Lapwings Summer 2024

Lapwings

Lapwings - the membership magazine of the Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust. No. 174

Email info@lincstrust.co.uk

Telephone 01507 526667

Headquarters Banovallum House, Manor House Street, Horncastle, Lincolnshire LN9 5HF

Chief Executive Paul Learoyd

Conservation Tammy Smalley

Engagement & Comms Matthew Capper

Finance Sarah Jane Smith

Reserves Dave Bromwich

Website lincstrust.org.uk

Facebook LincolnshireWildlifeTrust

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Far Ings National Nature Reserve

Barton-on-Humber DN18 5RG

Reserve: 01652 634507

farings@lincstrust.co.uk

Visitor Centre: 01652 637055

faringscentre@lincstrust.co.uk

Education: 01652 637055

faringseducation@lincstrust.co.uk

Gibraltar Point National Nature Reserve

Skegness PE24 4SU

Reserve: 01754 898079

gibnnr@lincstrust.co.uk

Visitor Centre: 01754 898057

gibvc@lincstrust.co.uk

Education: 01754 762763

gibeducation@lincstrust.co.uk

Whisby Nature Park

Thorpe-on-the-Hill, Lincoln LN6 9BW Reserve: 01522 500676

whisbynp@lincstrust.co.uk

Education: 01522 696926

whisbyeducation@lincstrust.co.uk

President: Geoff Trinder

Vice-Presidents: Brian Tear, Tim Sands

Board of Trustees

Chair: Anita Quigley

Hon. Treasurer: Kitty Hamilton

Other Trustees: Michael Burgass, Eve Crook, Sophie Harris, Professor Libby John, Sam Kemp, Cathy Sirett, Mark Smith, Caroline Steel, Jo Woolley.

Lapwings Magazine Team

Your editors: Rachel Shaw, Anna Wright and Sam Dawson

for The Wildlife Trusts: Editor: Joanna Foat, Designer: Ben Cook

AsI write the foreword to this latest edition of Lapwings, the country is in the midst of an election campaign and by the time you read this, we will know the results and who will be taking the decisions that will affect nature and our wildlife for the next few years. If you contacted your prospective candidates in the run up to the election, thank you for speaking up. If you didn’t, then why not get in touch with your newly elected MP and let them know what nature means to you?

That’s just what we’ll be doing and, as part of the wider Wildlife Trust movement, Trusts across the UK will be doing all they can to ensure that nature’s voice is heard.

Newer members might not know that as well as having 46 Wildlife Trusts across the country, we are blessed with having a national umbrella body – the Royal Society of Wildlife Trusts. This central organisation provides national strength to go alongside the local relevance of individual Trusts; campaigning on our behalf and providing a collective voice to the more than 900,000 Trust members across the UK.

Another benefit of being part of that wider Trust family is that we share content and in this issue of Lapwings, you can read articles from The Wildlife Trusts

along with other local Trusts. On page 37, Director of Landscape Recovery at The Wildlife Trusts, Dr Rob Stoneman, makes the case for rewilding at the national level and Sarah Ward, Marine Conservation Officer at Sussex Wildlife Trust, introduces us to the watery world of jellyfish on page 34. You can also get an insight into the range of ways in which people support wildlife in Lincolnshire through volunteering on page 42.

Our volunteers and members remain at the heart of the Trust and on the back of the magazine you will see an advert for our members' day at Whisby Nature Park on Sunday 18 August. I would particularly encourage anyone who has joined but never really engaged with the Trust face to face to come along, meet some staff, have some fun and let us tell you more about the work that your membership supports. Don’t forget to scan the QR code or visit our website to register and we’ll make sure there’s a piece of cake waiting for you.

Paul Learoyd Chief Executive

Your wild summer

Purple hues of summer

Two habitats come into their own in summer with a flush of pinks and purples: saltmarshes on the coast and heathlands on the sandy soils of central and north Lincolnshire.

The colour on the saltmarshes of Gibraltar Point, Donna Nook and Saltfleetby-Theddlethorpe Dunes is sea-lavender. Its flowers range in colour from blue through to lilac and pink, and

can often be seen densely carpeting the ground from late July to October. Sealavender is not related to lavender at all, so does not have the characteristic smell. However, it is a great nectar-source and is visited by bees, wasps and butterflies.

On heathlands at Linwood Warren and Kirkby Moor, it is the colour of heather. Its delicate pink flowers appear from August to October and are a contrast to the tough, wiry, sprawling stems they grow upon. The most common species of heather is also known as ling but look closely and you may see crossleaved heath and bell heather. Both have slightly larger flowers than ling and in crossed-leaved heath they are clustered on one side of the stem.

TOP: Sea-lavender at Donna Nook

LEFT: Heather at Linwood Warren

INSET: Heather or ling in flower

LOOK OUT FOR

Ivy bees were first recorded in the UK in 2001 and have spread north. They feed exclusively on ivy so look for them once the ivy starts to flower in late summer.

SPOTLIGHT ON ...

Pigeons and doves

From'flying rats' to symbols of love and peace, whether a bird is a pigeon or a dove seems to illicit a different response but strictly speaking, there is no real difference. Pigeons and doves all belong to the same family, Columbidae.

The rarest UK member of the family is the turtle dove. Sometimes named as the UK's fastest declining bird species, they are on the brink of extinction. These small and pretty doves breed in lowland England and spend the winter in Sub-Saharan Africa. It is on their migration where they are most vulnerable. Turtle doves are protected in Britain but they are shot in huge numbers during migration.

Collared dove

Buff-coloured with darker grey wingtips, a black half-collar, and paler patches at the shoulders. Smaller and daintier than a woodpigeon. Makes a familiar 'coo coooo-coo' sound.

DO THIS

Put a bird bath or dish of water in your garden for birds to use for bathing and drinking. Remember to keep it clean and refresh the water regularly.

Collared doves have fared much better and are one of the great colonisers of the bird world. Having spread west from Asia, they first bred in the UK in the 1950s and have been so successful that they’re now found almost everywhere in the UK and Ireland.

Stock doves are easily overlooked and can be seen along woodland edges and parkland during the breeding season and in small flocks on farmland in winter. They nest in holes in trees and in farm buildings, and will even nest in rabbit warrens. In years gone by, in East Anglia, occupied rabbit holes were covered up with crossed sticks so that the parents could feed the chicks, but the chicks could not leave the nest. They were then taken for the pot when they were ready.

The wild rock dove is the ancestor to what may be our most familiar bird – the feral pigeon. Originally domesticated to provide food, they soon found their way into our towns and cities, farmland and woodlands.

Stock dove

Blue-grey, with a pink chest and an iridescent green patch on its neck. Looks very much like the woodpigeon, but without the white neck and wing patches. Large, dark eyes unlike yellow eyes of woodpigeons. Rarely visits gardens.

The wild, 'pure' rock dove is now only found around rocky sites and cliffs in remote areas.

Our largest and most common pigeon is the woodpigeon. Perhaps most easily dismissed as 'just a pigeon' but they can be entertaining to watch and if they were rare, would we seek them out and wonder at their pink hues and the metallic shimmer on their necks?

Rock dove

Grey-blue with two dark wing bands and a white patch on the lower back. Smaller than a woodpigeon. Familiar as the ancestor of the feral pigeons we see in our urban areas but truly wild rock doves are now only found around remote rocky sites and cliffs.

Turtle dove

A little bit smaller than collared dove. Has an orangey-brown and black patterned back, a blue-grey head, pink chest and three or four black and white stripes forming a patch on the side of the neck. Makes a purring 'turrr turrr turr' sound.

Woodpigeon

Feral pigeons

DRAGONS and DAMSELS

Coast and The Wash Assistant Warden Richard Doan introduces the dazzling world of dragonflies and damselflies, and nine species to look for this summer.

Dragonflies and damselflies are collectively known as Odonata. They are spectacular and unique insects with excellent eyesight. Their prey includes mosquitoes as well as bees, butterflies and even other odonata.

The UK hosts an impressive 57 species of dragonfly and damselfly. They include a mix of resident species, migrants from the near continent and some recent colonisers. In Lincolnshire, there are approximately 30 species that regularly occur. Distribution of some species can vary enormously depending on habitat requirements. Time of year is also important when it comes to identification as flight times can differ a great deal.

Broadly speaking, dragonflies are powerful and strong flyers, their wings are often broad and held open at rest.

Within this grouping there are hawkers, chasers and darters.

Hawkers are the largest dragonflies that occur in the UK and six species are regularly found in Lincolnshire. Adults tend to be quite colourful with a mix of colours from blue to yellow, green and brown. They are very active dragonflies that tend to spend much of the time flying around.

Chasers and darters include some of the first species to emerge in late spring. They can be easier to identify as adults and are often encountered resting.

Chasers are medium-sized dragonflies and tend to have quite broad abdomens. Darters are smaller and slimmer.

Damselflies are dainty and weak flyers, with a fluttering flight. Their wings are often held tight to the body at rest. The blue damselflies are a particularly

complex group that look very similar but can be identified with practice at rest. Each species has a unique shape on the abdomen (segment two), which can be seen well if viewed at close quarters. Binoculars are particularly useful. They often emerge in large quantities, often numbering in the hundreds.

There are two species of demoiselle in the UK with darker wings, but only the banded demoiselle is found in Lincolnshire.

The warmer temperatures in the UK in recent years have resulted in species shifting their distribution further north. A number of species from the near continent are also beginning to colonise, including the willow emerald and lesser emperor.

Hawkers

Emperor

The largest dragonfly in the UK. It is widespread throughout Lincolnshire, emerging in the summer months when temperatures peak. This dragonfly is very distinctive if seen well due to the prominent black strip running down the abdomen.

•Prefers large wetland sites such as Far Ings and Whisby Nature Park.

•June to August.

Chasers and darters

Four-spotted chaser

As the name suggests the spots on the wing are a very useful identification tool. No other dragonfly has such a prominent spot halfway along the wing edge. Favours standing water habitats but tends to emerge en masse at heathland sites.

•Good sites include Whisby Nature Park, Crowle Moor and the Lincolnshire Coastal Country Park.

•May to August.

Damselflies

Azure blue

Arguably our most common ‘blue damselfly’ species, they favour ponds, canals and ditch systems. A close inspection of the abdomen will reveal a ‘U’ shape. In comparison, the unique abdomen shape on the common blue is a dark spot on a short stalk.

•Can be seen at most Trust reserves.

•April to August.

Lesser emperor

The first UK record of lesser emperor was in 1996 and by 2010 there were over 100 records. Colonising from the south, the first breeding was confirmed in Cornwall during the late 1990s. It is still scarce in Lincolnshire with approximately 10 records. In 2023, there were at least six records from Trust reserves including the Lincolnshire Coastal County Park, Whisby Nature Park and Saltfleetby.

•June to September.

Broad-bodied chaser

Very quickly colonises newly created ponds, often investigating during the creation process. Adults have bulging abdomens, males are blue and the females are green. Both have distinctive yellow spots to the abdomen sides and dark bases to the wings.

•Prefers small lakes and ponds, avoids acidic habitats such as heathland.

•May to July.

Willow emerald

The first UK record of this damselfly was in 1992 from the south coast. By 2009, there were over 400 records in the UK from Kent all the way up to Norfolk.

•Willow emeralds have quickly colonised Lincolnshire in the last 10-15 years with insects now reported at Gibraltar Point and Far Ings.

•August t0 September.

Common hawker

Favours acidic habitats such as peat bogs and heathlands, resulting in a patchy distribution in Lincolnshire.

Identification features to look out for are the paired spots running down the abdomen and yellow vein on the leading edge of the wings, known as the costa.

•Sites include Crowle Moor and Kirkby Moor.

•July to September.

At about 3cm long, they are the UK's smallest resident dragonfly. Males are almost entirely black, females and juveniles are brownishyellow. They are restricted to acidic habitats such as heathlands and peatlands, and more commonly found in the north and west of the UK.

•Crowle Moor.

•June to October.

Banded demoiselle

Males have a distinctive dark 'fingerprint' on the wings. Females' wings have a bronze tinge. Males are territorial and perform display flights over water; they can be seen in large numbers.

•Favours slow flowing water, rivers and canals. The Trust HQ, Banovallum House nature reserve, is a good site.

•May to August.

Black darter

NATURE RESERVES

News and updates from Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust nature reserves

Strong start for rare shorebird nesting season

It's all go in our coastal sanctuary area, where vulnerable species raise chicks against the odds.

Gibraltar Point is a stronghold for Red-Listed ringed plovers and the last breeding colony of little terns in Lincolnshire, and as such is vitally important to the future of these species within the county. From 1 April every year, the part of the beach typically favoured by these birds for nesting is fenced off as a no-access sanctuary area to give them the best possible chance.

Both the eggs and newly hatched chicks are extremely vulnerable to predation,

Crane update!

What began as an extraordinary year for cranes at Willow Tree Fen, with more than 25 on site at times, has developed into another successful breeding season. Two pairs on the reserve are rearing three chicks in total, with a third pair and chick nearby. Another pair made a first nesting attempt but failed to hatch the eggs – it can typically take a new pair several years to get it right. One family's territory is not far from the car park viewing area, making for some fantastic photo opportunities. The Crane Watch volunteers are on hand from 9am until dusk whenever possible throughout the summer to help you spot the birds and answer questions.

See more wonderful wildlife photos from Willow Tree Fen on page 25.

flooding and even accidental trampling in their exposed nests, which are really just shallow scrapes on the shore, decorated with small pebbles and shell fragments. However, these rare shorebirds don't always make life easy for themselves or our wardens! This year an increasing number have chosen to create their scrapes outside the protected sanctuary space, so our team was busy in May erecting new temporary fencing around part of the Greenshank Creek area of the beach to try to keep them safe. As we go to press, there are already tiny and very well camouflaged ringed plover chicks in both places, and six ringed plover nests and four little tern nests with parent birds incubating, with plenty more activity on the ground.

In more good news, our pioneering oystercatchers from last summer are back! You may remember that our wardens faced a race against time to box and raise their nest to prevent it being washed away. If they acted too

ABOVE: Ringed plover over the sanctuary area

RIGHT: This year's oystercatcher nest in the specially made raised box

quickly, the birds would reject it, too slowly and it would be destroyed. It paid off, and we were delighted when in the first week of June this year they returned to the platform, where our team had added sand and shingle. It is very encouraging that they have laid eggs in this safer spot.

