Welland, south of West Pit, Deeping Lakes. Donna Nook, Little Stint juv south on MOD base. Yellow-browed Warbler north of MOD base north of Stonebridge car park by track and Firecrest in blackthorns. Freiston Shore, 2 Little Stints. Gibraltar Point, Glossy Ibis briefly. 29/9/2025 Deeping St James, 1+ Glossy Ibis along River Welland, south of West Pit, Deeping Lakes. Gibraltar Point, 2 Glossy Ibises in field. 30/9/2025 Baston Langtoft Pits, Temminck's Stint at South Pit - view from top of. roadside bank, do not enter workings. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 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. Nr IMMINGHAM TA 186126 Peter Crick 27:09:2025 Young deer, possible Roe, on verge of new road connecting Stallingborough Rd with A180 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, NOCTON FEN LANE (Wasps Nest Road) TF109682 Phil Porter 26th September 2025 The strip of land that we visited last week has now been cut, which identifies it as a managed wildlife ‘headland’, rather than an abandonment, so I am quite encouraged by that. There is now an abundant carpet of varied seeds on the ground and tiny seedlings already germinated, so I can look forward to next year with confidence, and if there are enough seedeaters on the fen in autumn and over winter, there should be good gleaning for them. The abundant species growing there are Hedge Mustard, Wild Carrot, Creeping Thistle, Chicory, Field Sow-thistle, Garden Radish, Common Mallow, Prickly Oxtongue and Pale Persicaria, with apparently small numbers of Knapweed, Yarrow, Small Nettle, Sainfoin and Alsike Clover. No doubt there will be more variety at times next year. The tree/shrub planting along the road comprises Dog Rose, Hazel, Elder, Dogwood, Purging Buckthorn, Guelder Rose, Rowen, Field Maple, Small-leafed Lime, Ash and Oak with Silk-button and Marble Galls. The very narrow and compromised verge contains Field Pennywort, Red Dead-nettle, Shepherds Purse, Prickly Ox-tongue, Common Mallow, Black Nightshade, Groundsel, Fat Hen, Dove’s-foot Cranesbill, Weld, Petty Spurge, Hen-bit Deadnettle, Common Field Speedwell, and Cow Parsley. A dense growth of Common Reed lines the drain banks. Mallard, Wigeon, Gadwall and Teal can be heard and occasionally seen if they are disturbed from the sugar-factory pits, together with Mute Swans and Greylag Geese BAUMBER WALLED GARDEN TF208753 Phil and Mary Porter 30th September 2025 We met Roger and Anne Parsons who showed us a Painted Lady butterfly they had found and Mary later spotted another much more ragged specimen. Two Ravens were calling high overhead. There were a few Common Darters around the pond. CHAMBERS FARM WOOD TF149741 Phil and Mary Porter 27th September A fair sprinkling of Sloe Bugs basking on sun-lit foliage. Two large, fresh Fly Agaric caps but pale in colour. A small patch of Earth-stars beneath a Pine tree in a traditional spot and a Sulphur-tuft clump. Long-tailed Tits vocal in a few places. A very few Drone-flies, Common Tachinas and Helophilus hoverflies on the masses of flowering Asters in the Butterfly Garden, plus 1 Peacock and 4 Red Admirals. GRANTHAM GARDEN SK930 372 Alan Lean/Gill Porter 27th September 2025 Our third moth trapping session – thanks to Colin Smith for loan of moth trap! Box Tree moth x 4 (there were 26 on 19/09) Double-striped Tabby x 1 Shuttle-shaped Dart x 2 Red-line Quaker x 1 Beaded Chestnut x 4 Large Yellow Underwing x 14 Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing x 5 Lunar Underwing x 7 Ashy Button x 1 Barred Sallow x 4 32 species since we started this month. Been a good year for goldfinches in our garden – a further juvenile today, also coal tit regular again. And we have had plenty of juvenile starlings this year. Also on 27th - two caddis fly sightings probably because of the new ponds – Limnephilus affinis and Limnephilus auricula. We know now to photograph them sideways on for ID purposes! KIRKBY MOOR NATURE RESERVE TF224621 Colin Smith 29/9/25 Hundreds of Shieldbugs here. Hairy Shieldbug Dolycoris baccarum Birch Shieldbug Elasmostethus interstinctus Parent Bug Elasmucha grisea Box Bug Gonocerus acuteangulatus Common Green Shieldbug Palomena prasina Red-legged Shieldbug Pentatoma rufipes Spiked Shieldbug Picromerus bidens Gorse Shieldbug Piezodorus lituratus Bronze Shieldbug Troilus luridus Also Grass Wave Perconia strigillaria