Page FREE news from around Wirral’s Coast Coastal Scene Ken Hardcastle Bench and Nest Box Donations The Annual Hoylake 10k Run William Elford Leach 2 3 4 What’s On Guide 6 Wirral Bio Bank— Ensuring a Species-rich Future 9 Family Matters 10 The Big Seawatch 11 Nature’s Calendar 13 Useful Contacts 14 Inside this issue: Winter Edition 2012/13 In 2013 we will be celebrating 40 years of Wirral Country Park. The Friends of Wirral Country Park will be organising a series of events to celebrate the 40th birthday of the first designated Country Park in Britain which was officially opened in 1973 and which now, 40 years on, is recognised as one of Wirral’s most important assets and top visitor attractions. The year starts with a display in the Thurstaston Visitor Centre by the Hoylake Photographic Society. It will be displaying photographs taken during the ‘2012 Wirral Year of Coast and Countryside’ including work undertaken at Wirral Country Park, events and activities - some of which have featured in this edition of Coastal Scene! The Coastal Rangers have organised some guided walks along the Wirral Way to the Dungeons and guided cycle rides to Parkgate. In February the park will be hosting an event for World Wetlands Day and there will be the usual opportunities for volunteers to come along and get involved in some practical management of the park including a Wildflower Meadow Restoration Day at Cubbins Green. The 2013 Wirral Walking Festival in May will include a number of walks introducing visitors to the park as well as some specialist walks looking at the geology, history and wildlife of the park. The Friends of Hilbre have also started to organise their summer events programme including seal watching and open days on the island and there will be a new opportunity for volunteers to help the Coastal Rangers at a series of ‘Taster Sessions’ being organised by Coastal Ranger Dave Stevenson. All our friends of parks groups are looking for volunteers to help with events and practical maintenance tasks. If you’re interested please click on the link below or e-mail [email protected]http://www.wirral.gov.uk/my-services/leisure-and-culture/parks-beaches-and- countryside/parks-development-and-maintenance/wirral-friends-groups Photograph by George Evans (www.wirralpix.com )
Transcript
Page
FREE news from around Wirral’s Coast
Coastal Scene
Ken Hardcastle
Bench and Nest Box Donations
The Annual Hoylake 10k Run
William Elford Leach
2
3
4
What’s On Guide 6
Wirral Bio Bank—Ensuring a Species-rich
Future
9
Family Matters 10
The Big Seawatch 11
Nature’s Calendar 13
Useful Contacts 14
Inside this issue:
Winter Edition
2012/13
In 2013 we will be celebrating 40 years of Wirral Country Park. The Friends of Wirral Country Park will be organising a series of events to celebrate the 40th birthday of the first designated Country Park in Britain which was officially opened in 1973 and which now, 40 years on, is recognised as one of Wirral’s most important assets and top visitor attractions. The year starts with a display in the Thurstaston Visitor Centre by the Hoylake Photographic Society. It will be displaying photographs taken during the ‘2012 Wirral Year of Coast and Countryside’ including work undertaken at Wirral Country Park, events and activities - some of which have featured in this edition of Coastal Scene! The Coastal Rangers have organised some guided walks along the Wirral Way to the Dungeons and guided cycle rides to Parkgate. In February the park will be hosting an event for World Wetlands Day and there will be the usual opportunities for volunteers to come along and get involved in some practical management of the park including a Wildflower Meadow Restoration Day at Cubbins Green. The 2013 Wirral Walking Festival in May will include a number of walks introducing visitors to the park as well as some specialist walks looking at the geology, history and wildlife of the park. The Friends of Hilbre have also started to organise their summer events programme including seal watching and open days on the island and there will be a new opportunity for volunteers to help the Coastal Rangers at a series of ‘Taster Sessions’ being organised by Coastal Ranger Dave Stevenson. All our friends of parks groups are looking for volunteers to help with events and practical maintenance tasks. If you’re interested please click on the link below or e-mail [email protected]
In August this year we heard that Ken Hardcastle had passed away. Ken was the ex-Chair and one of the founder members of the Friends of the Gunsite, which later developed into the Friends of North Wirral Coastal Park. The Rangers worked with Ken and the other volunteers for many years transforming firstly the Gunsite and then the entire North Wirral Coastal Park from a fragmented and underused facility into the Green Flag award winning park that we manage today. Ken was always keen for the friends group to raise funds for the park and over the years Ken assisted in developing a number of projects including the ‘Living Spaces’, ‘Awards for All’ and ‘Changing Places’ funding that resurfaced the Meols bridleway, fenced the Leasowe Common Grasslands and Meols Dunes, created a mobility access path across the Gunsite and which paid for tools and other equipment used by the Rangers and volunteers to protect and manage the North Wirral Coastal Park and its variety of habitats. A small tree planting ceremony was held at the North Wirral Coastal Park with his family who decided that this was the most appropriate place to scatter Ken’s ashes and celebrate his life.
