Ribble Estuary

Bird watching

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Pinkfeet

It’s not just holiday makers that like to visit the Fylde Coast. Thousands of “pinkfeet” fly here for their winter holidays – all the way from Iceland and Greenland. The chattering as they fly over in skeins at night is goose-bump-making! They’ll hang around until April/May and return to the Arctic summer to breed, raise goslings – then do it all again.

Heron

Like a prehistoric creature flying across the Ribble estuary.

Redshank

Pretty, peep-peeping waders with their distinctive bright red legs. Often out on the estuary or in the saltmarsh searching for morsels.

Stonechat

Thanks Mrs Stonechat for hanging around long enough for a snapshot!

Mute Swan

Always majestic. This one had been preening for ages. I knew it would have a stretch if I waited long enough. Thanks Mr Swan! (Males have a more pronounced knobbly bit above their beak than females.)

Bird watching forecast

Good around these parts.

Unusual footprints – St Annes beach

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The sandy beach
revealed a most unusual set of footprints

Deer prints?

A deer?
On St Annes beach?

Close-up of front foot

I followed the trail
and through binoculars
scoured the vast expanse
of the Ribble Estuary
There it was
A deer
On St Annes beach

Heading towards St Annes Pier – lost and confused

It galloped towards the pier,
past the beach huts,
in front of the saltmarsh and Fairhaven Lake,
across Granny’s Bay then up the River Ribble towards Lytham

Towards the beach huts – Blackpool Tower peeping over St Annes

At the rate it was going
it wouldn’t take long to reach Freckleton
where hopefully it would feel more at home
amidst fields and trees

Quite a sight seeing a deer (roe?)
taking a day trip to the seaside


River Ribble channel markers

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These fascinating ironworks
have been marking the
River Ribble deep-water channel
since the 1880s

Channel marker – 11.5 metres
Channel marker 8-11.5m
Channel marker – 11m

Barnacle-clad,
wrapped in fishing nets and floats
they are a live art installation
along the River Ribble

A barnacled 4 metres
Fishing nets, barnacles, mussels, and buoys
Fishing nets and buoys

The training walls are visible at low water

Channel marker

It’s hard to believe
that the channel markers
are completely submerged
during violent high tides

These days
we don’t see paddle steamers
or commercial boats
chugging down the river
Just a fisherman or two and
Lytham’s RNLI out on exercise

Coming in with the tide – and a friendly wave for the snapshot taker!
RNLI D-class on exercise – River Ribble to the Irish Sea

I love this amazing river,
that starts as a little trickle
at the Ribble Viaduct in Yorkshire
and eventually gathers force
and gushes into the Irish Sea

There’s heaps
of fascinating historical
and general information
about the River Ribble
and Preston Docks

Brr ..

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A bitterly cold, bright day
Perfect conditions for a walk
to shake off the sluggishness

Ribble Estuary – crunching across frozen sands

Black headed gulls looked cold and hungry
Happened to have a few bird nuggets
so chucked them in the air
They descended in a frenzy

Black headed gulls – St Annes beach

A little puddle of redshank
sheltering in the saltmarsh
As soon as they sense an intruder
off they go
making a noisy teu-heu-heu alarm call

Redshank – St Annes saltmarsh

Even if we’re unable to venture far,
more often than not
there’s something on the doorstep
to cheer us up

Snapshots from a morning’s walk

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Start of the walk
through a clump
of twisty white poplar trees

Heading for the beach

View from beach
of distant snow-capped hills

North – snowy Lake District
East – Wolf Fell and Parlick with dusting of snow

Cormorant’s view
from deep channel marker
Southport across the river

River Ribble

River Ribble
Lytham windmill ahead

River Ribble – tide coming in

Sea defence at Granny’s Bay

Patterns in the sun

Curlew takes flight from a frosty saltmarsh

Frosty saltmarsh

Sea-buckthorn berries and stonechat

Female stonechat in her larder
Stonechat

End of the walk
along dunes and scrubland –
clump of white poplars ahead

Fylde coast adrenaline junkies

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High tides and choppy seas
offer perfect conditions
for adrenaline junkies

Kiteboarders on the River Ribble – Southport on the other side
St Annes – windsurfers and kiteboarder
From St Annes dunes – kiteboarders on the Irish Sea

A high tide leaves behind
wood, saltmarsh reeds,
plastic, other detritus,
and …

Towards Fairhaven Lake – what the tide left behind

… Twirly, sister of Swirly
(research courtesy of the www!)
Washed-up and
looking worse for wear
she’s now clean and sparkling
and at home with her new friends!

Washed-up Twirly with her new friends now living under the aspidistra

The natural life never ceases to amaze
whatever the weather

Jackdaws
bustle about on the ground
searching for seeds and insects

Jaunty jackdaw

Sanderling
I love to watch these little waders
scuttle along the sea edge
on the hunt for tasty morsels
left by the tide
Identifying fact:
they have forward-pointing toes
and no back toe

Sanderling


What’s not to like about …

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Knot

Knot watching and waiting

Now is a good time to spot Knot
Wearing summer breeding plumage
their little fat bellies are the colour of Accrington Brick*
The pales ones are juveniles

Oystercatchers fly over an island of Knot


(*incidentally, Accrington bricks,
renowned for being strong,
form the foundations of Blackpool Tower)

St Annes beach, Knot, Blackpool Tower


Knot flock in vast numbers
On the beach they shuffle and jostle
for the same space
then they’re up and away
Thousands of tiny beating wings
whoosh overhead
Twisting and turning
they perform a dramatic aerial display
as if a giant magnet
is pulling little iron filings
across the sky

Swirling mass of Knot

They land and shuffle into a huddle
Until they do it all over again

Water’s edge – St Annes

After moult, Knot don their winter gear
Their plumage changes
to a streaky ghostly grey
and we won’t see
that lovely Accrington Brick colour
until next year’s breeding season