caterpillars found on the heather. MOOR FARM NATURE RESERVE TF222636 Colin Smith 29/9/25 Dock Bug Coreus marginatus Rhombic Leatherbug Syromastus rhombeus NETTLETON GRANGE GAME FARM Ben Jacob 28th September (Editor; Ben sent me a photograph of the Parornix anglicella gall on a hawthorn leaf which I confirmed for him) STICKNEY TF322568 Gail Cartwright 26/09/2025 Tawny Owls calling 7.30 till 8.15 No bats heard since it turned chilly SUTTON ST JAMES Jonathan Bye Don’t know whether this would be of interest to Bulletin readers but here goes: I had thought butterfly sightings were largely finished for the year but during this last week in September I’ve been pleased to see several Holly Blues flying in my Sutton St James garden. Apparently they are individuals from a third generation; I wonder how widespread a third generation is in Lincolnshire? (Editor) Opinions welcome from the ‘Butterfly community’ philporterento@outlook.com TOBY'S HILL NATURE RESERVE TF452941 Colin Smith 22/09/2025 A super little pseudoscorpion the Marram grass Chelifer Dactylochelifer latreillii WILLINGHAM WOODS Angela Buckle 24th September. Common centaury, Field madder, Autumn hawkbit, Trailing St John’s wort. Lots of Shaggy inkcaps. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 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/ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 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 23rd September: 2 Brent Goose, Red-breasted Merganser and 9 Pintail flying north, Purple Sandpiper at Boygrift Outflow, 5 Egyptian Goose Anderby Marsh, Redwing in Huttoft, male Stonechat on Huttoft Marsh. 24th September: Redwing in off sea, Manx Shearwater and Puffin flying south, Goldeneye flying north. Wheatear, Whinchat and 3 Stonechat on Sandilands Golf Course. 25th September: Velvet Scoter and 30 Common Scoter flying south, 3 Pintail, Great Skua, 2 Eider, Manx Shearwater and Sooty Shearwater flying north. 8 Goldcrest, Whinchat and Wheatear on Sandilands Golf Course. Arctic Skua and Guillemot on sea at Huttoft Car Terrace. Redwing and 4 Song Thrush at Wolla Bank Pit. Pied Flycatcher at Chapel Six Marshes. Redwing at Chapel Pit. 26th September: 44 Wigeon, Garden Warbler, Reed Warbler and 15 Goldcrest at Anderby Marsh. Chapel Pit had 6 Goldcrest, 3 Blackcap, 2 Song Thrush and a Stonechat. Tawny Owl at Chapel Six Marshes. Male Redstart at Huttoft Marsh. 27th September: 7 Great White Egret around the area. Male Stonechat, 33 Curlew and a Black-tailed Godwit at Anderby Marsh. Tree Pipit, 8 Goldcrest and Chiffchaff at Huttoft Pit. 28th September: Whitethroat and Spotted Flycatcher at Chapel Six Marshes. Brambling in dunes at Anderby Creek. Hobby flew in off of the sea. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ SALTFLEETBY THEDDLETHORPE DUNES NNR including DONNA NOOK ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ http://www.lincstrust.org.uk/reserves/saltfleetby-theddlethorpe-dunes https://www.lincstrust.org.uk/get-involved/top-reserves/donna-nook http://publications.naturalengland.org.uk/publication/38015?category=59026 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Owen Beaumont Tel: 07900264428 Reserve Manager Saltfleetby-Theddlethorpe Dunes NNR part of the Lincolnshire Coronation Coast NNR Sea View Road, Saltfleetby St. Clements, LN11 7TR www.gov.uk/natural-england Twitter @NEEastMidlands 240925 – redstart, spotted flycatcher and redwing in dune scrub at Brickyard Lane. Whinchat and stonechat Rimac freshwater marsh. Another 3 whinchat plus 3 redstart in scrub south of Rimac car park. 5 cattle egrets Sea View washlands mid-afternoon.300+ pink-footed geese lifted off arable fields south of Rimac. Butterflies - 23 wall, 7 meadow brown, 8 small copper, 1 holly blue, 8 red admiral, 3 small tortoiseshell, 10 small white, 2 large white, and 19 speckled wood Rimac/Sea View. Moths included a Hummingbird Hawk-moth, which settled on a Sycamore leaf, 1 Straw Dot, and a single Fox Moth caterpillar. 250925 – redstart, redwing, 2 song thrush Rimac to Paradise. Redstart and 40+ goldcrest Brickyard Lane scrub. 80 curlew and 2 sandwich tern on the beach at Crook Bank, and 2 brent geese flew north. Razorbill, 3 eider, 2 red-throated diver on the sea at Mablethorpe North End. Whinchat and stonechat Saltfleet Haven area. Medium sized bat flying around Sea View mid-morning. Weasel Elm House Farm track. 