Ken Hardcastle 1927 - 2012
Cherished his role when Gunsite Chairman Dad loved this place
and would want you to enjoy it too
Bench and Nest Box Donations Most of the seats and benches you see in Wirral’s parks and countryside areas have been donated to the park, perhaps in memory of a loved one. The Coastal Rangers are currently looking to install more benches along the North Wirral Coastal Park between Meols Dunes and Wallasey Beach and are hoping to create a new family barbecue site adjacent to the Thurstaston Visitor Centre. An oak bench costs £399 and a heavy duty picnic bench costs £570. The Rangers and volunteers will install your bench at an agreed location. The criteria for installing a bench or table is quite simply ’do we want a bench or picnic table here?’ Once a location has been chosen the seat will take between 6—8 weeks for delivery and will be installed at no additional cost. A ’brass effect’ plaque with your choice of dedication costs £39. Alternatively you may want to dedicate a bird nesting box and plaque. A bird or bat box and plaque costs £45 and a Little Owl or sparrow colony box and plaque costs £55. If you would like further information contact Thurstaston Visitor Centre on 0151 648 4371 or at [email protected]
A Whitebeam planted at the Gunsite in memory of Ken Hardcastle with the wording on the plaque
dedication shown on the left
A European Oak Bench (£399 inc delivery) A Heavy Duty Picnic Bench (£570 inc delivery)
Page 3
A record 813 runners entered the 2012 Hoylake 10k, with 722 runners taking part on the day What a fantastic day – beautiful weather and an unbelievable turn out of runners (were did you all come from?) and a great enthusiastic crowd of supporters – Well done to everyone! The Wednesday Special Needs Club would like to thank all the runners who took part in the run, you were all brilliant. We are sorry those runners who entered on the day did not receive a commemorative t-shirt but unfortunately only the runners who had registered from run number 1 to 650 were given a t-shirt. (Our thanks to our sponsor ‘TS’). None of the organisers expected so many runners to enter, with 813 entries being received (record number of 170 entries on the day), and 722 runners actually taking part on the day, we have currently raised £7,300 from entry fees and, with sponsorship still coming in, we’re looking at a record fundraising effort this year – and all this goes towards the upkeep of the clubs ‘Soft Play Sensory Resource’ for special needs at Hoylake Community Centre, which is voluntarily run and maintained. Go to www.wsnc.co.uk for further details. The organisers are still recovering!!!! (I suspect some runners are as well!) Thanks to all the Wednesday Special Needs Club’s volunteers and friends who helped on the day, with special thanks to the volunteers from St Johns (Moreton Branch), Esther McVey (Wirral MP) who started the run and presented the winners trophies, Andy Broxton from Hearts FM Radio, Larry Howard (Sports Massage), Alan Rothwell (Run Liverpool) and anyone else we may have forgotten.