Ringed plover on its scrape at Gibraltar Point

Rescued Donna Nook seal recovers to return to the sea

The juvenile was found with a nasty wound caused by fishing line embedded around its neck and taken to a sanctuary

Our Donna Nook wardens were called upon in March to help with the rescue after a team inspecting the MOD air weapons range came across the young grey seal with nylon fishing line wrapped around its neck. The injury was deep and infected, needing specialist

treatment, so they transported the seal to Mablethorpe Seal Sanctuary & Wildlife Centre, where it was assessed and the line quickly cut and removed.

The patient was very feisty and snarled a lot at its rescuers, which was a positive sign that it was still strong. At 60kg it was underweight for its age and needed treatment with antibiotics and iodine baths to clean the wound. It responded well and gained weight, and was able to be released to rejoin the Donna Nook colony on a sunny late spring day, when it headed straight into the water. It will keep the scar for the rest of its life and is another reminder of the dangers of marine litter and items such as plastic flying rings that can too easily become trapped around an inquisitive seal's neck.

You can watch the seal's release at: youtube.com/@Lincolnshire WildlifeTrust/videos

Surprise visitor

Birdwatchers at Far Ings were delighted when a rare Red-Listed Slavonian grebe spent some time on Target Lake in April. Instantly recognisable in its breeding plumage of golden 'horns', black cheeks and red neck and flanks, the Slavonian grebe (known in the US as a horned grebe) is one of the UK's rarest nesting birds. It is typically only spotted on a few lochs in Scotland and at sea the rest of the year, occasionally appearing on big lakes and reservoirs.

New releases!

Six new additions joined the population off the coast at Donna Nook in May. Electra, Pegasus, Doris, Hera, Pina Colada and Clio are all young grey seals rescued by British Divers Marine Life Rescue from East Coast locations in Humberside, Yorkshire and Co Durham. They were rehabilitated at RSPCA Stapeley Grange and released in a joint operation with the RSPCA, the MOD and Landmarc teams at Donna Nook, and Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust wardens and residential volunteers. Pig boards were used to direct them as they came out of the crates, and despite awful weather they all took happily to the water, where a couple of resident seals popped up to check on proceedings! The six seals have been tagged so they can be identified if encountered again.

On the evening of 8 April a storm surge on the back of the high tide left large areas of Gibraltar Point underwater, including the Old Saltmarsh, South Marsh and Mill Pond Roads and the Visitor Centre car park. The buildings were unaffected but those who were present observed large numbers of rodents running to safety, and ibis and corn bunting flying around looking for somewhere to land.

NATURE RESERVES

Spring report from the wild Isle of Axholme

North West Lincolnshire Warden, Matt Cox, explains how the extreme rainfall we've experienced is seen a bit differently on his reserves, and the signs of approaching summer in these habitats.

Some might say 2023/24 was the perfect winter for restoring bogs and managing wet heaths in North West Lincolnshire, which rely almost entirely on rainfall. Our mission now is to keep hold of it into the summer. Parts of Crowle are lovely and wet and even Epworth Turbary has had standing water for most of the winter and spring, accommodating duck, snipe and woodcock. High water levels are great for the habitats but challenging for getting around to undertake management work. They also take their toll on our access, with many visitor routes either being inundated or extremely cut up. It’s been a bit of a stuttering start to the spring with bittern booming and marsh harriers prospecting at Messingham Sand Quarry from the first week of March. Chiffchaffs were on song by the second week of March with blackcaps and willow warblers

expectedly not far behind. A singing reed warbler on 8 April was an early record overshadowed by the eyed ladybird which chose to descend on the volunteer group (quite literally) the same day. When someone briefly flicked the sun switch there were hints of spring and a visitor on 11 April managed nine species of butterfly on the reserve on one of the rarer dry sunny days.

As with much of the land, the grasslands and meadows have been perpetually wet but even so the first 50 green-winged orchids were flowering at Rush Furlong on 3 April and there continues to be a gradual colonisation of the more recently acquired area of grassland in restoration.

At Scotton Common tree pipits and yellow wagtails arrived back on the heathland and grasslands respectively by the second half of April. Parts of the heath are encouragingly wet and

Come on you Reds! Trust herd grows with 14 arrivals

The Lincoln Red cattle we use for conservation grazing have had a successful breeding season with the addition of 14 new calves. Our livestock team has also overseen the safe arrival of around 65 lambs. The cows and calves are now enjoying the freedom of Woodhall

Spa Airfield, and there is a herd of steers at Snipe Dales and heifers at Moor Farm. They are very happy to be out! It was a long winter for them as they had to come in much earlier than normal (in midDecember rather than early February) due to the incredibly wet weather.

some areas have been opened up by the overwintering Highland cattle. We will wait expectantly to see how some of our localised wet-loving plants respond in due course.

Discover more about the Trust's work in this vital peatland landscape with its unique species on page 28.

Water, water, everywhere...

The record rainfall over recent months has had an impact on all our nature reserves. In this photo of the still-flooded path at Rauceby Warren, a varied grassland site with abandoned sand and gravel pits near Sleaford, dried papery algae hanging in the trees shows just how high the water has been over the winter.

Whisby records

It's been a good spring for grass snakes at Whisby Nature Park, with emergence from hibernation noted from late March and a Whisby record day count of 10 on 11 April.

The reserve also saw a record day count for jack snipe on 27 February with a total of 11 (and 17 snipe), a notable count in a county context too. Both species of snipe wintered in good numbers on the reserve (possibly due to a combination of management and the very wet winter).

75th anniversary of Gibraltar Point Bird Observatory

April 11 marked 75 years since the first bird – a willow warbler – was ringed at the Gibraltar Point Bird Observatory. One of a network of coastal bird observatories that collect standardised data on birds through counting and ringing studies, it was set up in 1949, the year after Gibraltar Point became a nature reserve and the Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust was founded.

Willow warblers are still seen on the reserve, but sadly the population is decreasing in England and Wales. Trust Coastal Officer Kev Wilson said: "It's not good news for willow warblers in

our part of the world, but their story illustrates the value of Observatory data – particularly over 75 years."

You can keep up to date with bird sightings, records and more at: gibraltarpointbirdobservatory. blogspot.com

ABOVE: Trust founder Ted Smith speaking at the official opening of the Gibraltar Point Bird Observatory in 1949

RIGHT: Male cuckoo ringed in April this year. This is an important species to monitor due to the rapid decline in numbers in the UK

IN BRIEF

What's that digger doing?

If you visit Saltfleetby-Theddlethorpe Dunes National Nature Reserve at the Sea View end, you may notice groundwork taking place. This is preparation for a new nursery for specialist saltmarsh plants, which will be grown and then replanted in their natural coastal habitat as part of the Wilder Humber conservation project. Please stay well clear of heavy machinery and follow any diversions in place. We are grateful for your cooperation.

Spot the tiny claw!

Working as a nature reserve warden isn't glamorous! Our Outer Humber & Coast team has been out collecting and bagging up seal poo on behalf of The Sea Mammal Research Unit, based at St Andrew’s University, who are studying how the diet of both common (harbour) and grey seals has changed. Some hard remains of their food, such as otoliths (fish ear bones) pass through their digestive system and are excreted in their scat. By analysing these remains, researchers can determine which species are being eaten.

rockpools 6 places to see

Theglistening sea, blue skies and wide sandy beaches are perfect for a summer's day on the Lincolnshire coast but whilst you're away on your holidays, it's worth seeking out rocky shores.

A few hours before low tide is the best time to explore. The most exciting creatures and richest diversity of marine life will be found where the rocks are exposed for the shortest time at low tide. Waterproof shoes or wellies make hopping and stepping across slanted slabs, barnacle clad rocks and large, loose stones more fun.

As the water slips, soaks and gurgles away, natural aquariums are left behind on the seashore. The habitat revealed is home to dozens of plants and animals that usually live way beneath the sea. Enjoy peering beneath the surface of shiny pools and celebrating rare finds. Observe delicate sea creatures without touching and replace rocks where you found them.

But keep an eye on the tide whilst there. It’s best to finish rockpooling within the first hour of the tide turning, if not before. Take only photos and leave only footprints behind. Here are six of our best beaches for exploring the watery wonders of rockpools.

Can't make it somewhere with rockpools?

Join one of our sea dipping events and see some of the amazing creatures that live off the Lincolnshire coast. Check the website for details.

See the

spectacle for yourself

1 Killiedraught Bay, Scottish Wildlife Trust

St Abbs and Eyemouth Voluntary Marine Reserve is one of the finest rockpooling sites in Scotland. At low tide you’ll find seaweeds such as bladderwrack and kelp, as well as animals such as the breadcrumb sponge, bootlace worm and butterfish.

Where: Eyemouth, TD14 5AX

2 Glenarm, Ulster Wildlife

Visit the oldest village in Ulster, Glenarm. This Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty is great for rockpooling at the north end of the beach. View a wide range of creatures from anemones to cuvie and sea-squirts to starfish. Well worth a visit.

Where: Glenarm, BT44 0AB

3 Flamborough Headland, Yorkshire Wildlife Trust

At Flamborough Cliffs nature reserve with its striking chalk cliffs look for pools of bright starfish, crabs, tiny fish and a rich carpet of seaweeds. Guided rockpool rambles are offered at the Living Seas Centre, including a night-time safari.

Where: Flamborough Cliffs, YO15 1BJ

4 Blackpool Sea Wall, The Wildlife Trust for Lancashire, Manchester and North Merseyside

The Blackpool Glitterball on New South Promenade will guide you to the sea wall. Here weird and wonderful wildlife live inside artificial rockpools. Creatures, such as crabs, anemones, shrimps, mussels and honeycomb worms can be found.

Where: Blackpool, FY4 1RW

5 Kimmeridge Bay, Dorset Wildlife Trust

Kimmeridge, on the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site in Dorset, is famous for its rockpools. Small and shallow, with inhabitants equally small and delicate. Come and discover Connemara clingfish, Montagu’s blennies and peacock’s tail seaweed.

Where: Wareham, BH20 5PF

6 Wembury Beach, Devon Wildlife Trust

One of the UK’s best rockpooling destinations, where creatures hang out in hundreds of crevices and pools. You may find cushion stars, beadlet anemones and the rare St Piran’s crab. Wembury Marine Centre runs summer rockpool safaris.

Where: Wembury, PL9 0HP

WILD NEWS

All the latest news from Lincolnshire and beyond

Wildflower boost at Castle Bytham

The floristic diversity of the meadows at Castle Bytham has been given a boost with the planting of 1,600 wildflower plugs.

The two fields at Castle Bytham that link the village to Lawn Wood and Bottleneck and Jackson's Meadows nature reserve were purchased in 2019, creating a protected landscape of over 100 acres. However, the new fields were dominated by grasses and needed a helping hand. This came in the form of Dyfrig Jenkins of YOU Development.

Through this corporate support, we were able to purchase 1,600 wildflower plug plants including cowslip, bird's-foot trefoil, yellow rattle, ladies bedstraw and kidney vetch. With the help of the local community, all the flowers were planted in just two hours on a sunny day in May.

Following on from the community planting day, local plant nursery Alpha Plants Ltd in Pinchbeck has donated a further 2,700 wildflower plug plants for grassland restoration across several nature reserves.

Thank you

You've now donated an incredible £50,000 to our Nature Recovery Fund. Your generosity will make a real difference.

NATURE RECOVERY

Monitoring peat

The Fens East Peat Partnership (FEPP) is taking monitoring peat to new heights. The newest tool in the peatland restoration toolbox is an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle – more commonly known as a drone. This photo of Lakenheath Fen, taken by the drone, is enabling the FEPP team to identify areas of damaged peat and monitor restoration works at a bigger scale and instantaneously. The Trust is one of the partners in FEPP, which brings together organisations in Cambridgeshire, Lincolnshire, Norfolk and Suffolk.

Keeping it green

Dyfrig Jenkins of YOU Development natur W com Jen gen exp

We are extremely grateful to the local community, Alpha Plants and to Dyfrig Jenkins of YOU Development whose generous donation kickstarted this expansion of grassland restoration.

ABOVE Dyfrig Jenkins (front right), warden John Oliver (front left) and community volunteers at the community planting day in early May LEFT Planting the wildflowers

Our printers, Ruddocks, are working towards being a carbon neutral business by 2030. We asked what this means for the production of Lapwings: “Sustainable forest management, coupled with FSC certification, ensures responsible paper sourcing. Efficient recycling systems close the loop on paper's lifecycle. Vegetable-based inks and carbon balanced materials reduce environmental impact. And sharing printed copies extends product life, minimises waste and helps spread the word.”

Find out more at: ruddocks.co.uk/ what-we-do/sustainability

When the giraffe came to Gib

It's not every day that you see a giraffe wandering over the Lincolnshire Wolds or going to the Gibraltar Point Visitor Centre. But that's what happened in April when Sebastian Mayer became the first person to puppeteer a giraffe from Grimsby to Skegness. Once he'd arrived in Skegness, he walked the extra miles to Gibraltar Point.

Thank you to everyone who has said hello to Sebastian and Zarafa the giraffe along the way and to all those who donated. All donations from Sebastian's challenge are for the Trust so we can continue to help nature recover across the county.

Litter terns

justgiving.com/page/giraffetoskegness

tgiving com/page/giraffetoskegness

On your bike!

There can't be many people who've been to every Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust reserve and, as far as we know, no one has cycled to them all – until now!

Libby John, Chair Elect of our Board of Trustees, has taken on the challenge. She is cycling to every one of the reserves from her home east of Lincoln.

Libby said: "Lincolnshire is an incredible county that has some of the most wonderful wildlife sites in the UK, many of them managed or owned by the Trust. Spread from the Humber to the Wash and from Stamford to Crowle, it's quite a challenge for my not-so-young legs! As of 1 May, I have visited 42 reserves and cycled over 750 miles visiting some wild and wonderful places, but have twice as many miles and reserves yet to go."

Follow Libby's progress on

Instagram @libbyjohn47

Libby is using her cycling challenge to raise awareness of wildllife and raise funds for nature's recovery. Please support her if you can, scan the QR code or search for Libby John on justgiving.com

Inspired to organise your own fundraising for the Nature Recovery Fund? See lincstrust.org.uk/fundraising

It's not a typo, litter terns have arrived at Gibraltar Point! They appeared outside the Visitor Centre at the same time as the breeding colony of little terns arrived on the shoreline. The litter terns have been made by artist Mark Steadman with funding from Dynamic Dunescapes, from seaborne litter collected from the beaches that the real terns now nest on.

