Sorry for the lack of posts recently, it's not due to lack of effort, I just haven't seen much worth reporting in the past couple of weeks. I have however noticed lots of beautiful roadside flowers on my bike rides around the mosslands.
I suspect that most or all of these plants are only there because they were sown in a batch of widlflower seed at some time, but does that matter? I'm not sure, I can think of good arguements for and against, but one things for sure, they're a spectacular sight at the moment.
Chicory
Chicorium intybus growing along the East Lancs between Windle Island and Knowsley.
Field Scabius
Knautia arvensis growing at the side of the Rainford bypass between the bypass and St Helens road.
Nettle-leaved Bellflower
Campanula trachelium, a single plant growing next to the East Lancs, and Perforate St. John's-wort
Hypericum perforatum also growing at the side of the East Lancs. The latter differs from the more common (in St Helens) Square-stalked St. John's-wort
Hypericum tetrapterum in many ways, but perhaps most notibly in its round stems and petals with black dots on the edges.
Bird on the mosslands are few and far between at the moment, but there were a few:
Corn Bunting 1 singing Dairy Farm Road
Great-spotted Woodpecker 2 Old Coach Road
Buzzard 2 Old Coach Road
Tree Sparrow 2 Old Coach Road
It's hard to describe the elation of finding a bird like this at a site like Eccleston Mere. I've been visiting the site relentlessly for 23 years, and though I have occasionally seen species such as Black-throated Diver, Smew and Black-necked Grebe, nothing comes close to this bird in terms of rarity. It's about the sixth ever in the UK. Have a look back at 25th August or 14th August to see what a walk around Eccleston Mere is more usually like.......
There were some impressive jellyfish washed up on the beach today. They seemed to belong to two species, Lions Mane jellyfish Cyanea capillata and Compass jellyfish Chrysaora hysoscella. Lions Mane is the largest known jellyfish in the World, and can grow to a diameter of over 2m and have tenticles of over 40m long, considerably longer than the Blue Whale, making it the largest (or at least the longest) living animal in the World! The specimens we saw were more like 45cm diameter. Lions Mane has a very severe sting and can still sting long after being stranded on the beach. The Compass jellyfish were about 20cm, though some were much smaller. 
Formby is an excellent site for Sanderling and this is a great time of year to see them. We also saw lots of Sandwich Terns and a single Gannet.
Walking around the mere this evening I noticed quite a lot of freshwater Swan Mussels Anodonta cygnea in the water. I've seen Common Scoter on the mere swallow them whole in the past, and once watched a Velvet Scoter at close range on an inland lake swallow three in 45 minutes! They can grow quite large, and the photo above (taken about 4 years ago) is quite typical. The scale on the rule is inches of course. Occasionally there is a "wreck" and lots of them get washed up on the shore.
Hemp-agrimony Eupatorium cannabinum and Square-stalked St. John's-wort Hypericum tetrapterum.
Chicory Chicorium intybus growing along the East Lancs between Windle Island and Knowsley. 
Field Scabius Knautia arvensis growing at the side of the Rainford bypass between the bypass and St Helens road.