Provisional date for the 2013 Hoylake 10k Run is Sunday 15th September
The Annual Hoylake 10k Run Article by Carla Williams
Page 4
Leach’s Petrels are small seabirds belonging to the same family as the shearwaters and albatrosses. They are largely black with some grey shading on the back and wings and have a distinctive white rump. Around 48,000 pairs breed on some of the remotest islands off the coast of northern Britain where Gaelic speakers would call them Gobhlan-mara. Here nests are made in burrows under vegetation and the birds return to their tunnels at dusk (to avoid predation by gulls and skuas) after a day fishing up to 300km away. They typically have a fluttering, almost bat-like flight and feed by taking mainly plankton from the surface water. They winter exclusively at sea in the southern reaches of the Atlantic Ocean, surviving on some of the roughest waters on the planet. These characteristics make the Leach’s Petrel a hard species to track down. Here on Wirral’s Coast and, on Hilbre Island in particular, we have a unique opportunity to see these elusive birds at close quarters. In mid-September these birds migrate down through the Irish Sea then into the Atlantic. During very strong north westerly winds some individuals are funnelled into Liverpool Bay, close enough to shore to allow birdwatchers a brief glimpse before they disappear to their winter haunts. Indeed Hilbre Island and the north Wirral coast are perhaps the best places in Europe to see a Leach’s Petrel. Recently a member of the Wirral Country Park Recording Group was on Hilbre during a fearsome north westerly gale and was treated to a fly past by 4 of these special little seafarers. Inspired by the encounter some extensive research was done into these birds and this article is the result of those enquiries. As it turns out, the Leach’s Petrel is a fascinating creature! Let’s start with the name. Why Leach’s, who was Mr/Mrs/Miss/Ms Leach? William Elford Leach was an English zoologist and marine biologist. He was born on 2nd February 1790 at Hoe Gate, Plymouth and by the age of twelve he was already collecting marine samples from Plymouth Sound and the Devon coast. In 1813, Leach was employed as an assistant librarian in the Zoological Department at the British Museum. During his time there he was made assistant keeper of the natural history department and became an expert on crustaceans and molluscs. Leach also worked and published on insects, arachnids, mammals and birds. In 1817 he was elected a fellow of the Royal Society. Leach's nomenclature was a little eccentric – he named twenty-seven species after his friend John Cranch, who had collected the species in question on African expeditions and later died on HMS Congo. Subsequently he named nine genera using Caroline or anagrams of that name. Who Caroline was remains a mystery to this day. In 1820 Leach's Storm-petrel was named after him by Coenraad Jacob Temminck, the first director of the National Natural History Museum at Leiden in the Netherlands. He did this without being aware that it had previously been described by the French ornithologist Louis Jean Pierre Vieillot. A specimen of this bird had been purchased by Leach on behalf of the British Museum for £5 15s in a sale in 1819. The Blue-winged Kookaburra, Dacelo leachii, was also named for him. Leach suffered a nervous breakdown due to overwork in 1821 and he resigned from the museum the following year. His elder sister took him to continental Europe to convalesce, and they travelled through France, Italy and Greece. He died of cholera in the Palazzo San Sebastiano, near Tortona, north of Genoa on 25 August 1836.
William Elford Leach and the Everlasting Petrel… by Matt Thomas (Coastal Ranger)
William Elford Leach 1790—1836
Page 5
The scientific name is equally interesting. Oceanodroma leucorhoa is Greek in origin. “Oceano” refers, rather obviously, to oceans and seas and “droma” is derived from “dromos” which refers to race courses and running. As observers of Leach’s Petrels will testify this is quite apt as they will often appear to run along the surface of the water as they look for food, seldom, if ever, alighting on the sea. “Leukos” refers to something as being bright white and “orrhos” if a reference to the rump. Together they make leucorhoa describing the birds white rump patch. Just as absorbing as the bird’s history and nomenclature is its ecology. The Leach’s Petrel is part of a group of seabirds known as tube noses. These birds are pelagic outside of the breeding season and will see no freshwater. The tubes that adorn their bills are not actually noses and are not used to smell. They are in fact a complex filtration system that removes salt from the seawater allowing the birds to survive in a marine environment. Delving deeper into the lives of the Leach’s Petrel things take an oddly supernatural turn. It has been discovered that the Leach’s Petrel has telomeres that lengthen over time. A telomere is a region of repetitive nucleotides at each end of a chromosome and is involved in cell division. If cells divided without telomeres, they would lose the ends of their chromosomes, and the necessary information they contain. The telomeres are disposable buffers blocking the ends of the chromosomes and are consumed during cell division, then replenished by an enzyme, telomerase reverse transcriptase. Over time, due to each cell division, the telomere ends become shorter. Shorter telomeres are thought to be a cause of poorer health and aging. Therefore if Leach’s Petrels have telomeres that lengthen with chronological age it could mean, in theory, that the life span of the Leach’s Petrel is limitless! This information was only discovered by scientists in 2003 and more telomere research is taking place that could lead to human life extension drugs and gene therapy. This was certainly not the kind of information expected when Leach’s Petrel was typed into the search field of Google! So next time there is a healthy westerly blow crashing waves about Hilbre Island don’t ride out the storm indoors get out and have a look for these special little seabirds. However, please note that despite the mystery surrounding its lifespan there is no evidence to prove that the Leach’s Petrel is immortal!
