============================================ || || Wildnews Bulletin || 29th April 2026 || 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 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Editor writes…. To my great relief, the sunny, if breezy, morning of 29th April has brought out the first very noticeable emergence of flies, my speciality for study. A short stroll in our garden has revealed several potentially interesting, mostly very small, diptera, especially those resting on the leaves of blossoming apple trees - one of the larger Dance-flies Empis, a tiny, glossy, blue-black Lance-fly, either Lonchaea or Silba, minute mating Grass-flies Thaumatomyia and the more familiar grey and black chequered Flower-flies Anthomyia. Many Hoverflies haven’t emerged yet since Helophila, Myathropa, Melanostoma and Eristalis briefly formed an early vanguard in March. A few Bee-flies Bombylius also emerged on cue to join this emergence, but quickly faded away. Bluebottles Calliphora and Greenbottles Lucilia are almost ever-present. Both these latter groups have very common species but also less frequent ones which are not apparent without very close scrutiny preferably with a microscope. Phil Porter's email is: philporterento@outlook.com Roger Parsons' email is: old.museum@yahoo.co.uk LEN PICK TRUST Barn Owls at the Owl Tower for the 2026 season - another egg? https://www.lenpicktrust.org.uk/owl-project/ BTO's tracked Cuckoos - more arrivals https://www.bto.org/get-involved/volunteer/projects/cuckoo-tracking Loch of the Lowes SWT Webcam - more exciting activity - first egg! https://scottishwildlifetrust.org.uk/things-to-do/watch-wildlife-online/loch-of-the-lowes-webcam/ *** This week's mostly-local news stories: *** Sinister 'wild man' to star at churches festival https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c070l799xdno Bluebells: Where to find them as some bloom early https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cy515kl7gq3o Work to begin on road damaged by badger sett - East Halton https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cj373e4rm44o Government 'failing' dolphins and whales - North Sea https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c7050yy3zddo Judicial review into huge solar farm on the cards https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c9d4d279w33o *** Weather News and Forecast *** https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/ https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/warnings-and-advice/uk-warnings#? East Midlands weather forecast Wednesday 29 Apr - Sunday 3 May Headline: A fine day with long sunny spells. Tonight: A dry evening with some late sunny spells, though remaining windy. A clear night will follow, becoming chilly. Winds abating a little, though a brisk breeze will remain. Minimum temperature 2 °C. Thursday: Another day of long sunny spells, though windy once again, these strongest near coasts. Warm, though feeling cooler in exposed areas and along eastern coasts. Maximum temperature 21 °C. Outlook for Friday to Sunday: Friday, patchy cloud and sunny intervals, very warm, chance of showers. Cloudy Saturday and Sunday, risk of rain or showers at times. Cooler with generally light winds. UK long range weather forecast Sunday 3 May - Tuesday 12 May During this period, conditions will probably be fairly changeable, with low pressure systems in the vicinity of the UK. This means an increasing chance of showers or longer spells of rain, along with some strong winds at times. However, dry interludes with spells of warm sunshine are still likely, with a risk of a few short lived early morning fog patches, especially around coasts. Temperatures are likely to be close to normal overall. *** For Astronomers and Sky-watchers *** This Week's Sky at a Glance, April 29 – May3 https://skyandtelescope.org/tag/this-weeks-sky-at-a-glance/ Night Sky Highlights - May 2026 https://www.rmg.co.uk/stories/space-astronomy/space-astronomy-highlights-2026#May Partial Solar Eclipse August 12th 2026. https://theskylive.com/solar-eclipse?id=2026-08-12&cc=GB