Dr Phil Smith’s Wildlife Notes
August 2024

Despite the opinion of many, August was a dry month, England having 62% of average rainfall. That is comparable to the 48.5mm measured by Rachael Parks, which was about 64% of normal August rainfall for Formby. It was a windy month, including a named storm on 22^nd-23^rd, but sunshine hours and temperature were about average. The sand-dune water-table fell dramatically by 17 cm during the month, though there was still surface water throughout in the Devil’s Hole at Ravenmeols.

The most unexpected of several wildlife highlights during August, was Dave Mercer’s amazing plant discovery on Ainsdale Sand Dunes National Nature Reserve. Getting out of his Landrover in a firebreak he found himself standing next to a patch of Bell Heather in full flower. He kindly drove me out to see and photograph it a few days later. Although this unmistakable native species is widespread nationally, I wasn’t aware of any previous sightings on the Sefton Coast, going back nearly 200 years. However, maps produced by the Botanical Society of Britain & Ireland show a pre-1930 record for Ainsdale Hills. I am trying to find out the details before publishing an article on this extraordinary find.

Less welcome were several young plants of Pampas-grass on the southern Green Beaches, north of Ainsdale-on-Sea. Although still uncommon on the Sefton Coast, this giant grass is a well-known invasive world-wide, including in southern Europe. Climate change may be suiting it here. One of our most important wildflowers, the Red-listed ‘vulnerable’ Grass-of-Parnassus, put on a tremendous display in the slacks of the southern Green Beaches. It doesn’t like deep water, so often appears as a white ’tidemark’ along the moist fringes of dune-slacks. The high spring water-table resulted in successful breeding of Natterjack Toads, especially on the Green Beach, where I noted four Natterjack toadlets, with juvenile Common Frogs, Common Toads and several young Smooth Newts. Four species of amphibians – not bad!

In contrast, it has been a disastrous summer for many of our insects. Butterflies were badly affected with Butterfly Conservation’s ‘Big Butterfly Count’ having the worst result in its 14 years history.  A wet and windy spring, coupled with below average summer temperatures are blamed, though I suspect there is more to it than that. There were exceptions of course: Gatekeepers, Speckled Woods and Meadow Browns were numerous in the dunes, while Graylings, Common Blues, Small Coppers and Small Skippers were well down and Small Tortoiseshells almost non-existent. The same applied to other groups; for example, the second generation of Northern Dune Tiger Beetles collapsed. I rejoiced to find four at the Devil’s Hole on 16^th where I would normally expect to count dozens. In contrast, a spectacular Green Tiger Beetle, that hasn’t been recorded on our coast for 35 years, was photographed by Pete Kinsella at Montagu Road dune heath, Freshfield. I have never seen one. A search for it a couple of days later was unsuccessful, though there were plenty of common hoverflies on the flowering Heather, together with the charming little Heather Colletes solitary bees. Although non-native, Canadian Goldenrod is also attractive to bees and wasps. I was treated to the rare sight of a female Bee Wolf catching a Honeybee on the Goldenrod at Ravenmeols. It all happened in a flash but the Bee Wolf – a solitary wasp – struggled to take off with such a large cargo. Nearby, I was delighted to find a colourful Painted Lady butterfly; my only sighting this year.

Windy conditions on 21^st meant looking for insects the ley of the northern Green Beach Alders. I counted 25 Common Darters, while a female Southern Hawker posed for photos. A superb female Hornet Plumehorn, our largest hoverfly, nectared on a Perennial Sowthistle. Two Wall butterflies were also a welcome sight and a Water Rail called from a nearby reedbed. The following day was also windy; I tried the sheltered Wicks Path at Formby Point. It produced a new ‘tick’ for me, the true-bug Rhopalus subrufus, which has a mostly southern distribution.Four Dock Bugs were on path-side vegetation. I saw my first in 2020; now they are everywhere. A family party walking past asked about a strange bird call – it was a young Buzzard, now breeding in good numbers in the coastal woodlands.

On 23^rd, after two 10.1m spring tides and strong onshore winds, I headed for Hightown, expecting to find serious erosion of the frontal dunes. Luckily, only the summer build-up of sand at the foot of the dunes had been washed away. The high-tide wader roost north of the R. Alt already had 700 Oystercatchers and 200 Redshanks, reflecting the onset of autumn migration.  Four startlingly white Little Egrets were on the saltmarsh. Walking back through the dunes, Wall and Grayling butterflies were basking with Dune Robberflies on the sandy paths. Finally, I spotted a new plant for the Sefton Coast: Sweet Scabious (Scabiosa atropurpurea), a garden escape. As its scientific name suggests, it has distinctive dark-purple flowers. There is only a handful of UK records “in the wild” and none for the Northwest.