Winter may not strike many of us as the best time to be out exploring the natural world but the impressive, wild coastal landscape of Morecambe Bay really comes into its own at this time of year, says Jon Carter from RSPB Leighton Moss and Morecambe Bay nature reserve.

WITH the last of the autumn leaves forming a ferrous woodland carpet and the leaden, grey skies adding something of a Victorian drama to the Lakeland landscape, it’s easy to allow the onset of winter to cause us to busy ourselves behind closed doors and shun the seemingly not-so-great outdoors.

Yet the colder months can offer some of the best that nature has to offer in this region, from the majestic windswept uplands to the rolling shores of Morecambe Bay.

On those wild, blustery days our coastal panorama itself can provide enough visual excitement to attract hordes of photographers and onlookers, while nature lovers all along the coast of the Bay can marvel at a range of bird species seeking a winter home, having flown south from their Arctic breeding grounds.

Wading birds such as oystercatchers, knots, dunlins, golden plovers and curlews will gather in huge flocks on the sands and keen-eyed birdwatchers will scan for smaller numbers of cryptic turnstones and purple sandpipers along seaweed-strewn, rocky shores.

Throughout Morecambe Bay, from the Furness peninsula to Cockersands, tens of thousands of birds will descend on to the mudflats at low water to take advantage of the rich banquet of invertebrate food exposed by the dropping tide.

The coastal saltmarshes host grazing wigeon along with pink-footed and brent geese and at high tide great-crested grebes, eiders and cormorants dive for fish and crustaceans below the surface of the murky waters.

It may seem bleak out there at times, but there are few things more invigorating for body and mind than a winter stroll along a good, muddy, coastal path.

Picking through the tidal debris, especially following winter storms, one may discover a treasure trove of flotsam. Alongside the depressing volume of discarded plastics the keen-eyed beachcomber may also find all kinds of natural treasure, including shells, ‘mermaid’s purses’, racks of alien-like seaweed or even fascinating bird skulls.

For those seeking a slightly less ‘exposed’ experience, the hides (and let’s be honest, the nice warm café) at RSPB Leighton Moss nature reserve at Silverdale will offer a cosy alternative for anyone wishing the escape the vagaries of the seasonal weather while still enjoying the best of our local wildlife.

One winter ‘must-do’ is a trip to Cumbria Wildlife Trust’s South Walney nature reserve, where visitors may be rewarded with fabulous views of Cumbria’s only grey seal colony.

These large, placid mammals are a treat to watch as they bob around in the water at high tide or haul themselves out on to the sandbanks for a snooze.

Grey seals usually have their pups in early winter so a visit at this time of year may provide opportunities to see the delightful, fluffy white youngsters in among the dappled, darker adult seals.

So whether you step out on a crisp, calm and sunny winter’s day or a blowy, wet wild one, there’s lots to explore among the fabulous range of coastal habitats lining the shores of magnificent Morecambe Bay.