The first half of the month continued the trend set earlier in the winter of repeated low-pressure systems driven on a particularly vigorous North Atlantic Jet Stream. Measurable rain fell in Formby on 13 days but the last 12 days of March were completely dry as the strongest high-pressure system ever recorded dominated the Atlantic and the usual spring drought set in. The month was also windy, with particularly fierce blasts on four days. One of these on the 12th coincided with 10.2 m tides, amongst the highest we get, adding to the damage caused to coastal dunes during a similar coincidence of storms and spring tides in February. I managed to get a photographic record of the losses to the dune frontage, this being not quite as bad as the massive storm surges of the 2013/14 winter.
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Data collected by volunteers as part of the Wetland Bird Survey, and published in a report today, play a crucial role in the designation of protected wetland sites in Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and underline their importance in helping to conserve our waterbirds.
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A local naturalist and once a self-employed gardener, Anthony Beyga, is a wonderful advocate for the iNaturalist app, and will be helping Liverpool out during the City Nature Challenge 2020. He does most of his wildlife recording in Croxteth Park, Mab Lane Community Woodland and the surrounding Knowsley area. Take a look at a recent conversation we had with Anthony...
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With so many people wildlife watching this spring, nature-enthusiasts old and new are being asked to help protect the natural world by sharing their wildlife sightings online as part of the citizen science project, the City Nature Challenge.
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Humble earthworms are vital for soil health, but concerns are being expressed about declines in their populations. A newly published study by the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) shows how counting some of our best loved birds reveals important information about the number of earthworms beneath our feet.
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Take a look to see what Dr Phil Smith was up to during the wettest February on record...
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