============================================ || || Wildnews Bulletin 3rd September 2025 || News of Lincolnshire Wildlife || LNU: http://lnu.org/ || || Please email Editor on: philporterento@outlook.com (mailto: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 Reports and useful 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. ============================================ 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 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Editor writes… We would like to bring the current Met Office Yellow Warning to your attention. Yellow warning of thunderstorm affecting East Midlands https://weather.metoffice.gov.uk/warnings-and-advice/uk-warnings#?date=2025-09-04&id=c95c6723-6233-4847-9734-cfebbc9483e8 (https://weather.metoffice.gov.uk/warnings-and-advice/uk-warnings#?date=2025-09-04&id=c95c6723-6233-4847-9734-cfebbc9483e8) I went on a pilgrimage this week to a small scruffy bit of land along the pleasant tree-lined Yarborough Crescent in Lincoln to see a plant which has grown there for a very long time, and is very rarely met with. I first became aware of the plant in my early teens as one of the white-flowers species illustrated only as line drawings in the otherwise colourful ‘Collins Pocket Guide to Wild Flowers’ of that era, and there is little explain why it should have stayed firmly in my memory, but it did. The botanical cognoscenti may have recognised by now what I am referring to. Longleaf Falcaria vulgaris https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/84776-Falcaria-vulgaris is a distinctive member of the Carrot family, the Umbellifers. Accidently introduced from eastern Europe and found in Britain for the first time in the wild about 160 years ago, it is naturalised but only in very scattered places. One of the niches it has been able to exploit is the ground I saw this week, broken concrete. Having known thirty years ago that it was imprisoned behind security fencing in this unfortunate spot, it has taken me that long to come and actually look at it! The long strap-shaped glaucous leaves are the distinctive feature. Phil Porter's email is: philporterento@outlook.com Roger Parsons' email is: old.museum@yahoo.co.uk NATIONAL EMERGENCY ALERT TEST. The UK government is testing the Emergency Alerts system on Sunday 7 September 2025 at 3pm. Your mobile phone or tablet will vibrate and make a loud siren-like sound, even if it’s set on silent. The alert message will confirm this is a test and that you do not need to take any further action. Regular testing ensures the system is functioning correctly, should it need to be used in a life-threatening emergency. Find out more at gov.uk/alerts. You can opt out of the Emergency Alerts, including the national test, but you should keep them switched on for your own safety. Emergency Alerts will warn you via your mobile or tablet if there's a life-threatening emergency nearby. Only the government and the emergency services are able to send them. There are simple and effective steps we can all take to be more prepared for an emergency. Visit gov.uk/prepare for advice on how you can prepare. BTO's tracked Cuckoos - Latest updates - south of the Sahel: Wilfrid, Jim, Winston, Norman, Ashok, Sayaan and Cuach Cores. https://www.bto.org/get-involved/volunteer/projects/cuckoo-tracking Loch of the Lowes SWT Webcam "Our osprey cameras are temporarily unavailable due to a storm which affected Loch of the Lowes on Thursday 14 August. The problem lies with the cameras in the tree itself so unfortunately we will not be able to resolve the issue until the birds leave for the season, as doing so would involve disturbing the nest. We apologise for any inconvenience." 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 (mailto:saltfleetbytheddlethorpennr@naturalengland.org.uk) *** LEARN A NEW SPECIES & 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 Dock Bug Coreus marginatus. This bug has spread rapidly in the last ten years and is now very common. The summer generation is now becoming adults and can be found in almost any situation and they are quite conspicuous when flying due to their orange wings. There are big gaps on the distribution map that need filling in. As you can see from the map despite this being an extremely common species there are very few records please help to fill the gaps. Pictures and further information can be found at the British Bugs