Mersey Coast & Country > Coast > Sefton's Natural Coast > Sefton's Nature & Wildlife

Sefton's Nature & Wildlife

On Sefton's Natural Coast, red squirrels scurry across carpets of pine needles, rare wildflowers dapple the sand dunes, a submerged forest appears at low-tide and old lanes wind to Britain's first lifeboat station. It's great, too, for kite-flyers, beachcombers, birdwatchers and those simply in search of glorious beaches on which to top up that tan! Merseyrail's Northern Line between Liverpool and Southport links the coastal towns and villages. Frequent daily trains run just a stone's throw inland from this captivating coastline.

A haven for over 1,000 species of plants and numerous species of fauna, Sefton boasts the largest area of undeveloped dunes and coastal woodland in England. The area is also internationally important for its rare dune habitats and species, including reptiles and amphibians such as the Sand Lizard and Natterjack Toad.

The extensive coastal pinewoods support a thriving population of red squirrels. It is also one of Europe's major birdwatching locations and to date more than 300 different bird species have been recorded.

The RSPB's Marshside Nature Reserve is situated on the south shore of the Ribble Estuary, on the coastal road only 2 km north of Southport. As the best wet grassland in the North West, it has high numbers of breeding Lapwings and Redshank and also a new colony of Avocets, the logo/symbol of the RSPB.

Only 20 minutes from the coast, Martin Mere is one of the country's major wintering grounds for wildfowl, especially Pink-footed Geese and Whooper Swans from Iceland. Up to 30,0000 Pinkfeet arrive from mid- September, whilst Whooper Swans arrive in late October, when over 1,000 birds can be seen.

The National Trust manages Formby Point Reserve and as it has the most easily seen Red Squirrels on Sefton's Natural Coast, it's also extremely popular. If it's Red Squirrels you want to see then this is the place.

For more details of nature and wildlife on the Sefton coast please visit www.seftonsnaturalcoast.com