A February Stroll at Mere Sands Wood

An early February stroll around the Wildlife Trust Reserve at Mere Sands Wood a few miles inland from the coast, between Rufford and Southport, diffused sunlight filters through the bare trees, feathery skeletons of silver birch against the pale glowing sky.

Strolling east from the car park through the woodland along the main path, vivid green lichens and moss coat the fallen trunks and branches in a clearing near a large clump of beech trees. A branch off to the right down a path edged by a fence layered with turkey fungus brings us to the Cyril Gibbons Hide on Mere End lake from where we observe a pair of goosander leaving a shining wake across the still water. 

The scene is slightly hazy, the soft winter sunlight reflected from the water amongst the bull rushes outside the hide window.

The path through the woods

A little egret on the fields nearby.

Further around the walk we call in to the Rufford Hide where we sit awhile, sighting mandarin ducks, a small white egret, a heron, goosander, various other small wildfowl and a mass of cormorants perched in a tree at the far side of the lake, their droppings have left a white coating on the skeletal branches. From over in the centre of the lake comes loud honking from a group of Canada geese.

Whilst sitting and watching the wildlife in front of us, an inquisitive robin lands in one of the open viewing ports right in front of us. A wren, almost mouselike, scurries about in a bush in the undergrowth just in front of the hide and the heron stalks the shallows, it’s neck leaning forward over the water, poised to strike. A sudden dart forward as the spear like beak enters the water and it emerges with a fish squirming in its grasp, quickly dispatched down the large throat.

The sky darkens and threatens rain which starts to fall as we drive away but it has been a refreshing and entertaining afternoon.

Grey Heron, poised to strike!

Crosby Beach and The Iron Men, January 2020

 The first sunset of 2020 down on Crosby beach with IronMenCrosby. Still air and a slight haziness bring a feeling of quiet calm to the scene.

The first day of January was fine and clear. Down on the beach during the afternoon there are more people than on a summer day, all taking advantage of the fine weather to take some fresh air and exercise on this New Year's Day. 
Late afternoon and the tide is on its way out and has left large pools of standing water on the beach which make good reflections for the pictures.

The sun sinks down through a hazy sky, with solid cloud on the horizon. The Welsh hills are invisible in the haze. A golden disc of the sun slowly disappears into the haze leaving a deep orange glow in the sky. The sea is quite calm again, the surface rippled with a light wind and seagulls are paddling in the pools stamping their legs in the hope of bringing worms to the surface.

Mid month and another evening at Crosby beach, totally different weather to that on New Year's Day It is windier than I thought it would be and the sea is quite rough. It was high tide around 14.30 so the sea is just on its way out, the waves still around the base of the nearest iron men, the noise and roar of the waves is quite loud. At the water’s edge gulls are lined up again doing their little dance with their feet in the hope of attracting worms. 

The air is very cold and the bluish light reflected off standing water on the beach makes it look colder still. There is some colour in the sun before it sinks into a cloud bank over the Welsh hills, the light of the sun glitters off the crests of the waves as they break near the beach and I manage a few good images before the light fades with little colour, the air being quite clear tonight.

Down on Crosby beach tonight as the sun sinks behind a cloud bank over the Welsh hills, the air filled with the roar and glitter of waves on the wind tossed sea. Gulls dance at the water’s edge, the air is chilled and the water a cold blue in the evening light.

The morning of the 23rd January dawned grey and cloudy but by ten the clouds had started to break and the anticyclonic gloom and mist of the last few days rolled away leaving a clear blue sky with just a mist on the distant horizon and sharp bright winter sunshine, a perfect day for some morning images down on Crosby beach.

The calm outgoing sea is a wash of pale flat blue under the dome of a cerulean sky. Sunlight dances and shimmers off the sea and is reflected off the standing water in the tide ripples on the wet sand, wavelets lap at the shoreline and the iron men cast long shadows across the sand. Out at sea the mist lingers around the base of the wind farm columns and obscures the distant Welsh hills. Along the tide line a scattering of mermaid’s purses amongst all the razor clam shells.

