============================================ || || Wildnews Bulletin || 15th 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: Having done very little fly recording in the field this year, I have been going over old specimens to photograph them for submission to iRecord in the hope of achieving confirmations from national experts. Gradually more families of diptera are being assessed in this way but it is very often a daunting prospect for assessors to make judgements on the great majority of field photographs whereas mine are of dead specimens and hopefully much easier. One I submitted this week https://irecord.org.uk/record-details?occurrence_id=45920991 was the Common House Fly Musca domestica, the species responsible for much of the revulsion that flies, on a whole unjustly, suffer from. Once unspeakably abundant around habitation, it is now massively reduced, but it is difficult to assess the degree of the loss, and when or why it happened, because it has rarely been recorded. It seems that biological Lincolnshire records only began in the early 1980’s, and have barely struggled along since. It was beneath contempt in its abundance and is now hard to find and more or less impossible to identify in the field since. To separate my specimen from the still numerous ‘Face Fly’ Musca autumnalis, it was necessary to check firstly that the eyes were ‘bare’ (many flies have short hairs between the units of their compound eyes) and also that a small section of the prothorax, normally partially hidden behind the head, was hairy. No wonder it was ignored for so long! 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 Su Colman writes… *** Nettleham Woodland Trust *** are looking for help in surveying for fungi at the Ashing Lane Nature Reserve - are there any Bulletin readers who are interested? If you would like to be involved, please email admin@nettlehamwoodlandtrust.co.uk BTO's tracked Cuckoos Latest updates 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 *** 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 Shaggy Inkcap Coprinus comatus This is a fungus that is quite easy to spot and distinctive. It grows in many situations including roadside verges and grassy areas. It can be found singly or sometimes in large spread out groups. A close look is needed to be sure it is shaggy and not a Common Inkcap which is more smooth. Pictures and further information can be found at the Naturespot website:- https://www.naturespot.org/species/shaggy-inkcap the current record distribution Map can be seen at https://lnu.org/coprinus-comatus-shaggy-inkcap/ Thanks to those who added records for our previous map filling species. We received 4 records from 2 recorder for the Hawthorn Parornix Parornix anglicella. 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: *** Mesmerising starling murmuration captured on film - Cleethorpes https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/videos/c7402vp9p7yo Rare bird spotted for first time in 34 years - Tophill Low Nature Reserve https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cx2jw8r7n8yo Lincolnshire man becomes King Conker after winning world championships https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/cd079553dprt Council objects to waste site plan at ex-RAF base - Woodthorpe, Alford https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c4gkgdr8zdzo Little Peat, Tiddy Mun and the folklore of a misty moor - Crowle https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cn0rd1epkrxo Inside the radar hub protecting UK skies - Coningsby https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cq6zrm23r98o Family farm to provide festive wreath for No 10 - Louth https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cm27nl126e5o Rejected plans for battery farm overturned - near Gainsborough https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cly1039dnexo Chicken farm will pollute 'like M25', says report - Toynton St Peter https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cwywegnl9p1o *** 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 9th October - Sunday 12th October Headline: Cloudy for most, with light winds. Thursday: Little change expected, with many parts cloudy but also a few brighter, perhaps briefly sunny intervals. Hill fog is likely, with drizzle also possible, mainly coasts and hills. Light winds. Maximum temperature 15 °C. Outlook for Friday to Sunday: Rather cloudy Friday