Dr Phil Smith’s Wildlife Notes
November 2024

The Met. Office described November as: “A month of two halves.” The first fortnight was dominated by ‘anticyclonic gloom’; grey skies, mild and calm conditions caused by high pressure trapping a low-level layer of cloud. From mid-month, temperatures fell and unsettled weather prevailed, including a named storm and spells of rain. There was even an inch of snow in Formby on 21^st. Overall, it was a dry month with only about half the normal rainfall: 48 mm in 15 days recorded in Rachael Park’s Formby garden. As a result, the dune water-table rose by only about 3 cm.

There are usually a few insects knocking about as late as November but a complete absence of sun until 11^th meant that I struggled to find any in my usual haunts. A short walk on the latter date produced three common species of shieldbugs (Hairy, Green and Hawthorn) two Dock Bugs and three common hoverflies. No great shakes but it showed what a bit of sun could do. My usual rambles in the dunes were enlivened by several sleek Fox Moth caterpillars getting ready to hibernate. These 3-inch-long hairy caterpillars used to be a common sight at this time of year but now I rarely see them. Interestingly, the superb new book on The Moths of Lancashire by Steve Palmer and Ben Smart confirms that records of Fox Moth received over the last decade have declined throughout its range.

The birds were better. On my way to Hightown on 4^th I came across an exceptional flock of Pink-footed Geese, an enormous grey carpet feeding on harvest waste in a roadside field. Finding a suitable gap in the hedge where I could stop safely and observe from the car, I estimated about 10,000 geese in the flock. They were still there the following afternoon, as I headed for Hightown dunes to finish cutting Sea Buckthorn regrowth in a Natterjack scrape. While I was there, a spectacular flight of about 7500 Pinkfeet flew out over the Alt Estuary to roost on Formby Bank. A sight and sound to behold! I assumed they were part of the flock I had counted earlier but, driving home, I could see that they were still there, making a massive total of about 17,500 geese in the Hightown area.

A few trips to Marshside were also productive. On 22^nd, two Great White Egrets and a grey male Hen Harrier were showing out on Crossens Marsh, while an immature Long-tailed Duck on Rainford’s lagoon had been around for several days. I visited again five days later; the Hen Harrier showed briefly and, this time, there were three Great White Egrets on Crossens. Marsh, two of them being close enough to see the yellow, dagger-like bill and long neck, which helps to separate them, at a distance, from the now much commoner black-billed Little Egret. Not long ago, Great Whites were unknown in Lancashire, the first record being in October 2001, also on Crossens Marsh. This impressive southern heron is now a regular sight on our coastal marshes; the latest Lancashire Bird Report suggests that it can only be a matter of time before breeding takes place in the county.

Of course, there were inevitable disappointments. I managed to miss two Water Pipits at the northern end of Crossens Marsh. A flock of 500 Wigeon there didn’t provide adequate compensation. Even worse was a “guaranteed” Snow Bunting on the beach near Southport Pier. A long walk on a particularly cold and windy day was unsuccessful, though someone had seen it an hour earlier. However, Pete Kinsella kindly sent me a photograph of the bird taken a few days before.

On the way back from the ‘mythical’ Snow Bunting, I called in at Queen’s Jubilee Nature Trail to photograph two big machines taking invasive Grey Willow out of a wetland area, one of a series of projects by Green Sefton to reduce scrub invasion in the sand-dunes. They avoided a rare hybrid willow that I had pinpointed earlier. A Grey Wagtail was taking the opportunity to search for food in the disturbed ground. I also visited Ainsdale Sandhills Local Nature Reserve where ten English Longhorn cattle are spending the winter doing a great job grazing coarse grasses and scrub. Cattle grazing in winter over the last decade has dramatically improved the condition of these dunes.

The Sefton sand-dune system is plagued by invasive plants. In a recent scientific paper, I listed 24 non-native species that show invasive characteristics here, the worst offenders being Sea Buckthorn and Japanese Rose. One that wasn’t on my list is Pampas-grass, a popular plant in gardens that has become invasive in southern Europe. Having recently found five young specimens on the southern Green Beach, I thought it would be a good idea to get rid of them before they spread further. Accordingly, I mapped their positions and joined Green Sefton staff and two Buckthorn Bash volunteers on12th to dig them up. The Buckthorn Bashers met three times during the month, with a record-equaling 20 participants on 14^th. Together with the efforts of other volunteer groups and land-owners, we may be finally getting on top of the scourge of Sea Buckthorn in the Sefton sand-dunes.