260925 – at least 1, probably 2, yellow-browed warbler in scrub around Brickyard Lane, plus 80 goldcrest. Another yellow-browed warbler calling from pine trees next to Crook Bank car park. 6 cattle egret in field south of Rimac car park with cows. Adult American golden plover with flock of golden plovers in arable field inland from Crook Bank. Redstart and 3 goldcrest Sea View at midday. 270925 – wood sandpiper flew off Brickyard Lane foreshore calling mid- morning and continued south. A small southerly movement of finches including 2 crossbill, 2 brambling, 4 siskin, red poll, plus 30 meadow pipit and 18 song thrushes over the dunes throughout the morning. Lesser whitethroat, 4 blackcap, 2 chiffchaff and 20 goldcrest Brickyard Lane dunes, and 2 sparrowhawk and 3 buzzard flew over. 2 goldcrest, garden warbler and blackcap Sea View and a noticeable movement of goldcrest through sycamores. 280925 – 170 pink-footed geese flew south over Churchill Lane mid-afternoon followed by another 70. 15 redpoll flew south over Sea View late afternoon in a single flock. 290925 – 5 redwing and a brambling in trees near Crook Bank, and 500+ pink-footed geese flew south in 40 minutes mid-morning and movement continued throughout the day. 500+ Canada geese flew off roost and into arable fields near Brickyard Lane in the morning. 100+ meadow pipit and a wheatear Brickyard Lane foreshore. Brambling also in scrub near Brickyard Lane along with 3 Cetti’s warblers. 35 reed bunting along foredunes near Brickyard Lane and another 40 around MOD dune frontage. Great white egret flew south over Mablethorpe North End. 3 buzzard and a marsh harrier flew south along the dunes at Brickyard Lane at midday. Goosander flew north over Churchill Lane beach. 6 cattle egret at Rimac feeding amongst the cows. 3 Cetti’s warblers singing, 2 chiffchaff, 10 song thrush and 20 goldcrest around Rimac in the morning. Cetti’s warbler and great spotted woodpecker at Sea View. 50+ lapwing feeding on Elm House Farm grassland. Butterflies – 10 wall Rimac; painted lady Sea View. Hummingbird hawk-moth Sea View. 300925 – 2 goldcrest and a garden warbler Sea View. 3 red-throated diver and 13 common scoter on the sea at Mablethorpe North End, and 6 sandwich tern on the beach. Other Reserves 280925 – Donna Nook: yellow-browed warbler calling with goldcrests in sycamores around MOD. 2 brambling and a firecrest between Stonebridge and Pye’s Hall. 290925 – Donna Nook: curlew calling from the saltmarsh. 300925 – Welton-le-Wold Quarry: Peacock butterflies on the wing. Lady’s bedstraw, knapweed and bird’s-foot trefoil still in flower. Ravens and jays heard calling nearby and pink-footed geese flying over. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 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. 7th & 21st, October, 4th; November Email: margaretwestcott7@hotmail.co.uk https://butterfly-conservation.org/in-your-area/lincolnshire-branch/chambers-farm-wood-butterfly-garden *** Lincolnshire Dormouse Group *** lincsdormousegroup@gmail.com Gemma Watkinson writes… The permit has been received and the above dates have been confirmed for the box checks this season. Oct Sat 18th ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The NNR includes the following sites: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Chambers Farm Woods (comprises Ivy Wood; Little and Great Scrubbs Woods; Minting Wood; Hatton Wood, Hatton Plantation and Minting Park; and also three areas of grassland: Little Scrubbs Meadow and extension), Small Meadow and Big Meadow. Since all have their own management plans, please give the actual location when reporting). College Wood; Cocklode & Great West Woods; Hardy Gang Wood; Newball Wood; Rand Wood; Scotgrove Wood; Southrey Wood and Wickenby Wood. Many of these include both areas of ancient woodland or important grassland. Many are also designated Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Records which provide a six-figure grid reference are of particular value to the Forestry Commission. Other woods included in the NNR but without public access: Stainfield Wood; Stainton & Fulnetby Woods (access by public bridle way only). ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 6. OTHER RESERVE REPORTS AND HIGHLIGHTS. