The Lincolnshire Bird Club

I have just finished a very careful totaling up of my Green Life List for Lincolnshire and am quite surprised to find that I have seen 312 species without the aid of the internal combustion engine. As most Lincs Birders will know, I usually birdwatch by bicycle, and the fact that I have been covering the coast between Rimac and Gib Point since 1963 means that I have seen some pretty good Green species along the time-line. Rufous Bush Robin, Snowy Owl, Cory's and Great Shearwater,White-billed Diver to name just a few.
I have posted this mainly at the behest of Nige Lound who has been pestering me for some time to come up with my Lincolnshire Green Life List and I know that Phil Espin is also 'very Green' at the moment. Wonder if I'll live long enough and stay fit enough to make it to 320!!

Respect! What are the commonest birds you are missing to get to 320?

Phil - one unbelievable omission is Marsh Tit. Nearest ones are in the Sleaford area, 30 miles away - if Monica and I feel up to it we may give it a go this spring. Otherwise, I suppose, Whiskered Tern and Thrush Nightingale are the 'commonest' that I haven't Green Listed.
Does anybody know of any breeding Marsh Tits closer than 30 miles to Welton le Marsh?

By complete coincidence I've just been reviewing the provisional atlas breeding maps and if there are any breeding closer to you than Sleaford they won't be in the atlas!

I guess the migrant trapped at Gib in the last year or two must have been a real gripper for you.

Given the restricted status of both marsh and willow tits in the county it was remarkable that both species were recorded at Gib last year - with two records of marsh tit - the ringed bird in spring and the second, a summer dispersal juv. These were the first records for Gib since c1989.

Blue tits and great tits have been noted migrating south through the East Dunes over the last week.

Kev

Hi Ed,
The nearest that I know of for you are at Potterhanworth/Nocton Wood.
Stuart

Thanks everybody.
Nuthatches have moved northeast into east lincs recently and I just wonder if the Marsh Tit records at Gib may be the start of a similar range expansion for Marsh Tit!?