website:- https://www.britishbugs.org.uk/heteroptera/Coreidae/coreus_marginatus.html the current record distribution map can be seen at https://lnu.org/coreus-marginatus-dock-bug/ Thanks to those who added records for our previous map filling species. We received 12 records from 5 recorders for the Pale Straw Pearl Udea lutealis. Please do join in as all records are valuable and help our understanding of the county's changing natural history. Introducing PollAGen: measuring insect genomes over time PollAGen newsletter draft_31072025.pdf (note this is not a live link, interesting though) *** This week's mostly-local news stories: *** Farmers plead for more funding to help tackle rural crime https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c30z5vj1dd5o Fury over plan for £4.3m bat bridge and tunnel - Lincoln https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cp8z0j840g8o Team's surprise at debut University Challenge slot - Lincoln https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c79l2yql1y7o Full set of Cottingley Fairies up for auction https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cpqvrr8r4y0o When is the emergency alert test on mobile phones and can you opt out? 7 Sept. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c8e1n4d14kro *** 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 4^th September - Sunday 7^th September Headline: Cloudy with outbreaks of rain. Thursday: Unsettled with a mix of sunny spells and showers, possibly heavy at times. These may be more frequent in the afternoon, and clear away overnight. Maximum temperature 19 °C. Outlook for Friday to Sunday: Drier and more settled on Friday and Saturday with good spells of sunshine, though the odd shower is possible. Outbreaks of rain likely on Sunday with winds strengthening. UK long range weather forecast Sunday 7^th September - Tuesday 16^th September Much of this period will be unsettled, with low pressure systems tending to dominate the overall pattern. This will mean showers or longer spells of rain will affect much of the UK at times. Some heavy rain or showers are expected in places, most often in the west and north. Thunderstorms and hail are also possible, as are some spells of strong winds, especially if any deep areas of low pressure form in the vicinity of the UK. Later in the period, there may be some longer spells of drier weather that develop, with more in the way of sunshine due to higher pressure. Temperatures will likely be close to average or slightly below overall, but may rise above at times in any drier, sunnier spells. *** For Astronomers and Sky-watchers *** The next full Moon in 2025 is the "Corn Moon", the ninth full Moon of the year, rising on 7th September at 19:42 BST. https://www.skyatnightmagazine.com/advice/next-full-moon (https://www.skyatnightmagazine.com/advice/next-full-moon) What's more, for observers in Europe, Asia and Africa, this full Moon will also be the "Blood Moon" AND an eclipse. For those of us in the UK and western Europe, we may be able to catch a bit of totality as the Moon rises. https://www.skyatnightmagazine.com/news/lunar-eclipse-september-7-2025 (https://www.skyatnightmagazine.com/news/lunar-eclipse-september-7-2025) https://www.skyatnightmagazine.com/news/lunar-eclipse-september-7-2025 Canada's first lunar rover looks to future space exploration https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c1jn4ryxdp3o Northern Lights shine bright across much of the UK https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c5yey8l59p1o AuroraWatch UK for geomagnetic data: https://aurorawatch.lancs.ac.uk/ (https://aurorawatch.lancs.ac.uk/) Space and astronomy highlights in 2025 - June to August https://www.rmg.co.uk/stories/space-astronomy/space-astronomy-highlights-2025#June (https://lnu.us5.list-manage.com/track/click?u=cd577a92cc62097f57a1d8a08&id=5eafbab599&e=81760afb5e) The SpaceWeather website https://spaceweather.com/ (https://lnu.us5.list-manage.com/track/click?u=cd577a92cc62097f57a1d8a08&id=06ce56708a&e=81760afb5e) Full Moons https://www.rmg.co.uk/stories/topics/full-moon-calendar (https://lnu.us5.list-manage.com/track/click?u=cd577a92cc62097f57a1d8a08&id=a23741f1e1&e=81760afb5e) Meteor shower dates https://www.rmg.co.uk/stories/topics/meteor-shower-guide (https://lnu.us5.list-manage.com/track/click?u=cd577a92cc62097f57a1d8a08&id=057dfdb055&e=81760afb5e) BBC Sky at Night Magazine website https://www.skyatnightmagazine.com/news (https://lnu.us5.list-manage.com/track/click?u=cd577a92cc62097f57a1d8a08&id=8dae82b6bf&e=81760afb5e) Current Position of ISS https://www.astroviewer.net/iss/en/ *** EVENTS *** *** LNU Field Meeting - Seacroft Dunes *** on Saturday 6^th September Parking on Seacroft Esplanade 11.00 for 12.00 start and finish about 16.00 Grid reference: TF 56746 61666 What3Words: letter.habit.meal Nearest postcode: PE25 3BE Habitats: Coastal grasslands and sand dunes Leaders: Luke Hartley 07399 322211 hartley026@gmail.com (mailto:hartley026@gmail.com) *** Grimsby RSPB Group *** On Monday September 15th 2025 our Grimsby RSPG have arranged a talk at Corpus Christi Church Hall on Grimsby Road, Cleethorpes at 7.30pm. ‘State of Nature in the UK’ – Steve Lovell (Nature guide, gardener and designer, lecturer). The UK is one of the most nature depleted countries in the world. How can we stop the decline, what has been done so far and what needs to be done in the future? *** Natural History and Geology Section of the Scunthorpe Museum Society *** Our first "indoor season" season meeting for 2025-2026 takes place on Monday, 8th September. The speaker for this meeting will be Tammy Smalley, Head of Conservation for the Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust, who will be giving her illustrated talk on "Nature's Recovery in Greater Lincolnshire". Tammy is a well-known, enthusiastic speaker for the care and conservation of wildlife who will reveal much to enhance the positive aspects about our Lincolnshire wildlife status. The meeting will be held in the St Bernadette's Church Hall, Ashby Road, Scunthorpe, DN16 2RS, starting at 7.15pm. ALL ARE WELCOME TO OUR MEETINGS. There is a large, free car park at the Church the entrance being almost opposite thePriory Hotel on Ashby Road. There is a £5 entry charge for non-members of the Scunthorpe Museum Society. There will be a mid-talk break during which light refreshments will be available for a £1 charge. Not to be missed, this will be a memorable meeting back in our St Bernadette's venue. *** Scunthorpe and Brigg Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust Local Group *** The first indoor meeting for the 2025-2026 "indoor season" takes place on Thursday, 11th September. At that meeting we are visited again by Rolf Williams who will be giving his illustrated talk entitled "Crossing Boundaries". Those who attended Rolf's last talk in April will remember his enthusiastic, informative delivery about the conservation work in which he was involved when he lived in Kent. This talk comes from his nature explorations in Iraq and covers bird migrations including birds with which we are familiar in UK. Rolf served in the Royal Navy and when the flagship's deck filled with migrating birds he is "ordered" to an Iraqi oil platform to witness this spectacle. The meeting starts at 7.30pm in the St Hugh's Church Hall, Ashby Road, Scunthorpe, DN16 2AG, which is opposite the Applegreen filling station near to the Ashby Road/ West Common Lane crossroads. ALL ARE WELCOME TO OUR MEETINGS. There is a car park at the Church or at the Old Brumby United Church opposite or on the nearby roadside. There is a £2.50 entry charge which includes coffee or tea and biscuits during the mid-talk break. SIR JOSEPH BANKS SOCIETY Past president Paul Scott writes: An exhibition on Miss E. Joan Gibbons and the Flora of Lincolnshire. This exhibition is all about Miss Gibbons, her work, and the publishing of the Flora of Lincolnshire. Learn more about this extraordinary lady and the botanical history of Lincolnshire. The exhibition is open to the public, free of charge, Thursday to Saturday 10:00am to 4:00pm at the Joseph Banks Centre, 11-13 Bridge Street, Horncastle. LN9 5HZ until September 6^th. enquiries@joseph-banks.org.uk (mailto:enquiries@joseph-banks.org.uk) , 01507 700012. *** 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 [DEL: 24th September 2025 :DEL] at 7-30pm at Boston Tennis Club. Please note this talk has now been changed to 8^th October. Full details at https://group.rspb.org.uk/southlincolnshire/ *** SOUTH LINCS RSPB GROUP *** 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... The Heat-Health Alert Service in England runs from 1 June to 30 September each year. You can register for alerts on this link. https://ukhsa-dashboard.data.gov.uk/weather-health-alerts/heat (https://group.rspb.org.uk/southlincolnshire/) 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) 24/8/2025 Boultham Mere. 3 Spoonbills Frampton Marsh, 3+ Little Stints from Reedbed Hide Gibraltar Point, Sabine's Gull flew NE out of The Wash, Pied Flycatcher. Little Stint at The Mere. 2 Caspian Gulls on beach. Huttoft Bank Pit, Temminck's Stint, Little Stint. Kirton in Lindsey, Black-winged Pratincole juv west of Ings Road at Nebraska Wetlands. Manby, Spotted Redshank, Pectoral Sandpiper, 2 Little Stints at Manby Flashes. 