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Discover Woodland Trust woods near you- including the best woods for walks, wildlife watching, family fun and heritage. https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/visiting-woods/woods/#=undefined&view=map Lincolnshire County Council - Local Nature Reserves https://www.lincolnshire.gov.uk/coast-countryside/nature-reserves Links to "Other Reserves" are welcome. Your suggestions, please. Boston Woods Trust https://www.bostonwoods.co.uk/ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 7. SENDING IN BULLETIN REPORTS ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The purpose of the Bulletin is to encourage biological recording in Lincolnshire. We aim to increase the number of people reporting observations to Recorders or via iRecord. https://www.brc.ac.uk/irecord/ The Bulletin is a FREE service. We ask you to provide reports, questions, news or relevant articles from time to time. Descriptive pieces are welcome. You don't have to stick to lists! Please help us to help you. When sending in reports please follow this layout to save re-editing: Place Name: IN CAPITALS with Grid Reference if you have it. Your Name: Real names please, not aliases. Put it in each time, for each location Date: Species list [Alphabetical?] & numbers [and observations?] e.g. Blackbird - 24 [And please, no home-grown abbreviations. Species Names in full.] Bulletin mailing times may vary. It usually goes out on Wednesdays/ Thursdays in time for the weekend. Please e-mail in contributions to the editor as early as possible. Tuesday latest. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 8. CONTACTS AND USEFUL WEBSITES ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ *** Links "not to be missed" *** Please copy and paste URLs if/as necessary. CONTACTS LIST *** Lincolnshire Naturalists' Union *** LNU Website: http://lnu.org/ LNU Twitter feed https://twitter.com/LincsNaturalist LNU e-mail: info@lnu.org Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust: https://twitter.com/LincsWildlife Lincs Bird Club: https://twitter.com/Lincsbirding LBC County Bird Recorder: recorder_south@lincsbirdclub.co.uk The Sir Joseph Banks Society: https://twitter.com/sirjosephbanks Lincolnshire Bat Group: http://www.lincsbatgroup.co.uk/ Butterfly Conservation Lincolnshire Branch: https://twitter.com/BC_Lincolnshire Lincsbirders: https://twitter.com/lincsbirders Lincolnshire Chalk Streams Project: https://lincolnshirechalkstreams.org/ Lincolnshire Chalk Streams Trust: https://lincolnshirechalkstreamstrust.org.uk/ South Lincolnshire Flora Group: https://bsbi.org/south-lincolnshire-v-c-53 The Wolds Fungi Group: Contact Paul Nichol via email: nichol20@gmail.com Lincolnshire Dormouse Group: Contact: lincsdormousegroup@gmail.com FIGHTING WILDLIFE CRIME Wildlife Crime https://www.lincs.police.uk/advice/advice-and-information/wc/wildlife-crime/ SPECIES IDENTIFICATION AND RECORDING Please copy and paste URLs if/as necessary. LNU Recorders and Specialists: https://lnu.org/specialists/ Downloads of LNU books: https://lnu.org/publications/books/ Recording with "iRecord": https://www.brc.ac.uk/irecord/ iRecord is recommended by the LNU as an appropriate platform for on-line recording When asking for help: Please give the very best information you can provide. If you are not sure, ask what is needed from you to confirm identification. Photographs are helpful but not every species can be identified from a photograph. When asked for further details,get back to the recorder promptly. Don't forget a thank you for the help. That is always welcomed. Local Bat Helpline Grounded bats, bat problems, advice and information. Contact the new Lincolnshire Bat Group co-ordinator as above: Email: info@lincsbatgroup.co.uk Or by phone on 01526 344726, who will be able to help you. Confidential Bat Records You may send confidential bat records direct to the above, who will make sure they are securely passed on to the new recorder. Slug ID Help Chris du Feu will help with slug identification. Tel: 01383 669 124 Email: chris.r.dufeu@gmail.com USEFUL WILDLIFE LINKS Please copy and paste URLs if necessary. How to identify ladybirds| NatureSpot https://www.naturespot.org/WildlifeGuides/12CommonLadybirds How to identify diving ducks | The Wildlife Trusts https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/wildlife/how-identify/how-identify-diving-ducks Dragonfly Identification help