More to explore for birdwatchers

Expanding the birdwatching area at visitlincolnshire.com has been an eye-opener as to what the county has to offer, as Mary Powell explains.

There are the well-known destinations such as Gibraltar Point and RSPB Frampton Marsh which always have plenty to see as well as good facilities. New venues such as the North Sea Observatory and the Boat Shed Café at Huttoft Car Terrace are well worth a visit – knowing where to find a good cup of coffee is always an important ingredient of the best days out!

Some of the lesser known nature reserves are well worth exploring. In May we sent our photographer along to the reserve at Alkborough Flats in North Lincolnshire where he had a chance encounter with some lovely glossy ibis, which are rare visitors. This reserve is located at the junction of two major British flyways so anything could turn up.Then in July a visit to nearby Far Ings reserve saw him capture pictures of the very shy bittern.

Take a look at the new birdwatching area, it helps with the where to go, when to go and what you will see when you do go – every nature reserve seems to have its specialities. There are three videos to watch: a feature on RSPB Frampton Marsh, one of the premier wader sites in the UK where it is not unusual to see upwards of 25 species in a few hours; a video from local expert Toby Collett on his top tips for enjoying birding on the Lincolnshire coast and a further one from bird photographer Ian with his top tips for bird photography.

The site has been put together by Visit Lincolnshire working with Lincolnshire Bird Club, RSPB, Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust, Natural England, National Trust and the Greater Lincolnshire Nature Partnership. A further three bird trails are being worked on which will cover the rest of Lincolnshire.

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