Nature Watch, with Ron Freethy

THE North West of England has a series of magnificent estuaries stretching from the Mersey and then on to the Ribble, the Wyre, the Lune and on into the mighty Morecambe Bay.

From Victorian times almost to the present day these estuaries have been choked by filth and rubbish.

When cotton was king very little attention was paid to waste and sewage disposal.

Everything, including bleach, dies, chemicals and clutter - not to mention oil and sewage - was poured into the rivers which eventually reached the estuaries.

The first casualty was wildlife.

How pleasant it has been to see the improvement in recent years. The water companies and the local authorities are still criticised even today, despite the fact that many millions of pounds have been spent on improving our environment.

We naturalists should never be complacent but neither should we ignore the truth when improvement is there for all to see.

At one time it was not easy to walk the Lancashire coastline because you were never sure if you were trespassing or not. A coastal path has now been marked and runs from the Ribble to the Lune.

The high tides often provide spectacular birdwatching and there is a particularly promising period coming up during the early afternoon of Saturday, February 28 and Sunday, March 1. The Saturday tide will be more than 33 feet.

Obviously high tides bring dangers for those who do not watch where they are walking but a noon birdwatch around any of the following places is likely to be exciting:

FAIRHAVEN LAKE, Lytham, where the RSPCB has a base;

MARSHSIDE, at Southport, where the RSPCB has another base;

LYTHAM - the beach near the windmill;

THE ECOLOGY CENTRE, at Stannah, near Fleetwood;

KNOTT END, on the opposite side of the River Wyre;

GLASSON DOCK, near Lancaster, around the shore;

SUNDERLAND POINT and Overton, near Lancaster - but do remember to follow the instructions on the notice boards or you will be stranded for two or three hours;

THE OLD STONE JETTY, at Morecambe, where there are some very realistic bird statues;

THE RSPB reserve area at Hest Bank.

For the latter site there is plenty of parking space on the shore over the railway line and these weekend tides are sure to bring in lots of birds and keen birdwatchers.

If you want to explore Lancashire's estuaries then this particular weekend is one of the best of the whole year.

Good hunting.

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