Species observations held
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Local Wildlife Sites
Counts last updated: 21/10/2022
Explore Our Work & Access Information
Access Information
We provide access to species, habitat and other biodiversity information in the North Merseyside area. Services are free to many users. Find out more here!
The majority of the information we hold has come from volunteers, naturalists and associated organisations. Shared to enable more informed and transparent conservation. Are you considering sharing information with us? Find out more here!
Volunteering
We support biodiversity related projects, wildlife recording and field and office based volunteering in our area. Find out what’s on and how you can get involved!
Validation & Verification
We feed data directly into the local development control process, strategic review and on to national and even international conservation and research as such we must have confidence in the data we supply. Review the process we use to improve confidence in data.
Data Holdings
The term biodiversity covers wide range of information on the natural environment and there are an enormous amount of unique sources for data covering species and habitat and the additional evidence this has been used to create. Explore what we hold.
Transparency & Governance
Merseyside BioBank is hosted by Sefton Council but operates across the Liverpool Combined Authority area (Liverpool City Region) and across a wide range of public, private and charitable interests. Find out more about how we’re managed here.
Latest News & Notes From The Field
Wildlife notes April 2025
Dr Phil Smith Arguably the most severe spring drought of modern times continued throughout April. Rachael Parks measured only 22 mm of rainfall in her Formby garden, this being about 40% of the expected amount. The Met Office tells us that the UK had the sunniest April on record and the third warmest since 1884;…
Dr Phil Smith – Wildlife notes March 2025
In my February notes I wondered whether the usual spring drought had started. I was right! The Met. Office tells us that March was extremely dry in the UK, many areas reporting less than 10 mm of rain. It was also the sunniest March in England since records began in 1910. Rachael Park’s Formby data…
Control of Sea Buckthorn by volunteers at Birkdale Sandhills Local Nature Reserve, north Merseyside: Annual Report, 2024/25
Introduction The Sefton Coast sand-dune system is the largest expanse of this rare habitat in England and one of the richest for flora and fauna in Northwest Europe. Much of this diversity is threatened by Sea Buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides), an invasive spiny shrub that was introduced here in the 1890s. For decades, it was kept…
Dr Phil Smith – Wildlife Notes February 2025
In complete contrast to last year’s deluge, February 2025 was dry. The Met Office tells us that northern England had about half the normal rainfall due to a persistent Scandinavian high-pressure system. Rachael Parks kindly sent me confirmation with her rainfall data for Formby, which shows we had about 50% of the expected amount. Maybe…
Dr Phil Smith – Wildlife Notes January 2025
According to the Met Office, January was one of the sunniest on record for the UK but was a little colder and drier than normal. The month’s rainfall in Formby, measured by Rachael Parks, totalled 75.5 mm, a little below average. On 24th, named storm Éowyn was the UK’s most powerful wind storm for over…
Dr Phil Smith – Wildlife Notes December 2024
According to the Met. Office, it was the fifth warmest December since records began in 1884. I don’t remember seeing any frost in Formby. The month was dull overall with rainfall a little above average in the UK. This fits with Rachael Park’s rainfall data from her garden in Formby. She recorded 121 mm in…