Full Moons - 2026 https://www.rmg.co.uk/stories/space-astronomy/full-moon-calendar-2026 Spaceweather.com https://spaceweather.com/ Comet Watch https://www.cometwatch.co.uk/ AuroraWatch UK for geomagnetic data: https://aurorawatch.lancs.ac.uk BBC Sky at Night Magazine website https://www.skyatnightmagazine.com/news *** For the Geologists *** Please copy and paste URLs if/as necessary Meet the 19-metre octopus that prowled the ancient seas https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cyv1rgm16r2o Lincolnshire Geodiversity Group: Sign up for their newsletter 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/ *** EVENTS *** *** LNU FIELD MEETING *** Saturday 30th May Swinstead Valley SSSI Joint LNU/LFG. Access courtesy of Grimsthorpe Estate. Details to follow. *** GRIMSBY AND CLEETHORPES AREA GROUP LWT *** On Saturday 9th May you are invited to join the group for an early morning walk looking for birds and listening to their song in beautiful Weelsby Woods with Graham Hicks. Meet Graham in the carpark at 8am DN32 8PW. Please dress according to the weather, wear stout footwear and bring binoculars if you have them. This is a free event however donations for the Trust will be welcomed. For further details please contact our secretary David Ball 07711 716063 or email davidballnorthampton@gmail.com Or contact Graham Hicks 07542 654285 *** GRIMSBY AND CLEETHORPES AREA GROUP LWT *** On Saturday 9th May you are invited to join the group for an early morning walk looking for birds and listening to their song in beautiful Weelsby Woods with Graham Hicks. Meet Graham in the carpark at 8am DN32 8PW. Please dress according to the weather, wear stout footwear and bring binoculars if you have them. This is a free event however donations for the Trust will be welcomed. For further details please contact our secretary David Ball 07711 716063 or email davidballnorthampton@gmail.com Or contact Graham Hicks 07542 654285 *** RSPB SOUTH LINCS. LOCAL GROUP *** "SEAL AND BIRDWATCHING CRUISES INTO THE WASH" The 2026 dates are 11th and 23rd May, 11th and 23rd June, 9th and 25th July, 8th and 22nd August, 19th September, 3rd October. All aboard "The Boston Belle". Full details as regards sailing times, booking {essential} procedure, ticket prices , previous cruise bird sightings etc. at 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 The Cold-Health Alert Service in England runs from 1 November to 31 March each year. You can register for alerts on this link. https://ukhsa-dashboard.data.gov.uk/weather-health-alerts/cold Bird flu: Defra advice to the general public is to leave corpses alone and report the findings - but 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) 22/4/2026 Barton-upon-Humber, Scaup fem on sailing pit. Bourne, at Tongue end, 4 Bar-tailed Godwits along River Glen. Branston Island, 3 Glossy Ibises from Witham cycle Track. Russian White-fronted Goose reported. Deeping St James, 4 Bar-tailed Godwits flew over, Scaup fem at East Pit, Deeping Lakes. Frampton Marsh, Little Gull Manby Flashes, Garganey drk. Pyes Hall, Donna Nook, Black Redstart fem/1w at top of track. Barton-upon-Humber, Scaup fem on sailing pit. Bourne, at Tongue end, 4 Bar-tailed Godwits along River Glen. Branston Island, 3 Glossy 23/4/2026 Baston Langtoft Pits, 5 Black Terns at Wader Pit, the flew off. Deeping St James, Scaup fem and Grey Plover at East Pit. 7 Black Terns at Main and East Pits, Deeping Lakes, 4 Bar-tailed Godwits through. Frampton Marsh, Scaup fem on Marsh Farm Reservoir. 13 Little Gulls. Halton, 8 Twite in trees. 24/4/2026 Covenham Reservoir, 5 Black Terns. Great Northern Diver. Little Gull. Deeping St James. Bar-tailed Godwit at East Pit. Deeping Lakes Frampton Marsh, Scaup fem on Marsh Farm Reservoir. Wood Sandpiper by Sea Wall. Black-winged Stilt at Reedbed Lagoon. Toft Newton Reservoir, 11 Black Terns. Woodhall Spa airfield, Black Tern 25/4/2026 Covenham Reservoir, Great Northern Diver. Deeping St James, Scaup fem and Wood Sandpiper at East Pit, Deeping Lakes. Frampton Marsh, Little Stint at Reedbed. 