Group Weekend at Gibraltar Point 23-25 April, 2004  

The sun was shining as we arrived for a weekend at Gibraltar Point, near Skegness, Lincolnshire. This is a reserve of over 1000 acres, located where the north coast of The Wash meets the North Sea. It comprises sandy & muddy seashore, sand dune, saltmarsh & fresh water habitats. The reserve is managed by the Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust.

We were staying at the Visitor Centre on the reserve, allowing us to make the most of every minute of daylight for birdwatching.

On arrival late Friday afternoon, we were allocated our rooms, then given a Health & Safety introduction by the visitor centre manager.

We enjoyed a buffet meal, before commencing our birdwatching, as there were a still a few hours of daylight left. The last bird we saw before retiring to the pub was a Barn Owl. This was particularly exciting for the Group as Barn Owls are very few and far between in our local area around Hemel Hempstead.

Over drinks we decided that we would set out at 6 o’clock the next morning to look for incoming migrants.

The following morning, we were having a hot drink in the lounge prior to setting off when a Barn Owl flew past. It then came back towards the visitor centre and settled on a post just about twenty five yards away. This was the first bird of the day, what an excellent start.

We set off for our pre-breakfast walk of approximately 1.5 miles around part of the reserve.

Whilst on this walk we saw a strange, bright red bird, instantly recognisable as a parakeet of sorts. It turned out to be a Crimson Rosella, which is more at home in Australia than the Lincolnshire coast. This bird stayed around the centre for the whole weekend eating peanuts from the feeder in the wardens garden and was still there when we left. 

After breakfast, we set off in groups, many of us in short sleeved tops, to explore various parts of the reserve. The sun was hot; birds were plentiful, with many migrants about. The new saltmarsh had been roped off as a sanctuary for breeding birds, so we could only view the waders on the shore from a distance.

We all met up at lunchtime at the visitor centre to discuss all that we had seen. We then set off again to areas of the reserve that we had not visited. A cuckoo was heard calling & seen, a first for the year for everyone. A Grasshopper warbler was also heard. The only bird on the sightings board that seemed to evade us all was a Glaucous Gull. As I had never seen this bird, I was most anxious to see it but it was not to be seen today by any member of our party.

After dinner we returned to the Tennyson hide where we had seen the Barn Owl on the previous evening, as some of the group had not seen it. Paul assured us that these were birds of habit & would fly past at the same time as the previous evening. So many people wanted to see the owl we could not all get into the hide. The time arrived & passed, with Paul getting a little worried about his prediction. Someone waiting outside came rushing in to tell us the Barn Owl was passing behind the hide. A relieved Paul & the rest of us dashed outside to see the bird disappearing into the distance. Happily, we retired to the pub for a celebratory drink. On checking we found that we had walked some eight miles during the day.

Sunday morning arrived with the Barn Owl having been seen at ten past five, & not being seen again. We set off on a pre-breakfast walk at 6 o’clock. At breakfast one of our party informed us that the Glaucous Gull had just arrived at the Tennyson’s Sands area. It had preened & was settling down for a sleep.

After breakfast, those of us who had not yet seen it rushed to the Tennyson hide. Luckily it was still sleeping; this was a lifer for many of us. While we were watching, we also saw two Turtle Doves, Common Sandpiper & Ruff all in a matter of five minutes.

We then returned to where we had heard the Grasshopper Warbler the previous day, hoping to catch a glimpse. We saw it sitting in a not-too-dense bush giving us a good sighting.

We returned to the centre for lunch and totalled up our sightings.

As a group we saw  88 species of birds, Roe Deer, Hare, Stoat, Water Vole & Fox.

Amphibians included, frog, newt & Natterjack Toad (heard).

Butterflies & Moths – Tortoiseshell, Peacock, Small White, Speckled Wood, Brimstone & Cinnabar Moth.

Everyone was agreed that we had enjoyed an exceptional weekend, enjoying bright and sunny weather and the company of enthusiastic, like-minded people. The reserve is a brilliant place for migrating birds and just about any bird is likely to appear. We shall certainly be paying a return visit in the not-too-distant future.

Dave Jones