Circle of Life: to Southport and back, 31st July to 4th August 2019

An unplanned visit south for a funeral, but at least it meant that we got to see two of the youngest family members – my cousin’s new-born daughter Evie and my brother’s one year-old step grand-daughter Eliza.

Our journey south was extended. With no cabins available on the boat we flew from Sumburgh and even getting the second Edinburgh flight meant setting the alarm for five and getting first ferries out of Unst. Having driven through thick fog it was no surprise to arrive at the airport to be greeted by a hassled-looking Loganair staff member and a warning that there would be a least an hour’s delay. That soon turned to a five-hour delay as, when the plane landed, the pilot reported a technical fault, which required a part being replaced. When we eventually reached Edinburgh, our hire car had already been given away, so we ended up having to pay extra for a larger car, which was a rather nice VW Tiguan, which was nice to drive, although I struggled a little with stalling it at low revs, presumably because it was a diesel. Our plans for a leisurely amble down to Southport were dashed and we needed up driving straight to the hotel, arriving after ten at night, almost 18 hours after we got up.

On the Saturday, everyone was busy, so we ended up at a loose end. We decided to check out from the Southport (Ormskirk) Premier Inn, which is actually in Scarisbrick, and book in at the DaysInn at Annandale Water, so we would have a shorter journey on the Sunday morning. My original plan to visit Leighton Moss on our way down now became our plan for the journey north.

We called in at the Eric Morecambe Hide on the Morecambe Bay part of the reserve first. After the chill of the car’s aircon it was surprisingly warm walking along the path, with plenty of hoverflies and butterflies to view. An adult Curlew Sandpiper and about 20 Little Egrets were the main highlights from the hide.

The Eric Morecambe hide

View from the Eric Morecambe Hide

Eristalinus sepulcharis

Gatekeeper

At the reserve proper, there was a Nuthatch among the birds at the feeders. we visited the new Skytower, with panoramic views over the reserve, before heading to the southern hides, the Grisedale and Tim Jackson Hides. The highlights were probably both mammals: a Red Deer hind from the Grisedale and a Bank Vole along the paths. A quick call at Lilian’s Hide (still the YOC hide to me) produced a flypast from a female Marsh Harrier. Then we headed to the Causeway Hide, with a Cetti’s Warbler seen along the causeway, while we finished with a Marsh Tit on one of the feeders at Myers Farm before we left.

Nuthatch

The Skytower

View from the Skytower

View from the Grisedale Hide

View from the Tim Jackson Hide

Red Deer

Bank Vole

View from Lilian’s Hide

View from the Causeway Hide

After dinner in Arnside we headed cross-country to Tebay, finally getting some photos of the Lune Valley, the most scenic part of the M6’s route through Cumbria, before returning to the motorway to head to Annandale. Our room there even had a balcony view of the lake.