Formby

We walked from Freshfield to the Beach via Fishermans path and then headed north, simply because the wind was blowing a gale from the south west, and walking north seemed easier. We got nearly as far as Ainsdale, before heading inland and joining the coast road. We then walked the cycle route through the pines and back to Freshfield. Hard to believe that just 36 hours ago it put down a foot of snow, yet today felt positively spring like, especially when we were sheltered from the wind.

It was high tide when we arrived, and the sea was nearly up to the dunes, so there were very few birds on the beach, just a handful of Sanderling. There was a pair of Stonechats in the dunes, a few Meadow Pipits and a Kestrel.


I've never seen the dunes so flooded, it must be set to be a bumper year for Natterjacks!


This polypody fern was growing in abundance in the dunes. There are three species of polypody in the UK, two of which grow at Formby, but they are very difficult to identify. I've never seen Common Polypody Polypodium vulgare grow so large, and it's usually on walls, rocks or trees in my experience. Western (or Intermediate) Polypody Polypodium interjectum, is meant to be common on the Sefton coast, and it does favour dunes and calcareous soils, so I'm going to say that this is Western Polypody. The toadstool is, I think, Orange Mosscap Rickenella fibula.


Kestrel