THESE days we are conceited enough to think that we invented the terms conservation and a multipurpose environment.
Take Stanley Park in Blackpool for example. Should we consider it as just a park or should naturalists of Lancashire in general and the Fylde in particular list it among the places to watch birds?
In my view Stanley Park is very much a place for the serious birdwatcher mainly, but not exclusively, during the period October to the end of April.
The park opened on October 2, 1926, following a detailed period of planning and all the associated political posturing. The draft plan of around 1924 reads very much like its modern equivalent and bore in mind the needs of all and, by inference, the wildlife.
Stanley Park was to incorporate an Italian Garden and Social Centre with a restaurant, a bandstand with seating for 2,500 and an 18-hole golf course with its club house incorporated into one wing of the restaurant.
There was to be a 26-acre lake dovetailed into a natural hollow, which reduced the cost as retaining walls could be constructed more easily.
An act of foresight was the decision to have it filled with fresh water rather than planning a marine lake. This has meant that over the years freshwater birds have used the lake, a fact which it took birdwatchers far too long to appreciate.
There are even some who still insist that park lake birdwatching is far too tame for those with serious intentions towards the hobby. Here, however, I have seen heron, cormorant, goosander, great crested grebe, goldeneye and a female smew.
The birds seem well able to cope with the competition from anglers and with those who like messing about in boats. The lake is regularly used on winter Sunday mornings by the skilful yachtsmen and women of the BLCC (Blackpool Light Craft Club, Their sails adding colour to an already attractive scene.
Even to naturalists, the park is far more than a walk around a lake. There is a county standard cricket ground, many minor pitches as well as football and athletic grounds, tennis courts, bowling and putting greens and magnificent gardens.
All these areas can offer real treats for naturalists and here I have seen a common lizard basking in the sun and, on a wet autumn morning a few years ago, I watched a black redstart, one of Britain's rarest birds. It is not shy and I got close enough to photograph it.
After this sighting many of my friends looked upon Stanley Park in a different light and they now ask a question. Is Stanley Park used to its full potential?
I think that the answer is 'no,' especially by those of us who live close to the Fylde. It was built to provide the locals with a winter wonderland and also as a summer alternative for those wanting to escape the crowds on the promenade.
Stanley Park should be regarded as a sports complex, a delightful place to walk and shows us clearly that nature and human activities can go on side by side.
The planners of the 1920s got it right, and could provide inspiration to some of the modern day town planners. The park lakes of Blackburn, Burnley and other East Lancashire towns should regard our parks as winter wonderlands and are ideal as you do not need to have a car.
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