Earlier in the spring, we welcomed Martha Kearney to Gibraltar Point. She interviewed Warden Jim Shaw and Shorebird Warden Paul Edwards about the need to protect little terns and other shore-nesting birds. Search BBC Sounds for 'Open Country Gibraltar Point' to listen to the programme. Follow @ TedsTerns on X (formerly Twitter) for updates from the Shorebird Team.

Tune to Wilder Lincolnshire

Take a deep dive into the work of the Wildlife Trust with our Wilder Lincolnshire podcast. Every month, we bring you new stories and interviews from staff and volunteers working across the county. Find it wherever you listen to podcasts or go to: podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/ lincs-wildlife-trust

WILD NEWS

Pyramidal orchid on a brownfield site being cleared for development

Biodiversity Net Gain falls short

Anewera beckons as Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) – a requirement on developers to ensure wildlife habitat is left in a better state than it was before the building project began – has become mandatory for all major and minor developments in England. The Wildlife Trusts have actively contributed to the evolution of this legislation for many years, recognising that development is often necessary, but does not have to be achieved in a way that harms nature. This legislation has the potential to transform our planning systems whereby developers deliver more for nature –contributing to its recovery – rather than accelerating its decline. This is vital if we are to meet our international obligations to restore 30 per cent of land and sea for nature by 2030.

Biodiversity Net Gain could not only make a positive contribution towards nature’s recovery but also help address the climate emergency in the process. However, The Wildlife Trusts are concerned that Biodiversity Net Gain is not currently on track to address the severity of the continuing nature crisis. We believe that the UK Government needs to set more ambitious targets.

Rachel Hackett, Planning and Development Manager at The Wildlife Trusts, said: “It’s extremely disappointing to see that some of the rules and guidelines for Biodiversity Net Gain fall short of their intended ambition. Given the uncertainties surrounding habitat creation, a gain of 10% will at best hold the tide against nature loss to development and provide a contingency to ensure no overall loss of biodiversity. But if we want to secure real recovery for nature, we need to see at least 20% gain.”

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to ensure Biodiversity Net Gain for permitted development is made a matter for local consideration rather than a blanket exemption.

We will continue to call for regulations and guidance to be more effective and strive for a gold standard for Biodiversity Net Gain. Afterall, there is a nature crisis in the UK – one in six species are at risk of extinction and the UK is one of the most nature depleted countries in the world. We propose developers and local authorities go beyond the minimum requirements and aim for at least a 20% gain for nature.

We’d like to see the UK Government changing policy and guidance so the sale of excess biodiversity units is prevented. We’d like no further broadening of permitted development rules and Government to provide policy guidance

Local Planning Authorities also need to be resourced with the right level of skills and capacity across departments to oversee the Biodiversity Net Gain process to ensure it is properly implemented, monitored and enforced. Finally, Biodiversity Net Gain must be ‘additional’ to existing mechanisms for nature conservation and enhancement. When it comes to protecting, restoring and managing the natural environment, The Wildlife Trusts up and down the country have unmatched experience, knowledge and expertise. Nature conservation is our primary charitable objective. So, for decades we have delivered high-quality Biodiversity Net Gain habitat and offered specialist advice and consultancy to developers, local planning authorities, partners and communities. All our funding is invested with the purpose of delivering gains for nature.

For more information visit wildlifetrusts.org/ biodiversity-net-gain

The Great Big Nature Survey

Last year The Wildlife Trusts launched The Great Big Nature Survey, calling on the UK public to share their views on some of the most important issues affecting people and wildlife. We asked questions like: How often do you get out into nature? Should people try to control nature to better protect it? How important are green spaces to you? And what roles should people, business, and government have in looking after nature?

The Great Big Nature Survey helps to identify what people in the UK and islands really think about wildlife and how we, as a society, should protect it. The results also support The Wildlife Trusts when holding the UK governments to account over their

ENVIRONMENT AWARDS

UK HIGHLIGHTS L I G H T S

Discover how The Wildlife Trusts are helping wildlife across the UK

environmentalpoliciesandpriorities

environmental policies and priorities, in this election year and beyond.

Whatever your views on nature, however important (or not) it is to you, join more than 21,000 people that have already taken part and make your voice heard by taking The Great Big Nature survey today. If you’ve taken the survey before, thank you! Do please take it again, so that we can track how people’s views on these important issues have changed over time

Have your say at wildlifetrusts.org/ great-big-nature-survey

Sleaford school scoops Lincolnshire Young Environmentalist Awards title

It was third time lucky for Kirkby La Thorpe Primary Academy, runners-up in both 2023 and 2019.

Kirkby La Thorpe is a small village primary with around 100 pupils that has been steadily building its environmental ambitions, adding more features to benefit both nature and the school community year on year.

The eco committee meets weekly to share suggestions but there is the opportunity for every student to get stuck in, whether it’s planting, watering or harvesting vegetables, making birdhouses, maintaining the bug hotels or simply using time in the wilder areas to recharge.

Several aspects of the project have been absorbed into daily school life, so the children now enjoy free food and veg, freshly pulled from the beds, washed and chopped for them to help themselves to at breaktime. Any leftovers from lunch are automatically put into the compost bins that have been created around the grounds so the cycle can continue.

The annual awards, organised by the Trust with the Rotary Club of Lindum, Lincoln, recognise young people under the age of 13. After initial consideration, six entries were shortlisted and visited by the panel of judges, then invited to share displays and presentations at Whisby Nature Park on 22 May.

The standard was very high, with the finalists showing impressive dedication and results across a diverse range of projects.

Sue Feary, who runs the eco committee at the school, and students (left to right) Grace Sheppard, 8, Bethany Sheppard, 7, Mason Bogg, 7, Daisy Couzens, 6, Arley Mehmet, 10, and Brodie Trollope, 9, with the 2024 Lincolnshire Young Environmentalist Award

Strawberry Hill Forever

The Wildlife Trust for Beds, Cambs and Northants is a step closer to securing ownership of the uniquely special Strawberry Hill, thanks to generous funding from Biffa Award. Securing the future of a Bedfordshire farm that has been left to rewild for 25 years represents one of the most exciting land transactions in the Wildlife Trust’s history. wtru.st/BCN-Strawberry-Hill

Booming Success

Prompted by the near extinction of a member of the heron family, a long term conservation project by Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust and conservation partners has doubled the area of reedbed habitat suitable for bitterns. With a breakthrough this year, the first male bittern in recent history was recorded ‘booming,’ making its mating call on Amwell Nature Reserve. wtru.st/Herts-bittern

Sula Rules The Waves

Alderney Wildlife Trust has recorded its seabird life in more detail than any other island, all thanks to Sula, the wildlife survey boat. Now, Sula needs sponsorship to support her important role in advancing conservation. Her next voyage is to help monitor the island’s grey seals, protect guillemot colonies and map Alderney’s tidal flow and marine habitats.

wtru.st/Sula-Sponsorship

Choosing a pair of

Keen birdwatcher

Matthew

Capper takes you through the process of choosing and buying a pair of binoculars.

If you are keen to see and enjoy birds, and indeed other wildlife, binoculars are generally considered to be an essential piece of kit. I am often asked by family and friends for recommendations for the best pair to buy and the answer to this is never straightforward. Buying a pair of binoculars is a very personal experience and for most people is an expensive purchase that they expect to last for many years.

There is a wide range of makes and models available and rather than give a single recommendation, my reply is always to try and equip people with the right questions and knowledge to help them find the binoculars that suit them best. You don’t need to spend a fortune and buying a decent pair of binoculars will open up a whole new world of enjoyment when it comes to watching wildlife.

Types of binocular

Generally, there are two main types of binocular available: poroprisms and roof prisms. Simply put, roof prisms are straight and poroprisms have a ‘step’ between the eye piece and the outer lens. Originally, all binoculars had the stepped poroprism design but recent years have seen the straight roof prism binoculars

binoculars

become the most popular type. There is little difference in function between the two styles, although cheaper roof prism bins may be less bright than their equivalent poroprisms as light can be lost passing through the lens. However, good quality roof prisms tend to offer a better image and are more ergonomically pleasing to use and hold.

There are also compact binoculars. They are small but can be quite fiddly to use. Generally, these compact binoculars make a good ‘spare’ pair of binoculars, for example to be kept in the glove box of the car, but are not as stable or easy to use as the full-size pairs. As a general rule, a good quality roof prism binocular will make a good starting point for any purchase.

The Trust stocks Opticron binoculars at our Visitor Centre at Gibraltar Point. There are a wide range of models from entry level to higher end optics. Staff are trained to help visitors choose the binoculars that are right for them and we have an ‘optics bar’ where you can try the different models.

8 x 32

Eye cup

Focus wheel

Magnification

Objective lens diameter

Objective lens

What do the numbers mean?

What type of magnification and size is probably the main consideration when buying a pair of binoculars.

Every pair of binoculars is described with a pair of numbers such as 10x40, 8x32 or 7x25. These numbers relate to the magnification, multiplied by the size of the lens (which dictates how wide the view is and the amount of light that comes in). So, for example, a pair of 8x32 binoculars will magnify the subject 8 times and the objective lens (the glass lens further from the eye) will measure 32mm across.

Most binoculars will be in the range of 7-12 magnification and 30-50 lens diameter. The size and weight of the binocular is usually dictated by the lens size (the second number) so an 8x32 binocular would be smaller and lighter than an 8x40 as the larger 40mm lens in the second pair adds weight and bulk.

The benefits of a larger objective lens is that it gathers more light and so gives a brighter image. In good daylight this is less noticeable but in poor or fading light, the benefits of larger lenses can make a difference. For all round use, 8x or 10x magnification is most useful and matched with a 32 or 42 objective lens, will have enough brightness for most situations.

Compact binoculars are designed for convenience and where size and weight are more important. Most compacts will by nature have small objective lenses such as 25mm or less meaning that less light is let in and the image will be darker in low light.

Step-by-step guide to

choosing binoculars

Picking out a new pair of binoculars is a personal thing so the following are a few things to consider:

It is essential to try before you buy –don’t just buy the first pair you see online. Visit a reputable optics dealer. Chat to an expert and select a few pairs to look through. Find the ones that suit you.

Start by narrowing down the size, weight and magnification (8x, 10x, etc). It might be tempting to go for the greatest magnification but after you have held them for a while you may want something lighter. For children or those using binoculars infrequently, smaller magnifications are often easier to use.

Choose the magnification that best suits your needs

Check how the binoculars ‘feel’ to use. Are they comfy? Do they suit your hand size? Are they rubber armoured and well made?

Are they easy to look through? It sounds obvious but different people have different eyesight and eyes can be set close or far apart. The binoculars should give a good round ‘full’ view that is comfortable to use.

The eye cups can be raised or, if you wear glasses, lowered. Check that they work for you.

How much should I spend?

Binoculars have an adjuster for one of the eye pieces to allow the user to compensate for differences in eyesight between each eye. Familiarise yourself with this so you know what to do.

Check how easy it is to focus from far to near. A good pair of binoculars will be more forgiving. A poor pair will constantly need refocusing and will take several turns of the focus wheel to go from one extreme to the other.

Check the image at the edges of the view not just in the centre. Most pairs will have sharp focus in the middle of the view but better pairs will keep that sharpness right to the edge.

Similarly, look for the colour rendition. Some binoculars have different colour hues, for example, one might have a slightly colder blue tinted view whilst another might have a slightly warmer yellow tint. This is very much a personal choice as to what you prefer.

Binoculars differ markedly in how close they can focus. If you want to watch things like dragonflies and butterflies, then choosing a pair that has close focusing will be an important consideration.

Consider what aftercare might come with the binoculars. Is there a warranty and how long does it last for?

And lastly, take your time and go for the best possible pair that you can afford. Binoculars should last many years so even saving up for a little longer will pay dividends in your enjoyment over the lifetime of the binoculars.

You don’t need to spend a fortune and buying a decent pair of binoculars will open up a whole new world of enjoyment when it comes to watching wildlife. Prices range from less than a hundred pounds to more than three thousand. I would avoid the very cheapest and always go for the best you can afford. Anything from around £200 upwards will be perfectly usable, anything over £500 is entering the quality end of the market and above £1,000 will be in the ‘high end’ bracket. At the end of the day though, it is more about what you can afford and what suits you best.

IcanThe Trust at night

As the sun sets and most of us down tools for the evening, many wildlife species are waking and some critical jobs on our nature reserves are just getting underway. What are our wardens doing under cover of darkness?

Anna Wright took a torch and went to find out...

hear them the moment I step out of the car at the wardens’ base. A chorus of chirrups that builds and then quietens before starting again. The sun has not quite set, it’s a warm evening and the natterjack toads of SaltfleetbyTheddlethorpe Dunes are already tuning up. As we cross the nature reserve to the nursery pools the volume increases, but when we arrive in this fenced-off sanctuary area, created by our team to provide the safest possible natural conditions for this rare amphibian to breed, there is nothing to be seen.

“Before dusk, they call from within their burrows and under the cover on one of the smaller pools,” explains Outer Humber & Coast Assistant Warden Ruth Taylor, who has been working closely on the project to save natterjack toads from dying out in this area for several years and knows them better than almost anyone. “When it gets dark, you’ll see them start to emerge, and the call changes. They have three distinct sounds: One that they seem to use as a kind of test before they venture out, the main mating call, and a third that is a definite ‘Get off!’, used when an enthusiastic male climbs onto another instead of a female.”

What do we do now? “We wait.” It is

very still. Nothing larger than an insect skimming across the surface of the water is moving. Yet the crescendo is growing. Like an orchestra starting up, the call from one spot is joined by one from another, and another, and another. A second chorus can be heard in the distance to the south, filling in any gaps. On a still night, the natterjacks’ iconic singing carries for well over a kilometre.

“There!” A toad has crawled out of a pool and crosses in front of us, apparently unfazed by our presence. They don’t hop but ‘run’, though not at great speed! Despite the species’ distinctive yellow dorsal stripe, it blends in against the sandy soil and vegetation. We need our torches now – as much to

check the ground is clear before every careful step as to conduct the count we are here for. A powerful torch is even more vital than a decent insect repellent.

