Significantly for us the data is used to advise local forward planning, development control, conservation targeting and decision taking by the local authorities in line with their legal duties to biodiversity. Directly impacting on wildlife in the Liverpool City Region.

Way back at the tail end of 2016 the Liverpool City Region and West Lancashire approved the creation of an Ecological Network. The information behind this Network was in part backed up by the wildlife recording effort of the many individuals regularly sending in their wildlife sightings to us or otherwise sharing them via the National Biodiversity Network.

With 18 rain-days and the two named storms Eleanor and Georgina, January was wetter than average. This meant a welcome recovery in the dune water-table which returned to “normal” winter levels. I measured a rise of about 17cm at the Devil’s Hole blowout during the month, resulting in extensive flooding of the lower sections. This is good news for the Natterjack Toad which might have somewhere to breed in the spring.

Big tides and high winds early in the month created a storm surge which, although not as strong as those in the 2013/14 winter, produced some erosion at Formby Point and Hightown. I estimated a 5m loss of dunes at Hightown, impacting important populations of Isle of Man Cabbage and the rare Triple-hybrid Evening Primrose. In contrast, there were minimal effects at the Ainsdale end of Birkdale Green Beach, where the much wider shore absorbs the energy of the waves.

An unremarkable month for weather, December 2017 started and ended relatively mild with a cold snap in the middle. Many parts of the country had considerable snow-fall but, as usual, barely a flake was seen here. However, it was a little wetter than average with measureable rain on 20 days, though many of those had little more than a period of drizzle. Happily, the sand-dune water-table continued to rise, Devil’s Hole showing an increase of 15cm (6 inches) during the month, with surface water appearing at last in the deepest sections.