Donna Nook is a point on the low-lying coast of north
Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire (abbreviated Lincs.) is a Counties of England, county in the East Midlands of England, with a long coastline on the North Sea to the east. It borders Norfolk to the south-east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south-we ...
, England, north of the village of
North Somercotes
North Somercotes is a village near to the North Sea coast, in the district of East Lindsey and the Marshes area, of Lincolnshire, England. The village is situated midway between the towns of Mablethorpe and Cleethorpes.
In 2001 village po ...
and south of
Grimsby
Grimsby or Great Grimsby is a port town and the administrative centre of North East Lincolnshire, Lincolnshire, England. Grimsby adjoins the town of Cleethorpes directly to the south-east forming a conurbation. Grimsby is north-east of L ...
. The area, a
salt marsh
A salt marsh or saltmarsh, also known as a coastal salt marsh or a tidal marsh, is a coastal ecosystem in the upper coastal intertidal zone between land and open saltwater or brackish water that is regularly flooded by the tides. It is domin ...
, is used by a number of
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) an ...
stations in Lincolnshire for bombing practice and shares its name with
RAF Donna Nook
Donna Nook Air Weapons Range is a Ministry of Defence air weapons range in East Lindsey, Lincolnshire, England. The range, as well as a now defunct airfield and radar station, were previously operated by the Royal Air Force and known as RAF Donn ...
. The site was also made available to commercial organisations such as
BMARC
BMARC (British Manufacture and Research Company) was a UK-based firm designing and producing defence products, particularly aircraft cannon and naval anti-aircraft cannon. It was based on a site on Springfield Road (part of the A607) in Gran ...
for firing tests.
Wildlife seems to have become accustomed to regular aircraft bombing according to The Wildlife Trust. The name is popularly supposed to be derived from a ship called ''The Donna'', part of the
Spanish Armada, which sank off the Nook (a small headland) in 1588.
A coastal strip stretching from
Saltfleet
Saltfleet is a coastal village in the East Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England. It is approximately north of Mablethorpe and east of Louth.
The village is part of the civil parish of Skidbrooke with Saltfleet Haven, which had a popu ...
in the south, to Somercotes Haven in the north, is managed by the
Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust
The Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust, (part of the The Wildlife Trusts, Wildlife Trusts partnership), covers the whole ceremonial county of Lincolnshire, England. It was founded in 1948 as a Volunteering, voluntary charitable organisation dedicated to ...
as a
nature reserve
A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, or features of geological or ...
.
It is part of the land owned by the Ministry of Defence and used as a bombing range.
[ The ]grey seal
The grey seal (''Halichoerus grypus'') is found on both shores of the North Atlantic Ocean. In Latin Halichoerus grypus means "hook-nosed sea pig". It is a large seal of the family Phocidae, which are commonly referred to as "true seals" or " ...
population return to breed from October to December every year. From 2007, when about 1,194 pups were born to 3,500 resident grey seal colony, births rates have grown to 2,066 pups born over the 2018 season. A double wooden fence was erected to ensure better separation and protection for both visitors and seals.
The reserve, staffed by full time wardens and volunteer seal wardens, is accessible to the public. Media coverage of Donna Nook has led to a big increase in visitor numbers; it was visited by about 43,000 people in 2006. Surplus money collected through sales is used to further support the protection of seals.
The Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust has asked walkers and photographers to stay in the public viewing area and to avoid going out onto the sands, following an increase in seal mortality which coincided with an increase in visitor numbers in 2010
References
Notes
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External links
Information on RAF Donna NookL.W.T. nature reserve
*
Archived BBC webcam still frame of Donna Nook beach
{{Lincolnshire, state=collapsed
Nature reserves in Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire coast