Winter wildlife in Lincolnshire: Donna Nook seals, swans and where to see them

November has a quiet confidence about it. As the woods turn russet and the first frosts dust the hedgerows, Lincolnshire welcomes thousands of winter visitors, and on the coast one of the country’s great wildlife spectacles reaches its peak.

Donna Nook grey seals

Each winter, grey seals come ashore to breed at Donna Nook National Nature Reserve on the north-east Lincolnshire coast, and more than 2,000 pups are born there every year. The seal viewing area, main car park and facilities are open from dawn to dusk from October to December.

Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust asks visitors to stay inside the fenced 600m viewing area at the foot of the dunes, for their own safety and to reduce disturbance to the seals. Dogs aren’t permitted on the reserve or in the viewing area. Part of the site is still a Ministry of Defence bombing range, so never enter it when red flags are flying.

Stonebridge car park is the easiest access but has limited spaces; the privately run main car park operates from October to December and charges £5 per car.

Swans, geese and ducks on the wetlands

Lakes, reservoirs and marshes fill with birds escaping harsher conditions further north. Look for whooper swans on still water, geese passing overhead in noisy V-formations, and wigeon, teal and pintail on sheltered pools. Grey herons stand patiently along reed fringes, kingfishers are easier to spot as the vegetation dies back, and the lucky may glimpse an otter at dawn or dusk.

Woods, hedgerows and fields

Fallow bucks see out the last of the rut and roe deer feed at woodland edges early and late in the day. Redwings and fieldfares arrive from Scandinavia and Iceland to feast on berries, jays bury acorns by the thousand, and lapwings and starlings gather in ever-larger flocks over the fields. As the nights lengthen, listen for tawny owls.

A winter birdwatch for beginners: Wilder Doddington’s winter birdwatch on 15th November welcomes beginners, with expert birders helping visitors spot snipe, lapwing, jack snipe, skylark, yellowhammer and reed bunting. Booking is through Doddington Hall & Gardens, see here.