Keeping dogs out of all pools respects Natterjacks' habitat

THE soundtrack of the coast changes as the light fades. With the sun setting, daytrippers leave and the beach car park closes, so that shape become indistinct and shadows deepen until the only light in the sky is the glare from nearby towns and the first stars.

- with John Dempsey

Most birdsong stops and calls that may have gone unnoticed during the daylight hours become obvious - the whistling notes of a Common Sandpiper heading north in the night sky, or Skylarks calling on territories, where hopefully young will soon hatch. It's not just owls and bats that are nocturnal!

The Green Sefton night-time Natterjack Toad walks are always popular each spring and often bring surprises this year a passing Osprey delighted walkers on the first event just before we set off into the dunes.

Unlike most birds of prey, Ospreys are happy enough migrating at night so this bird moving north at dusk wasn't that much of a surprise, although the residents of the gull colony at the Pontins site at Ainsdale were less than impressed by its appearance.