Lincolnshire Strengths

hares

Lincolnshire has good populations of hares and they can be seen in arable fields often in pairs. In fact they nest in open fields making a shallow dip in the ground called a form.

Struggle to tell the difference between hares and rabbits?

Hares are much bigger and they have longer ears. Hares have long powerful back legs which enable them to run up to 45mph.

barn owls

Lincolnshire is also a good place to spot barn owls. They’re best seen in the early evening as they hunt beside rivers and woods and along the field edges. You may also hear them, Barn Owls don’t hoot, but make loud eerie screeches.

Barn Owls have incredibly soft feathers on the edge of their wings. This allows them to flap their wings without making a sound. They are skilled hunters of small mammals, mostly voles. They can hunt in total darkness and have exceptional hearing.

long-eared owls

Long-eared owls are less common. They’re nocturnal and secretive and very good at camouflage. Their deep orange eyes are very distinctive as are their long ‘ear tufts’. They are not actually ears but the owl will raise their head feathers when alarmed.

use your ears

sometimes you just get lucky!

stoats

Our photographer got very lucky whilst bird watching at Snipe Dales when this stoat ran towards him. Stoats may be small but they’re ferocious hunters, they move rapidly looking for food in every burrow and crevice, including climbing trees. Stoats are bigger than weasels, but that black tail tip is the giveaway that says this is a stoat.

 

keep your eye out!

This fox was having a sleep, not realising that our photographer was on the scene!

Sleeping fox
Fox wakes up

deer

There are six species of deer in the UK, they vary in size and can be found in open fields, woods and moorland. They can be easy to spot such as this group in the Lincolnshire Wolds, but look how well this solitary deer is camouflaged as it lies in the grass.

seals

Britain has about 40% of the world’s grey seal population, but the best time to see them is when they come on shore to give birth. Late October to early January is the time to visit Donna Nook to see them, 2,207 pups were born there in 2023. The pups are born with white coats and suckle from their mother for the first few weeks. The mother then leaves the pup to mate again before leaving the beach. The deserted pup then sheds its white coat before heading out to sea to find its own food.

Did you know that a grey seals scientific name is Halichoerus gryus which literally translates as hook-nosed sea pig?

Hedgerow Highways

For many birds hedges are very important, they’re full of food, good vantage points, a place to nest and a place of safety to hide from predators. They’re not the only ones as many insects and small mammals value them too.

siskin
Redwing

Did you Know?

Native sheep, cattle and ponies are often used on nature reserves to graze the grounds. These are rare Hebridean sheep and they’re in charge of looking after the nature reserve at the former RAF Woodhall Spa.

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