Decapitated ducks discovered in Lincolnshire park

07/07/2019

Two decapitated Mallard have been found in Sidney Park, Lincolnshire, with the discoverer believing the grizzly deaths to have been executed by a human. The RSPCA hasn't ruled out that it was a deliberate act.

The finder, who does not wish to be named, says she found the bodies of two decapitated ducks last month, and believes the deaths are not the result of any animal. She was out walking her dog early in the morning, when she found one body a short distance away from the pond before, a few minutes later, she discovered another nearby.

She told the Grimsby Telegraph: "I was out walking the dogs in the park like I do most mornings when I have them, when I was shocked to find two headless ducks near the pond. At first, I thought that it was probably foxes that did it, but then when I looked around the area, I noticed that there were very few feathers scattered about the place, which usually happens whenever a fox attacks a bird like that.

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Concern after rare bird of prey found shot near Barton

The illegal shooting of a rare marsh harrier which was discovered on the Humber Bank in North Linconshire has been investigated by Humberside Police and officers at the force and the RSPB are now appealing for further information

Abby Ruston

12:20, 9 JAN 2019

Conservationists have raised the alarm after a rare, protected bird was found shot.

The marsh harrier was discovered by a woman who was walking her dog along the bank of the River Humber near Barton-Upon-Humber.

After reporting it to the RSPCA, an x-ray revealed the bird had been shot and it later died of its injuries.

The incident, which happened in September, has been investigated by Humberside Police but the culprit has not been identified and RSBP officials are now appealing for help from the public.

Marsh harriers are among the rarest breeding birds in the UK, with just 400 pairs across the country.

And the shooting of the bird follows the poisoning of a marsh harrier near the Humber in 2012, which raised concerns that birds of prey are being deliberately targeted in this area.

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Visitors flock to see stilt sandpiper in Frampton Marsh

24 August 2018

Hundreds of visitors have flocked to a nature reserve to get a glimpse of a rare bird thought to have ended up in Lincolnshire after getting lost.

A stilt sandpiper landed at the RSPB's Frampton Marsh site near Boston earlier this week.

The wading bird is usually found along the shore of the USA's East Coast and it is only the second one ever seen in the county.

The RSPB said it was likely the bird had got lost on its annual migration.

About 200 to 300 visitors a day have been arriving at the reserve.

RSPB officials tweeted a warning to motorists to drive carefully through a nearby village after "hearing reports of cars speeding down to reserve".

Assistant warden Anthony Bentley said the bird flown across the Atlantic after getting lost on its annual migration.

"It really shouldn't be here," he said.

"It should be travelling down to South America at the movement."

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‘The Lincolnshire Hedwig’ – rare sighting of snowy owl near Boston

The snowy owl spotted at Wainfleet Marsh in March, believed now to have been seen at RSPB Frampton Marsh.

DAVID SEYMOUR Email Published: 11:30 Wednesday 02 May 2018

A rare sighting of a snowy owl in Lincolnshire has been made at a nature reserve near Boston. The arctic bird has been spotted at RSPB Frampton Marsh. It is suspected to be the same snowy owl seen at Wainfleet Marsh in March. That sighting was the first for the county since the early ‘90s. Before that, you had to go back to 1869 for another sighting – and that was just an unconfirmed report. Make sure your children have online know-how Take a look at our top tips to help your children spot the warning signs when something isn’t right online. Sponsored by Internet Matters It prompted hundreds of people to turn out for their chance to see the bird. Bird-watchers have been sharing images of the snowy owl, appropriately enough, on Twitter.

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Power lines adapted after Lincolnshire swan deaths

New safety measures have been added to overhead power lines near a nature reserve after reports of swans being killed by them.

Posting on social media, ornithologist Josh Jones said a number of swans had been killed by power lines on Baston Fen, Lincolnshire.

He said the wires were close to feeding grounds used by the mute swans.

Western Power Distribution said it had fitted diverters to make the lines stand out to birds in flight.

Mr Jones, who works for Birdguides magazine, said he spotted four dead swans along a short stretch of road while out bird watching at the weekend.

"They were in various states of decay, some looked fairly fresh, and some looked like they had been there a couple of weeks," he said.

"It was quite a disturbing find."