A Leach’s Petrel (Oceanodroma leucorhoa) over Hilbre
Telomeres showing on chromosomes
Photograph by Matt Thom
as
Page 6
What’s on at the Coast this Winter
Saturday 10th November Search the Strandline
See what the tides have washed up at Thurstaston 11am Start
Booking essential on 0151 648 4371 Thursday 15th November
Riverbank Road Raptor Roadshow 9.30am Start
Find out more about the birds of the Dee Estuary No need to book. Meet at Riverbank Road Car Park,
Lower Heswall 0151 648 4371 for further information
Saturday 17th November Pintails of the River Dee
9.30am Start Discover why the Dee Estuary is one of the most
important estuaries in Europe No need to book
0151 648 4371 for further information Hoylake Hightide Birdwatch
(Details above)
Sunday 18th November Cycle along the Wirral Way to Parkgate Enjoy a leisurely cycle ride with the Coastal
Rangers along the Wirral Way to Parkgate. You’ll need to bring your own bike and some money for an
ice cream! Booking essential on 0151 648 4371
Sunday 2nd December Leasowe Lighthouse Open Day
12noon —4pm Take a guided tour with the Friends of Leasowe
Lighthouse No need to book
0151 648 4371 for further information Tuesday 4th December
North Wirral Coastal Park Task Day Join the volunteers from the North Wirral Coastal
Park and Coastal Rangers and help with some practical conservation
10am – 3pm Booking essential on 0151 648 4371
High tide Birdwatch - King’s Gap, Hoylake
Saturday 17th November 11:00 am startYou will discover why Wirral’s foreshore is an internationally protected site when you join the Dee Estuary Voluntary Wardens,
Coastal Rangers and the RSPB on this winter birdwatching event at Hoylake
High tide is at 1:09 pm, 9.7m
No need to book Meet at King’s Gap, Hoylake
Please ring the Coastal Rangers on (0151) 648 4371 if you need more information
Organised as part of Wirral’s Year of Coast and Countryside
Saturday 15th December High Tide Birdwatch at Heswall Fields
Join the Coastal Rangers for a ‘bird’s eye’ view over the flooding salthmarsh. 9am Start No need to book.
