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.
Wildlife notes February 2026
Dr Phil Smith A strange month weather-wise; it was the fourth warmest February on record for England, with very few frosty mornings and no snow at all in Formby. Rainfall varied widely in different regions of the UK, several having a deluge. In contrast, Met. Office maps showed the Northwest of England had average or...
Wildlife notes January 2026
Dr Phil Smith January was a very wet month for many but not for us! A succession of Atlantic systems, including three named storms, brought heavy rain to eastern, southern and southwest England, northeast Scotland and Northern Ireland. Some counties had their wettest January on record. However, Met Office maps show that, surprisingly, our region...
