The beach party

NOW that the nights are closing in and the autumn winds begin to buffet us, why not get up early and go for a stroll on one of Lancashire's wonderful beaches?

I chose St Annes because I could watch the daylight fade as I watched wildlife and then see the Blackpool illuminations switch on.

The tide was just going out as I enjoyed my picnic breakfast. As I followed the tide ebbing (the safest way as you know you can't get stranded) the bird life was hectic.

My list included curlew, lapwing, turnstone, sanderling and a couple of purple sandpipers, which, interestingly, I have never seen on this beach before.

I had, however, come to search for shells and other marine creatures washed up by the sea.

I found thousands of sand masons, little worms which make their protective cases out of sand and shell fragments. I also found a few razorshells, which were given their name in Victorian times. In those days men started using what are known as cut throat razors. The shells are similar in shape and hence the name.

Also washed up on the beach I found the egg cases of whelks. The whelk lays its eggs in egg shaped cases which are "glued" together to produce a large structure resembling a sponge. This floats and allows the whelk to be transported often over large distances, which allows the whelk to spread its range. This is very successful because the cases are found on almost every beach.

Autumn and winter is the best time to enjoy a beach watch.

Go on then get on with it...and let me know what you see!

Reader's letter

Dear Mr Freethy,

In your column of October 15 you asked for readers' comments on peregrines. Surely no sport or interest gives anyone the right to hunt or poison to extinction a species such as the peregrine.

In the comments of Peter Bryant, there was no mention of wood pigeons, another much maligned creature of other interest groups.

Millions of people take great pleasure from the existence of the wildlife in our midst. Those who take part in the shooting of grouse and those who benefit financially have had little regard for wildlife and have excluded the general population from vast areas of moorland for far too long.

I find your Nature Watch column of great interest and of educational value.

MR M ASHFORTH, Lower Manor Lane, Burnley.

RON'S REPLY:

Mr Ashforth's letter is more or less in line with my own opinion. I would, however, like to add one point.

There is sometimes a case for excluding everybody from an area where any plant or animal could be made extinct by the presence of too many feet planted in the wrong place.