Our second joint ARG conservation task of the Winter, on Saturday 25th and Sunday 26th January, 2014, went well, with a great deal more unwanted tree and scrub growth (especially Sea Buckthorn) cleared from an overgrown area of the Sefton Coast which still supports a population of sand lizards and a few pairs of Natterjacks. Hopefully, both will increase in the future.

8 volunteers from NMARG, together with 5 from ARGSL and 2 Chainsaw Operators from SWWARG, in conjunction with John Gramauskas from Sefton MBC operating the chipper, worked hard all day Saturday and created huge piles of cut brash as well as several wagon loads of chippings (see pictures above). A much smaller group went back on the Sunday morning and cleared more Buckthorn at one end of the site in continuous driving rain.

Our first joint Conservation task of the Winter, when we were ably assisted by three Chainsaw Operating Volunteers who had travelled all the way from South Wales (Pete Hill and Richard Pond of SWWARG) and Bolton (David Orchard of ARGSL), together with four of our members, went very well and was a great example of what can be achieved with the help of other ARG groups. A tremendous amount of unwanted tree and scrub growth was cleared from the North Birkdale Dunes, creating and improving Sand Lizard and Natterjack Toad habitat in the area, see photos in the Photo Gallery. Organised in conjunction with the Sefton Coast and Countryside Ranger Service, we were very lucky with the weather, bright sunshine prevailing over the two days, with typical 'bracing' winds off the sea. Although we were not able to burn any of the vast amount of brash generated at the time, that will be taken care of in the future.

Our next scheduled task, again in conjunction with other ARG groups, is on the 25 & 26 January, 2014, but we may be able to arrange a smaller task for our group before then, to help dispose of the brash from this task, and to tackle some small Sea Buckthorn patches. Watch the 'Events' section for more details !

The hot sunny weather of the last few weeks has accelerated the emergence of tiny Natterjack toadlets and the newly metamorphosed youngsters can now be seen round many of the remaining pools, including the recently constructed scrapes. Carefull treading is needed, however, as the babies are no bigger than small ground spiders, which their scurrying gait closely resembles.

As the pools dry up under the scorching heat of the sun, some of the little toadlets can be found seeking shelter and moisture under any available pieces of wood and other debris, emerging at dusk to feed on tiny invertebrates.

Great Crested Newt larvae can now be found in some of the remaining dune slack pools, bizarre looking creatures with their feathery gills and broad spotty tails ending in a fine filament. At up to two inches long, they are much larger than the Smooth Newt larvae, and they tend to be much more visible, as they hunt voraciously for their prey in the open water. 

The croaking of male Natterjacks at dusk, sounding like the sound of scores of old tin cans being opened at once, can now be heard along many parts of our coastline. The exceptionally high water levels in the dune slacks, due to the previous wet Summer and Autumn, is attracting Natterjacks to breed in many areas which have been dry for some years and this impressive cacophany of noise should herald their best breeding season for a long time.

Following behind the males, the silent females are now starting to arrive at their breeding grounds, and the first strings of spawn are starting to appear. Natterjack spawn is produced in single strings, rather than the double strings of the earlier breeding Common Toads.

A massive fire in the southern Formby dunes over Easter has destroyed the coastal dune vegetation along a stretch of at least a mile, encompassing some previously good sand lizard colonies. Although the majority of the lizards were probably still in their hibernation burrows, they are now emerging to a desolate landscape devoid of cover and food.