Lincolnshire Bird Trail

A short break in the winter will bring the sight of thousands of geese on the coast and flocks of winter wildfowl on many of the inland lakes and wetlands. Flocks of buntings and finches in the farmland and the county has the highest concentration of barn owls of anywhere in the UK. At this time of year, a visit to any of the coastal sites may bring a hen harrier over the saltmarsh or a flock of snow bunting on the beach and bitterns at Far Ings are often at their most photogenic.

In Spring, cranes return to Willow Tree Fen in the south of the county and by early May, the nightingales at Whisby will be in full song. Elsewhere the wetlands and woodlands will be alive with the song of summer migrants. Turtle Doves are still found along the coast at places such as Saltfleetby and Alkborough and Far Ings will be the places to go for breeding marsh harrier, bearded tit and booming bittern.

In the summer, the Wolds are full of the song of skylarks and corn buntings still have a stronghold in the area. The ‘wet my lips’ call of Quail can also be heard with a bit of patient searching. In the north west of the county, nightjars are churring each evening on the peatlands and heaths such as at Crowle Moor. On the coast, the return migration of waders is well underway by July and Frampton is one of the Country’s premier wader sites, it is not unusual to see upwards of 25 species in a single day and rarities are frequent.

In the autumn, the coast is one of the best places to see migration in action. A visit to Gibraltar Point, especially if the wind is in the east, may bring a fall of thrushes or rare and scarce migrants. At this time of year, the pink-footed geese return and thousands now winter on the Humber estuary and the Wash. The sight and sound as they go overhead can be overwhelming. Chapel Point in the Coastal Country Park is probably the premier seawatching location in the county and all four species of skua can be seen along with scoters and shearwaters if you are lucky.