The Lincolnshire Bird Club

The West Midland Bird Club have four managed reserves, Ladywalk, Belvide, Blithfield and Harborne and they all help to build up a good membership, isn't it time the LBC had their own reserves and didn't they have Covenham Reservoir as one once?
I would suggest one at Manby Flashes if the site owner agrees and there is the new realignment area at Donna Nook if no one else wants it?

Just seen your message Geoff.

Interesting suggestion. W Midlands Bird Club has 1500 members, so is about six times bigger than LBC. It covers Birmingham, Worcestershire, Warwickshire and Staffordshire, a large and densely populated region. The reserves you mention are managed, presumably by volunteers, but not owned by WBC, in exchange for access for members. It also helps to manage the Bird Observatory on Bardsey.

At present LBC is too small to take on any such commitment if it involves anything more than local volunteers giving some time to practical management activity. The hope that the Club would gain in membership other than to a marginal extent from people local to a site is, I believe, not well founded when the County is already so well provided with LWT and RSPB reserves.

Not sure exactly what you had in mind.

Regards,

John

The Donna Nook realignment area is owned by the Environment Agency , it is currently on hold for completion
awaiting the outcome of the public inquiry into the footpath rights.
The LWT used to have a hide and the conservation corner at Covenham many years ago the hide was badly vandalised and removed
the SE corner is still supposedly a conservation area and as far as I,m aware the whole site is owned (and managed ? ) by Anglian Water.
Lincolnshire has gained 3 very good birding reserves over this century Geoff , Freiston , Frampton and Alkborough all managed sites
with good birding access and facilities, and some notable bird numbers and range of species seen on them .

regards John

Hi John, I was only thinking of how the club could increase membership and also help wildlife at the same time. I'm sure there are a number of good sites in Lincs but have no protection in the long term, the two I know of around my area are Manby Wetlands and Elm House Farm, Saltfleetby St Clements, both have hides and are privately owned but neither are guaranteed to survive as nature reserves and need to be managed to remain good for birds.
If they came under the umbrella of the LBC and were run by volunteers I'm sure the site owners would approve.
Does anyone have any suggestions for other possible sites?