and Saturday, with further hill fog, some limited drizzle, and isolated brighter intervals. Perhaps a few showers near coasts Friday. Winds strengthening Sunday with rain spreading east. UK long range weather forecast Sunday 12th October - Tuesday 21st October A transition to more unsettled conditions than of late is expected at the start of this period, as low pressure from the Atlantic moves gradually eastwards across the UK. This will bring an increasing chance of rain or showers fairly widely, perhaps accompanied by some strong winds at times. It is likely to remain fairly changeable as further pulses of rain or showers affect parts of the UK through much of this period, but interspersed with some drier and brighter interludes. Towards the following weekend, and final week of October, high pressure may build to the west of the UK, and with low pressure to the east this may lead to a cooler and slightly drier northwesterly flow with a few showers. *** For Astronomers and Sky-watchers *** In pictures: Harvest Moon and great lunar displays https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cvgjyy5dg8lo Comet Lemmon (C/2025 A6) is brightening rapidly in the morning sky, near the Big Dipper. If current trends continue, it could become a 2nd-magnitude naked-eye object before the end of October, with a wildly dynamic tail for photographers. Night Sky Highlights - October 2025 https://www.rmg.co.uk/stories/space-astronomy/astronomy/night-sky-highlights-october-2025 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! 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) *** LINCOLN LWT AREA GROUP TALK *** 16th October: “Britain's Seabird Cities” An illustrated talk by Steve Lovell about the many seabird species to be found around Great Britain's rugged coastline and its myriad of offshore islands. The event is at Whisby Nature Park in the Lafarge Education Building starting at 7.30 pm. Admission is £2.50 which includes refreshments in the interval. *** EAST MERCIA RIVERS TRUST and LINCOLNSHIRE WILDLIFE TRUST *** Harrison's Holme Wetland Drop In public event 🌿 Harrison’s Holme Wetland – A Transformation in the Heart of Horncastle! 🌿 📢 Exciting things are happening right here in Horncastle! 💧 Join Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust and East Mercia Rivers Trust to find out what’s planned for the brand-new Harrison’s Holme Wetland Nature Reserve and discover how you can get involved. Thursday 16th October 🕒 3pm – 7pm 📍 Banovallum House (Go through the gates at the end of Manor House Street, LN9 5HF – limited parking available) Come along, meet the team, and be part of shaping the future of this exciting wetland project! 🌾💚 If you are unable to make it on the day, take a look at lincstrust.org.uk/harrisons-holme for more information. This project is funded by the UK government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund and Anglian Water Get River Positive Sarah Lambert writes…. Hello everyone, The Fens East Peat Partnership led by Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust is working to restore damaged peat in the fens through re-wetting. This will help to preserve carbon stores and create wetland habitats encouraging plants and wildlife to return. They host a monthly live webinar on a range of lowland fen topics, and on November 17, Owen Mountford (a valued member of the Lincolnshire Flora Group and well-known to many of you) will talk about fenland flora. A summary of the webinar is given below - it's certain to be a very interesting hour! The Fenland Flora - Survival against the odds webinar, 17 November 1-2pm Fenland has all too often been dismissed as boring and with little biodiversity value outside the washes and a few NNRs. The Fenland Flora project, now ready for publication, has sought to document the history and present status of wild plants in Fenland, and has shown the vital importance of the region, especially for aquatic plants. In addition, relics of the past Fenland vegetation persist in unlikely places, and novel habitats support new species and communities. To book a free place go to https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-fenland-flora-survival-against-the-odds-tickets-1753814629769?aff=oddtdtcreator 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) 8/10/2025 Deeping St James, 2 Glossy Ibises Deeping Lakes along River Welland Gibraltar Point, Little Stint on beach. Woodhall Spa RAF Airfield, Black Tern. 9/10/2025 Barton-upon-Humber Pits, Scaup juv at NW corner of Barrow Mere. Woodhall Spa RAF Airfield, Black Tern. 10/10/2025 Navenby, Caspian Gull in field by Broughton Lane. Gibraltar Point, Glossy Ibis flew south over. Woodhall Spa RAF Airfield, Black Tern. 11/10.2025 Alkborough Flats, 6 Curlew Sandpipers, 2 Glossy Ibises. River Welland East Halton Skitter, Caspian Gull 1s flew north past. East Halton Marshes, probable Pale Clouded Yellow Butterfly. 