Suitable clothing is essential and please bring binoculars if you have them
0151 648 4371 for further information ‘A Year of Coast and Countryside’
A slideshow at Thurstaston Visitor Centre showing wildlife highlights over the last 12 months
Booking essential on 0151 648 4371 Sunday 16th December
‘A Year in the Life of Wirral’s Coast and Countryside’
A photographic exhibition (showing until March 2013) at Thurstaston Visitor Centre by the Hoylake
Photographic Society who have spent the year photographing highlights in Wirral’s parks, coast and
countryside areas. Open 10am—4.45pm each day
Wonderful Willow Join the Ranger in making simple willow weaved
decorations to take home or brighten up around the visitor centre. Ideal for families to see the basic techniques of willow weaving. All children to be
accompanied. Booking essential on 0151 648 4371
Saturday 22nd December Make a Yule Log
Learn why our ancestors made Yule Logs to celebrate midwinter. There is a £1 charge for this
event to cover material costs Booking essential on 0151 648 4371
Sunday 23rd December Christmas Presents for the Birds
Join the Ranger at Wirral Country Park Visitor Centre and have a go at making bird feeders to give
the birds a Christmas treat ! Ideal for kids! No need to book 12:30pm - 2pm
0151 648 4371 for further information Sunday 30th December A Walk to The Dungeons
Join the Coastal Ranger for a gentle walk to the Dungeons, a small wooded valley
off the Wirral Way. No need to book. Meet at Thurstaston Visitor Centre
10.30am—12.30am 0151 648 4371 for further information
Thursday 3rd January Make Bird Cakes
Make a bird cake at Wirral Country Park to help feed the birds
Booking essential on 0151 648 4371
Tuesday 29th January and
Thursday 11th April £45 per person
(either day)
Award winning local wildlife photographer Ron Thomas (Associate of the Royal Photographic Society) will be leading these two one-day courses in digital wildlife photography from the Hilbre Islands Local Nature Reserve with support from the Wirral Coastal Rangers. Sessions throughout the day will focus on wading birds, wildfowl, seals, and macro-photography. The practical sessions will take place on and around the main island whilst it is cut off by the tide and will include equipment familiarization and software tuition taking place in the centrally heated Day Room. Places are limited so please book early. Price does not include lunch but participants may use the kitchen facilities in the Day Room. Hot drinks will be provided throughout the day. (Terms and conditions will apply and will be provided when booking).
To book your place please call the Thurstaston Visitor Centre on 0151 648 4371 or e-mail [email protected]
Digital Wildlife Photography Courses on Hilbre
Photograph by Ron Thom
as ww
w.ronthom
asphotography.co.uk
Page 8
Tuesday 5th February North Wirral Coastal Park Task Day
Join the volunteers from the North Wirral Coastal Park and Coastal Rangers and help with some
practical conservation. 10am – 3pm
Booking essential on 0151 648 4371 Tuesday 12th February
Hilbre Island—Purple Patch Join the Coastal Rangers for a walk over to the
Hilbre Islands to see the Purple Sandpipers that are a highlight of the islands
8am – 4pm Booking essential on 0151 648 4371
Sunday 17th February Cycle along the Wirral Way to Parkgate Enjoy a leisurely cycle ride with the Coastal
Rangers along the Wirral Way to Parkgate. You’ll need to bring your own bike and some money for
an ice cream! Booking essential on 0151 648 4371
Thursday 21st February Wildflower Meadow Restoration
Help the Ranger and Volunteer Task Force clear scrub from Cubbins Green off the Wirral Way in to
restore a wildflower meadow Booking essential on 0151 648 4371
Sunday 6th January A Walk to The Dungeons
Join the Coastal Ranger for a gentle walk to the Dungeons, a small wooded valley off
the Wirral Way. No need to book Meet at Thurstaston Visitor Centre
11am—1pm 0151 648 4371 for further information
Leasowe Lighthouse Open Day Take a guided tour with the Friends of Leasowe
Lighthouse. No need to book 12noon —4pm
0151 648 4371 for further information Sunday 13th January Winter Geology Walk
Find out about the geology of Thurstaston Parish 12noon—2pm
Booking essential on 0151 648 4371 Friday 18th January
‘Chasing Blackwits’ An evening illustrated talk at Thurstaston Visitor
Centre by Coastal Ranger Matt Thomas Tickets £2.50
Booking essential on 0151 648 4371 Sunday 3rd February
Leasowe Lighthouse Open Day (Details above)
0151 648 4371 for further information
World Wetlands Day at Wirral Country Park
Saturday 2nd February 10am—3pm
Overlooking the internationally important Dee Estuary the Overlooking the internationally important Dee Estuary the Thurstaston Visitor Centre will be hosting a day of activities Thurstaston Visitor Centre will be hosting a day of activities including a slideshow at 11am and guided walk along the Dee including a slideshow at 11am and guided walk along the Dee
Cliffs at 12.30pmCliffs at 12.30pm For information 0151 648 4371For information 0151 648 4371
Page 9
Wirral Bio-Bank - Ensuring a Species-rich Future by Frank Bennett (Coastal Ranger)
