Lucy Lapwing is a self-confessed nature nerd. She works on BBC Springwatch and when Lucy visits Lincolnshire has just finished work on BBC Winterwatch, making props and presenting with Michaela Strachan. She is a naturalist and birding expert, wildlife blogger and ambassador for both RSPB and the Wildfowl and Wetland Trust.
In Lincolnshire we’re talking with her about the opportunities for birdwatching, one of the most popular hobbies in the UK, with an estimated spend of £500m annually. No other country in the world sees so many birdwatchers, in fact about 3 million of us. In the UK spotting 300 species is perfectly achievable, but a mighty 400 plus in Lincolnshire.
Lucy talked about the mix of habitats in Lincolnshire that supported so many bird species: ancient woodland, wetland, farmland, grassland and Fens. But the two biggest attractors are estuaries and coastal habitats, with The Wash being a particular wonderland – birds love mud!
April and October are the peaks in every birder’s calendar, the ‘sexy’ months when many thousands of birds are migrating and there are real spectacles to be seen. Lucy shares with us some of the birdy acronyms, I knew about LBJ’s or Little Brown Jobs – the bane of my life as a very amateur birdwatcher, but I didn’t know about SOB’s – Spouse of Birder apparently! Lucy finished up with a very passable impersonation of a bittern, to be found on many reserves in Lincolnshire and inspiration to us all to get out into nature.