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'Lonely swan' reunited with flock at RSPB reserve

12 October 2017

An injured swan which was abandoned when its herd migrated to Iceland in March has been reunited with some of its former companions.

The whooper swan, named Hula, damaged a wing and was unable to join the annual 2,000-mile round trip from Frampton March Nature Reserve in Lincolnshire.

The cob has been waiting patiently for the other birds to return, staff at the centre said.

"The lonely swan is lonely no more," Chris Andrews, from the reserve, said.

"About 20 swans arrived back from Iceland this week and are spending their days eating sugar beet tops in nearby fields before returning to the reserve at night.

"Hula spotted two other whoopers close to the reserve and went over to join them," he said.

"Since then he seems to have spent a lot of time hanging out with them."

Mr Andrews said it is not known if they are simply friends or potential mates.

Whooper swans - so named because of the noise they make - migrate to breeding grounds in Iceland in the spring. A group of up to 60 return to the reserve each year for winter.

Mr Andrews said the others are expected to return over the next few days.

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Footage of rare bluethroat bird filmed in Lincolnshire

By Holly O'Flinn  |  Posted: March 03, 2017 

Footage has emerged after a bird enthusiast snapped the rare bluethroat in Lincolnshire.

The male bluethroat was spotted at Willow Tree Fen nature reserve in Bourne.

The video, taken by Martyn Jones, was captured after rumours broke out that the rare, robin-like bird was in the area.

Martyn said it was an adult male "showing very well" at Willow Tree Fen in Lincolnshire on February 22, 2017.

He said: "A very confiding bird not bothered by the presence of birders and photographers."

He said he had learnt from bird spotters online that the bird was in the area before heading down to try to get a snap of a bird the RSPB says there is only one breeding pair of in the UK.

"I wasn't going to go, because the weather wasn't very clever," he said. "I got a few photos but they were a bit long distance.

"But I came back later and got a lot closer. It's not normally here."

He said the bird seemed at ease with the presence of people, flying off briefly before returning.

"It was very nice getting to see it," he said.

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Rare Arctic bird spotted on river in rural Lincolnshire

25 January 2017

A rare arctic bird has been spotted hundreds of miles south of its normal habitat.

The white-billed diver - also known as the yellow-billed loon - normally winters along the north western coast of Norway.

The bird was spotted on the River Witham at Martin Dales, near Woodhall Spa, Lincolnshire, on Friday.

Since then, scores of bird watchers have visited the area trying to catch a glimpse of the juvenile bird.

Chris Andrews, from Frampton Marsh Nature Reserve, said at this time of year they are normally found offshore in the northern Pacific, or off the coast of Norway.

Sightings have previously been reported in the Shetland Islands.

However, Mr Andrews said: "It's a rare bird to see in Britain, and for it to wind up inland in Lincolnshire in the same place one was spotted 19 years ago is quite extraordinary.

"Usually, they are off shore about half a mile out to sea."

Mr Andrews said the bird - also known as a yellow-billed loon - because of the weird yodelling calls it makes - will return to its breeding ground at some point soon.

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Rare ‘Naomi Campbell’ bird visits RSPB Frampton Marsh

Gemma Gadd

10:37Thursday 05 May 2016

Twitchers and wildlife photographers are flocking to RSPB Frampton Marsh to catch a glimpse of a rare bird to Britain’s shores.

The black-winged stilt was pictured at the nature reserve near Boston enjoying a wade around the wetlands and looking for food.

The site’s visitor experience manager Chris Andrews said: “Sometimes referred to as the Naomi Campbell of the bird world, due it its elegance and incredibly long legs, the black-winged stilt should be in the Mediterranean but instead arrived here on Tuesday. Maybe it heard the weather report for the weekend?”

The sighting has attracted bird-watchers to the site from as far afield as Yorkshire and Hertfordshire.

Mr Andrews said only a couple of the birds were seen in the UK each year - but numbers have gone up slightly in recent years to around a dozen ‘due to global warming’.

It is, however, the fourth year in a row the RSPB site has been visited by a solo black-winged stilt.

“We do a lot of work making the reserve absolutely brilliant for birds - and the wildlife is flourishing as a result,” Mr Andrews added. “We are swiftly gaining a reputation not just as one of the best reserves in Lincolnshire, but in the whole UK.”

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