25/8/2025 Donna Nook,Red-backed Shrike 1w in hawthorn by Stonebridge car park. Frampton Marsh, 5 Little Stints from Reedbed Hide Freiston Shore, Wryneck. Gibraltar Point, 2 Little Stints 1 at The Mere, 1 on the beach, Corncrake in dunes at north end,flew towards Seacroft Golf Course. Huttoft Bank Pit, Temminck's Stint Kirton in Lindsey, Black-winged Pratincole juv west of Ings Road at Nebraska Wetlands. 26/8/2025 Deeping St James, Black Tern juv and Little Tern on East Pit, Deeping Lakes Gibraltar Point, Curlew Sandpiper, 1s Caspian Gull. Rimac, 3+ Curlew Sandpipers all juvs at high tide, 2 Little Stints. 27/8/2025 Boultham Mere. 3 Spoonbills Donna Nook, 3 Common Cranes flew west past. Frampton Marsh, Little Stint from Reedbed Hide. Freiston Shore, Little Stint, Huttoft Bank Pit, Temminck's Stint, Little Stint. Manby, ad Russian White-fronted Goose, Wood Sandpiper at Manby Flashes. 28/8/2025 Covenham Reservoir, 2 Spotted Redshanks, both juvs. Frampton Marsh, Little Stint from Reedbed Hide. Freiston Shore, Little Stint, 5 Curlew Sandpipers, all juvs, on south lagoon from Viewing platform. Leadenham, 5 Caspian gulls at landfill. Stallingborough, Wood sandpiper on Cress Marsh. [permit only] 29/8/2026 Freiston Shore, 2 Curlew Sandpipers,on south lagoon from viewing platform. Little Stint, Gibraltar Point, Black Redstart at Bird Observatory. 30/8/2025 Frampton Marsh, Wood Sandpiper from East Hide. Hen Harrier. Gibraltar Point, 3 Curlew Sandpipers flew south along beach, Caspian Gull, Little Stint on The Mere. 31/8/2025 Gibraltar Point, 4 Curlew Sandpipers flew south along beach, Black Tern. 1/9/2025 Boultham Mere, 4 Spoonbills 2/9/2025 Little Carlton, Russian White-fronted Goose ad, then flew east with Greylag Geese. Gibraltar Point, Spotted Redshank, Curlew Sandpiper. Manby, Russian White-fronted Goose ad with Greylag Geese at Manby Flashes. Pyewipe, Wood Sandpiper. Rimac, Garganey at Sea View Washlands then flew to Great Eau between Sea View and Rimac. Toft Newton Reservoir, Little Stint. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 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. HUMBER BRIDGE SLIP ROADS A15 Lincolnshire Jenny Haynes 1 September 2025 A15 slip road to Humber Bridge north bound and slip road off southbound Dead badger on each slip road. NEW WALTHAM A16 TA 279041 Peter Crick 30.08.2025 Young fox cub North bound carriageway NR new housing development 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 *** Thank you to all contributors. We rely on readers to send in observations and welcome reports from everyone, experts to beginners. Please keep your reports coming. BARDNEY - The Green TF120694 A & R Parsons 1/9/2025 Continuing bat echolocation at 55kHz starting about 21.30hrs and ending with a brief burst between 03.30 or 4.30hrs and as late as 05.30hrs on 26th! Dunnock Robin juv. Sparrow flock of 10+ Starling 6+. Magpies 4, 2 juvs. Jackdaw - 6-8 2 caps of Suede Boletus in lawn 29/8/2025. Boletus/ Xerocomus subtomentosus . https://www.first-nature.com/fungi/boletus-subtomentosus.php https://boletales.com/genera/xerocomus/x-subtomentosus/ BARDNEY GARDEN TF117700 Phil and Mary Porter 28^th August 2025 Mary heard a Bullfinch and confirmed it with the Merlin app., a Long-tailed Tit was also present. Butterflies were limited to around 6 Small Whites and a Red Admiral. 29^th August 2025 More Bullfinch calls, the bird took off with 3 others that may also have been Bulfinches. 