2 Wood Sandpipers on grassland opposite Visitor Centre. Freiston Shore, Wood Sandpiper 26/4/2026 Baston Fen, 2 Black Terns over Wader Pit the flew SE. Branston Island, Bonaparte's Gull 1w with Black-headed Gulls from Witham Cycle track. Deeping St James, Wood Sandpiper at East Pit, Deeping Lakes. Frampton Marsh, American Golden Plover on Marsh Farm Grassland. Little Stint. Whisby, 11 Black Terns at quarry on lake off Job's Lane, on east lake. 27/4/2026 Deeping St James, Scaup fem at East Pit, Deeping Lakes. Gibraltar Point, .4 Garganey, 2 at Fenland Lagoon, 2 offshore. 2 Common Cranes flew up River Steeping Towards Jackson's Marsh. Turtle Dove flew south. 2 Curlew Sandpipers on beach then flew south. Freiston Shore, Little Stint 28/4/2026 Baston Langtoft Pits, Black Tern at South Pit. 2 Arctic Terns over Wader Pit. Then departed. Bourne, River Glen at Tongue end, Arctic Tern Branston Island, 3 Wood Sandpipers, 5 Arctic Terns, 3 Glossy Ibises, Russian White-fronted Goose from River Witham Cycle Track. Covenham Reservoir, 15 Arctic Terns. Deeping St James, 10 Arctic Terns at East Pit, Deeping Lakes. Freiston Shore, American Golden Plover on Marsh Farm grassland from sea bank. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 3. WILDLIFE NEWS FROM AROUND THE COUNTY ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Find the Grid Reference - don't forget - it's important Grab a Grid Reference: https://www.bnhs.co.uk/focuson/grabagridref/html/index.htm UK Grid Reference Finder: http://www.gridreferencefinder.com/ ROAD KILLS? PLEASE LET US KNOW. Every drive is a transect! Hedgehogs? Badgers? Otters? Reports welcome. *** County Wildlife Reports from Readers *** We rely on readers to send in observations and welcome records from everyone, experts to beginners. Please keep your reports coming. BARDNEY - The Green TF120694 A & R Parsons 25/4/2026 House Sparrow 12+ Robin 4 Blackbird 3m, 2f Dunnock 2 Chaffinch 1f Goldfinch 1+ Blue Tit 2 Great Tit 1 Domestic pigeon 4 Starling 4+ Woodpigeon 4 Collared Dove 2 Jackdaw 6+ Carrion Crow 1 Buzzard flew over approx midday Butterflies: Holly Blue, Orange Tip, Small Tortolseshell, White spp. BARDNEY GARDEN TF117700 Phil and Mary Porter 24th April 2026 Mary spotted our first Cinnabar moth, and also picked out a singing Goldcrest which has been intermittently present since. A few Wild Carrot plants are forming their distinctive flower heads here and there. A Blackcap is till singing well after our holiday away last week and a Cuckoo sang nearby. Holly Blue and Orange-tip butterflies were prominent through the rest of the period. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a Stoat for a couple of seconds but unsurprisingly it was not seen again. Mary saw a mustelid over 20 years ago but we can’t now remember if that was a weasel or a stoat. 25th April 2026 Our first Speckled Wood of the year turned up, plus 2 Brimstones and a Green-veined White. Mary saw a pair of Smooth Newts in the pond and a Chiffchaff took a drink there. 26th April 2026 The trail camera showed that Voles were very active during the day in our compost-making area. Mary noticed a small flotilla of 16 miniature Backswimmers in the pond’s shallow area, the first reproduction in the pond since its clearance last autumn. The two newts were also visible. A Cuckoo called again from nearby. A Long-tailed Tit showed itself for the first time in a while. White and Red Dead-nettles were attracting large numbers of Hairy (Sloe) Shield-bugs – there must have several dozens of them in the garden. 27th April 2026 A 14-spot Ladybird was on apple foliage. During the morning, something happened which resulted in a large dead Mole on the grass. Moles are periodically very active in the garden. Mary heard Whitethroat song for a short time around the garden as we have done occasionally in the past at this time of year, and she also discovered our first adult Caddis-fly and Damselfly that unfortunately couldn’t be identified. BARDNEY Amenity Area TF124693 Phil and Mary Porter 27th April The large grassland here was an ocean of seeding Dandelions over its 14 acres. Hedges on the margins held about 25 Linnets, some of them singing males in their fine breeding plumage. Mary spotted a Red Kite overhead. BASSINGHAM SK910595 Jeremy Hutchinson 27/4/26 House Martins (4), my first this year. COLLEGE WOOD R & A Parsons 26/4/2026 Several bee flies: Large and very small. Mayflies Very small bumblebees spp working dandelions Speckled Wood and 2 Blue butterflies [Holly Bue?]