13/10/2025 Covenham Reservoir, Black Tern at north end. Deeping St James, Glossy Ibis at West Pit, Deeping Lakes along River Welland Gibraltar Point, Water Pipit, Yellow-browed Warbler trapped and ringed in East Dunes. Yellow-browed Warbler at Sykes Farm, Ring Ouzel over West Dunes at dusk. 14/10/2025 Anderby Creek just south of, Yellow-browed Warbler in sycamores. Deeping St James, Rock Pipit. Gibraltar Point, 2 Yellow-browed Warblers, 1 in sallows just north of North Car Park, 1 at south end of West Dunes. Pyewipe, 1+ Curlew Sandpipers west of Novartis Ings. Woodhall Spa RAF Airfield, Black Tern.juv on North Pit. 12/10/2025 Deeping St James, Glossy Ibis at West Pit, Deeping Lakes along ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 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. THEDDLETHORPE near Low Farm TF 453885 091025 John Walker Fresh dead badger 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 GARDEN TF117700 Phil and Mary Porter 11th October 2025 Flocks of c. 120 and c, 30 Pink-footed Geese headed towards the Wash. A very brief visitation from a Hummingbird Hawkmoth. 12th October 2025 A Centurion Soldierfly in the garden today, a small elongated iridescent green fly, almost certainly the Twin-spot species Sargus bipunctatus, but not identifiable ‘in the field’. This species only flies in the autumn. All week, a Hornet has given the impression that it would like to enter the house given the chance. Sparrowhawk activity has been relentless lately. In the village, there is a Wasp nest that appears still active under tiles of an outbuilding. BOSTON River Witham, Havenside TF 337 429 - TF 342 423 12/10/2025 An afternoon walk at low tide. Tracey Lenton After the RSPB talk last week on Waders of the Wash, I was inspired to go out bird spotting and saw several different species along this stretch of the river: Black-headed gulls Black-tailed godwits confirmed by Phil Hyde (South Lincs bird club), thank you. Cormorant Curlews Grey heron Little egret Moorhen Redshanks GRANTHAM GARDEN SK930 372 Alan Lean/Gill Porter 02nd October 2025 Realise last week I left out the most significant visitor on 2nd October which was Clancy’s Rustic x 1 (Since its first appearance in 2002 it has been recorded across southern England and also in the Channel Islands where it is resident. It is possibly also resident in some southern coastal counties. https://butterfly-conservation.org/moths/clancys-rustic) HOLYWELL LAKE WeBS 8th October 2025 Ian Misselbrook Little Grebes 11 Great White Egret 1 Little Egret 1 Grey Heron 1 Cormorants 2 Mute Swans 2 Greylag Geese 30 Canada Geese 5 Mallard 62 Wigeon 7 Teal 4 Tufted Duck 7 Moorhen 19 Coot 1 Red Kite 1 Siskins 3 Kingfisher 1 Carrion Crows Jackdaws Blue Tits Dunnocks Wrens Robins Pheasant Woodpigeons HORKSTOW SE987179 Jenny Haynes 30 September/1 October 2025 A red admiral was flying in my garden on 30 September along with a couple of small whites. I’ve been hearing a male tawny owl calling during the day and early evening as well as a female tawny at night. 2 October 2025 Red admiral present in my garden again. 10 October 2025 Brown hare spotted in the field opposite. It’s the first we’ve seen for some time. 11 October 2025 There were quite a few ladybirds in my garden today and a couple indoors too, although not in the numbers I saw in Suffolk last week where there were hundreds in my brother’s garden! NETTLETON LODGE GAME FARM Ben Jacob 13th October On a clay pgeon trap cover 7 spot ladybird (Coccinella septempunctata} 20+ Asian lady beetle Harlequin Ladybird (Harmonia axyridis} Juniper shield bug (Cyphostethus tristriatus} In the front room Window Western conifer seed bug (Leptoglossus occidentalis) on Horse chestnut tree Evidence of Horse chestnut leaf miner (Carneraria ohridella} Few Fly agaric Amarita muscaria seen around silver birch trees Few Hoof fungus Fomes fomentarius growing on silver birch trees Tumbling Puff ball Tumularia tuberulata growing in grassland All google Ids SALTFLEET Carla Clover 14th October Guillemot spotted alongside the pond within the New Inn caravan site adjacent to the Saltfleetby Theddlethorpe dunes. Natural England wardens and Cleethorpes Wildlife Rescue Centre notified. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 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 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Gibraltar Point Bird Observatory 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 8th October: 4 Stonechat at Sandilands Golf Course and 2 at Anderby Marsh. Caspian Gull on beach at Sandilands. 4 Pintail and a Goosander flying south. Mediterranean Gull flying north. 9th October: 2 Red-breasted Merganser, 2 Swallow, 204 Goldfinch, 2 Brambling and 4 Sparrowhawk flying south. 10th October: 4 Raven and Coal Tit flying south. 11th October: Yellow-browed Warbler in Anderby church yard. A covey of 11 Grey Partridge along Jolly Common Lane. Short-eared Owl at Huttoft Pit and male Merlin and 4 Stonechat at Sandilands Golf Course. 5 Whooper Swan, Red-necked Phalarope, Dunlin, and Swallow south. Black-throated Diver f lying north. 12th October: 4 Bearded Tit, 2 Snipe and 2 Goldcrest at Huttoft Pit. Rock Pipit on Sandilands Golf Course. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 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 It’s been nice to see some thrushes and other winter birds arriving over the last few days. 081025 – 4 stonechat and a few chiffchaff in Rimac dunes and 5 cattle egrets with cows south of Rimac car park. Peregrine hunting over Rimac saltmarsh. 2 more stonechat on the upper saltmarsh near Paradise Lagoon and 60 brent geese dropped into Saltfleet Haven area. 2 rock pipit on the foreshore at Mablethorpe North End and 2 more flew north over the beach. Also 26 bar-tailed godwit, 200 sanderling and 175 carrion crows on the beach, guillemot on the sea and 7 red-breasted merganser flew south. Whimbrel mixed in with curlews on the foreshore at Brickyard Lane during the morning high tide. 101025 – 6 cattle egrets with cows next to Rimac car park. 2 stonechat also by Rimac car park and another on the saltmarsh south of Rimac. 2 redwing and 5 song thrush around Rimac dunes in the morning, 3 siskin flew north and 2000+ gulls feeding over the flooded saltmarsh during the morning high tide. Short-eared owl perched on Rimac dipping pond platform at dusk. Little grebe, 25 teal, 4 shoveler, 47 lapwing and 2 stonechat Rimac Lagoon. 23 whooper swans flew south along the outer beach at Rimac, seen 10 minutes later passing Mablethorpe and a further 35 minutes continuing south inland of Skegness. Peregrine and 144 shelduck on Rimac foreshore. 95 wigeon and 40 common scoter on the sea, and 2 drake eider flew south. 45 shoveler Rimac saltmarsh lagoon. Barn owls and a pair of tawny owls around Churchill Lane early evening. Treecreeper and coal tit in dune scrub around Brickyard Lane. 111025 – hawfinch and 2 crossbill flew over Brickyard Lane in the morning. 5 ruff on flooded saltmarsh at Brickyard Lane. Small numbers of redwing and song thrush around Brickyard Lane dunes, and mistle thrush Sear’s Track. 49 pink-footed geese flew south over Sea View. Kingfisher flew along the Great Eau at Sea View. Short-eared owl Saltfleet Haven mid-morning plus 105 brent geese and 2 peregrines around Saltfleet Haven area. Butterflies – 7 red admiral, 4 speckled wood, 4 wall, peacock, small copper Churchill Lane. 121025 – short-eared owl seen in flight over Rimac saltmarsh in the afternoon. 131025 – purple sandpiper flew north along the beach past Crook Bank; 59 dark-bellied brent geese and a fulmar flew north over the sea and a common snipe flew in-off. Wigeon and teal also moving north over the sea. Woodcock in the dunes at Brickyard Lane. Brambling, fieldfare and ring ouzel in the dunes near Churchill Lane in the morning among a noticeable arrival of chaffinch, greenfinch, redwing, song thrush, blackbird and fieldfare. Birds still arriving mid-afternoon with 40 redwing, 20 song thrush and 50 blackbird dropping out the sky into dune scrub and other flying high inland. Brambling, 30 chaffinch, 12 goldcrest, 3 Cetti’s warbler, 3 stonechat and 2 grey wagtail also around Rimac in the afternoon. 6 cattle egret again with cows south of Rimac car park. c350 wigeon and c250 mallard flew from inland towards the sea in several loose groups late afternoon. 120 pink-footed geese flew in from the west and another 160 arrived from the north and went to roost on the foreshore. 