Monday 27th January

The afternoon has turned dark and threatening as clouds sweep in from the west. A slight gap in the clouds reflects the light of the setting sun and catches the waves at the water’s edge, adding a touch of sparkle to the otherwise grey scene at Crosby beach.

Next day the weather is very wintery, with sudden squally showers of hail and rain whipping through, driven by a strong, cold north westerly wind. Mid afternoon the clouds break allowing some sunshine and I head down to the beach just after four pm. It is noticeable how much later the sunset is than at the start of January, almost an hour of extra daylight at the end of the day already.

Down on the beach the NW wind is very cold, the tide is just on its way out and the beach is very wet with standing water formed by both rain and the outgoing tide, ruffled with fast moving catspaws across the surface. The sun is just about to descend behind a band of solid cloud over Wales, but I manage to capture some pictures before it disappears, rays of light beaming out across the sky and clouds and sparkling off the wet beach. A bank of cloud moves swiftly overhead its bottom edge highlighted in pinks and oranges by the setting sun. The air is full of the sound of the sea, the roar of the waves at the water’s edge and the calls of gulls as they glide by, riding the wind. A group of Knots rise and fall along the tide line.

Looking back as I leave the beach shortly after sunset I capture this line of gulls gliding in the wind as it rises over the dunes, effortless flight in the evening light.

A late September Stroll

Rare blue skies feathered with cirrus clouds and the silver streak of a high flying aircraft on its way out over the Atlantic.

Yesterday morning, the last day of September dawned bright and clear. A rare bright spell after days of rain and more rain forecast for later in the day. We decided to take advantage of this break in the weather for a stroll along the Sefton Coastal Path from Crosby towards Hightown. Out to the west the mountains of Snowdonia are clear against the horizon but a few streaks of thicker stratus cloud are starting to form high above them. The air is still, no wind, a rare occurrence on this stretch of the coast where there is usually a movement of air to cool things down so it it is pleasantly mild in the late September sunlight.

The new silvery pillars in position awaiting hammering in and the iron men figures.

The beach looks strange and bare, some of the iron men have been collected in and their positions marked by the new silvery steel pillars which are going to be their new supports. These pillars will be straightened and hammered into the sands of the beach before the iron men are attached to their tops.

A little egret lurks near one of the pillars dipping into a tidal pool for food and we are able to approach closer and observe its bright yellow feet almost dancing on the sand before it takes off in swooping flight to land further down the beach.

The sea is on the move, creeping swiftly across the sands as the tide line sweeps up the shore heading towards a high tide just after noon, one of the highest of the month. Soon all signs of the iron men will disappear under the water.

The tide sweeps in across Crosby beach.

Layers of high stratus clouds move in from the south west, a warning of further rain later in the day. The iron men are slowly being submerged by the incoming tide.

Looking back to the south west as we approach the Coastguard Station at Hall Road, the sky has started to cloud over, high stratus clouds a forerunner of the rain bearing clouds to come later in the day.

The team working on the restoration of Antony Gormley's Iron Men are based at the end of car park at Hall Road and the compound is full of iron men lying down on the ground awaiting a spot of cleaning and the refitting of the metal plates that attach them to their supports. The air is salty with the smell of the sea off them and the acres tang of hot metal as new supports are cut to shape.

Further along the coastal path the sea asters are coming into bloom, providing a feast for bees and late butterflies. Out at sea flocks of birds twist and turn low over the water.

This hairy caterpillar decided to join us on the coastal path.

Out to the west tendrils of cloud are starting to swirl around the mountains of Snowdonia as we turn around for home.

Looking south down the Sefton Coastal Path from "The Pebble" Sculpture, the rain clouds are gathering.

Back down near the Hall Road car park the antics of the many starlings amuse us as we pass and they are tame enough, well used to visitors in this area, so that it is possible to be able to get close enough to see the lovely iridescence in their feathers.

The tide is right up to the promenade wall as we head further south, the odd wave breaking up over the wall, splashing any unfortunate who happens to be too close. All signs of the iron men completely submerged at this end of the coastal path, just a small amount of beach remains at the distant Waterloo end of the beach. We have had a good and interesting walk, blessed by a spot of good weather before the rain returned.

An early afternoon high tide splashes up over the promenade railings as the sky darkens with approaching bad weather.