Whisby Moor is a small moor situated close to the A46 road, west of North Hykeham, in the North Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England.
Whisby Moor is situated geographically 5 miles (8 km) south-west from Lincoln city centre, with the village of Whisby less than 1 mile (1.6 km) to the north-west. The Nottingham-Lincoln Line runs through the Moor. The southern part of the Moor, including the Natural World Centre is in the parish of Thorpe on the Hill.
Former sand and gravel pits have been filled and turned into mesotrophic lakes, surrounded by wet willow scrub and now form part of Whisby Nature Park. The nature reserve was established in 1985. The park opened in 1989 on either side of the Nottingham to Lincoln railway line. It was designated a Local Nature Reserve in 2002. [1] [2]
The park has breeds of Shetland cattle and is home to a variety of bird species including wigeon, teal, tufted duck, pochard and goldeneye, great crested grebes, mallard and kingfisher, [3] which can be observed from several bird hides. Whisby holds a substantial population of nightingales, which have become synonymous with the reserve. The park is also home to the Hazel Pot Beetle, a leaf beetle of the Cryptocephalinae subfamily; it was released into the park in November 2000. Plants include Dactylorhiza praetermissa , Trifolium arvense and a bicolour form of Cytisus scoparius .
A visitor centre has been established at Whisby nature reserve, known as the Natural World Centre and is run on behalf of North Kesteven District Council. [4] The nature reserve hosts training courses, talks and events for children. [5]
Many unusual animals and plants are found in Whisby. For example, in 2018 large numbers of bird watchers were attracted to the reserve to see a melanistic blue tit. [6] Not all parts of the nature reserve are open to the public and some areas are grazed by cattle and sheep to promote the growth of smaller plants. In 2017 The Guardian included Whisby Nature Park in a list of five of the best birdwatching sites in the UK, particularly as a place to hear nightingales. [7]
Lincolnshire is a ceremonial county in eastern England. It is bordered by the East Riding of Yorkshire across the Humber estuary to the north, the North Sea to the east, Norfolk, Cambridgeshire, Northamptonshire and Rutland to the south, and Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire and South Yorkshire to the west. The county town is Lincoln.
National nature reserves in England are designated by Natural England as key places for wildlife and natural features in England. They were established to protect the most significant areas of habitat and of geological formations. NNRs are managed on behalf of the nation, many by Natural England itself, but also by non-governmental organisations, including the members of The Wildlife Trusts partnership, the National Trust, and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds.
Ancaster is a village and civil parish in the South Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England, on the site of a Roman town. The population of the civil parish was 1,317 at the 2001 census increasing to 1,647 at the 2011 census. The civil parish includes the settlements of Sudbrook and West Willoughby.
The Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust,, covers the whole ceremonial county of Lincolnshire, England. It was founded in 1948 as a voluntary charitable organisation dedicated to conserving the wildlife and wild places of Lincolnshire and to promoting the understanding and enjoyment of the natural world.
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The Lincoln Cliff or Lincoln Edge is a portion of a major escarpment that runs north–south through Lindsey and Kesteven in central Lincolnshire and is a prominent landscape feature in a generally flat portion of the county. Towards its northern end, near Scunthorpe, it is sometimes referred to as the Trent Cliff. The name preserves an obsolete sense of the word "cliff", which could historically refer to a hillside as well as a precipitous rock face.
RSPB Dearne Valley Old Moor is an 89-hectare (220-acre) wetlands nature reserve in the Dearne Valley near Barnsley, South Yorkshire, run by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB). It lies on the junction of the A633 and A6195 roads and is bordered by the Trans Pennine Trail long-distance path. Following the end of coal mining locally, the Dearne Valley had become a derelict post-industrial area, and the removal of soil to cover an adjacent polluted site enabled the creation of the wetlands at Old Moor.
Woodhall Spa is a former spa town and civil parish in the East Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England, on the southern edge of the Lincolnshire Wolds, 6 miles (10 km) south-west of Horncastle, 23 miles (37 km) west of Skegness, 15 miles (24 km) east-south-east of Lincoln and 17 miles (27 km) north-west of Boston. It is noted for its mineral springs, historic cinema and its Second World War association with the RAF 617 Squadron, commonly referred to as 'The Dambusters'.
North Hykeham is a town and civil parish in the North Kesteven district, in the county of Lincolnshire, England. It forms part of the Lincoln Urban Area. The population of the town at the 2011 census was 13,884.
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Royal Air Force Woodhall Spa, or more simply RAF Woodhall Spa, is a former Royal Air Force satellite station located 2 miles (3.2 km) north of Coningsby, Lincolnshire and 16 miles (26 km) southeast of Lincoln, Lincolnshire, England.
Kirkby on Bain is a village and civil parish in the East Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England. It lies on the River Bain between Horncastle and Coningsby, and just west of the A153 road. Close to the north is the village of Haltham.
Wildwood Trust is a woodland discovery park in Herne, near Canterbury in Kent, England. It features over fifty species of native British animals such as deer, badgers, wild boar, wolves and brown bear. It is located on the main road A291 between Herne Bay and Canterbury.
North Kesteven Academy is a co-educational academy school on Moor Lane, off the A1434 at North Hykeham, in North Kesteven, Lincolnshire, England.
Whisby is a hamlet in the civil parish of Doddington and Whisby, in the North Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England. It is situated 5 miles (8.0 km) south-west from Lincoln city centre, 1.5 miles (2.4 km) south from Doddington, and 2 miles (3.2 km) north from the A46 road.
Ham Wall is an English wetland National Nature Reserve (NNR) 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) west of Glastonbury on the Somerset Levels. It is managed by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB). Since the last Ice Age, decomposing plants in the marshes of the Brue valley in Somerset have accumulated as deep layers of peat that were commercially exploited on a large scale in the twentieth century. Consumer demand eventually declined, and in 1994 the landowners, Fisons, gave their old workings to what is now Natural England, who passed the management of the 260 hectares Ham Wall section to the RSPB.
Dymock Woods is a 53-hectare (130-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Gloucestershire, notified in 1990. The site is listed in the 'Forest of Dean Local Plan Review' as a Key Wildlife Site (KWS).
Adelaide Local Nature Reserve is in North West London, in the area of Chalk Farm, Primrose Hill, Belsize Park and Swiss Cottage. It is managed by a local volunteer group, the Adelaide Nature Reserve Association, which works with the council to improve the site for wildlife and local community use and enjoyment. The site is a Local Nature Reserve and Site of Borough Importance for Nature Conservation, Grade 1.
Far Ings national nature reserve is an area of over 90 ha on the southern shore of the Humber Estuary in North Lincolnshire, England. It is immediately west of the town of Barton-upon-Humber and the village of Barton Waterside. In addition to being designated as a national nature reserve, it is within the Humber Estuary Ramsar site, Site of Special Scientific Interest, Special Area of Conservation, and Special Protection Area.
