Book here – tickets are £7.50

Our tutor for the day, Phil Smith, will introduce you to some of the shieldbugs, grasshoppers and crickets that can be identified on the Sefton Coast. The adults and most earlier instars of these small groups of UK insects are usually identifiable in the field once learnt so they make good subjects to add on to other recording you might be doing at a site.

The day will start with an introductory presentation at the discovery centre – and examining specimens from the World Museum in the event of adverse weather. After lunch we will drive a short distance to Freshfield Dune Heath where we will spend some time walking short distances at a slow pace across the dune heath sweeping and beating vegetation to find our subjects.

Access: Freshfield Dune Heath is reached via kissing gates so is sadly not accessible for wheelchair users.

Our Tutor, Phil Smith, has been studying the national history of the Sefton Coast for decades and takes a particular interest in photographing and recording dragonflies and damselflies, grasshoppers and crickets, and shieldbugs.