TOP RIGHT Waiting for darkness and the toads to emerge

INSET A natterjack burrow

RIGHT Ruth taking water temperature measurements

Ruth sets off to take and record temperature readings for the various pools as well as the air, and Oliver (a Natural England ranger who works within the National Nature Reserve and has also come along to experience the weekly natterjack survey first-hand) and I are each allocated a pool. “Take your time, go slowly round the edge, and count only the toads you see – not those you hear,” we are instructed. We're also told to keep a separate tally of smaller juvenile toads and any pairs seen in amplexus (the mating position) so the wardens and residential volunteers here will know where to look later for strings of spawn.

see are small, their presence just in that moment as we pass by suggests a sizeable population.

The task is like a challenge – it almost feels competitive, though I’m not sure if I’m silently taking on Oliver for the highest count or the toads themselves. It’s hard not to take it personally when you can hear one singing so loudly and clearly at your feet that you’re surprised it’s not actually leaning on your wellington boot, but there is nothing whatsoever to be seen!

The resurgence of this species on our coast is a fantastic success story. The colony had become so small that in-breeding was a problem for reproduction, and 15 years ago our warden team introduced spawn from healthy natterjacks in Bedfordshire. This, combined with tailored habitat management and monitoring has brought us to the situation today, where the original breeding pools are full and juvenile toads are finding new territories, spreading south and inland in particular, though currently it seems in all directions except out onto the saltmarsh. They’ve even been spotted in a children’s sandpit in a local resident’s garden!

adults and four juveniles, and it is still early in the season and coming off the back of a very cold spell during which the natterjacks went back into their hibernation places. Last year the peak count was 336 toads.

The noise by now is incredible. A rising and falling symphony of rolling croaks interspersed with sudden hushes that sounds somehow exotic and foreign, unlike anything we’d expect on our shores. I’m thrilled when I see my first natterjack mid-song, the throat sac where the air is vibrated to amplify the sound filling and deflating like a balloon.

We move on to a second site, scanning the terrain as we walk through the dunes. We spy several toads moving individually across or close to the path and Ruth records the exact location of every sighting. While the numbers we

The second set of pools we survey is far more overgrown and there is an additional element to contend with –frogs! Here the toads seem to stop for an interlude as we search and start up again almost as soon as we leave so the volume is always rising behind us. Again, the overwhelming impression is that there are infinitely more natterjacks living and thriving here than even the most impressive counts show.

We finish just before 1am. A few weeks deeper into the summer, as Ruth and her colleagues are turning off their torches, around 25 miles down the coast, another Trust warden will also be awake…

Linking up their habitat with wildlife corridors has enable them to move and discover suitable pools and hunting grounds. They like short grass and loose sandy soil so areas where rabbits are creating that exact environment are ideal. Another team is surveying towards the other end of their known territories tonight, working back towards us.

“When I started the night counts, we’d be happy to get six, seven, eight toads,” Ruth says. The total for us is 65

RIGHT Spot the natterjack! Most were on the move or singing at the edges of the pools amid the vegetation

Imagineit is 3am. You’re in a oneman tent tucked in among the dune vegetation. It’s been chosen to be as unobtrusive as possible, to avoid catching the eye or the wind, and you can barely sit up straight. When there’s no rain or strong breeze, you can hear the sea. Otherwise it’s quiet. If you’re lulled to sleep, you know your alarm will soon go off – as it does every 15 minutes until sunrise.

This is how the Trust’s shorebird warden spends the night throughout the nesting season at Gibraltar Point. The sanctuary area here – fenced off from the start of April until the end of August –allows rare birds like little tern and ringed plover, along with others that choose to breed on the sand and shingle, to create their scrapes, lay eggs and raise chicks undisturbed by people. Unfortunately these vulnerable species also face threats that are undeterred by polite ‘keep out’ signs. It is these and, in particular, the need to keep foxes away from these worryingly easy pickings that means the sanctuary is watched over around the clock at the most critical periods.

Four times an hour, the warden scrambles out of the tent and sweeps a powerful torch beam across the dunes and to the other side of the narrow tidal creek beyond. I went out with last year’s shorebird warden, Beth McGuire, and was instantly amazed at how attuned

her eyes were to the task. Where I saw nothing but the light of the torch in the darkness, she immediately pointed out eyeshine – tiny circles, relatively close and low. From the colour and location, she identified harmless brown hare. Seconds later, the beam froze again. Further away, two orbs seemed to be turned directly towards us. “Oi!” Beth yelled at the top of her voice. “Oi, Foxy!” There was little in the way of reaction from the shorebirds, settled in the darkness, even when the shouts were followed by blasts from an airhorn. Presumably they have become accustomed to it. The fox, too, simply watched for a while. Then it disappeared.

When repeated sweeps failed to pick anything up, I started to relax and trust that it had gone to look for a quieter meal elsewhere. Beth, though, was on edge. She’d experienced this before, only to have those eyes suddenly reappear dangerously close to the nests. Sure enough, perhaps 45 minutes later, the fox was back. Beth yelled and sounded the horn again and again, moving towards it but staying on the uneven, tussocky ridge to avoid the ultimate nightmare of treading on a nest. Eventually it seemed to decide that the commotion wasn’t worth it and walked slowly away, stopping to look back.

There is something timeless about the battle being fought here. It’s a low-tech stand-off, essentially relying on a person

being as alert as a fox – and more dogged. “I’ve lost my voice twice this year from shouting, which makes it harder,” Beth told me. “It’s a real whirlwind operation behind the scenes, and these birds are so rare here that every one we can help is worth all the effort, but it can sometimes feel like the odds are stacked against us.” As I left, she asked me to walk in the sea as I neared the sanctuary fencing so there'd be no footprints in the sand encouraging other people to venture this way. Walking in darkness amid the sound of the waves was strangely disorientating. Despite the always-visible Skegness lights and occasional headlights moving, it felt very remote. I saw Beth’s torch sweeping again – another 15 minutes. She still had hours until dawn.

She had already explained to me that daylight would only bring the briefest sigh of relief – and its own challenges. It’s a very active time for birds of prey, which are harder to deter than foxes. Carrying something to give you greater reach helps, but they can drop into the heart of the sanctuary and running headlong towards them isn’t an option when there’s a risk of trampling eggs or roving chicks. Further into the day crows are the greatest predator, but that battle would fall mainly to the reserve’s amazing volunteers, trying to keep the shorebirds safe until Beth’s alarm went off again.

LEFT Distant eyeshine in the torch beam reveals a hare, sometimes deer – or a fox ABOVE The view into the darkness from the doorway of the shorebird warden's tent, nestled in the dune vegetation in the sanctuary area

Sights, camera, action!

David Roberts is a volunteer at Willow Tree Fen and has taken hundreds of incredible photographs capturing the behaviour of the wildlife on this thriving nature reserve. Here he shares some of his favourite shots from the past year...

Someone remarked recently that I must be the most prolific crane photographer in the UK. I have no idea if it's true but it seems likely! I'm at Willow Tree Fen most days – I became a Crane Watch volunteer a couple of years ago, keeping an eye on what's going on and talking to visitors, but even if I don't have a shift, I'll pop down for a couple of hours. I've taken thousands of pictures. Of course they're not all of cranes. Willow Tree is a remarkable place. From the car park viewing area you can see marsh harriers, barn owls, sometimes short-eared owls (though I've never had one come in close enough for a good picture), occasionally a bittern, cuckoo, waterfowl, and we're getting more waders. Then there are brown hares, stoats and

weasels, dragonflies and damselflies, roe deer, otters, and badgers are caught at night on the trail-cams. The winter roost has become a popular spectacle – it's phenomenal the amount of wildlife that comes in to the reserve as it's getting dark. I don't usually go out for that, though, as there's not enough light to take pictures. Willow Tree has to be the best place in the country to see cranes and this year has been exceptional – there were days we had 25 or more. Normally I'd say you need a bit of patience but there have been so many around that people have turned up and been able to see them straight away. They're spectacular birds but not easy to photograph! The peak time for crane behaviour is from the end of January through to March, when they're

It's always a tense time when the cranes are nesting and there's relief and delight among the team when any chicks are seen. I was pleased to get this – one of this year's arrivals at a week or so old.

LEFT: I love watching and photographing owls. This barn owl came near the viewing area several times one evening. BELOW: Every autumn we get a few whinchats stopping by the reserve. This one stood out to me against a colourful background of docks.

fighting over territory and displaying. The photo on page 25 was taken in February during a fight that got quite heated. Then they settle down and the grass and reeds grow up, and you don't get to see much of them until – fingers crossed – they emerge with a chick or two. The most exciting moment I've had at Willow Tree was when I saw the chicks for the first time. It is challenging to get a shot of such a small subject at such a distance. The longer the lens you've got the better. You'll want fairly decent optics, binoculars or preferably a scope, to get the most out of a visit. The Crane Watch volunteers will often have them for you to use. But then sometimes the wildlife will take you by surprise and suddenly be there right in front of you.

Another on my wish list is to get some shots of hares boxing. I'm still trying but this picture of hares chasing around the reserve was satisfying to capture.

RIGHT: Swifts, swallows and house martins can be seen from the viewing platform. One of my ambitions is to photograph some in flight. These two were among the first to arrive this summer.

BELOW: Action shot of greylags at their most aggressive! There are always a few fights as they sort out their partners and territory.

LEFT: Willow Tree Fen is one of the best places to observe and photograph marsh harriers. Much of their behaviour can be captured, including nest building and food passes.

RIGHT: This otter appeared in daylight right in front of the viewing area. Its gleaming coat was almost black. It only showed itself for a few seconds, so I had to be quick!

Where the nightjarschurr

The peatland of Crowle Moor nature reserve is a place where nightjars still make their characteristic churring call and there are species that are found nowhere else in the county. Head of Communications Matthew Capper chatted to warden Matt Cox about this special landscape.

Matt Cox is a resourceful man. He has to be being based in the North West of the county, cut off from the rest of his colleagues by the River Trent. I’ve known him for a good few years with us having both worked for the RSPB; Matt as a warden at their Blacktoft Sands nature reserve, whilst I was working in the nearby Dearne Valley at RSPB Old Moor. Matt moved to the Trust first and he likes to tell me that where he led, I followed.

Matt is responsible for 11 reserves in his patch, which stretches from the Yorkshire border to the edge of the Lincolnshire Wolds. Many of these sit at the eastern edge of a flat, open landscape called the Humberhead Levels. Once this was a vast wetland, formed by the last ice age and later, as climatic conditions became wetter, extensive areas of bog, mire and fen were created, the remnants of which can still be found in the area today.

I chatted to Matt about one such area – a fantastic and little-known wildlife haven, although you might not think so from the

name. ‘Crowle Waste’ is a Trust reserve and forms part of the Humberhead Peatlands National Nature Reserve. Waste is an often-used local name for the area and still appears on many maps. However, with such negative connotations, it is one that Matt is not fond of. Its other name of Crowle Moor seems a far more fitting label for such a precious and biodiverse site.

It was April when we spoke and Matt was excited at the changing of the seasons. “In the spring and summer, Crowle really comes to life,” he told me. “Nightjars ‘churr’ over the heathland in the late evening and during the day, black darter dragonflies and large heath butterflies can be found –both of them now incredibly scarce species in Lincolnshire.” Mention cranes and you will probably think of Willow Tree Fen, another peatland site in the south of the county. But cranes have been breeding on

the adjacent Yorkshire side of the National Nature Reserve for years now and often pop across the border to Lincolnshire where they can occasionally be seen on Crowle, especially in the early spring.

Thousands

of years of history

Crowle Moor may sound like a wonderful example of an entirely natural habitat which has resisted the incursions of man from surrounding settlements, but the reality is that it is not. “Neolithic and Bronze Age trackways have been found in peat deposits on Thorne and Hatfield Moors,” Matt said. “People were already using these wetlands thousands of years ago.” Following this period, the climate turned wetter, land became waterlogged and vegetation therefore failed to rot in the anaerobic conditions and peats began to accumulate. Slowly building at a rate of

“The three metres of peat on Crowle Moor has taken 3,000 years to form”

FAR LEFT Nocturnal and superbly camouflaged, the distinctive call of nightjars is still heard at Crowle Moor in the spring and summer LEFT Historically the peat was milled on the adjacent Thorne Moor, stripping the land and creating a dry and dusty 'desert' ABOVE The landscape of Crowle Moor as it should be with dark peaty pools

around a millimetre every year, the three metres of peat on Crowle Moor has taken 3,000 years to form.

Like many beetle species, the mire pill-beetle is small and jet black. But unlike many others, this is a globally rare species and entirely reliant on rapidly vanishing peat habitats. In the UK, it has been recorded in only two places. Incredibly, when they were excavating the Bronze Age trackway a fragment of wingcase was collected and identified as this species. What was even more amazing was the more recent discovery that the beetle was still alive and well and living happily on site, 4,000 years later!

As the low-lying areas of the Levels became waterlogged and peat formed, the local population largely continued to live with the landscape, settling on the hills of the Isle of Axholme and exploiting the natural resources of fish, wildfowl and

seasonal grazing which the area provided. Limited attempts to drain the area were made, especially during the Roman and medieval periods, but it was not until around 400 years ago that engineers truly set about ‘redesigning’ this part of the Humberhead Levels. It was then that Dutchman Cornelius Vermuyden entered into an agreement with King Charles I to begin a campaign of drainage, cutting great channels and re-routing water courses in exchange for a proportion of the lands he had reclaimed.

This was the start of the destruction of the Levels; precious habitat was lost and the drying peat oxidised and began to release its carbon back into the atmosphere. In more recent times, things got even worse with the introduction of large diesel-powered milling machines. Systematically working their way back and forth across large chunks of the

landscape, they stripped off layer after layer of precious peat and by the final years of the 20th century, large areas of the Humberhead Peatlands had been reduced to a drained and dusty ‘desert’, devoid of vegetation. The reason for this was compost. Bags upon bags, shipped off to be sold in garden centres and used by the horticultural industry to grow plants.