. Merlin app records Blackbird Chaffinch Blue Tit Long-tailed Tit Chiffchaff Raven Song Thrush Mistle Thrush Robin Wren Garden warbler Willow Warbler Goldcrest Grey Wagtail Blackcap Coal tit Greater Whitethroat FAR INGS, Angela Buckle 26th April. Meadow buttercup, Flag iris, Lesser sea-spurry, Button-weed, Wild mignonette, Field madder, Birds foot trefoil, Corn salad, Twayblade almost out, Common vetch, Bittern booming, Cuckoo calling, Orange tip butterfly. FRAMPTON MARSH TF35733903 Brenda Edlington 20/4/2026 A late report from Frampton Marsh - one of our favourite reserves - as we went on our way to Norfolk for a few days. Top bird, a black-winged stilt. Avocet Blackcap Black-headed gull Black-tailed godwit Black-winged stilt Blue tit Brent goose Canada goose Chaffinch Coot Crow Dunlin Egyptian goose Gadwall Goldfinch Great tit Greylag goose Jackdaw Lapwing Lark Little egret Magpie Mallard Meadow pipit Mute swan Oystercatcher Pied wagtail Pintail Pochard Red kite Redshank Reed bunting Ringed plover Sedge warbler Shelduck Shoveler Swallow Tufted duck Wigeon Wood pigeon GRANTHAM GARDEN SK930 372 Alan Lean/Gill Porter 26th April Moth trap yielded a few visitors but good value: 1 x Brimstone Moth 2 x Double-striped Pug 1 x Golden-rod Pug 1 x Muslin Moth 1 x Light Brown Apple Moth 1 x Labyrinth Spider This was the first visits from the Brimstone and any Pugs this year. The Hawthorns which overhang the fence line at the back are all in bloom making an attractive spectacle as does the Choisya which has flowered well ever since we gave it a proper pruning a few years back. Six species of bee were present on 26th including Common Carder Bee and Hairy-footed Flower Bee with Rosemary and Lungwort getting a lot of attention. We’re aiming to monitor bees more closely over the coming weeks. HAUGHAM AND BURWELL (HARRISON) WOODS, Louth LNU MEETING a brief summary. Luke Hartley Saturday 25 April 2026 Our Spring field meeting to Haugham and Burwell Woods to the southeast of Louth, was attended by 25 people and led by the Woodland Trust site manager Paul Jarczewski, who provided an overview of the Trust’s objectives regarding the desired balance of public access and long-term ecological management. The woodland is largely characterised as Plantation on Ancient Woodland Sites (PAWS), where an abundant chalk substrate and varying levels of clay create a mosaic of conditions, including notably damp pockets. The canopy reflects its varied history, ranging from beech Fagus sylvatica, larch Larix sp. and Douglas fir Pseudotsuga menziesii plantations to stands of more semi-natural broadleaves including pedunculate oak Quercus robur, birch Betula spp., ash Fraxinus excelsior, wych elm Ulmus glabra and holly Ilex aquifolium. Botanical highlights comprised carpets of ancient woodland herbs such as wild garlic Allium ursinum, dog’s mercury Mercurialis perennis and bluebell Hyacinthoides non-scripta, and occasional findings such as herb paris Paris quadrifolia, moschatel Adoxa moschatellina and wood speedwell Veronica montana. Damper conditions gave rises to areas of abundant great wood-rush Luzula sylvatica and wood sedge Carex sylvatica, with herbs such as yellow pimpernel Lysimachia nemorum, ferns such as broad buckler-fern Dryopteris dilatata and scaly male-fern Dryopteris affinis and a variety of woodland staple mosses including swan’s-neck thyme-moss Mnium hornum and common smoothcap Atrichum undulatum. Fauna comprised of various woodland birds including nuthatch Sitta europaea, goldcrest Regulus regulus, song thrush Turdus philomelos, blackcap Sylvia atricapilla and garden warbler Sylvia borin, and invertebrates such as the ramsons hoverfly Portevinia maculata, with plenty of orange-tip Anthocharis cardamines, holly blue Celastrina argiolus, speckled wood Pararge aegeria and dark-edged bee-fly Bombylius major activity. HORKSTOW SE987179 Jenny Haynes 21 April 2026 Holly blue in my garden on green alkanet flowers. Small white and brimstone also making the most of the sunshine. 