Isle of Man Cabbage (Coincya monensis) is endemic to the UK meaning that is confined to a particular geographical region. Mainly found in the North West, this plant is associated with sand dune systems and needs bare sandy patches within semi vegetated areas within these habitats to survive. The dunes in which it grows have been damaged or have become over vegetated leading to a decline in its numbers. This has lead to the plant being included in the Cheshire region Biodiversity Action Plan (CrBAP) which aims to manage habitats in a way that encourages the re-colonisation of targeted species of plants and animals. Wirral Coastal Rangers have been working in partnership with Richard Hewitt, Lead Horticulturist from Chester Zoo, for some years collecting seed from the dunes at the Gunsite near to New Brighton. This has been to propagate a colony of plants that are kept at the zoo. Periodical planting of young plants back in the dune systems ensures that there is always a colony in reserve. Fresh seed is collected when the new plants are being planted to keep the project going. Friends of North Wirral Coastal Park have been key in this project and were on hand again to assist with this year’s planting and seed collection. Richard and two work placements at the zoo turned up at about 10:30am on October 9th with one hundred small plants to plant. This process took all morning with a welcome cup of tea at the end. After tea some seed collection was done from plants that have colonised at the edge of the dunes near to the access road to the sea front car park. Volunteer Wirral Coastal Warden Phil Fenton and Wirral Country Park Task Force volunteer (and former Seasonal Coastal Ranger) Chris Werney recorded the areas of planting on GPS for mapping. This is to monitor the success of the project to compare with seed collection and dispersal in other areas of the dunes. If you wish to join the Friends of North Wirral Coastal Park or want more information on the tasks that they undertake phone Wirral Coastal Rangers on 0151 648 4371 or visit:
www.friendsofnorthwirralcoastalpark.co.uk
Friends of North Wirral Coastal Park, Coastal Ranger Frank Bennett and two work placements from Chester Zoo ready to plant Isle of Man Cabbage at the Gunsite
Photograph by Richard H
ewitt (C
hester Zoo)
Page 10
We’ve all heard the arguments in the press about our lack of connection with our environment, Nature Deficit Disorder, children spending too much time in front of the TV, obesity increase etc. There are lots of reports and papers written by academics and environmental organisations which list the human costs of alienation from nature. Some environmentalists argue that environmental education is the most important science because it’s about our planet, which a fair number of us are making a very good job of destroying. They reckon that education is the only way to halt this and turn attitudes around. This could all get a bit deep and heavy going. It could also be rather depressing. However, we don’t have to read loads of academic papers to get the gist of the argument. The facts are that getting out into the countryside for a nice walk with your family, in most weathers, lifts the spirits and is rarely disappointing. Children are naturally curious and enjoy running about and letting off steam. Wirral Country Park and the coast have some brilliant habitats to explore and a host of events to get involved in. I’m going to start a regular spot in this newsletter with ideas of things to do with your family in the park and you will be able to call into the Thurstaston Visitor Centre for maps, information leaflets, scavenger sheets, spotter sheets or any other information you need to enjoy a family visit in the fresh air. 1. Search the Strandline This could be a bracing one or two hour walk. Autumn and winter storms scour the sea bed and all sorts of interesting things can be washed up on the strand line. Pick up a scavenger sheet from the Thurstaston Visitor Centre and head down to Thurstaston Beach or Leasowe Bay. Look out for mermaid’s purses, sea potatoes, spongy whelk’s egg cases and razor shells. The best time to go is two or three hours after high tide. Always return any live creatures back to where you found them and check snail shells to make sure they are empty. 2. Autumn Leaves in the Dungeon Park at the Thurstaston Visitor Centre, pick up a map and spotter sheets and off you go on a walk along the Wirral Way to the Dungeon. Take in the estuary and field views and look out for hares, hedgerow birds and curlew in the fields. The Dungeon Woodland is sheltered and steep in parts. You can go left at the top of the woodland and head back along the footpaths and Station Road for a well earned cup of tea and cake in the café. 3. Wader Watching During the winter months thousands of wading birds arrive on the estuary to feed on the worms, bivalves and crustaceans that inhabit the mud. Grab your binoculars and head down to one of our bird watching events if you are new to the activity for advice and help. Good wader watching spots include Wirral Country Park, West Kirby shore, Harrison Drive in New Brighton and Cottage Lane Car Park in Heswall. Again, you can get all the information from the Thurstaston Visitor Centre. Look on the events programme at www.wirral.gov.uk or call into the Visitor Centre for more details.
