Mike's Natural Musings: Arnside

Showing posts with label Arnside. Show all posts

Wednesday, 9 July 2025

Jack Scout and Arnside Knott

Cheated by the weather today. The forecast predicted a warm and sunny afternoon. It was wrong.

We began the day with a visit to Silverdale and a walk along Jack Scout, a cliff top area of calcareous grassland important for its plant diversity. It also has a small area of limestone pavement. It was beautiful with views across Morecambe Bay to Morcambe one way and Grange-over-Sands the other. The flowers, set against white limestone outcrops were spectacular: wild thyme, rockrose, centaury, harebell, mallow and spiked speedwell.

Jack Scout

Looking towards Grange-over-Sands

Limestone rock garden

Spike speedwell

Harebell

Lichen

Small skipper

Rockrose and thyme

Once we had negotiated all of the confusing road closure signs, I dropped Heather off in Arnside and went butterflying on The Knott. It was very quiet with not a lot about. It was warm but overcast so perhaps that was the reason. I did get grayling, ringlet, meadow brown and dark green fritillary and even a very worn humming bird hawkmoth that crash landed onto the scree.

After an hour or two ( and sans ticks, thankfully) it was time to retreat to Arnside and The Albion for the ritual pint overlooking the Kent Estuary before heading home for a BBQ.

Dark green fritillary

Meadow Cranesbill

Ringlet

Very worn humming bird hawkmoth

Grayling

Ringlet

Monday, 22 April 2024

An Excellent Final Day.

After an excellent but exercise heavy couple of days, we decided to relax on our final day and enjoy the lovely weather. We had a lazy breakfast and then I pottered about photographing the ferns on the site whose leaves were just beginning to unfurl. After a light lunch we pottered along to one of our favourite local spots: Arniside. Here, we enjoyed wandering round some favourite spots and the beach before enjoying a drink sitting in the sun outside the excellent Albion pub with spectacular views along the estuary towards Grange-over-sands and Morecambe Bay. We concluded our holiday with a meal in The Whistling Pig on the site. The pizza was excellent.

Monday, 20 June 2022

Lake District, June, Day 4.

A fabulous start to the day this morning: cloudless and sunny. It bodes well for a day butterflying on Arnside Knott.

Loaded up and pack up done we turned up the steep road from Arnside to the carpark on Arnside Knott, struggling to find a parking spot. The first job was to roll down and button shirt sleeves and tuck trousers into socks. The Knott, as well as being one of the premier butterfly sites in the country, is also renowned for its sheep/deer ticks and we have learned by experience. Girding our loins we huffed, puffed and grunted up the precipitous slopes to the panorama lookout where we applied bum to seat for a rest and lunch: christmas cake and cheese; can't beat it, and in the winter with Heinz tomoato soup. Surprisingly, and disappointingly, we saw no butterflies on these steep, limestone slopes facing the Kent Estuary, perhaps because it was taking the brunt of the chill wind. Once, through the trees and onto the upper slopes, though, things looked up and there were butterflies aplenty, mainly dark green and small pearl borderded fritillary. I checked every one for underwing views to make sure I wasn't missing high brown or pearl bordered. No such luck! There were also a few northern brown argus about which was nice. Photography was challenging, though, especially the brown argus and small pearl bordered as they preferred to settle down in the vegetation making clear views difficult. On the way back down to the car I spotted my only grayling of the day; I have usually seen large numbers of this species up here.

Butterfly time at an end we drove back down to Arnside and I retired to the Albion where I relaxed in the sun watching the tide come in with some liquid refreshment, while Heather investigated the shops. Back at the caravan, it was soon time to fire up the BBQ to cook some chicken that I had had marinading in white wine, oil and lemon juice all day. A very pleasant end to another excellent day.

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Arnside and the Kent Estuary from The Knott

Rockrose with Arnside and the estuary beyond.

Brimstone

Burnet Rose

Columbine

Dark Green Fritillary

Large Skipper

Meadow Brown

Northern Brown Argus

Small Pearl Bordered Fritillary

Sunday, 23 May 2021

Lake District, May. Day 5

We woke up to more rain today and had another lazy morning in the van arching up with some jobs. Late morning, however, we a pickup and headed off to Arnside to eat our sandwiches on the sea front and to explore the village. From here we drove over to Leighton Moss, pleased to find the car park for the Allen Pools hides open. There had obviously been problems during lockdown as there were large signs forbidding parking on the narrow track down to the car park. Who could contemplate parking along there heaven only knows. We visited the Eric Morecambe hide first and then moved back to the Allen hide. The over-riding impression was one of the cacophony from the raucous screams of nesting blacke-headed gulls many with chicks resembling balls of mottled brown fluff. Amongst them were a distant pair of Mediterranean gulls nesting on the far island. There were also herring and greater black backed gulls. Little egrets stalked the margins jerkily plunging their heads in as they hunted small fish and other prey. Avocet were plentiful and some were even nesting amongst the blak-headed gulls. I was able to photograph one pair as they changed over brooding responsibilities. Under the sitting bird I could briefly see a chick and an egg. Sadly the large numbers of gulls were wreaking havoc with them as they predated chicks and eggs. Apparently there was a spoonbill about but unfortunately we didn't manage to see it. It would have been nice to explore the rest of the reserve but the rain began to come down heavily again so we made our way back to the van. It was good to visit again, albeit briefly.

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