1^st September 2025 Butterflies have remained about the same, plus a Comma today. A large party of 16+ Long-tailed Tits passed through the garden. Flowering Devil’s-bit Scabious has been attracting more insects than most, and Wasps have been investigating the buds of Ivy flowers even though they don’t appear to be‘useful’ yet. CLEETHORPES TA 303070 Peter Crick 28.08.2025 Dragonfly - Migrant Hawker Surprising very rare visitor to our garden, beautiful specimen, lovely to see. DUNHOLME - Ashing Lane Nature Reserve TF 04431 78978 Su Colman 22/8/2025 15:30 Mark and I were doing the butterfly transect at the reserve so I was paying attention to the fleabane flowers. I spotted this impressive bug and wondered what it was. I’m awaiting confirmation from iRecord that it is a dock bug. 1/9/2025 The dock bug is confirmed GOSLINGS CORNER https://www.lincstrust.org.uk/nature-reserves/goslings-corner-wood R & A Parsons 31/8/2025 Buzzard calling. Dead stoat - front half. Merlin records Robin Chiffchaff Goldcrest Buzzard Wood pigeon Great tit Long-tailed tit Jackdaw HORKSTOW SE987179 Jenny Haynes 1 September 2025 We were delighted by a lengthy display of bat activity tonight outside our living room window tonight. They usually fly around for a few minutes but continued to to entertain us for about fifteen minutes, presumably catching moths which were attracted by our light. Plenty of ladybirds attempting to hibernate but disturbed by my pruning. Ido my best to relocate them, even at the household waste site! KETTLETHORPE 24/08/2025 SK 847757 Alison Brownlow Dock bug NETTLETON GRANGE GAME FARM Ben Jacob 31^st August Sycamore tar spot fungus (Rhytisma acerinum) now showing on sycamore tree SNAKEHOLME PIT https://butterfly-conservation.org/our-work/reserves/snakeholme-pit-lincolnshire R & A Parsons 31/8/2025 Impressive quantity of fruit on shrubs - notably Haws and Sloes. Buzzard over. Merlin records Robin Chiffchaff Redstart WILLINGHAM WOODS TF139886 Colin Smith 02/09/2025 Took the grandchildren for a walk in the woods, they like to look out for bugs with grandad. They were delighted to spot a "Lobster" in the stream. It was a Signal Crayfish Pacifastacus leniusculus dabbling about in about 3cm of water so we got a good view and watched it for about 10 minutes. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 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 No report this week. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 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 Things are definitely starting to turn autumnal with some migrant bird passage. Precipitation for August was 17.3mm and total for 2025 so far 256.4mm – 43% lower than the same period in 2024. 280825 - 3 cranes flew in from the north over Saltfleet Haven and continued south over the saltmarsh/dunes beyond Rimac. Greenshank, 2 green sandpiper and 27 teal along the Eau from Sea View bridge. 7 snipe and 6 teal on Sea View Washlands. 3 cattle egret with cows next to Rimac car park. 5 whimbrel over Crook Bank dunes and 25 sandwich tern roosting on the beach at high tide. Swallows and sand martins moving south early morning. Raven flew south along the dunes at Brickyard Lane. 560 Canada geese also flew south. Wheatear and Merlin along Elm House Farm main track near the hide. 6 curlew sandpiper, little stint, 11 whimbrel, 3 little tern and 4 arctic skua from Saltfleet Haven in the morning. 290825 - 5 shoveler, 3 teal, 2 snipe on Sea View Washlands and marsh harrier flew over. Crane flew south over Saltfleet towards the NNR. 2 hummingbird hawk- moth at Sea View and 1 at Brickyard Lane. Butterflies - 6 green-veined white, 2 large white, 3 speckled wood, 2 small copper, brown Argus, 2 comma, red admiral, peacock, small tortoiseshell and wall Churchill Lane. 300825 - yellow wagtail and 600+ Canada geese flew south in the morning. Whinchat, coal tit, 5+ willow warbler in trees near Crook Bank. 4000+ black- headed gulls roosting on the foreshore around Brickyard Lane early morning. Butterflies – large whites arriving off the sea Crook Bank; 9 large white, 4 small copper Churchill Lane; 13 green-veined white Brickyard Lane-Churchill Lane; painted lady Mablethorpe North End. 310825 – 2 spotted flycatchers feeding around willows within Rimac easy access trail with chiffchaffs and willow warblers. Hobby, 15+ swift, a few meadow pipit and a red kite flew south over Rimac dunes. 3 cattle egret by the Eau between Sea View and Rimac. 010925 – common redstart at Sea View work base entrance in the afternoon. 21 snipe flew west over Sea View dunes in one group and 3 grey wagtail flew north. A few swift flew south along the dunes ahead of rain showers. 3 cattle egret again with cows south of Rimac car park. 2 yellow wagtail flew south over Mablethorpe North End. 020925 – juvenile garganey on Sea View Washlands with 10 teal and shoveler early morning, all of which flew onto the Great Eau between Sea View and Rimac. Crossbill, siskin, 6 yellow wagtail, grey wagtail, 4 pied wagtail, 9 meadow pipit, 16 swift and a small number of swallows flew south throughout the morning. 