According to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), peatlands cover just 3% of the world's land surface yet they store at least 550 gigatonnes of carbon globally – more than twice the carbon stored in all the world's forests. As such, it is a precious resource and one that we should not damage. Releasing that huge store of carbon, that has been locked in the soil for thousands of years, is catastrophic from a climate change perspective. Yet that is just what we have done to large areas of the

Crowle Moor

Size: 188 hectares

Parking is available at the council car park at the T-junction of Moor Road and Dole Road (SE 758 140)

What3words: ///composer.terminal.morphing lincstrust.org.uk/nature-reserves/ crowle-moor

wlemoo

LEFT Large heath butterflies are specialists of these wet peatlands

ABOVE Just 2-3mm in length, the UK population of mire pill-beetles is restricted to the Humberhead Levels

Humberhead Levels. Thankfully, Crowle was spared from the practice of strip milling and so much of the characteristic flora and fauna was able to retain a toe hold. However, it was not exempt from drainage and exploitation, and reversing that damage and switching Crowle from a site that is releasing its carbon back to one that is actively locking it away is very much what Matt and his volunteers have been working hard to achieve.

Support our work on peatlands

Help ensure that we can continue to manage Crowle Moor and create more opportunities for nature across the landscape by donating to the Nature Recovery Fund at lincstrust.org.uk

Watch the video

Scan the QR code to find out more about our work on Crowle Moor and Lincolnshire's peatlands by watching 'Our Need for Moor Space' with Matt Cox on YouTube.

Matt’s involvement at Crowle follows in the wake of a number of eminent naturalists of their day. He told me about a few, including the Reverends F Orpen Morris and EA Woodruffe-Peacock. His favourite though, was William Bunting –known locally as WB. Matt loves to quote Catherine Caufield’s book Thorne Moors, where she described WB as a “naturalist, archivist, inspiration and generally bad-tempered old sod”. And it was his somewhat rebellious actions, probably more than anyone else’s, that were responsible for saving much of Thorne and Hatfield Moors from their ultimate destruction and in prompting the Trust to take on Crowle and create the reserve we know today.

Back in 1969, the Central Electricity Generating Board put forward a proposal to tip 32 million tonnes of fly ash from the nearby Drax Power station onto the peatlands. They were seen as a convenient wasteland of little value but WB was having none of that. He convened a visit to show a delegation of representatives,

including from the Trust, round the site to generate interest and lobbied hard for the ‘wastes’ to be designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). On the back of this, the Trust negotiated a lease with Fisons Ltd, one of the major operators in the area, and then went on to purchase the freehold on 118 hectares of land in 1987. It has continued to acquire additional land to buffer the initial purchase and increase the resilience of this important site ever since.

Holding onto the water

In line with national trends, the pages of this magazine have been filled in recent times with talk of things like ‘ecosystem services’, ‘slowing the flow’ and ‘rewilding’. They may sound like new concepts and ones that nature organisations have only recently embraced. The reality is that people like Matt and his volunteers have been quietly getting on with all this stuff for many years.

“It’s a challenging site to manage,” Matt explained. “We rely very much on getting enough rainfall and keeping hold of it to keep the site wet throughout the year, at the same time as trying to maintain some access for our visitors. It’s often a compromise and frequently you’ll need your wellies if you want to have a wander round.”

Matt set out how the management priority for the site has been to rewet the peat by creating a high and stable water table. This serves to minimise any further losses of peat and in the long term, will

The round-leaved sundew has evolved a carnivorous diet because the acidic peaty soil doesn't provide sufficient nutrients

re-establish the growth of bog-forming mosses, helping to restore the habitats and once again allowing the site to sequester carbon from the atmosphere and lock it away.

The main tool that they have used has been to gradually block up ditches to hold the water back and stop it from escaping into the wider landscape. Initially, they installed dams made from wooden boards and birch logs were employed to plug any gaps. More recent interventions have used recycled plastic and steel piles to construct significant structures of greater length and depth, thus holding larger volumes of water over much greater areas. Possibly less obvious is the role trees have played in removing water from the site too. Past drainage allowed birch saplings to establish across large areas. As they grew, their roots sucked more and more water up from the ever drier peat bog and released it into the atmosphere through evapotranspiration. The more the site dried, the more suited it became for trees, causing an ever-increasing spiral of destruction. Matt is aware of the sensitivities as felling trees can outwardly seem destructive and controversial in a world where tree cover is frequently put forward as the solution to climatic issues. But scrub management and tree removal has been another essential element of the restoration work here as it helps to reduce losses of water by evapotranspiration.

Restoring at the landscape scale

The Trust’s land sits on the eastern boundary of the National Nature Reserve, surrounded by large agricultural fields and ribbons of differing land use, making it hard to hold back water without potentially impacting upon neighbouring land. “In order to truly deliver restoration at the landscape scale, we must look beyond our boundaries to the wider farmed environment,” Matt said. “We have had a good go at destroying the Levels and although much of what remains is now in conservation management, restoration is by no means an overnight process, nor one which we can achieve

“We rely very much on getting enough rainfall and keeping hold of it”

on our own. Increasingly, in the future it will be more and more important for us to work with our neighbours to manage land and resources for mutual benefit.”

Understandably this is talk that can make our neighbours uneasy; questioning how they can manage their land for nature whilst generating an income and producing food for the nation. While we are working hard to establish an open dialogue with adjoining landowners, uncertainty over the future of land management schemes continues to be a stumbling block to getting their buyin. However, there are currently many innovative trials going on, both at home and abroad, to develop more climate friendly systems – particularly those which do not require the withdrawal of farming or outright rewilding. Instead, it is hoped that the adoption of practices such as ‘wet farming’ and paludiculture may provide a viable long-term solution that allows us to work with our neighbours for the benefit of both people and wildlife.

The hard work of Matt and his team of volunteers is clearly paying off, bringing new life to the peat bogs of Crowle. Where

Matt Cox is the Trust warden for North-West Lincolnshire. Away from the Levels he pursues hillwalking and natural history, often simultaneously.

once birch woodland was taking a hold, now cotton grass sways back and forth in the breeze and if you look closely, tiny carnivorous round-leaved sundews can again be found in the wet flushes. I asked Matt if there is anything he does in particular to help the mire pill-beetle. He tells me, “No, as long as we are taking care of the peat habitat, protecting the reserve and have a mosaic within the site which provides the necessary micro-habitat that it requires, the beetle seems to be taking care of itself”.

All of this is fabulous news for a landscape that has been thoroughly abused and degraded for centuries. And chatting to Matt really reminds me that it is easy to focus on the bigger things at the expense of the small. The purchase of some land or a major project to restore a habitat gets rightly celebrated in the pages of this magazine. But we should also take pride in and celebrate those ‘smaller’, less obvious victories – such as the fact that the tiny footprints of a small black beetle have been sinking into the soft peat of Crowle for at least 4,000 years. Long may they continue to do so.

Matthew Capper is a keen birdwatcher and photographer. He is the Head of Public Engagement & Communications for the Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust.

MY WILD LIFE

Cicely Brayshaw

Livestock Assistant for the Lincolnshire Wildlife

Tell us a bit about yourself and how you came into your role of Livestock Assistant for the Trust.

I have always been passionate about the natural world and this developed into a specific interest in sustainable agriculture as I studied for my A-Levels. Subsequently, I studied geography at King’s College London and then gained experience working on sheep, beef and dairy farms, before coming to work for the Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust at the start of 2022.

When did you first get involved with looking after cattle?

I first started working with livestock in 2018, in the Zillertal in Austria. I worked on a micro-dairy, milking cows and then processing the milk into cheese and

butter. On my last day working there, I walked the cows up a steep narrow footpath to the ‘Alm’ – mountain pasture – where the cows spend the summer grazing before the snow cover returns to the mountains in autumn. It was very special to be part of such a traditional farming system.

In 2019, I began working on an organic dairy farm in North Yorkshire, rearing calves and milking 500 cows twice a day for Arla. It was a very different system to that in Austria, and although I learnt a lot about cattle while I was there, it was challenging to witness the working of an intensive agricultural operation. This experience led me to wonder how our farming system could be made sustainable, for the benefit of us, our planet and our livestock.

"The best part of my job is the variability from day to day, and witnessing how the landscape transforms through the grazing"

Trust

How did you come to own your own livestock?

In 2020, I met a landowner who was looking for animals to graze their organic farm. It was a great opportunity to get some animals of my own and raise them in a way that aligned with my values. I chose rare breed Northern Dairy Shorthorn cattle for their docile nature, small stature, and hardiness, which makes them a great choice for conservation grazing and outwintering. Likewise, I chose Black Welsh Mountain sheep for their ability to thrive in marginal habitats.

What’s the biggest challenge that comes with looking after livestock?

You definitely can’t expect everything to go to plan when working with livestock! When we need to get the sheep in for shearing, for example, we start trying to round them up from their various reserves and fields a week in advance, building in plenty of time for things to go wrong. If they are being especially mischievous, we call on the help of local volunteers as our human sheepdogs, and

we occasionally rope in passing members of the public to help too. Fortunately, everyone I work with has an amazing ability to remain calm and optimistic regardless of how many attempts it takes, and that is the most important character trait when it comes to working with livestock, because the animals definitely notice when we are stressed.

What is it like working day-to-day with livestock?

Getting to know the animals and their individual characters is very special. We have names for the cattle that stand out, such as Bouncing Betty who is known for her fence jumping abilities. The animals normally choose the weekends to escape, of course, and so there have been plenty of Sunday mornings when I have been herding animals and fixing fences. If there is a weakness in a fence line, they are sure to find it.

Calving and lambing are especially exciting times of year. Our first calf born in 2023 came along on Valentine’s Day evening. His mum did a good job calving on her own, so I left them both for an hour or so after he was born. I came back to check if he was suckling, and was rather surprised to find another newborn calf

sleeping contentedly alongside the first. Only 2% of cow pregnancies result in twins, and it was the first time this cow had calved, so she certainly wasn’t doing things by halves.

The best part of my job is the variability from day to day, and witnessing how the landscape transforms through the grazing and changing seasons. It is wonderful to nurture a relationship with all of the animals too.

How is the experience of living on a nature reserve?

It is an incredible privilege to live on a nature reserve, I imagine people’s wellbeing would be much better if everyone was able to do so. I think the most special experience is during the starling murmurations when I can barely see through my windows due to the concentration of starlings flying by and I certainly can’t hear anything because of the pitter-patter of many hundreds of feet on the roof.

Why are cattle important in conservation?

Cattle are important in conservation because large herbivores have played a significant role in shaping the habitats

Wilder Lincolnshire podcast

For the fourth episode of our Wilder Lincolnshire podcast back in April, we headed to the cluster of nature reserves around Woodhall Spa – including Woodhall Spa Airfield where Cicely lives and works. The episode shares a deeper insight into why cattle are an integral part of conservation and host Melvyn visits Cicely at the cattle handling facilities used by the Trust to learn a little bit more about her role. If you're interested in hearing more from Cicely, you can listen to the podcast online at the link below or watch the interview on our YouTube channel!

podcasters.spotify.com /pod/show/ lincs-wildlife-trust

that we are conserving. Grazing removes plant material gradually, leaving a mixedstructured sward, whereas mechanical cutting causes a lot more disturbance and leaves plants at an unnaturally uniform height. Leaving plant material in situ would result in a thatched sward through which no flowers could grow. Cattle trampling also helps to control more aggressive species, limit scrub development and creates areas of bare ground which act as a perfect seedbed. In addition, cowpats are valuable for supporting a diverse range of invertebrates. Hence, cattle help to create and conserve biodiverse habitats.

Do you have a favourite nature reserve or wild place in Lincolnshire?

It is so difficult to choose a favourite nature reserve in Lincolnshire; I haven’t been to every one but every one that I visit is special in its own way. As I spend so much time at Woodhall Spa Airfield, it is probably my favourite. The expansive views are very humbling and the historical aspect of the site makes it unique and thought provoking.

Cicely and a cow becoming acquainted at Frampton Marsh and a cow at Frampton Marsh

Sarah Ward works for Sussex Wildlife Trust as Marine Conservation Officer, delivering marine conservation, advocacy and engagement for the Sussex coast and sea.

Jellyfish

Sarah Ward, Marine Conservation Officer for Sussex Wildlife Trust, introduces you to the watery world of blue, mauve or translucent jellyfish around UK shores. Beware this story has a sting in its tail!

Jellyfish

ne Conser vation O fficer for Sussex Wildlife Trust, h ld f bl l

have existed on our planet in various guises for millions of years – they were drifting around before even the dinosaurs existed! In spite of their name, they are not fish at all, but are categorised in the group ‘cnidaria’ (which comes from the Greek word for ‘nettle’) and comprises various marine animals with stinging cells, including anemones and corals.

Jellyfish come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes – and an assortment of beautiful colours (although my personal favourite is the almost colourless moon jellyfish!). The smallest known jellies are around two centimetres wide, and the biggest can be up to two metres. A huge barrel jellyfish was spotted in Cornish waters in 2019, which was estimated to have been one and a half metres wide! Last summer here on the Sussex coast, we had a huge influx of jellyfish. I was lucky enough to witness the phenomenon during one of our Shoresearch surveys, where we recorded hundreds of them – there were at least three different species! It was amazing to see so many of them gently floating in tidal pools in the warm sunshine, having drifted to the coastline on the tide and left temporarily stranded as it retreated.

The influx had been witnessed by many local coast-goers, with Wildlife Trust social media accounts and inboxes being flooded with photos and questions like ‘why are there so many?’, ‘where have they come from?’ and ‘are they dangerous?’.

An increase in jellyfish numbers is not unusual during the summer, particularly if there’s been a spell of warm, settled weather. UK jellyfish

principally eat plankton – they will follow their source of food but as drifters they are not able to swim directionally. They drift in on currents and can sometimes be found in large numbers when they’ve all drifted together. Jellyfish reproduction also generally occurs in the height of summer, when males release their sperm into the sea, with hopes that a nearby female will suck it up into their stomach, where fertilisation occurs.

There are six species of jellyfish that can be seen on UK coasts: the mauve stinger, blue, barrel, lion’s mane, moon and compass jellyfish. There are also two jelly-like relatives, the Portuguese man-o-war and the by-the-wind sailor. All these are able to sting so it is best to be cautious. If you do get stung, the best thing to do is remove any stingers still attached (a credit card is good to use to scrape them off –avoid using your fingers as you’ll end up with stung fingers as well!) and rinse with water. For most people the pain is relatively mild and should subside within a few hours; over-the- counter painkillers or antihistamines can help. Medical advice should be sought if you have a severe reaction.