22 April 2026 There were three brown hares in the field opposite my house, as well as a roe deer. Robins continue to visit the ivy on the side of the house, although we haven’t seen the blue tits going in the nest box. Orange tip butterfly in my garden. 23 April 2026 Speckled wood butterfly in my garden. 24 April 2026 Seven brown hares running around in the field opposite my house. Bats flying at 9 pm. 26 April 2026 Birds identified by the Merlin app as singing in my garden, or close by: Crow Blue tit Blackcap House sparrow (a rarity) Wren Stock dove Greenfinch Chaffinch Goldfinch Blackbird Wood pigeon Pheasant. NETTLETON NATURE RESERVE 23rd April. Cowslip, White dead nettle, Hawthorn in flower, Ground ivy, Common chickweed Garlic mustard, Cow parsley, Comfrey, Sticky mouse ear, Forget me knot, Crosswort, Wild garlic, Four brown hares. Orange tip butterfly, Speckled wood. NETTLETON LODGE GAME FARM Ben Jacob 23rd April First swallow of the year seen over the shooting ground (5th May last year) SKELLINGTHORPE-DODDINGTON SK907714 Jeremy Hutchinson 14/4/26 Willow Warbler Red Kite Buzzard Green Woodpecker Jay (2) - interestingly, these seemed to be less shy than usual, and appeared to be collecting nesting material. One of the birds called from high in a tree several times, making a most "unjaylike" sound. I eventually twigged that the sound was that of Gulls. Although they are corvids, I hadn't been aware that Jays mimic other sounds, but a check on Google confirmed this. As it happened a few days later I saw a video taken that morning at the Notts Wildlife Trust Attenborough reserve of a Jay, also high up a tree, mimicking a Buzzard perfectly. SOUTHREY WOOD TF136684 Phil and Mary Porter 26th April There was a good carpet of Bluebells in the stand of Beech trees, and also large numbers of Lily-of-the-Valley among the young fronds of Bracken which appear to be spreading in this corner of the wood. There doesn’t seem to be any sign of Wood Anemone recovery towards the former carpet of 2-3 acres. We accidently disturbed a Brown Hare. Yellowhammer and Whitethroat sang in the hedgerows along Ferry Road and at one point on the verge, many plants of Red Dead-nettle had pure white flowers and bright green terminal leaves. SOUTHREY WOOD TF 128 681 A & R Parsons 24/14/2026 - 10.30hrs Wild Arum in flower. Roe Deer spp barking loudly. Several m & f Orange Tip butterflies along main track. Birds seen or ID'd with Merlin app. Blue Tit Great Tit Long-tailed Tit Chaffinch Goldfinch Robin Song Thrush Mistle Thrush Great Spotted Woodpecker Wren Blackbird at horse field. Pheasant Woodpigeon Crow Common Whitethroat ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 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 records 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 220426 – redwing north of Churchill Lane and grasshopper warbler reeling. Another grasshopper warbler reeling from scrub on the saltmarsh edge j ust north of Brickyard Lane. Yellowhammer Brickyard Lane dunes; an occasional visitor to the dunes in spring. 11 whimbrel feeding on saltmarsh at Sea View and 3 near Rimac. Cuckoo and 3 wheatear Sea View dunes. Lesser whitethroats back on territory with 3 singing south of Rimac and 1 near Sea View. The first odonatan of the year with 4 large red damselflies south of Rimac. Butterflies – 3 small copper, 4 green hairstreak, red admiral Rimac. 230426 – 2 swift flew north past Rimac mid-morning and 3 more over Sea View. 13 swallow, 4 sand martin and 2 house martin on wires by Rimac bridge. Grasshopper warbler reeling at Rimac, cattle egret with ponies on Sea View Washlands and 3 wheatear on the dune top between Sea View and Rimac. Butterflies – 3 small copper, speckled wood Rimac. 