Gems in the Dunes update

By Fiona Sunners - Gems in the Dunes Project Manager

Here on the Sefton coast the Gems in the Dunes team have been working hard over the winter, with local partners to improve the fortunes of some of the rarest species that call the coast home.

At Formby, natterjack toads have been helped by the creation of two new breeding pools out on the sand dunes, that will help connect existing pools together once again. Areas around the pools have been cleared too, providing open expanses of bare sand that make ideal hunting and foraging grounds for northern dune tiger beetles and sand lizards as well as the toads. In the past the pools in this area were successful breeding pools for many years, however they disappeared when inundated by blowing sand. It is hoped that in the future, they will once again become successful breeding pools. We worked closely with our partners at National Trust Formby and a local contractor to scrape out two shallow sandy pools, with gently sloping sides to improve the habitat.

Freshfield Dune Heath is the only area of dune heath on the Sefton coast and as such is an important habitat. Like many of the coastal sites, it suffers with an ever increasing amount of vegetation, in particular on this site the problem is gorse. In excess, the gorse shades out large areas of the heath, making it unsuitable for animals such as the sand lizard. Working with our partners at Lancashire Wildlife Trust (LWT) and a local contractor, we have removed large areas of gorse and scrub to create open sand patches. These open sandy patches will provide areas for basking, hunting and egg laying for a variety of species not just the lizards. Management of the dune heath is important and sheep play an important role here. Across the site, they graze on the vegetation including gorse when it is young and tender, therefore helping to maintain a more open habitat, which also favours the heather, a natural feature of the site.

The Queens Jubilee Nature Trail in Southport, is home to a very small number of Natterjack toads. Not that long ago numbers were much higher, but they have declined significantly in the last 20 years, as the site has become inundated with scrub, which has reduced the suitability of large areas for many species. As part of the project, we have been working with our partners at Green Sefton and local contractors over the winter, to remove scrub from one of the natterjack toad breeding pools. By removing the scrub that shaded the pool, the water will warm up much quicker and benefit the toads. As part of this year’s Herpetofauna Workers Meeting (see page 13), volunteers from around the country helped us to clear areas of invasive scrub from the sand dunes on site, which will benefit a whole variety of other wildlife too.