​The day dawned sunny and warm, as we set off for RSPB Conwy. There was hardly any traffic, even though it was Easter Saturday, and we made excellent time to Conwy. The intrepid group coped well with the first unexpected challenge of the day, on arrival in Conwy. As we could not gain access to the RSPB car park, due to not being informed about the weekly Saturday park run (!), our group could been seen ducking under railings, climbing over crash barriers and dodging vehicles on the entry and exit slip roads to the motorway, in a determined effort to gain access to the reserve. Just as well we are a sprightly group (!), with everyone making it in one piece. 
So, we set off to enjoy a leisurely walk around the reserve….. although some headed straight for the café to top up on the caffeine! 
We identified a wide variety of species, from flora, to birds, butterflies and amphibians. (Lists below). The general consensus was that the Bird of the Day was the Wood Sandpiper, a Lifer for some! And the most interesting plant was the Wayfarers Tree, although there was some discussion about that, as it is rare in the North!
In the afternoon a smaller group headed into Conwy town, to have a look around. The more adventurous visited the castle, with others soaking up the Easter atmosphere, accompanied by an ice cream. 
By late afternoon everyone was ready to head home and again we speeded, unhindered by traffic, back to Bamber Bridge. Everyone collected all of their belongings, thus saving our Driver, Neil, from a trip to a car boot sale to dispose of the abandoned items.
Overall a good day was had by all…..

Venue: Freckleton Naze
Date: Saturday 4th March 2017
Weather: Fine but Cool
Leader: Graham Thomas/John Wilson
Party Number: 17
Distance and Time: 4 miles, 10-14.45

17 People met at the Ship Public House at 10 am.  The walk started by following the Lancashire Coastal Way down to the Naze.  En-route we could overlook Freckleton Marsh which was a good habitat including fields, hedges, ditches, and pools, some of which were brackish.  We could also see Freckleton pool, a tidal creek below us.  Further along we could look across to several pools which had large amounts of wildfowl and waders feeding.  Unfortunately, the hedges have grown over the years blocking the views to these pools unless you stood in certain areas.

Eventually reached the Naze with it trig point over looking the rivers Ribble and Douglas.  It was windy in this place so we did not stay long, but a saw a vast amount of wild life.  We observed a common buzzard flushing large flocks of Wigeon, Teal and Waders.  This was a fantastic sight.  We descended the 14 metres to the marsh.  On the descent we found a single primrose, a true sign of spring.  We then turned right and followed the path, still The Lancashire Coastal Way, passing beneath Naze Mount farm.  Lots of driftwood and rubbish to be found here in this very muddy area. 
Had lunch at the point where Pool Lane came down to the marsh.

Returned via Pool Lane and Naze Lane East and eventually retraced steps along paths to the Pub.
7 people went into the Ship for a well deserved drink.

​Click Read More to see list of Birds...

Venue: Marton Mere Blackpool
Date: Saturday 7th Jan 2017
Weather: Misty and Damp
​Park: Lawson Road
Leader: Graham Thomas/John Wilson
Party Number: 20

The first outing of the Society took place on a damp misty day which eventually resulted in 18 members meeting on Lawson Road. Two other members joined the group later to become 20 in total. The path from Lawson Road led onto Marton Mere Nature Reserve. One of the members had arrived earlier to try and locate the Long Eared Owls, but without success.

The party followed the path to the left as usual locating the spot where the Owls had been seen in previous years, but the birds were not present.

Cetti's Warblers were heard 3 times in different locations during the day. Also seen was a spectacular Male Goldeneye.

We continued our walk around the Mere, stopping for lunch in one of the Hides, eventually visited all of the Hides including a new metal fireproof container style hide.

We spoke to several locals who all stated that the Owls had not been seen for over a week, however, on our way out of the reserve we spoke to another local who knew of a single Owl that could be observed by walking towards the new Hide, then 30 yards before looking for path on left by a rosehip bush.  After the bush, finally walk into the scrub for approximately 20 yards to hopefully observe the Owl.
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We had a great day out even though the weather was slightly against us.

Click Read More to see list of Birds...