7 Straw-barred Pearl (Pyrausta despicata) moths in the dunes at Rimac. 240426 – ground frost and mist early morning making for damp, picturesque cobwebs across the dunes and saltmarsh. Grasshopper warbler reeling at Rimac. 14 whimbrel over Sea View, calling and singing in flight. Greenshank, 5 avocet and 22 shoveler Paradise Lagoon early afternoon. Grasshopper warbler reeling and cetti’s warbler singing on the dune edge south of Crook Bank. 2 little ringed plover on the beach at Crook Bank. 2 more little ringed plover, whimbrel and 3 curlew on wet grassland just inland of the dunes, and 4 buzzards thermalling over. Butterflies – 2 green hairstreak Paradise; wall, 3 small copper, 12+ green hairstreak, 6 peacock Crook Bank. Moths - cinnabar moth in flight at Sea View; ruby tiger near Paradise. 260426 – 2 adult Mediterranean gulls flew south over the sea. 2 whimbrel on Rimac car park scrape. 3 sedge warbler and 5 blackcap singing near Churchill Lane and 3 whitethroat territorial near old Coastguard Cottages. Butterflies – 3 holly blue, 3 orange-tip, 3 speckled wood, 2 wall, 2 green hairstreak, red admiral, brimstone, small tortoiseshell, green-veined white Churchill Lane. 270426 – grasshopper warblers reeling around Rimac reedbed and next to quarry hill. Cuckoo mobile along the dunes between Sea View and Rimac singing in flight. 2 cattle egrets with ponies on Rimac freshwater marsh bank. Great white egret flew north along the Eau past Sea View, later seen on Elm House Farm wet grassland. Waders mobile around Rimac car park scrape, with a wood sandpiper, 2 little ringed plover and black-tailed godwit present for part of the day. 6 whimbrel flew over Sea View Washlands towards t he saltmarsh and reed warbler singing at Sea View farm. 6 wheatear on dune top between Sea View and Rimac, and a male yellowhammer perched in the top of a tree briefly. Common sandpiper and 8 avocet on Paradise Lagoon, and a siskin flew north. Large aggregations of gulls along the beach near Crook Bank included 700 common gull, 120 herring gull, 8 lesser black-backed gull, 40 great black-backed gull and 2 Mediterranean gulls, plus 100 sanderling feeding along the tide edge. 2 great white egret and a grey heron flew south along the foredunes past Brickyard Lane mid-morning, 150+ swallows flew in-off the sea and continued south throughout the morning and 5 whimbrel flew south offshore. 2 grasshopper warblers reeling south of Churchill Lane and another to the north. Whinchat around Crook Bank outer dunes and cuckoo calling nearby. 3 little ringed plover, 3 curlew (including Polish ringed bird), 5 whimbrel, 2 oystercatcher, lapwing and cetti’s warbler on wet grassland south of Crook Bank. Butterflies – 10+ green hairstreak, 2 wall, 5 speckled wood, 3 orange-tip Mablethorpe North End. 280426 – a single arctic tern flew north along the tide edge past Mablethorpe North End in the morning. 350+ common gull and a whimbrel also flew north offshore in an hour, and 12 common scoter flew south. Grasshopper warbler reeling in scrub next to quarry hill at Rimac. 6 wheatear again on the dune top between Sea View and Rimac. Donna Nook: 220426 – female type black redstart near Pye’s Hall in the morning. 230426 – black redstart and male common redstart near Pye’s Hall. 2 greenshank on realignment and little ringed plover flew over calling. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 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 Margaret Westcott April 2026 As Spring advances, the garden becomes verdant with fresh growth. The gardeners weed the beds and take in the growing numbers of butterflies: Brimstone, Peacock, Orange-tip, Small White and Green-veined White. Bumblebees abound, alongside mining bees and the ever-popular Bee fly, nectaring on Forget me not. New home-raised plants are added, and a fresh coat of paint given to the entrance gate. We have an extra water butt and are clearing an area in the hopes of a new garden shed. As the soil warms up, now is a good time to plant or sow hardy annuals like Pot Marigold and Echium. You could pot up