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!

Introduction

I have developed this blog to post reports from the Sefton Coastline, the stretch of coast north of Liverpool from Seaforth to Southport and will be posting reports from time to time.

The Sefton coastline stretches north from the docks that line the banks of the River Mersey heading out of Liverpool, the Port of Liverpool’s Royal Seaforth container terminal, the leisure lake at Waterloo and the start of the stretch of beach which is the site of Antony Gormley's Another Place installation which continues north through Crosby and Blundellsands. The artwork consists of a hundred iron men, cast from moulds of the artists body scattered along one and a half miles of beach.
The coastline continues north, the beach split by the Estuary of the River Alt near Hightown, here mud flats abound with wild fowl and wading birds, avocets, shelduck, oyster catchers and herons.
The entire stretch of coast is home to several sites of scientific interest (SSI's) with rare plants, natterjack toads and sand lizards.
Inland from the Alt Estuary the river meanders across flood plains behind the historic villages of Little Crosby and Ince Blundell at Lunt Meadows where the Wildlife Trust have a large sanctuary for many visiting birds and wildfowl, lapwings, avocets, plovers, Canada geese, greylag geese.
Beyond Hightown the military have a firing range then the coastline continues with the sand dunes of Formby point. These sand dunes continue all the way up the coast to Southport, inland is the National Trust area of Formby Pine Woods and the red squirrel reserve. Beyond Formby point the beach contains areas of prehistoric footprints from Neolithic times. 
Inland from the beach along this stretch are several golf courses including the famous Royal Birkdale, venue for several “Opens”, then we arrive at the Victorian resort of Southport with its large marine lake.
Beyond is the wide Estuary of the River Ribble with the bird sanctuary at Marshside and Crossens. On the far side of the river we see the tall silhouettes of the large rides at Blackpool Pleasure Beach and Blackpool Tower.