Sometimes the weather or that annoying thing called real life can get in the way of our fishing or walking but even when busy it’s always great to get out and about, even if it’s for just a little while.

We’re very lucky in Lancashire to have near by the WWT reserve, Martin Mere which, like all the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust reserves is running events throughout June to help showcase the work they do and enable everyone to enjoy some of the UK’s fantastic wildlife.

The agenda for June is below but if you want more information you can visit Martin Mere’s ‘Walk on the Wild Side’ page here.

Guided walk of the waterfowl gardens: Every Day

Walk around the waterfowl gardens with a volunteer to learn all about the different bird species in the grounds. (Weather permitting) 1pm

Flamingo walk and dance: Every Day 12.30pm

Learn how flamingos walk and take part in the flamingo dance

Duckling nursery open weekends: Every Weekend 12-3pm

Follow the duckling walk to the duckling nursery and learn all about the egg to duckling process.

Burscough Bridge to Martin Mere Walk: Every Tuesday in June.

Starting at 10am walk from Burscough Bridge Interchange to Martin Mere and back again with a warden (approximately 2 miles one way – some rough terrain)

Community Reedbed Walk: Every Friday in June

Walk with a warden around the new community reedbed walk starting at 10am. Meet at the main reception and the walk has some rough terrain.

Walk to Mere Sands Wood: Friday 10 & 24 June.

Walk with a warden to Mere Sands Wood over a newly created trail – have a guided tour of MSW on arrival – starting at 1pm (will need 3 hours and over some rough terraine)

Big Toddle

We’re doing the Big Toddle in aid of Banardo’s and think you should too! Join our big adventure – the biggest charity event for 5s, this year with an animal theme!

We’ve not been sea fishing for a while but we’re making up for it soon with a week on Anglesey so we’ve been getting our kit together and doing all sorts of home and garden maintenance type things before we go away. Even though I’m supposed to be getting stuff ready for going away I couldn’t resist a quick walk along our local River Douglas, not for any specific reason, just because it’s been a nice day.

Nothing unusual to report although if the number of Small Tortoiseshell butterflies flitting round the nettles is anything to go by it looks like they might be making a bit of a recovery – at least I hope so. Birds are all doing the pairing up thing and it was good to see the Swallows swooping over the fields chasing the insects being thrown up as the tractors plough. Although not unusual in itself we have noticed a lot more Orange Tip butterflies this year – I’m not sure if we’re just more observant or if there are more than normal – I suppose we’ll see once the summer arrives.

Every time I walk along the River Douglas it reminds me just how lucky we are to live in such a fantastic place, not just Lancashire, but the UK in general and even on your local patch you can sometimes find something a bit different to photograph or a new look for an old subject.

Take the above as an example, looks almost alien – like some sort of science fiction film set but it’s the dried mud on the side of the River Douglas. I’ve been trying to photograph it for a while but it’s either too wet and messy or too dry and powdery, today it was just right…

If your in the area how about renting out a cottage at Easy Cottages for your walking holiday in Lancashire

Spring is in the air and it’s time for all creatures great and small to start doing what the birds and the bees do best – yes – it’s time for some good old fashioned sex.

Everywhere you look at this time of year you can see all types of fauna paired up and ready to make whoopie. During the past few days I’ve made the most of the weather and spent a fair amount of time wondering round Queens Park, Bolton. As well as the usual suspects of Sparrows, Great Tits, Blue Tits, Long-tailed Tits, Ducks and Geese the Green Dock Beetles seem to have come out of hiding earlier this year and are certainly making the most of it.

As well as these beautiful little bugs the new growth on the Hazel and Alder is covered in deep blue Alder Leaf Beetles getting busy in the making little beetles department.

No fishing for a while as we’ve been making the most of the weather and planting a few flowers and more veg. in the garden but we’re going to Anglesey soon for a week which theoretically should coincide with the Bass arriving – at least that’s what we’re hoping…

After saying the weather in West Lancashire hasn’t been too bad mother nature threw the heaviest snowfall our way last weekend since I was a child. So, after struggling home on Friday night we did what any other like minded loony would do and went for a walk on the Saturday. We had such a good time tramping along the River Douglas through the snow I did it again on Sunday, this time with the ‘proper’ camera.

Instead of just going along the river I spent some time wondering through the boatyard until I noticed an odd sound coming from the river, on looking closer I was shocked to see ice flowing downstream, the noise being generated as it pilled up against the boatyards pontoons.

This may not seem such a big deal until you realise that the River Douglas is tidal in this area and contains mostly salt water when the tide is high (when it’s low water you can wade across it in places, at high water it is over 15 feet deep). I stood there and watched this spectacle for ages until I remembered I had the camera with me.

