Last year was undoubtedly disruptive, but there remained many opportunities to view exciting wildlife.
Since COVID restrictions had eased by August of last year, members of the Gainsborough branch of Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust joined local ecologist Brian Hedley on a pleasant evening walk along the River Trent at Marton, near Gainsborough. He pointed out 31 bird species, including common sandpiper, blackcaps and green woodpecker. Insects noted included gatekeeper butterflies, spindle ermine moths in their ‘tents’ on spindle bushes, and cinnabar moth caterpillars on ragwort. Plants identified had interesting names – black horehound, common mallow and greater burdock among them but the abundant hops in the hedgerow on Trent Port Road raised questions – had there been a brewery nearby? The highlight was, without doubt, watching a fox hunting for his supper on a nearby drain bank.
The October Fungus Foray was hastily relabelled a Woodland Walk as warm, dry weather continued. Nevertheless, Vicky Buckberry, a Trust officer based at Whisby Nature Reserve, identified 19 species of fungus with the group in the woods near Kettlethorpe.
There have been two evening lectures since then. Leanne Smart, an Education Officer at the Far Ings Nature Reserve, described the development of the area to attract especially birdlife, with bitterns now frequenting the reedbeds. Professor Carl Soulsbury from Lincoln University then gave a fascinating overview of the Red Fox species worldwide, detailing what is being learned about urban foxes in a long-running survey in Bristol.
The branch’s spring programme is as follows:
16th February: President of Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust, Geoff Trinder – ‘An Evening of Wildlife Photography’
16th March: Vikki Buckberry – ‘Folklore and Ancient Uses of Fungi’
20th April: Des Lloyd – the latest photographs from an award-winning local wildlife photographer
All meetings are held at Morton Village Hall (DN21 3AL) and begin at 7.30pm. Members and non-members of all ages are equally welcome; the entrance fee is a minimum £2.00 donation. Raffle tickets will be available at £1.00 each (suitable raffle prize donations welcome!).
For further details on the meetings please contact Dan Bardsley on 07720 569228 or dbardsley999@gmail.com. For information on the Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust more generally, please visit www.lincstrust.org.uk.