Frampton Marsh RSPB Reserve played host to a rare visitor in late June, when a Collared Pratincole was discovered by visiting birder Mathew Mellor on 22nd June 2025.

Initial reports surfaced on the Frampton RSPB WhatsApp group, suggesting that a Pratincole species had been sighted. The bird was eventually located from the Visitor Centre, where it was seen crouching low in vegetation and partially hidden. RSPB staff were able to confirm its identity as a Collared Pratincole.

The bird remained on site for several days, offering excellent views to many visiting birdwatchers. It was most often seen on the Marsh Farm grassland and regularly returned to roost in front of the reedbed hide. At the time of writing, it was last observed on 29th June, when it was seen flying purposefully south before disappearing into the distance.

This is only the sixth record for Lincolnshire, reinforcing the species’ status as a rare vagrant in the county. The first was a bird shot at Branston Hall near Lincoln in 1827, followed by a 146-year gap until another appeared at Gibraltar Point in May 1973.

There were three further sightings between 1981 and 2011. On 11th July 1981, a bird was found at Donna Nook. Another brief visitor appeared at Frampton Marsh on 8th–9th August 2009, disappearing to the southeast on its first day, then reappearing the next day for three hours before departing north. This bird was noted to be missing several primaries in its left wing. The most recent, prior to this year’s bird, was discovered during a breeding bird survey at Killingholme Marshes on 27th April 2011. That individual stayed until 7th May and was the only British record that year, frequenting pools amidst the industrial landscape of the Humber bank oil industry.

Nationally, the Collared Pratincole remains a genuine rarity. Between 1950 and 2018, just 77 records were accepted in Britain, with several more pending from 2019 and 2020. Averaging around one record per year, its appearance at Frampton this summer was a significant and exciting event for local and visiting birders alike.