Dragging myself away from this highly unusual occurrence I continued my walk Northwards along the banks of the river, stopping every so often to see if I could get a half decent snap of the ducks on the river without falling through the snow into a hidden gully. Eventually I gave up on that idea as they were just to far away but climbing back onto the retaining bank I spotted a flock of birds feeding on the Hawthorn. Assuming they were Starlings I just watched them for a while until they flew overhead and I got my first proper view of a large flock of Fieldfare.

I’ve never actually been close enough to photograph these beautiful birds and they certainly played hard to get  as whenever I got close enough to attempt a picture they flew off but eventually I managed to get a shot of a group of them on the bushes, not quite as close as I’d have liked but still, not a bad first go.

After seeing them I slowly made my way back along the farmers track and down Marsh Lane, a short but wonderful walk along our local river. Amazingly the temperature has since got colder and driving over the river this morning there was even more ice so I’ll definitely be going back over the Christmas break for another look

Thankfully the weather hasn’t been too extreme here in Lancashire these past couple of weeks although we have had some very cold days which without the snow feels a bit like we’ve been ripped off.

Last Monday was a case in point where it was so cold the fog was freezing in the air and you could see ice crystals suspended in front of your face. It did look great once I got out of the car in Bolton but driving to work down the M61 through the ice laden air was a little bit interesting to say the least.

I did manage to get out for a walk to Queens Park where all the plants were laden with crystals of frozen fog.

I didn’t get to go out sea fishing this weekend due to the weather being just too damn cold and wet although a few of the guys from the Wirral Sea Fishing website had a couple of sessions on Saturday, one at Seaforth and the other at Hall Road, Crosby. Not much was caught but credit due to them, they stuck it out in truly horrid conditions.

The bravest I managed was a gentle walk along the banks of our local river, the Douglas to see if I could manage to get any half decent photographs. From a birding point of view the walk was great and I managed to spot Mallard, Widgeon, Little Egret, Grey and Canada Geese, Great crested Grebe, Redshank and Oyster Catchers on or around the river as well as Kestrel, Fieldfare, Blue, Great and Long tailed Tit, Goldfinch, Robin and Blackbird on the hedge along the embankment.

Of course, non of these would stay still long enough for a photo in the fog but I did manage an arty shot of a couple walking their dog as the last of the evening sun lit up the fog.

As for sea fishing the BLAS Christmas match has been brought forward to this Sunday at Rossall and with a bit of a thaw, a predicted balmy 6°C with a slight Westerly I may actually be in with a chance of a fish or two.

Personally I prefer it cold and frosty rather than this wet, windy, murky weather but the winds brings the birds over from Europe and if you’re a nature lover you must have noticed in the news that there has been a large influx of Waxing into the UK this year.

I’ve still not managed to photo one but I’m still holding out hope and with the tress and bushes laden with berries it looks like Autumn is going to be provide a feast for any visiting migrants.

I did manage to get a few shots of Lapwings as they flew in from the marsh but by the time the Pick footed geese did their nightly V-shaped fly-by the light level was too low to get any decent photographs.

Cow, ignoring the Lapwings and Widgeon... "Can't you see I'm eating?"

There were plenty of other birds in the area; Widgeon, Teal, Godwits, Oyster catchers – all the usual Autumn suspects but the only time they came within camera range was when the Sun hid behind the clouds forming over the sea to the west.

Evening sun lights up a flight of Lapwings at RSPB Marshside

Needless to say as the light level returned and the Sun bathed the area the golden glow the Geese were nowhere to be seen, the only evidence of them being their calls echoing from the surrounding fields.

Light… a photographers best friend and worst enemy…

Eileen’s editor, Susan, asked if she could use one of my photographs for the cover a few months ago and until I received an email asking for my address I’d completely forgotten about it.

My first ever published photo – brilliant!

Susan found the photo from a post I did a while back about bird watching at Marshside, Southport and the only change they’ve made to it is to flip it so the moon is top right.

I”ll leave you with an excerpt from the “Walking In the Wind” by Eileen Berry as she describes a bit of Marshside in a way I hope to do in my photography.

“Wide skies, white seabirds, wild seas – this is her world -
the whole blustery world of marsh and near-deserted shore,
where a few people look for shells,
a man walks his dog”

Cemlyn Bay

A few more photographs from our recent visit to Anglesey which include our first visit to Abermenai Point

Llanddwyn Bay - looking NW from Abermenai Point

Sea Holly (Eryngium maritimum)

The protected dune plant, Sea holly (Eryngium maritimum) is native to most European coastlines and resembles a metallic blue flowering thistle growing to a height 60 cm. In Elizabethan times in England, these plants were believed to be a strong aphrodisiac and in 2002 Sea holly was nominated the 2002 County flower for the city of Liverpool.

Looking south from Abermenai Point towards the Lleyn Peninsula

"Where Sand Meets the Sea" - Llanddwyn Beach