Dr Phil Smith The Met. Office described June as “A month of two halves.” Like May, it was cool and unsettled at first and then we had the mother of all heatwaves. Overall, it was England’s warmest June on record (going back to 1884). On 26th, a new record high temperature for June – 37.7oC...
Wildlife Notes May2026
Dr Phil Smith Consistent with a warming trend, England experienced the second hottest May ever, a heatwave in the last week reaching a record May peak of 35.1oC at Kew Gardens, London. Fortunately, it wasn’t quite as hot here, though Crosby reported a blistering 33oC on 25th. It was also a relatively dry month, Rachael...
Wildlife Notes March 2026
Dr Phil Smith Following a mild winter, March 2026 was the 10th warmest since records began in 1884. According to the Met Office, rainfall patterns continued to show strong month to month variability. Rachael Parks measured 53 mm of precipitation in her Formby garden, about 30% below average for March. There were 14 rain-days but...
Birkdale Green Beach – a forty-year overview
Philip H. Smith, January 2026 Dr Phil Smith has recently completd the below Green Beach report. This year is the 40th Anniverary of their origin and the article provides a summary of what is known about the origin, formation and the biodiversity of these fabulous nature ‘hotspots’ located between between Birkdale and Ainsdale.