Remember that jellyfish can still sting when they’re dead, so it’s best not to touch if you see one washed up on the beach.

Have you seen a jellyfish in the UK sea? Check out the great identification guide at wildlifetrusts.org/identify-uk-jellyfish. You can also report your sightings to your local Wildlife Trust.

@JuliaBradbury

Julia Bradbury Nature is there for you

Vitamin N (for Nature) is good for you physically, mentally and physiologically, and walking is one of the most accessible activities and the easiest way to immerse yourself in it. You don’t need much expertise or equipment, or even an epic landscape; you just put one foot in front of the other. All my life, but even more so through my cancer diagnosis, and other challenging episodes, nature has been there for me. It’s brought me strength and mental clarity. And, as well as the obvious health benefits it brings, the outdoors is a treasure trove of inspiration and really gives me the space to think things through.

Yet, we know that one in two children spend less than a single hour outside every day. One of the barriers I’ve seen through my work with The Outdoor Guide and our Waterproofs and Wellies project is that, in many cases, children simply don’t have the appropriate clothing to spend time outdoors at school. Kids grow out of clothes so quickly, and with the difficult economic times we live in, it’s no surprise that many families struggle to keep up with constantly buying new items. We’re trying to remove this barrier by supplying schools with waterproofs and wellies to aid outdoor learning, enabling children to gain access to nature. Properly equipped, I hope that by spending more time outdoors, children will develop a meaningful connection with the natural world, as well as bringing those enriching experiences that I’ve found have been hugely beneficial in later life.

Nature may be the answer to the climate crisis, but it can also help us to deal with things in our personal lives. The benefits of being out in nature are tangible. When we’re out walking, we have the power to change

our pace and our mood. We can find union with nature, camaraderie with friends, and a form of inner peace with ourselves. Walking balances the soul and acts as a confidante and therapist and has been proven to soothe anxiety and stress. A mountain or a tree, a bird or a beetle, can keep you company in times of grief, celebration and solitude. Building nature into your everyday life creates many positive feedback loops, encouraging exercise, which in turn improves your diet, and enables you to sleep better and have better, more meaningful interactions with the world and the people around you. If you can’t escape for an hour, try five or 10 minutes in your lunch break. I call them Nature Snacks – just a few minutes every day is enough to revive and restore (although the longer the better in my opinion).

I worry that there is a real feeling of disconnection from nature in the current generation of children and young adults. So it’s important to try do our bit to remove barriers. There are many communities doing amazing work supported by The Wildlife Trusts Nextdoor Nature programmes. Schools, individuals and community groups are taking action for nature all across the UK, creating more and more small green spaces, which are especially important in urban areas. That little bit of treasured green space to grow food on and play in gently encourages children to see nature and nurture the spirit of working together.

Find out more about how Wildlife Trusts are helping to support community groups, thanks to funding from The National Lottery Heritage Fund. wildlifetrusts.org/nextdoor-nature

Julia Bradbury Sunday Times best-selling author of Walk Yourself Happy shares her passion for walking towards happiness with nature by her side. The Outdoor Guide Foundation has a simple aim; to make the outdoors more accessible for all – particularly children. Find out more at theoutdoorguide.co.uk

A journey of hope towards nature’s recovery

Dr Rob Stoneman, Director of Landscape Recovery at The Wildlife Trusts, shares his vision of a Wilder Isles.

Memories of childhood – those long summer days messing around by the river. My little patch of childhood heaven lay underneath an old bridge made of the local limestone speckled with fossils from long ago. We floated out on tractor inner tubes or caught the tiddlers –mottled brown bullheads, minnows and sticklebacks – and hunted for crayfish. The river danced with mayfly – food for grey wagtails, swallows and martins. Banished to memory only, for later, the dredgers moved in, deepening the river and removing the riverside plants. The floodplain field’s old pasture was stripped and re-seeded to grow landscaping turf. Bullheads are now a red data book endangered species and native crayfish not far from extinct.

It’s a story that can be told across Britain – the last few decades have been calamitous for wildlife. Almost every measure you use shows that same picture.

Kent Wildlife Trust’s splatometer is a good example. This measures the number of insects that (sadly) get splattered on your number plate. Comparisons between 2005 and 2020 shows a 50% decline. That insect apocalypse plays out as far fewer pollinators, essential for our real food security, and is already reducing the UK £100m apple crop. The song of the dodo will now never be known but its message is clear – the fragmentation of wildlife habitat drives species extinctions but equally the opposite is true.

The source of many a British river is high on the blanket bogs of our uplands. These peaty waters run the colour of tea, especially after storms as the peat washes out. Yet on a rain-lashed day, I sit on the banks of the River Feshie looking at trout in crystal clear water, for Glen Feshie has been ‘rewilded’. Likewise, as those increasingly intense summer droughts take hold, the tributaries of the River Otter in Devon remain as green oases, for the River

Otter has another charismatic mammal in its reach – beavers.

During Storm Desmond, which caused havoc in Cumbria as floodwaters burst out of the rivers and into the homes and livelihoods of the people of Carlisle or Cockermouth, one river stayed in its banks. The River Liza had been restored to its natural function, braiding and meandering, accumulating logs and stones so that when the storm hit, the Liza’s natural obstructions held the water back, filtering it and releasing it more slowly. Imagine, the cost saving if all the streams of the Lake District National Park were allowed to run natural and free.

In all these cases, people have intervened to restore the natural processes that bring nature back to balance and back to abundance. From peatland rewetting to leaving dead wood on a tree, to reconnecting a river to its floodplain, reintroducing natural grazing or bringing back top predators such as lynx and wolves, they are all interventions that bring natural function back to our landscapes and to our lives.

The results are spectacular. Dorset and Hampshire & the Isle of Wight Wildlife

European bison have been reintroduced to Kent Wildlife Trust’s Blean Woods nature reserve

Trusts have acquired farms and taken them out of arable farming to ease the pollution pressure on coastal ecosystems. Rooting by pigs (we are not allowed to reintroduce wild boar yet), extensive seminatural grazing by hardy cattle (a proxy for the long-extinct auroch that once roamed Britain) and re-naturalising streams work alongside the natural recolonisation by wildlife. Fields once almost devoid of wildlife are now full of finches, buzzing with insects and multi-coloured once more with flowers and scrub.

On a tributary of the River Otter, a shallow flooded field oozes with beauty and splendour of wildlife returning in profusion. Herons, egrets and waders poke the wet soil for food whilst damsel and dragonflies stalk the sweeps of purple

and yellow flowers. This return of wildlife abundance cost nothing, required no permissions and was not planned. Rather it resulted from a pair of beavers deciding this place would make a wonderful place to call home.

I return to my childhood memories once more – this time cowboy movies with buffalo on the Great Plains of North America. Magnificent beasts racing across the open grasslands. Only later did I learn that there were over 60 million of these mighty beasts just a few centuries ago and only 547 left by 1880 – an incredible decline and testament to rapid agriindustrialisation of the Plains following

European emigration. And much later, I learned that Europe had buffalo too – European bison – whose decline had preceded their American cousins much earlier leaving less than 50 animals by the 1920s.

Yet, as in North America, captive breeding and eventual wild release has re-established European bison, albeit still at fairly low numbers. Imagine then, the excitement of seeing wild bison once again in Europe. This time in the high Carpathian Mountains of Romania – a brief heartpumping encounter deep in the beech woods. Imagine excitement doubled at the prospect of bison in Britain, yet this is exactly what Kent Wildlife Trust has achieved at Blean Woods.

Restoring natural processes – whether bison in woodlands or sphagnum once more flourishing on an upland moor or an old oak being given the grace to gently rot from its core over many hundreds of years – is changing the way we think about how to restore nature. What is so exciting about this way of thinking – rewilding, is that it gives us an approach, a way of working where we can have a realistic chance of turning the nature and climate crisis around.

"For this does not need to be a tale of doom"

The Missing Lynx Project is exploring the potential for a lynx reintroduction in northern England

This is a message of hope that lights the path through. It starts with a rewilding of our imagination, it continues with deliberate interventions to restore natural processes, it culminates in a rapid rushing back of wildlife. If we give wildlife space, it will return.

Join this rewilding revolution. Rewild your garden. Adding dead wood, a pond and putting in some structure – a bit of shrubbery for example – has been shown to vastly increase garden wildlife diversity and abundance. Encourage your local school to let the grounds go a bit wilder; ask the Council to plant street trees and leave the grass long in the local park; ask your MP to ban burning on upland moors and allow sphagnum to recover and while you’re at it, ask them to get on with licensing beaver reintroductions. Rewilding is a journey – a continuum of increasing wildness from window box to National Parks that go way beyond looking pretty and have their wildlife restored. This is a journey of hope and recovery. A journey towards our much wilder isles.

Dr

Rob Stoneman

is Director of Landscape Recovery at The Wildlife Trusts.

Lincolnshire's role in the

Wilder Isles

Lincolnshire is one of the most intensively farmed areas of the UK but our county and the Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust are at the forefront of initiatives that allow landscapes to recover and natural processes to return. We are working on landscape-scale partnership projects and advising landowners and farmers. This might take the form of surveys and practical advice, such as on the best location to create a new farmland pond. It could mean identifying areas of damaged habitat and planning restoration works. Or it might involve practical measures such as providing 'green hay' from our reserves to establish new wildflower-rich meadows elsewhere.

our reserves to establish

Lincolnshire rewilding projects

Wilder Humber

Wilder Humber’s ambitious programme seeks to restore marine habitats and species throughout the Humber estuary. Delivered through a pioneering conservation partnership between Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust, Yorkshire Wildlife Trust and international green energy leader Ørsted, it will trial a seascape -scale model, combining sand dune, saltmarsh, seagrass, and native oyster restoration to maximise conservation and biodiversity benefits. lincstrust.org.uk/wilder-humber

Fens East Peat Partnership (FEPP)

Following detailed surveys of peat depth, archaeology and the levels of degradation at 20 peatland sites in Cambridgeshire, Lincolnshire, Norfolk and Suffolk, FEPP was awarded a Nature for Climate Restoration Grant to undertake the restoration work on 16 of the sites. As the sites are restored, greenhouse gas emissions will be reduced and Fen peatland biodiversity will begin to develop and increase. lincstrust.org.uk/FEPP

Wilder Doddington

The Doddingon Estate has ended arable farming and is letting nature take over. Low intensity grazing will allow the development of wood pasture, wetlands and species-rich grassland across the previously extensively drained and conventionally farmed estate. doddingtonhall.com/wilder

Boothby Wildland

On this former arable farm, fields are gradually being released from intensive cereal production. Once natural vegetation has a chance to re-establish, free-roaming herbivores will be introduced to kickstart dynamic natural processes and drive ecosystem recovery. nattergal.co.uk/boothby-wildland

Wild Wrendale

After struggling to make the farm profitable, commercial food production ceased in 2019. The unproductive soils and low-lying land that often stood wet in winter and was baked hard in summer, are managed for the benefit of nature and are home to Lincolnshire's first beavers for 400 years.

wildwrendale.co.uk

Episode 2 of our Wild Lincolnshire podcast came from Wild Wrendale and Sow Dale nature reserve. Search for it wherever you listen to podcasts or watch the video at: youtube.com/LincolnshireWildlifeTrust

Trust Conservation Officer Beth Fox planting seagrass at Horseshoe Point

Signs of beaver activity at Wild Wrendale

Secrets of success with peat-free compost

Selecting plants is one of the most exciting parts of gardening, but compost choice can determine a great deal of success in the garden.

When selecting a compost, the most important thing is to look for a peat-free label. Taking peat out of the ground destroys important habitats and releases large amounts of stored carbon into the atmosphere, so gardening peat-free is an easy way to take positive action for wildlife and climate. If you can’t find peat-free stated on the bag, then the chances are the product contains peat. Something marked as organic or environmentally-friendly doesn’t necessarily mean it’s peat-free.

Peat-free mixes contain more microbes, many of which are beneficial for your plants but can change how the compost performs the longer they are left in the bag. To get the best from your compost, we recommend using it in the growing season you bought it or within a year of the manufacture date. If you are using smaller amounts of specialist mixes,

such as ericaceous compost for acid-loving plants, you could share with a friend or local gardening group to save on cost.

Not every peat-free mix will be a perfect fit for every gardener, so try a couple of different types to find one that suits your plants and growing environment. Peat-free compost has come a long way, with a wide range for every need and plant type available. All peat-free mixes are different, so you might also need to adjust watering and feeding a little. As a general rule, peat-free may need to be watered little and often compared to peat.

Getting to know what you need from your compost and which products give healthy, longlasting plants can unlock a whole new world of gardening success for anyone, even if you don’t have the greenest fingers!

Claire Thorpe is the peat-free campaign manager for the RHS, and is passionate about helping people garden sustainably.

Meadows

A wildflower patch full of native annuals like ox-eye daisy won’t need any compost at all, as these plants prefer low nutrient soils, so you can sow directly into bare ground.

Veg

Soil improvers and manures, which contain lots of organic matter, can add nutrients without the need for lots of fertiliser.

Seeds

Seed and cutting compost is specially mixed to suit these young plants, being much finer and containing less slow-release feed than multipurpose compost. The fine texture is especially important for small seeds like foxglove.

Trees and hedges

As well as being brilliant for wildlife, trees and hedge plants often come bare root (not in a pot), so you can plant in the ground, just adding some mulch. Home compost or leaf mould are easy mulches to make yourself.

As well as in compost, peat can be found in bedding plants and potted house plants. Help us raise awareness of ‘hidden peat’ by becoming a peat inspector: wildlifetrusts.org/ban-sale-peat ontaine

Peat-free compost is prone to a dry top so check with your finger to see if there is moisture lower down in the container and aim to keep compost just moist, stopping watering before it runs out the bottom.

Specialist plants

Look for products labelled as working for plant groups that need specific soil conditions (e.g. carnivorous sundews or ericaceous cranberries), as multipurpose compost won’t provide the conditions they need to grow well.

Pond plants

Use special aquatic mixes to fill pond basket planters, these are formulated to ensure nutrient release is slower, stopping leaching into the pond which can cause algal growth.

Houseplants

One of the biggest killers of houseplants is overwatering. Mixing houseplant-specific compost with grit or fine bark will help stop root rot by improving drainage.

What's your wild side?