Family Matters by Cathy Oldfield (Coastal Ranger)
Pond Dipping at Wirral Country Park with the Coastal Rangers
Photograph by C &
P Sadler (Hoylake Photographic Society)
Page 11
Our partnership bird watching events with the RSPB and the Hilbre Bird Observatory on Hilbre Island Nature Reserve are always very popular with birdwatchers and with limited number of places, get booked up very quickly. This time we had people from as far as the Midlands attending and making a weekend of it! As there had been an increased number of porpoise and dolphin sightings around Wirral’s coast this year, I decided to organise The Big Seawatch event and invite The Seawatch Foundation as an additional partner to help promote awareness of these much overlooked mammals. When sea watching for birds, rough seas are ideal - for watching cetaceans (whales, porpoise and dolphin), more calmer conditions are best, so this was always going to be a challenge. Having seen the weather forecast beforehand, it looked promising for both - but no - we were met with strong winds and rain. Walking out in a force 6 westerly gale was no fun, but it was essential that we made good headway as the conditions would effect the tidal height and time. Having got everyone safely over to the island before the tide, it was obvious that the seawatching conditions were going to be perfect for sea birds and within minutes of setting up telescopes at the old lifeboat station, with waves beginning to crash over the north end of the island, the group enjoyed a Leach’s Petrel reasonably close off shore.
With clearing skies, and while everyone was out there enjoying the island atmosphere and the birds, Sheila and I duly got some tea and coffee on the go which was served in the Day Room. This was greatly appreciated by all and gave opportunities for the partnership staff to chat to people about their projects. Guided tours around the Hilbre Bird Observatory were organised giving an insight into the fantastic migrations that birds undertake and the bird ringing purposes and methods.
The Big Seawatch - Hilbre Island September 2012 Article by Lynne Greenstreet (Coastal Ranger)
Photographs by Phil and Cynthia Sadler
Page 12
It proved to be a great day for birds with sightings of a Great Skua, Manx Shearwaters, Gannets, Guillemots and 37 Brent Geese to name but a few. Unfortunately, the windy conditions had made it unsuitable for passage migrants and the Heligoland traps remained empty. Sadly too, the sea conditions were unfavourable to see any porpoise or dolphin. Our time on Hilbre flew by and before we knew it the falling tide enabled us to think about making our way back to the mainland. Before setting off there was time for a quick chat to the party - plus the group photo with lots of smiling faces just says it all! I would like to thank all our partnership organisations and individuals for helping to make this event a hugely successful one. Thanks go to Colin Wells with staff and volunteers from the RSPB, Phil Woollen and Colin Jones for showing people around Hilbre Bird Observatory, Katrin Lorenghel and volunteers from The Seawatch Foundation and to Sheila Ryde for her help with the tea and coffee. The photographs were taken by Phil and Cynthia Sadler - members of Hoylake Photographic Society who were with us recording our event for a club exhibition being held at Wirral Country Park, Thurstaston later on this year in December. Please do come and see it if you can. Whatever your interest, you can enjoy Hilbre Island Nature Reserve at any time throughout the year without a guide. The walk over the sands to the main island - 2 miles each way - is straightforward if you follow the recommended safe route and check the tide times before setting off. The safe crossing information and tide times are available in the noticeboard at Dee Lane or alternatively you can ring the Coastal Rangers at Wirral Country Park, Thurstaston on (0151) 648 4371.For future Rangers events please go to www.wirral.gov.uk or www.visitwirral.com
Other sites to visit for further information and events:- www.rspb.org.uk
Enjoying a bit of shelter in the sea watching hide overlooking the old lifeboat slipway
Page 13
Nature’s Calendar Article and photographs by Lynne Greenstreet (Coastal Ranger)
Jays are very colourful members of the crow family and easily recognised by the grey/pink body colour, bright blue wing patch and white rump. During their summer breeding season they can be very shy and elusive - more often heard than seen, but once autumn arrives they can be seen collecting and burying acorns, storing them for when their winter food gets scarce. They can be found in areas of woodland, but will sometimes come to garden feeding stations where they will take seeds and peanuts.