3 cattle egret and 8 yellow wagtail in pasture with cows near Rimac car park. 2 goldcrest, 2 lesser whitethroat, 2+ willow warbler and 20+ chiffchaff associating with tit flocks around Rimac dunes. Wheatear on dry Rimac freshwater marsh scrape. 350+ Canada geese feeding on stubble fields bordering the dunes at Rimac. Donna Nook: 020925 – whinchat, 2 wheatear, juvenile cuckoo and barn owl in dunes throughout the morning. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 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 *** https://butterfly-conservation.org/300/lincolnshire-branch.html Chambers Farm Wood Butterfly Garden Volunteers Gardening days for 2025. 16th; September 7th & 21st, October 4th; November 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. Sun Sep 21st Sat Oct 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 (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 Boston Woods Trust https://www.bostonwoods.co.uk/ 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. Tuesday latest. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 8. CONTACTS AND USEFUL WEBSITES ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 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: 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 bumblebees| The Bumblebee Conservation Trust https://www.bumblebeeconservation.org/ 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 /lincsnaturalist.files.wordpress.com/2017/06/the-flora-of-lincolnshire-e-joan-gibbons.pdf> Atlas of the terrestrial and semi-aquatic Mammals of Lincolnshire /lincsnaturalist.files.wordpress.com/2021/06/mammalatlas.pdf> *** For the Geologists *** Please copy and paste URLs if/as necessary Researchers find rare Jurassic-era fossil in Indian village https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c87enpwzvn3o 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 /lnu.org/publications/books/the-geology-of-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 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Field Meeting - Seacroft Dunes on Saturday 6^th September Parking on Seacroft Esplanade 11.00 for 12.00 start and finish about 16.00 Habitat: Coastal grasslands and sand dunes Grid reference: TF 56746 61666 What3Words: letter.habit.meal Nearest postcode: PE25 3BE Habitats: Leaders: Luke Hartley 07399 322211 hartley026@gmail.com (mailto:hartley026@gmail.com) 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 Brunings 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. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 12 ...AND FINALLY... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ *** National and International Stories *** The Druids Oak is 800 years old - can it help save tomorrow's forests? https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cx2xz8r7egpo Is a UK heatwave in the weather forecast for September? https://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/articles/c8jp4dm2mv2o Military drills spark hundreds of wildfires in UK https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cy08j04je2jo Country diary: Hidden in the stubble, a survivor from harvest https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/aug/27/country-diary-hidden-in-the-stubble-a-survivor-from-harvest Activists blend science and folklore as they try to revive Somerset’s eel population https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025/aug/28/activists-blend-science-and-folklore-as-they-try-to-revive-somersets-eel-population Drones join battle against eight-toothed beetle threatening forests https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/clyr8yml9rro Nectar vs pollen: what's the difference between these two substances that bees love? | Discover Wildlife https://www.discoverwildlife.com/plant-facts/flowers/nectar-pollen-difference Adventurous cat Peanut travels more than 30 miles from Lincolnshire home to Nottingham pub - for the SECOND time https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-15052043/Adventurous-cat-Peanut-travels-30-miles-home-Nottingham-pub-second-time.html The scandal of fake foreign honey | The Observer https://observer.co.uk/news/national/article/the-scandal-of-fake-foreign-honey *** Mail Fails *** None this week ----------------- ~ THE END ~ ----------------- (..until next week!) Roger Parsons old.museum@yahoo.co.uk http://rogerparsons.info/