Morecambe Bay from Arnside

Little Egret

One of our favourite walks starts at Arnside on the Kent estuary and takes us west around Blackstone Point to White Creek and then on to Far Arnside, and finally back via Arnside Knott. The views are amongst the best anywhere, not only over the river Kent towards the Lake District, but also over Morecambe Bay, and in summer you also have the added pleasure of a tremedous array of flora and fauna, including some very rare plants and insects. These include Teesdale violet at its only UK location away from Teesdale, the orchid dark red helleborine and butterflies such as the rare high brown fritillary and Scotch argus. However these are just distant memories in November and today we had to be content with glorious views and some decent birding.

Thousands of waders spend the winter on the mud of Morecambe Bay.

Oystercatchers

Drake red-breasted merganser

Adult drake red-brested merganser
 with a female and young drake.

Maidenhair fern

I know of Maidenhair fern from just a single cliff face just outside Arnside. In the UK it's a very rare plant, being mainly southerly but with a very scattered distribution.