Motus at Gibraltar Point Bird Observatory and National Nature Reserve

After a long period of planning and fund-raising, Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust are pleased to announce that a Motus Station has now been set up at the Coastguard Station by the Visitor Centre at Gibraltar Point.

This is the first Motus Station to be operational in the county of Lincolnshire and joins a network of many other stations now monitoring bat and bird migration on both sides of the North Sea (as well as much further afield). Some fascinating results have already been achieved, increasing our knowledge and understanding of migration, the timings of arrivals and departures, flight routes and distances involved. Who would have guessed that Nathusius Pipistrelle bats make regular North Sea crossings? The contribution to informing marine spatial planning could be significant.

Motus uses radio telemetry to detect the movement of animals and birds fitted with lightweight tags. Directional aerials are set up to detect the tags when they come in to range.

It is hoped that we can extend the Motus coverage along the Lincolnshire coast over the next few years with partners from other organisations.

LWT are grateful for the funding received from Sea-changers, Lincolnshire Bird Club and donations made in memory of Dick Lambert (Gib warden from 1976 to 1986). We are also grateful to Ewan and Sue Parsons who provided support, technical expertise and advice on site and to the team at Lincs Radios for the quality installation.

We now look forward to reporting our first detection – maybe during this autumn migration.

More information about Motus worldwide can be found here https://motus.org/

Kev Wilson

Coastal Officer