MATT VICKERS

Roadside Nature Reserve warden

I've been looking after the Roadside Nature Reserve (RNR) at Eagle for a decade, and took on the one at Torksey about two years ago. They're very different sites and I enjoy the variety. Eagle's only around a mile from home so I can walk or cycle down in my lunch hour. It's on the edge of ancient woodland with species such as bluebells, wood avens, betony and dog's mercury. Torksey is a relatively short stretch alongside a golf course – open grassland with some scrub at one end, on quite free-draining soil. I do an occasional butterfly survey or flowering plant survey, and there's ongoing monitoring of the species that are there and the health of the verge, but you definitely don't have to be an expert.

The stretch of verge at Torksey that volunteer Matt Vickers looks after for the Trust, and (inset) Essex skipper photographed there last summer oeswithoutthearmyof g

The Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust simply couldn't do what it does without the army of volunteers who give so much of their time, effort and experience. Meet some of them here and find out more about their very different roles and why they do them.

Just have an interest in wildlife and a decent wildflower book! I'm hopeless at grasses, but no one expects you to know everything. There are three training evenings each year, where we can share knowledge and find out how others got involved. We meet at a different RNR each time, there are usually a couple of expert botanists and we do a survey together.

Otherwise the role is mostly caretaking – reporting lost or damaged marker posts and any other issues, such as the grass being cut without consent, and making sure there's no rubbish. That's particularly important in the summer, ahead of the verge being mown and the green hay spread on other sites to increase their biodiversity, or harvested to feed livestock over the winter. The RNR at Eagle is a fairly narrow strip, about half a mile long, on a remote road and the amount of litter discarded there is ridiculous at times. It does make you despair, but it's satisfying to be able to clear it away.

A lot of people don't realise the RNRs exist so it's really positive being able to explain to local residents as they pass that this verge is being managed for the plants and how. One person had seen me in my hi-vis jacket picking up litter and thought I was doing community service!

SUE NOCK

Volunteer administrator

I lived in Skegness for most of my childhood. As a family we spent a lot of time at Gibraltar Point and Wainfleet Marsh. My father was a keen birdwatcher, and we would spend many hours walking and sitting quietly in hides. I still enjoy the big Lincolnshire skies and the love of nature has stayed with me.

As an adult I have continued to walk in the countryside and watch wildlife wherever I may be. My retirement was brought forward with the Covid pandemic and this also highlighted my need to be amongst people. I thought of volunteering for the Trust but, as much as I would love to work outside, my days of scything brambles and clearing footpaths are over, and what digging I

PHIL DRURY

Engagement volunteer

Having a lifelong interest in nature and wildlife, volunteering provides me with the opportunity to do more of what I enjoy and keep active. My role at Gibraltar Point covers many aspects and no two days are the same. I might be helping with specific activities or events, or walking across the whole reserve, chatting to visitors at the viewpoints, the hides, the beach and even in the car parks. It might just be directions to the beach, or a longer conversation about the wildlife to be seen or the history of the site.

From time to time I get to work with the reserves team and other volunteers, assisting with tasks such as gathering the Hebridean sheep for their annual shear or the spring clean-up in The Plantation.

am able to do I save for my garden. So I looked at the website to see what else was available and applied to work in the Education Centre at Whisby.

Initially I supported the education programme in the classroom but it quickly became clear that where help was really needed was in the office. Although it is much maligned, good administration is really important to any organisation. If things don’t run smoothly behind the scenes then everything soon comes to a grinding halt. I've been welcomed as a valued member of the team where everyone lends a hand. The wardens got to hear about me and I was also asked to digitalise the observation records for the reserve going back to the 1970s! Even as an admin volunteer, I am learning about wildlife all the time.

Currently I can only commit three hours a week, but I am hoping to increase this as my time

Helping the shorebird warden to protect the little tern and ringed plover nesting areas during the breeding season allows me to spend lots of time out on the beach. You don't need vast wildlife knowledge – enthusiasm and interest are far more important. And the confidence to talk to people, but that grows the more you do it. It’s pleasing to know that speaking to a young family could help spark an interest in nature, or a few words with a couple out walking might encourage them to come back again and again. All training and information is provided, and everyone at Gibraltar Point, from the education and field staff to the team at the Visitor Centre, is so welcoming and appreciative. I can spend as much, or little, time as I like and volunteer on the days that work best for me. I get to see the seals almost every time I’m there and I keep ticking species off the rarity list. This year I’ve added waxwings, crossbills and bearded tits.

I’ve also just joined the work party at the Woodhall Spa Airfield reserve, where a lovely group of people do a variety of tidy-up and conservation work each week –it's great fun!

Phil preparing an exhibit of beach finds at the Old Coastguard Station

allows. My role is very varied and includes answering emails, compiling contact lists to promote courses, researching the content and designing posters, collating information for reports, and helping to organise events.

There are many varied opportunities within the Trust and like me you may find that what you volunteered for develops into something rather special.

It's over to you...

Interested in getting involved?

Here are just a few of our current opportunities:

Shorebird volunteers at Gibraltar Point Only available for the summer? We need friendly volunteers on the beach until 1 September to explain to the many visitors about the importance of the shorebird sanctuary area and what's happening inside it.

Already a volunteer? You could share your story on these pages by emailing us at info@lincstrust.co.uk

Centre maintenance volunteers at Far Ings

If you know one end of a toolbox from the other and enjoy a bit of DIY, we'd love to hear from you. There are always basic checks, repairs or improvements that would help things run more smoothly at our busy visitor centre, shop and education facilities.

Dog ambassadors at Whisby

We're looking for dogs and their owners who love walking on Whisby's more than five miles of paths to set a great example for sharing the site responsibly with the wildlife that lives there, and to chat to others they meet about doing the same.

scan here Visit our website for more details and a range of other regular, seasonal or occasional volunteer roles at lincstrust.org.uk/ volunteering-opportunities or email volunteers@lincstrust.co.uk

RIGHT: Sue busy in the office at Whisby Education Centre

AREA GROUP NEWS

Our local groups provide the perfect opportunity to meet like-minded people, share interests, get outdoors and have fun. Local Area Groups organise walks, indoor talks and other events. Everyone is welcome.

Boston Area Group

A lively spring walk

We met up on a very windy April Sunday at Tortoiseshell Wood and Meadows. There was a hare in the field and as we walked through the meadows, three red kites were circling overhead. In the wood many bluebells were in flower together with wood anemone, lesser celandine and primroses. Back in the meadow we found one early purple orchid and some beautiful pale pink cuckooflowers. We had a very convivial picnic lunch, serenaded by dunnock, robin and great tit, and then drove to Lawn Wood and Castle Bytham Meadows. There were more spring flowers including bugle and greater stitchwort and we could see a herd of fallow deer in the distance. As we reached the end of our walk through the wood the sun came out and several butterflies emerged. A bright green male brimstone zoomed past, a peacock was basking and there was a pair of spiralling speckled woods. A great finish to a lovely day out. Gill Walsh lincstrust.org.uk/boston

Gainsborough Area Group

Upcoming talks and events

All talks are held on a Wednesday, 7.30pm at Gainsborough Methodist Church, North St, Gainsborough, DN21 2HP. Find more details for the outdoor visits on the website.

Talk: The Natterjack Toad of Donna Nook, 18 September

Talk: Adders In Lincolnshire, 16 October

Talk: The Sands And Peats Of North West Lincolnshire, 20 November

Walk: Owlet Plantation, Wednesday 24 July, 7pm Walk: Fungus Foray, Sunday 6 October, 10am

Keep up to date with the Gainsborough blog! Gainsborough Area Group post twice yearly updates on all their events and meetings, sharing pictures and reports from their talks.

Why not have a read at: lincstrust.org.uk/blog/gainsborough-area-group

Upcoming talks

All talks are held on a Thursday, 7.30pm at Centenary Methodist Church, Red Lion Street, Boston, PE21 6NY.

Talk: Natterjack Toads, 10 October

Talk: Wildlife of Albania, 14 November

Talk: British Wildfowl, 12 December

South Holland Area Group

Upcoming talks and events

All talks are held on a Tuesday, 7.30pm at Pinchbeck Village Hall, Knight Street, Pinchbeck, Spalding, PE11 3XA

Talk: Wicken Fen: 125 Years Conservation, 8 October

Talk: Britain’s Fungal Tapestry, 12 November

Talk: Plastics In Our Oceans, 10 December

Village Hall Coffee Morning, Saturday 16 November, 10am

Market Rasen Area Group

Upcoming talks

All talks are held on a Friday, 7.30pm at Middle Rasen Village Hall, Wilkinson Drive, Middle Rasen, LN8 3LD

Talk: An Introduction to British Orchids, 27 September

Talk: Lincolnshire Coastal Wildlife, 18 October

Talk: The Sands and Peats of North West Lincolnshire, 22 November

Scunthorpe Area Group

Upcoming talks and events

All talks are held on a Thursday, 7.30pm at St Hugh’s Church, Ashby Road, Scunthorpe, DN16 2AG.

Find more details for the weekend walks on the website.

Talk: Flora and Fauna of Taiwan, 12 September

Talk: Rewilding Doddington, 10 October

Talk: British Wildfowl, 14 November

Walk: Scotton Common, Saturday 27 July, 10am Children's Fun Day at Messingham Sand Quarry, Sunday 18 August, 10am

Alford Area Group

Get in touch!

If you are local to the Alford and Mablethorpe area and want to find out more about your Area Group, please email georgierichardson@hotmail.com Georgie and John Richardson lincstrust.org.uk/alford-mablethorpe

Upcoming talks and events

All talks are held on a Thursday, 7.30pm at St Wilfrid’s Church Hall, Church St, Alford, LN13 9EG.

Please use the above email to book a place on the visits.

Talk: Environmental Features and Food Production, 19 September

Talk: Wildlife Crime, 24 October

Talk: Wild Wrendale, 21 November

Visit to Swinn Wood, Aby, Saturday 13 July, 10.45am Seed Collecting at Red Hill, Thursday 8 August, 6pm

Sleaford Area Group

Get in touch!

If you are local to the Sleaford area and want to find out more about your Area Group, email anthea@pantash.plus.com Anthea Ashmore lincstrust.org.uk/sleaford

An active year for Sleaford

We've had a reasonably good year, and in the last few months numbers at our meetings have increased; it has been really good to see some new faces. We had a hugely successful day at the Joseph Banks Centre in Horncastle in July that followed Paul Scott’s talk in May. We learnt a lot about this great naturalist and explorer, life at the time, and the Roman, and subsequent, history of that very interesting town. A well attended Christmas meal at Woodland Waters took place in December and numerous small groups have visited sites including a visit to Willow Tree Fen to see the increasing numbers of cranes.

Horncastle Area Group

Upcoming talks and events

All talks are held on a Thursday, 7.30pm at Banovallum House, Manor House Street, Horncastle, LN9 5HF.

Find more details for the Saturday walks on the website.

Talk: The History and Wildlife of The Fens, 21 November

Walk: Kirkby Gravel Pits, Saturday 10 August, 11am

Walk: Roughton Moor Woods & Kirkby Moor, Saturday 7 September. Come to either or both walks: 11am at Roughton Moor and 1.30pm at Kirkby Moor.

Grimsby Area Group

Upcoming talks and events

All talks are held on a Monday, 7.30pm at Grimsby Town Hall, Grimsby, DN31 1HU.

Find more details for the walks on the website.

Talk: Lincolnshire Wildlife and Beyond, 7 October

Talk: Woodhall Spa – The First 5 Years, 11 November

Talk: Birds of the Gambia, 9 December

Walk: Irby Dales, Saturday 13 July, 8am

Walk: Donna Nook, Wednesday 27 November

Bourne Area Group

Upcoming talks

All talks are held on a Wednesday, 7.30pm at Methodist Church Hall, Bourne, PE10 9EF.

Talk: Birding By Numbers, 11 September

Talk: The Deer In Lincolnshire, 9 October

Talk: Wildlife Gardening, 13 November

Upcoming talks and events

All talks are held on a Tuesday, 7.30pm at Winchelsea Hall, Ruskington NG34 9DY.

Talk: Planning and the South Lincolnshire Reservoir, 17 September

Talk: Reclaiming Nature at Whisby Park, 15 October

Talk: Exploring Queensland Australia, 19 November

Our talks have been really interesting, including our own Rob Oates on 'Birds in Winter', Steve Lovell on 'Brown Bears in Finland', and John Badley updating us on Frampton Marsh (which is shortly to have disabled scooters available) and Freiston (which will soon have toilets on site). A trip to the Farne Islands with overnight stay is being planned. Anthea Ashmore lincstrust.org.uk/sleaford

Grantham Area Group

Talk on Nene Washes

In April, the group was pleased to welcome Peter Beckenham, the Warden at RSPB Nene Washes, who gave us a talk, accompanied by slides, on the challenges of managing this important wetland site just east of Peterborough. The total area of the site is 1,500 hectares with 800 hectares being managed by the RSPB. There are many raised banks (roddens) resulting from oxidised peat and this helps create an important wading bird habitat with breeding lapwing, redshank and cranes. It’s also the main UK breeding site for black-tailed godwits and an important wintering site for shoveler, pintail, wigeon and teal. European eel and spined loach are both found on the reserve as are a variety of plants like the adder’s tongue fern and early marsh orchid. Peter explained that the reserve is normally a mosaic of pools, grassland and islands but recent heavy rains have jeopardised nesting opportunities for many of the regular bird species

Barton Area Group

Upcoming talks and events

All talks are held on a Wednesday, 7.30pm at Far Ings Visitor Centre.

All Saturday field trips meet at Ness End Farm, Far Ings National Nature Reserve, Barton-upon-Humber, DN18 5RG at 9am.

Find more details on the website.

Talk: Vine House Farm Bird Foods, 18 September

Talk: Cranes of Willow Tree Fen, 16 October Members photographic evening, 13 November

Full day field trip: Millington Woods/Pocklington canal/ Kiplingcotes, Saturday 20 July, 9am

Walk: Killingholme Haven, Wednesday 14 August, 6.15pm

Moth and Bat Evening, Saturday 3 August, 8pm

Full day field trip: Filey, Saturday 21 September, 9am

Full day field trip: Scarborough/ Flamborough, Saturday 19 October, 9am

Half day field trip: North Cave Wetlands, Saturday 16 November, 9am

Social Night and Quiz, Friday 6 December, 7.30pm

Lincoln Area Group

Get in touch!