141025 – Radde’s warbler ringed at Brickyard Lane by Birklands Ringing Group. Bramblings at Rimac and Brickyard Lane. Another small arrival of thrushes throughout the morning including minimum counts of 40 redwing, 15 song thrush, 50 blackbird, 3 fieldfare around Brickyard Lane, where 3 redpoll flew south. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 5. BARDNEY LIMEWOODS NNR ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ These cover a huge area. Reports always welcome. The history of the Lincolnshire Limewoods: https://www.forestryjournal.co.uk/features/19111877.lincolnshire-limewoods/ The Forestry Commission visitor advice: https://www.forestryengland.uk/article/coronavirus-visitor-guide ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Butterfly Conservation Lincolnshire Branch: https://butterfly-conservation.org/300/lincolnshire-branch.html *** Butterfly Conservation Lincolnshire *** Chambers Farm Wood Butterfly Garden Volunteers Gardening days for 2025. 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 Fossil found on Dorset coast is unique 'sword dragon' species https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cdjzvzzy0mxo 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 *** Highland summit to tackle devastating impact of wildfires https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c397k791g3do Floods trap people in cars in Spain's Catalonia region https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c0qpee28wqpo Green turtle bounces back from brink in conservation 'win' https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cg426qqqqnro Naked mole rats' DNA could hold key to long life https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cz7rxy21lxwo Rescuers search for missing in Mexico's flooded towns https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c1e3pjl5492o Owner's relief after runaway skunk rescued... again https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c364nkk2435o Could new material mark the end of the road for potholes? https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c2068k7851ro Slender-billed curlews are officially extinct – here’s why the loss of these migratory birds really matters https://theconversation.com/slender-billed-curlews-are-officially-extinct-heres-why-the-loss-of-these-migratory-birds-really-matters-267282 BBC In the footsteps of giants https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/resources/idt-5f8c77b0-92bc-40f2-bf21-6793abbe5ffe? Wild honeybees now officially listed as endangered in the EU https://theconversation.com/wild-honeybees-now-officially-listed-as-endangered-in-the-eu-267239 Why do so many female animals live longer than males? New research https://theconversation.com/why-do-so-many-female-animals-live-longer-than-males-new-research-266824 Why A Giant 300-Foot Smiley Face Greets Traffic Every Fall In Oregon https://www.zmescience.com/science/news-science/oregon-smiley-face/ Which birds head to the UK for winter? https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/autumn-arrivals? How does the world look through a spider’s eyes? https://theconversation.com/how-does-the-world-look-through-a-spiders-eyes-264406 Daily Record: Dumfries and Galloway environmental project boosts numbers of UK's rarest amphibian https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/local-news/dumfries-galloway-environmental-project-boosts-36037826 Almost 75,000 farmed salmon in Scotland escaped into the wild after Storm Amy – why this may cause lasting damage https://theconversation.com/almost-75-000-farmed-salmon-in-scotland-escaped-into-the-wild-after-storm-amy-why-this-may-cause-lasting-damage-267354 The medieval folklore of Britain’s endangered wildlife ‘omens’ – from hedgehogs to nightjars https://theconversation.com/the-medieval-folklore-of-britains-endangered-wildlife-omens-from-hedgehogs-to-nightjars-267085 We turned off moths’ sex signals – this could be the key to greener pest control https://theconversation.com/we-turned-off-moths-sex-signals-this-could-be-the-key-to-greener-pest-control-266312 *** Mail Fails *** None this week. We have had reports of issues with 2 subscribers' Bulletins. If you experience any such problem in future please let Alex know. mrapickwell@gmail.com ----------------- ~ THE END ~ ----------------- (..until next week!) Roger Parsons old.museum@yahoo.co.uk http://rogerparsons.info/