The Lincolnshire Bird Club

At Killingholme yesterday 4130 black'wits, still few juvs. Also 180 redshank, 1 greenshank, 1 knot, 1 common sand on the pit at high tide. As usual the water level in the pits is far too high to allow any significant usage by calidrids/plovers.
There were two black'wits with similar foot/lower tarsus amputations. Photos in the album and video here: http://youtu.be/SU04lhcGDy0
regards,
Ian Shepherd

Water must have gone down a bit as my last two wasted visits saw water almost up to the hide and nil waders. You would not think this is one of the most important Black tail roosts in the UK

Water levels in the pit dropped only slightly Graham, almost all the godwits were standing belly-deep and 2600 left the pits to roost (presumably with more comfort) on the shore as the tide dropped. The shanks were also belly-deep in their usual slightly shallower corner at high tide and were gone to the shore 45 minutes after high water. The common sand was flying around over the black-tails, desperately trying to find somewhere to pitch-in, before giving up and flying off to the shore. I fear the situation is not going to change any time soon. The Trust's current hon. site manager doesn't even seem to understand the issue - he seems be believe that the black-tails require a lake to stand in. When I suggested, this time last year, that more exposed mud on site would allow usage by a wider range of birds he replied that he liked to see the godwits there, but otherwise he wasn't really interested in birds! He seemed to be mainly interested in how many rabbits he'd shot over the past year.

This could be such a great site for so little action. They have recently flushed 'new' water in during recent high tides which I thought was a positive bit of action. All they need do now is control the water level for those Blackwits AND NOT just for those rare saline lagoon worms. Lower the water level and that 'wildlife' area will support a wider range of species including those worms. The problem is.... this is what WE want, 'someone' chooses to ignore these things for reasons best known to him.
It really is time this situation was sorted out.
IS ANYONE FROM THE LWT READING THIS?

Please don't start talking about it, the blackwits and other waders are trying to get there NOW !!

I used to think Killingholme was a brilliant place when there was some mud showing, but the same problem i.e. the lack of water control is also seen at Huttoft Pit and Manby Flashes.
I did a rare visit to Huttoft today but as usual water levels were high so no waders, just 1 Pintail and 1 Pochard were the highlights and the logbook was missing.
I've stopped going to Manby as again water levels have been too high, although this is not a trust reserve and the land owner seems to prefer high water levels.
Geoff

One of the many reasons i will not support the Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust.


Steve.

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http://www.brachytron.blogspot.co.uk

http://www.LincolnshireOdes.blogspot.com

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Considering Huttoft Killingholme and maybe other LWT sites with problems, perhaps the answer is not to be a non member but to join and get something done from within by being a member? I don't know…. something needs to be done but doing nothing will result in nothing getting done.
How much money was/is spent acquiring these sites, how much to maintain them each year. The worms at Killingholme that are out of sight (even from a hide!) seem to be the only ones benefitting. Poor return for a membership fee.

As has been mentioned above,the most important,or one of the most important sites for wintering Icelandic Black-tailed Godwits in the country and someone can't even find the time or money to manage this site properly,a sad state of affairs.As for the non-membership,i used to be a member,but got more and more frustrated with poor management practice on our local reserves.From flailed hedgerows on a newly designated NNR to hides and banks etc. so high with vegetation you cannot see out of them or anything on the ground.There seems to be very little common sense with management practises these days,gone are the days of reserve management for birds,bring back Miles Hopper,he certainly knew how to manage a reserve bless him.


Steve.

_________________
http://www.brachytron.blogspot.co.uk

http://www.LincolnshireOdes.blogspot.com

http://www.flickr.com/photos/routy

Killingholme is not a reserve I am particularly familiar with but I know a bit about the workings of the LWT. The Trust rely heavily upon the work of volunteers to Manage and act as Wardens on their Reserves - some may have more expertise than others but to lambast them on this Forum must be counter-productive! Surely the way forward, Steve, Ian et al would be to maintain your membership of the Trust and use your considerable expertise to help the existing manager by becoming a voluntary warden or offering constructive comments. I knew Miles Hopper and he didn't stand back and criticise - he did something for which we are all indebted.

Miles certainly had the knack, I wish he were still here today. Are we lambasting the LWT? I hope we are only flagging up a problem we cannot get solved. I for one do appreciate what the trust does, They did quite a bit of work at Killingholme hide when I suggested certain things needed looking at this year. If you read between the lines Stuart there seems to be someone between us and the trust that does not want to drop the water level. As far as Killingholme is concerned that needs fixing. That area is for us, not for the personal whims of one man. I would readily volunteer to sort this out, it should be a ten minute job to walk to the sluice gate, lower it about 4 inches… job done.
I am shouting at the LWT in the hope they will listen to us about this problem but I am not knocking them, well not too much I hope.

We are not asking for much are we.

Stuart...constructive comments have been given on many occasions by myself and others but it just falls on deaf ears.


Steve.

_________________
http://www.brachytron.blogspot.co.uk

http://www.LincolnshireOdes.blogspot.com

http://www.flickr.com/photos/routy

Isn't there a slightly selfish attitude being shown here? It's obviously understandable bearing in mind the site we are on but surely the clue is in the name Lincolnshire WILDLIFE Trust and that it is responsible for all wildlife not just birds!!

BTW Gulls looked to be enjoying themselves on the worms this morning

Anyway, 23 Blackwits, 3 Little Egrets, and singles of Redshank, Curlew, Whitethroat & Lesser Whitethroat were amongst the visitors this morning.

Also 23 Curlew down Rosper Road plus 2 deer that nearly wiped me out.

Cheers
James

Steps back after lighting the blue touch paper

Dont know about selfish but I also feel "The area" should be managed if possible for all wildlife (Worms & all) that reside or visit the site but certainly not just "for us"!
As for water levels, they are unusually high on almost every wetland reserve I've visited recently, with locals as here predictably complaining about a lack of waders.
I don't know too much about this Killingholme site and haven't read the management plan either, so I wont be reading between any lines. As doing so inevitably gives a false impression of the real issues.

I had intended visiting Killinghome on my way home from Cleethorpes today but was overruled by my grandchildren. Maybe next week.

_________________
Regards.
Del.

To err is human. To really louse things up takes a computer

"all wildlife not just birds" Or putting it another way, "all wildlife including birds"!

Apologies to all those that think I am argumentative or too flippant but was being mischeivous with my comments

My formative birding experiences (early to mid 80's) were at my 'patch' at North Killingholme. On the face of it the site doesn't seem to have changed much between then and now but I bow to Graham and Ian's far superior birding knowledge who say it has. I can't even recall ever having a 'rarity' on the site but I won't have put the long hours in that Graham has.

Anyway, won't be an issue soon once ABLE have spent their £65million!!! in creating a home form home for the Blackwits on the North Bank.

James