If you are local to the Lincoln area and want to find out more about your Area Group, please email janetmellor31@btinternet.com to be added to our mailing list.

Richard Davidson lincstrust.org.uk/lincoln

and the pattern of increasing floods will make future water management challenging. Retrieving stranded cows from ditches was part of that challenge! There was an enthusiastic response to Peter’s excellent talk with many members interested in visiting this important site in future.

Alan Lean lincstrust.org.uk/grantham

Upcoming talks

All talks are held on a Friday, 7.30pm at St John’s Church Community Hall, Manthorpe, NG31 8NF.

Talk: The Wildlife of Northern Macedonia, 11 October

Talk: The Life and Times of a Famous Lincolnshire Knight, 8 November

Talk: Wild Kazakhstan, 13 December

Spilsby Area Group

Upcoming talks

All talks are held on a Thursday, 7.30pm at Franklin Hall, Spilsby, PE23 5LA.

Talk: Special Event: Anna-Louise Pickering, photographer and daughter of artist Pollyanna, talks on 'The Spirit Of The Jaguar – Their Travels In Brazil', 5 September

Talk: Natterjack Toads and Grey Seals, 3 October

Talk: A Visit to the Yorkshire Dales, 7 November

Talk: National Trust – Nature Conservation in Lincolnshire and Beyond, 5 December

Helping Nature Recover

Stef Round, Chair of Spilsby Area Group, presented a cheque for £2,200 to Paul Learoyd, Trust Chief Executive, at their AGM in April. The money will go towards the Nature Recovery Fund, which is supporting important conservation work carried out by the Trust throughout Lincolnshire.

Stef Round lincstrust.org.uk/spilsby

Upcoming talks and events

All talks are held on a Thursday at 7.30pm at Whisby Education Centre, Moor Lane, Thorpe-on-the-Hill, Lincoln, LN6 9BW.

Talk: The Geology of the Lincolnshire Wolds, 19 September

Talk: The Magic of Mosses and Liverworts, 17 October

Talk: Exciting Times at Wilder Doddington, 21 November

Get involved with your local Area Group – we have 16 across Lincolnshire. For more details of events and meetings near you, go to: lincstrust.org.uk/area-groups

EVENT HIGHLIGHTS

FAMILY ACTIVITIES

Wildlife Tales

Far Ings Visitor Centre, 24 July

Explore the folklore and stories associated with some of the plants and animals at Far Ings. £5 per child, please book in advance.

Marvellous Minibeasts

Far Ings Visitor Centre, 1 August

A chance to look closely at some of the small creatures that make their homes at Far Ings and enjoy some minibeast crafts. £5 per child, please book in advance.

Sea Dipping

Gibraltar Point, 2 August, 11am to 1pm

Have a go at sea dipping in the North Sea to see what amazing animals you can find living beneath the waves. Free, please book in advance.

Pond Dipping

Far Ings Visitor Centre, 7 August

Drop in during the morning or afternoon to see what you can find living under the water. £3 per child.

GET WILD AT WHISBY THIS SUMMER!

Whisby Education Centre

Join us for some wild activities for families during the summer holidays. Each activity day has an AM option (10am – 12pm) and a PM option (2pm – 4pm). Admission is £5 per child, bookable online. Suitable for all young children aged 5 years plus and their young-at-heart adults. More information on the events page on the website.

Pond Dipping, 26 July

Minibeast Safari, 30 July

Storytelling & Folklore, 8 August

Meet a Tree & Den Building, 14 August

Nature & Me, 20 August

Journey Sticks & Scavenger Hunts, 29 August

Thank You Nature, 3 September

Enjoyed one of our events? Tag us on social media:

Reserve Open Day

Far Ings Visitor Centre, 15 August, 11am to 3.30pm

A chance to meet staff and volunteers who can give insights into the wildlife, join in with activities and crafts. Free.

Marine Day

Gibraltar Point, 20 August, 11am to 3pm

Join us for our marine-themed drop-in session at Gibraltar Point where there will be a trail, sea dipping and crafts. £5.

Nature In Me

Far Ings Visitor Centre, 21 August

A chance to take part in some activities using your senses to explore your own connection to the natural world. £5 per child, please book in advance.

Nature Journeys

Far Ings Visitor Centre, 27 August

Drop into the Visitor Centre to collect a scavenger hunt and/or create a journey stick to take you on a journey around the reserve. £3 per child.

NEXTDOOR NATURE DAY

28 September, 10am to 5pm

Whisby Education Centre

Join the Trust and community groups from across the county to share experiences and inspiration on taking local action for wildlife. There will be activities and workshops that are designed to help people develop their community green space, survey and identify wildlife. The day will also include the finals of the Lincolnshire Environmental Awards 2024.

ADULT WORKSHOPS AT WHISBY

Our workshops are aimed at those looking to improve their knowledge in a range of nature-based subjects. For more details and to book, please check the events page on our website.

Pond Dipping for Adults

, 27 July

Late Summer Plants, 31 August

Forage Kitchen, 21 September

Whittling, 27 October

Willow Weaving, 30 November

ARTEFACT II EXHIBITION

27 July to 11 August

Our Artefact Exhibition is back at the Old Coastguard Station, Gibraltar Point. Come along to admire the art created by resident artist, Mark, using the litter 'excavated' and cleaned from our coast. Free.

WHALE AND DOLPHIN WATCHING

27 & 28 July, 10am to 4pm

Join our Coastal Warden at the Round-and-Round Hide, Anderby Creek, as we look for whales, dolphins and porpoises as part of National Whale & Dolphin Watching Weekend. Drop-in at any time between 10am and 4pm. Free.

Friday Wanders

Join a member of local wildlife content creators, Bearded Birders, on the first Friday of every month for a gentle wander around Far Ings to enjoy the scenery, wildlife and birds. This peaceful stroll is completely free and suitable for anyone who would like to enjoy the reserve in the company of other people.

Check the events page of the website for more details.

Engaging with young people

Our Wildlife Watch groups get involved with a wide range of activities. In February, Alford Watch Group planted a hedge. Words and illustration by Jay Morris, Alford Wildlife Watch group leader.

Our Alford Wildlife Watch group of children and parents took on the task of planting 150 metres of brand-new native British hedgerow at the South Ormsby Estate on a chilly February Sunday afternoon.

We met up with expert hedging contractors Andy and Angie, who explained the process to everyone, demonstrating how their specially

designed, home forged tool – ‘the bodger’ or was it ‘the podger’? – a pogo stick type design, is used to pierce through the biodegradable weed-suppressing membrane every foot and wiggled around to create the planting hole. This implement proved not only effective but extremely popular as it was great fun to jump on! Younger planters had to join forces to combine their weight and strength to pierce the holes.

We followed a blue guide rope to keep our hedge line on track and decided the best method to get the correct spacing of different plant species was to put hawthorn in every hole at the start, then the people in charge of blackthorn, dogwood and dog rose paced out the distance and replaced a hawthorn with one of theirs every one metre, three metres and eight metres respectively. This spacing mix, according to Andy, will give our hedge a good biodiversity of species as it develops.

The plants were then heeled in, with a stake for support and a biodegradable tree guard, so there were plenty of jobs for the entire team. There was no need to water anything as the soil was very soggy which will help the hedge to get growing quickly.

This was hungry work and our Watch group leader, Margot, brought out her delicious roasted sweet potatoes with butter, which had been keeping warm with a hot water bottle in the insulated picnic bag. A welcome feast for the workers!

As we surveyed our new section of baby hedge with pride, the children climbed up the fence and waded joyfully into the flooded field of shallow muddy pools. It wasn’t long before the water was over the top of some wellies but no matter, a great time was had by all and since this section of new hedge is by the road, we can all enjoy driving past it for years to come and think, “I planted that!”

As part of the Artefact exhibition, our Home Education group at Gibraltar Point wrote stories about litter they found on the beach. Fourteen-year old Summer wrote about a discarded rubber belt that, once it was thrown into the sea, swam like an eel.

Once upon a time there was an old rubber belt who lived on an old fishing boat. The fisherman, who worked hard day and night, loved his fishing boat but it was starting to get a little worn. One day, the machine that brought in the fishing net broke. The fisherman needed a new belt for it. The little belt was no longer needed and the fisherman threw him into the sea.

As the poor little rubber belt was falling into the deep blue he felt unloved. Why didn’t the fisherman love him? When he hit the water, he felt strange. He was moving, he was alive and swimming like an eel! He was still feeling sad, until he saw a beautiful coral reef. He started swimming towards it, where he found another eel.

“Can I join you on your swim?” asked the belt.

“Why? You don’t look much like an eel,” said the eel. “Leave me alone.”

Once again, the belt felt unloved and alone. Then he saw a beautiful mermaid on a rock with her friends.

“Can I join you on the rock?” asked the belt.

“No, you are too ugly, this rock is for beautiful mermaids only,” said the mermaid.

“Does no one love me?” said the belt as he swam off. As he was swimming, he saw a light above him. It was the surface. When the salty sea air hit him, he felt himself go stiff. He was an old rubber belt again.

HOME EDUCATION

A lot of time went by and the belt was lonely and un-needed. One day, when the waves were high and the sun was bright, the belt found himself on the beach, on cold wet sand. He heard a stomping of feet and a giggle of children. He saw a face, a little girl’s face. She was tasked with finding something from the beach that she wanted to write about. Something sad and lonely that had been thrown away. Something nobody loved.

That little girl was Summer, and she picked up the belt.

“She picked me, she thinks I’m beautiful,” the belt said excitedly.

As she picked him up, he felt like he could fly. She took him into a warm room with a table, where she placed him. Not long after, he was in a gallery with people who pointed and talked. He missed the sea sometimes. He missed being alive and swimming like an eel but here he was needed. He felt beautiful and he was happy.

We run a relaxed monthly session exploring the nature reserve and learning through hands-on activities. Each month has a theme and activities are aimed at children aged between 6 and 12. All sessions are based outside, unless we have bad weather.

•Per session, the price is £3 for 1 child, £5 for 2 children, £7 for 3 children (snacks and drinks are provided but there is also a charge for parking)

•For more information please contact the Gibraltar Point Education Team on 01754 762763 or gibeducation@lincstrust.co.uk

GET INVOLVED

We have fun, nature-themed activities for all ages from tots to teenagers:

Nature Tots

Designed for pre-school children with activities usually taking place outdoors.

Groups at Far Ings, Gibraltar Point, Snipe Dales and Whisby Nature Park.

Wildlife Watch Groups

Monthly nature activities for children aged around 5 to 11.

Groups at Alford, Far Ings, Grimsby, Louth, Rimac, West Kesteven and Whisby.

Junior Wardens

Junior Wardens has everything for the young naturalist aged 11 to 18, from habitat conservation to pond exploration and bird surveys.

Groups at Far Ings and Whisby Nature Park.

Holiday events

From dashing dragonflies to marvellous minibeasts, fill your summer holiday with nature on our family events at Far Ings, Gibraltar Point and Whisby Nature Park.

More info: lincstrust.org.uk/for-families

Activities at home

You don't need to go far from home to enjoy wildlife. The Wildlife Watch website has spotter sheets, colouring sheets, plus guides on seeing wildlife and encouraging nature into your garden and more.

More info: wildlifewatch.org.uk

YOUR LETTERS & PHOTOS

I couldn't be-leaf my eyes!

Working in the garden on this lovely May weekend I was thinking of trimming back the privet hedge when I saw what I thought to be a curled up dried leaf. I nearly dismissed it but for some reason I took a second look and realised this 'leaf' was a beautifully camouflaged pair of eyed hawk-moths, busy creating new life. Needless to say I left the hedge well alone. Eva Deligianni via Facebook

"Beautiful spring walk"

One of the lovely photos from the collection sent to us by Lynda Quigley, taken on her spring walk down Louth canal this year. In her email Lynda says, "I thought I would send you a few photos I took on my walk along the Louth canal from Louth to Alvingham on Monday 4 March. It was the most beautiful spring day… I was out for three hours! Keep up the good work." The photos also included a beautiful kingsfisher Lynda managed to capture on her journey. Lynda Quigley from Louth via Email

Hare on the run(way)

Hi, I thought you might like this photo of a lovely hare taken this morning whilst I was out visiting Woodhall Spa Airfield nature reserve. [We do Caroline, thank you!] Caroline Sedgley via Email

Dear Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust, this brightly coloured beetle was on one of my garden plants. I’ve never seen one that looks like this, please could you tell me what it is? Lynn from Stamford via Email

Sam, Communications Assistant, says: Hi Lynn, it's not a beetle at all, it's a red-andblack froghopper (Cercopis vulnerata). You can see them around April to August and they are mostly spotted on stems or leaves of low-growing plants. The adults feed by sucking juices out of grasses and other plants. I spotted my first one of the year at Whisby Nature Park back in April when I was recording an episode of our Wilder Lincolnshire podcast!

Q&A

ID ADVICE T TIME

Dave via Email

Sam, Communications Assistant, says: Hi Dave, most butterflies need a minimum amount of sunshine and clear sky for them to fly (a few still fly in cloudy weather). When it rains, they find some shelter, maybe under leaves or deep in tall grasses and wait it out! out the ng some ing ondered or

Hi, I was sitting out in my garden at the weekend watching some butterflies fluttering around in the sun, and wondered where they went when it is cloudy or raining?

Shared on our socials

Song thrush singing at Deeping Lakes @leannehillessphotography via Instagram

Black-headed gulls and a fiery sunset at Far Ings @jackemanuelphotography via Instagram

"On your marks... get set... go!" @jambophoto via Instagram

A new grebe family at Far Ings Linda Hinchcliffe via Facebook

A stunning capture of the northern lights over Lincolnshire @markdjohnson99 via X

Sitting in the garden with this very busy blackbird @tracynoe11 via X

Members' Day 2024

10am - 3pm, Sunday 18 August

The Education Centre, Whisby Nature Park, Lincoln LN6 9BW

Bring your membership to life...

Join us for a special day of wildlife discovery.

Walks with a warden

Pond dipping for big kids

Mindfulness in nature

Nature crafts

Meet the staff

'How to' sessions including: get involved with volunteering improve your garden for wildlife do wildlife surveys and much more...

Drop in any time between 10am and 3pm. All the activities are free and we guarantee Don't miss out! Scan the QR code to register and reserve your piece of cake! e e!

Or visit

lincstrust. org.uk