The Lincolnshire Bird Club

A Black-tailed Godwit flew into the mere at 09:20, it flew around for about 3 minutes looking for somewhere to land & at one stage touched down briefly on floating blanket weed. Not finding any mud it then flew off to the north.
This is the 130th species I have recorded on the patch this year, equalling my best ever patch year list, and there are still 5 months to go.

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Regards,

Andy.

Congratulations Andy - I have met you a few times at the mere and been enriched with your expertise each time - heres hoping you smash that total
cheers
Danny

Thanks Danny. It may be the last year that I have chance to as if the Western Growth Corridor plans go ahead my patch is going to be built on with a proposed 3000 homes, football stadium, shops and industrial units. A shocking loss of valuable green space within the city boundary. Many red and amber list birds breed on this site and these are already in serious decline due to loss of habitat and intensive farming. This area is sensitively farmed and has lots of good mature hedges and woodland. Several fields are grazing pasture and have been for over 30 years.
If people wish to object to this development they can add their comments at www.lincoln.gov.uk/westerngrowthcorridor I would be very happy if they would do so. The more people who object the better.

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Regards,

Andy.

Hi Andy,
Is the western corridor going ahead then? desperately sad news if it is,I'll have a look at the proposals and stuff on that link tomorrow and stick my views on the subject in.
Nice one with the patch list,I would say go for 150 but it really depends what's about,do you need any silly ticks like collared dove and the like,or got them already?

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thats the birding done i'm off for a cider.

Hi Keith,
Good to hear from you, hope you are well.
Still need Garganey, Goldeneye, Bittern, Red Kite, Green Sandpiper, Redshank, Cetti's Warbler, Redstart & Spotted Flycatcher, hopefully get some of these before the years end.

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Regards,

Andy.

Andy, Is there not going to be a "Buffer Zone?" If not, I am willing to fight for one, at a Planning Inquiry if necessary. Regards, Aidan.

Here is a link for anyone interested. Check out the first downloadable PDF which will show you the forthcoming catastrophe that will happen to the area of Swanpool..

https://www.lincoln.gov.uk/living-in-li ... sultation/

https://www.lincoln.gov.uk/living-in-lincoln/planning-and-building/lincoln-western-growth-corridor/western-growth-corridor-consultation/

You'd think by now (2017) we humans would be more aware and more sensitive to what we are doing with our environment. You would expect by now that the fact that Lincoln still has such a rich area for wildlife within its boundary that the council would see it as something to be proud of and something to be respected. Sadly too many people really don't give a damn. In reality it is nothing more than a corporate/council sponsored wildlife crime.

The Mere will die, it will get filled up with shopping trolleys, car tyres and other rubbish including swimming dogs. The fields, the hedges the entire area is just going to get battered.

The obvious reason that this area has not been build on the past is because it is a natural floodplain. Though no doubt engineering believes it can handle it.

As I've said it's a catastrophe in the making.

Hi Andy, Congrats from me too that's quite a total, I am on a mere!!! 106 for the year.
It is a great shame that the development is now going to happen all in the name of so called progress. Bird life and nature apart
the impact on flooding and more road bottlenecks will be greatly increased.
Has I mentioned to you in the hide would it be too much to ask of the consortium behind the development, to put something back
for nature.Apart from planting a few trees.
Maybe they could work with the Wildlife Trust and provide funds for a much needed scrape at the mere. At least the the fly over waders would have a drop in resting spot.

Cheers/ Pete

Presumably, the scale of the proposal - and its potential environmental impact - means that the RSPB and the county wildlife trust will be invited to submit comments once the formal planning application has been submitted.

Ironical that the site is called Swanpool.

My submitted objection is based on flooding expectation and inevitable worsening of the already appalling traffic problems in the area. We may be concerned about marsh harriers, waders etc, but less people will be persuaded by that than may be interested in stories about mud level with the top of your wellies as you walk across the fields. It's a flood plain. Bitterns, reed warblers and terns become flooded gardens and ruined furniture on the 6 o'clock news. Would you want to live there? That should upset the public most of whom are not environmental activists.
Cheers. Rick