The Lincolnshire Bird Club

Hi,

I realise I'm a little biased, but I have to say this is probably one of the best days birding we've had so far;

Oriental pratincole - 1 (hawking insects as close as 2m in front of East Hide. Also from 360 Hide)
Temminck's stint - 1 from 360 Hide and also on North Scrape
Honey buzzard - 1 flew over at 12.45pm
Red kite - 1 flew over at 12.46pm
Garganey - male showing very well from the visitor centre
Wood sandpiper - 1 from the visitor centre
Curlew sandpiper - 2 (one in summer plumage)
Ruff - 4
Little gull - 7 1st winter birds
Mediterranean gull - 1
Hobby - 1
Marsh harrier - 3
Little egret - 3 from the visitor centre
Barnacle goose - 1 with brent geese
Little ringed plover - 10
Ringed plover - 100
Dunlin - 300
Greenshank - 3
Avocet - 40
Whimbrel - 4
Tree sparrow - up to 4 on the feeders outside the visitor centre
Corn bunting - down to 2m

Someone left a very exciting looking camera/lens in the visitor centre this afternoon. If it's yours please call 07766 441853.

Cheers,

John

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Contact: recorder_south@lincsbirdclub.co.uk

Superb

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Regards
Dean Eades



Take nothing but photos - Leave nothing but footprints - Waste nothing but time

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You certainly have got yourselves a cracking,well situated reserve there John,shame it isn't a bit closer for us North Linc's birders,look forward to your next biggie .


Regards


Steve.

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Any chance of the RSPB doing something with the Donna Nook realignment scheme?

There's also Wainfleet for them????

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JH Birding
http://jhbirding.blogspot.com

i am still trying to get them to do something with tetney which they already have as a reserve but access there is a major prob and they already are actively involved with the planning of donna nook,
terry whalin

When the RSPB took Tetney marsh over I had to remove all my hides, I lost the freedom to 'roam' and the very small numbers of 'naturalists' that did watch the area suddenly found their quiet area of study was now 'restricted/signposted'.
We all have our own 'quiet' areas, especially photographers who use portable hides and cannot operate when the area is disturbed. If the RSBP et al move in we will lose a lot of the freedom we now enjoy.

If the RSPB took areas over 'quietly', preventing development and yet not spotlighting it, therefore allowing the area to go on as it has and let naturalists do what they had been doing that might be more attractive.

I still have not got over what the RSPB did to Bempton Cliffs. What a wonderful wild windswept place that used to be in the 60's 70's. Suddenly RSPB 'development' moved in with a brick edifice (Souvenir shop) car/coach park with parking meters! Signposts and oiks who say we are now 'not allowed' to step over the barbed wire to photo where we like. We are shunted THROUGH the souvenir shop as the way is blocked by a locked gate which only opens when the shop is closed. Once again what used to be a quiet peaceful area is now like a Skegness bank holiday.

Yes of course the RSPB has done good things but sometimes their actions are questionable.

agree with your comments mate, now days it is all about money, conservation has to be financed and perhaps we should look at the bigger picture such as frampton etc which only comes into being by subscriptions and donations of the greater population. some of the people some of the time comes to mind col, i am sure that they warts and all are the best we have so lets all enjoy when visiting such places and remember the work and money required to create and manage such habitats. just a thought, how many non members have visited frampton to enjoy the pratincole and have contributed nothing ???. hmmm ???
terry whalin

Colin, interested to hear about your restricted access to Tetney Marsh. I phoned them during the winter to alert them to the fact that wildfowlers were active there with guns and dogs. They said it wasn't a problem, wildfowlers were allowed to work the marsh. But presumably, not birders!

Geoff

Thanks for all the postive comments about Frampton.

Personally I think Bempton is a terrific reserve. The seabirds are protected, excellent views and interpretation are safely facilitated, the public is informed and educated about the need to preserve the birds and money is raised for their conservation. The only downside, if you like a bit of peace & quiet like me, is the number of visitors, but as Terry says you can’t please everyone.

Of course we do also have ‘quiet enjoyment’ reserves such as Tetney too, at these sites hides can be too expensive to maintain or inappropriate for the environment they are in. The RSPB and other conservation organisations have found that working with, rather than against wildfowlers is in the best interests of the wildlife concerned.

John

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Contact: recorder_south@lincsbirdclub.co.uk

I don't think (not sure) that the RSPB ever refused wildfowlers shooting because it is in the winter when of course there are no little terns to protect. Don't think there are any in the summer now??
As for birds getting protection at Bempton, from what ?? They nested on those cliffs for [1000's?] of generations. The only time I saw bare cliff ledges in summer was about.....8/10 years ago when there was a sandeel problem. That was odd, the ledges were totally bare and I could see how rounded the ledges were from generations of nesting bird's claws, those ledges are of course normally covered with nest material.

This topic seems to be straying a little - perhaps one of the the Administrators is too busy towing the RSPB party line!

This thread is certainly straying, which is why I've moved it.

As far as towing the party line goes, what you have read is my opinion and not necessarily that of the RSPB.

I believe I do speak with some authority on the subjects raised having been a manager of RSPB reserves with wildfowling for the past 13 years and also as manager of Britain's second largest little tern colony for three years.

The statement about wildfowling is incorrect. I really don't think I need say any more about this.

There are plenty of threats to seabird colonies, admittedly most are indirect, such as overfishing, bycatch, pollution, climate change etc but they can also be affected by disturbance, particularly by climbers and even dare I say it bird watchers and photographers. Coastal zone managers have seen a huge increase in recreational pressure over the past few decades so you really can't underestimate the value of owning land (and even cliffs) as it give a much greater ability and flexibility to control activities that may be damaging to wildlife interests. However you are correct in your assertion that cliffs are relatively robust habitats, compared with say wet grasslands. The protection I am referring to is the kind that gives an organisation such as the RSPB the mandate to seek to safeguard the birds not just while they are on their ledges, but also when they are trying to find food/survive in the wider in the marine environment. You may have heard of the recent Marine Bill for example. Without organisations such as the RSPB, this would not have become law and the UK government would not now be creating a series of Marine Protection Zones, to conserve among other things the feeding grounds of......seabird colonies.

Best wishes,

John

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Contact: recorder_south@lincsbirdclub.co.uk

10:24 18/05/10 Oriental Pratincole Lincs Frampton Marsh RSPB
showing at the end of the road by the steps to the beach; also the Temminck's Stint north of the 360 hide

Now its even got a beach --

For what it's worth a member of staff in the visitor's centre yesterday afternoon told me that they had felt very fortunate to have 5 corn bunting nests there this year. This has now been reduced to 3 as 2 have been crushed by people climbing on the banks to see the pratincole. Cheers. Rick