Dahlias, single varieties, ready to plant out after the risk of frost has passed. Email: margaretwestcott7@hotmail.co.uk https://butterfly-conservation.org/in-your-area/lincolnshire-branch/chambers-farm-wood-butterfly-garden GARDENING DATES FOR 2026 AT CHAMBERS FARM WOOD BUTTERFLY GARDEN, LN8 5JR Courtesy of Forestry England. Join us in the garden, (What 3 words shrub.prouder.disarmed) , anytime between 9.30am and 3.00pm. Wear appropriate clothing, bring your own tools and lunch All 1st and 3rd Tuesdays of the month 5th & 19th May 2nd & 16th June 7th & 21st July 4th & 18th August 1st & 15th September These dates are provisional – phone Margaret 01205 750719 to confirm before travelling *** Lincolnshire Dormouse Group *** As always for the summer sessions, we will meet at 9.30am, and this will be outside the wood centre in the car park of Chambers Farm Wood. As with las t year we will be limiting the number of volunteers per session to around 10 visitors Those interested will need to 'sign in' via email beforehand, by emailing Oliver at lincsdormousegroup@gmail.com Up coming boxcheck dates are May, Sun 24th Jun, Sat 20th Jul, Sun 19th Aug, Sat 22nd Sep, Sun 20th Oct, Sat 24th If you are interested in joining us, please get in touch with Olly at lincsdormousegroup@gmail.com ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 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/ 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 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ *** 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 BEE NEWS Caroline Tero has just taken on the role of County Recorder for bees for Lincolnshire. Her email is: caroline.tero@ntlworld.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 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 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 FIELD MEETINGS 2026*** Saturday 30th May Swinstead Valley SSSI Joint LNU/LFG. Access courtesy of Grimsthorpe Estate. Saturday 20th June Cleethorpes Sand Dunes Joint LNU/LFG. Access courtesy of North East Lincolnshire Council. Saturday 11th July Scrivelsby Park Joint LNU/LFG. Access courtesy of Scrivelsby Estate. Saturday 29th August Hawthorpe Joint LNU/LFG. Access courtesy of Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust Saturday 19th September Bourne North Fen Joint LNU/LFG. Access courtesy of Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust Sunday 18th October Newball Wood Annual LNU Fungus Foray. Access courtesy of Forestry England. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 12 ...AND FINALLY... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ *** National and International Stories *** UK's biggest ever environmental pollution claim reaches High Court https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cqxl5rjw58po Bees removed from airport after swarm near gate https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ckgegd33ygpo Around 100 firefighters battling Mourne Mountains blazes https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c9959255l4po Wildlife arriving at newly created wetland - Cambs. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/clyxd6n190zo Series of wildfires across Scotland during 'extreme' alert https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cly7yvr8g97o How do you restore the wild spaces in a corner of England? - Shropshire https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c747pjxv1gvo Seeds of Exchange reveals the untold story of the plant collectors who connected Canton and London in the 18th century https://theconversation.com/seeds-of-exchange-reveals-the-untold-story-of-the-plant-collectors-who-connected-canton-and-london-in-the-18th-century-281057 Seeds Can Sense Sounds of Rain to Germinate 40% Faster https://www.zmescience.com/science/biology/seeds-can-sense-sounds-of-rain-to-germinate-40-faster/ *** Mail Fails *** 13 emails "bounced" last week! "I'm sorry to have to inform you that your message could not be delivered to one or more recipients." 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/