Finches are common visitors to garden feeding stations making light work of the various seeds on offer. The Brambling is a winter visitor from Scandinavia and Siberia and during a cold winter you may be lucky enough to discover one or two in your garden feeding alongside flocks of Chaffinches and Greenfinches. It is of similar size to a Chaffinch but has an orange breast and white belly. Watch out for a distinctive white rump when it flies up. Ivy is one of the very few plants that flower during the
autumn months. This dense, evergreen plant readily clings to walls, fences etc. and is covered in tiny yellow flowers providing nectar for late flying insects such as wasps and bees. The black berries that form
later on are a valuable food supply for blackbirds and thrushes. Traditionally, ivy had a reputation as a herbal remedy. It was said that drinking milk from a cup made from ivy wood could cure whooping cough! The Redshank is a very noisy, medium sized wading bird that winters in large numbers on Wirral’s coast - especially the Dee Estuary. Despite its name,
the leg colour is actually bright orange and not red. Equipped with a medium sized bill for feeding, they are able to probe for food in the mud and sand. As with all wading birds, their lives are governed by the tides, so they roost - or sleep - whenever the tide is in, and feed when the tide is out. During the autumn/winter months, their numbers can exceed 10,000 birds on the Dee Estuary alone. A large proportion of the wintering Redshank breed in Iceland, while approximately 100+ pairs are resident and breed on the salt marsh areas of the Dee Estuary. Please remember - if you are feeding garden birds this winter, don’t forget to put fresh water out for them too!
Information will be entered into a database and will not be made available to any other persons other than the
editorial team and will be used solely for the purpose of assisting in the distribution of this newsletter.
Please let us know if you are representing a group or
organization and if you are a Wirral resident.
Wirral Country Park Green Shop
We’ve just had the first really cold spell this winter and we’ve already noticed that the feeding stations at the Thurstaston Centre Bird Hide are empty by most evenings so now is definitely the time to be putting out food to help the birds over the next few months. In fact most people regularly feed throughout the year and the most important thing to do is don’t suddenly stop feeding the birds. Bird seed is available from at little as £1.50 up to £10.99 for an 8kg bag of mixed seed. Sunflower Seed 2kg £6.99 Niger Seed 1kg £3.99 Sunflower Hearts 1kg £4.99 Suet Blocks £2.99 4 x Suet Balls £1.49 Suet feeders from £1.99
Bird seed feeders from £3.29 to £14.99
For advice on feeding the birds and products available including bird tables and next boxes, please call the Thurstaston Visitor Centre on
0151 648 4371 or call in to the centre—open seven days a week
Open Every Day 10am—4.45pm (inc Saturdays and Sundays)
![Act I, Scene 1 · Web viewAct I, Scene 1 Page 712 in literature book…lines 1 - 76. Act I, Scene 2 [A public place in Rome] [A flourish of trumpets announces the approach of Caesar.](https://static.documents.pub/doc/80x56/60cf48e4bd97ec3c9a59a85a/act-i-scene-1-web-view-act-i-scene-1-page-712-in-literature-booklines-1-76.jpg)