https://british-dragonflies.org.uk/odonata/species-and-identification/ Bat Identification https://www.bats.org.uk/about-bats/what-are-bats/uk-bats/ NHBS - Frequencies of British Bats https://media.nhbs.com/equipment/British%20Bat%20Frequencies.pdf Lincolnshire Badger Group https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100093647842292 Email: lincolnshirebadgergroup@hotmail.com Lincs Environmental Records Centre: http://www.glnp.org.uk/ Natural England: http://www.naturalengland.org.uk/ NHBS - Natural history equipment or books.https://www.nhbs.com/ The Flora of Lincolnshire by Joan Gibbons:downloadable LNU book https://lincsnaturalist.files.wordpress.com/2017/06/the-flora-of-lincolnshire-e-joan-gibbons.pdf Atlas of the terrestrial and semi-aquatic Mammals of Lincolnshire https://lincsnaturalist.files.wordpress.com/2021/06/mammalatlas.pdf *** For the Geologists *** Please copy and paste URLs if/as necessary Million-year-old skull rewrites human evolution, scientists claim https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cdx01ve5151o Lincolnshire Geodiversity Group: https://www.lincswolds.org.uk/discovering/geology-1 Geology of the Lincolnshire Wolds: https://www.lincswolds.org.uk/special-features/geology The Geology of Lincolnshire: downloadable LNU book https://lnu.org/publications/books/the-geology-of-lincolnshire/ UK Fossils in Lincolnshire https://ukfossils.co.uk/category/lincolnshire/ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 9. NOTES ABOUT THESE WILDLIFE REPORTS ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ We do our best to ensure accuracy in our reporting. However, records are sent in by a variety of reporters; from complete beginners to professionals. They may vary in reliability and occasionally may be difficult or impossible to verify. If further information is needed please contact the editor: Bulletins are sent to Recorders at Lincolnshire Environmental Records Centre [GNLP], Lincolnshire Naturalists' Union and Lincolnshire Bird Club. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 10. BULLETIN PUBLICITY POLICY ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ When submitting reports, e.g. unusual plants, please send any sensitive news directly to recorders. Not the Bulletin. We don't want to spoil things with unwise or untimely publicity. Thank you. Please respect the interests of wildlife and site owners if you report on national networks. Interest in wildlife is not a licence to act irresponsibly or thoughtlessly to landowners, who may well be partners in important conservation work. [Views expressed in the Bulletin do not necessarily reflect the policies or opinions of the LNU or associated organisations. In particular this applies to agencies, especially charities, taking a political stance.] ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 11. LNU EVENTS DIARY ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ LNU Fungus Foray - Goslings Corner Wood on Sunday 19 October Parking at Goslings Corner Wood car park 12:00 for 13:00 start and finish about 16:00 Leaders: Ray Halstead & Tim Bruning Habitat: Limewoods Grid reference: TF 14336 74872 What3Words: edge.cheerily.area Nearest postcode: LN8 5QB Please aim to car share to the event where possible, as parking may be quite tight in the event of a large turnout. Remember to send all records to Luke Hartley (hartley026@gmail.com). All records, common or rare, are valuable! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 12 ...AND FINALLY... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ *** National and International Stories *** Is Foraging Harmful to Wildlife? https://britishlocalfood.com/foraging-and-wildlife/ Forest turbine plan prompts fears for red squirrels https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cwydll738dxo Ratmageddon: Why rats are overrunning our cities https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c4gvk397j80o Farmer loses dozens of sheep to acorn poisoning - Wales https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c1kwreyrm8mo Common toad is becoming uncommon in UK, study shows https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/oct/01/common-toad-is-becoming-uncommon-in-uk-study-shows *** Mail Fails *** None this week. ----------------- ~ THE END ~ ----------------- (..until next week!) Roger Parsons old.museum@yahoo.co.uk http://rogerparsons.info/