Naturalists are always welcome at

MBB to freely use the available

equipment and facilities

Articles, photographs, real life sto-

ries, web links and events from ac-

tive naturalists are welcome addi-

tions to this newsletter. Please send

them in.

Stories from 250-1000 words with

accompanying photographs will take

us all on your journey. Please E-Mail

your work to:

newsletter@activenaturalist.org.uk

Special points of interest:

Birkdale Green Beach

Buckthorn Bashes

Rare Teal seen at Crossens

Steve McWilliams finds scale

insects previously unrecorded in

the Northwest

MBB volunteers help in the

search for Red Squirrels in South

Liverpool

Hugh Harris reports on the Trees

of Court Hey Park

Created by and for Volunteer Naturalists. Edited by Bob Jude and Hugh Harris

Views expressed in this newsletter are those of individual authors.

Inside this issue:

Phil Smith’s Wildlife Notes 2

Scale Insects on Bay Trees 3

Gall Wasps at Calderstones 3

Trees of Court Hey Park 4

In Search of Red Squirrels

in South Liverpool

5

A Reminder to Groups from

the Wildlife Trust

6

A Call to Arms by the BTO to

Armchair Birdwatchers

7

Events 8

Fungal Foray Programme

2014

9

Merseyside Nature

Final Newsletter of the Year

November/December 2013

Red Squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris) at a garden feeder in Formby, image courtesy of James Wheatcroft

Red Squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris)

2013 has been a great year for red squirrels. The numbers in the North Merseyside and West Lancashire stronghold

population are at their highest since the pox outbreak in 2008. We are also getting reports of red squirrels in areas

outside of the stronghold which is very exciting. We hope that with the help of our dedicated volunteers we can investi-

gate these new sightings and determine the current distribution of red squirrels in the area.

Rachel Miller, Wildlife Trust Squirrel Officer, December 2013

Merry Xmas and a Happy

New Year from all at

MBAN!

As usual, much of November was taken up with attending

meetings, giving talks, writing up and circulating reports

on earlier wildlife surveys.

After presenting a seminar on Birkdale Green Beach at

Edge Hill University, I was delighted to be contacted by a

student proposing a project on Green Beach soils, a topic

not previously investigated.

One of the Green Beach’s unique features is the incredibly

rapid change in vegetation over time, especially in the

wetlands, where open slack communities develop into fen

and Alder woodland within a decade or so. This is likely to

have a lot to do with the soil but nobody knows – yet.

The Green Beach is still growing southwards, the latest

data from Sefton Council showing that it now covers over

60ha (150 acres), all this representing new land won from

the sea since 1986. Apart from its scientific and wildlife

interest, the Green Beach has great value for coast pro-

tection, helping to counteract sea-level rise due to global

warming of 3mm per year. While checking a grid refer-

ence from aerial photographs on

www.gridreferencefinder.com, I was amused to see my

car parked (with permission) at the southern end of the

New Green Beach at SD3003313494. Judging by the vege-

tation, the photo was probably taken in summer 2010.

Continuing work started in October, four more volunteer

“buckthorn bashes” were organised to clear Sea Buck-

thorn from the dunes west of Sands Lake, Ainsdale. The

warm summer seems to have encouraged the growth of

this invasive shrub, older female bushes having even

more orange berries than usual.

This creates a problem because birds will disperse the

seeds far and wide. In a magazine gardening article,

Monty Don described Sea Buckthorn as his “plant of the

week”, though he acknowledged that it makes “a large

thorny shrub … unless kept pruned back”! Regrettably, he

made no mention of its ability to create havoc in coastal

habitats.

Sefton Council made further progress controlling dense

scrub in Birkdale Sandhills Local Nature Reserve. I visited

the area twice during the month, enabling me to catch up

with our only specimen of Black Bog-rush in a cleared

slack.

I discovered it in 1977, so the plant is now over 36 years

old and still perfectly healthy with a diameter of over 2m.

The soil around the plant had a pH of 7.5, confirming its

known association with base-rich soils. Also at Birkdale on

12th was my latest ever Common Darter, reflecting the

mild weather.

A pleasant stroll through National Trust woodland on 19 th

produced two Great Spotted Woodpeckers and a forag-

ing flock, of which at least 10 were Long-tailed Tits.

Using the well-known birders trick of “pishing”, that is

imitating squeaky bird calls, I attracted them closer hop-

ing for something a little rarer. This gave great views of

these delightful little birds but nothing out of the ordinary.

Nearby, a fruiting bush of Willow-leaved Cotoneaster

provided a feast for a male Blackbird.

Autumn colours were almost over but several Field Ma-

ples at Larkhill had enough leaves to give a spectacular

golden glow in the late afternoon sunshine. I was also

pleased to see that the National Trust has been clearing

some of the Gorse on Larkhill Heath, providing opportuni-

ties for a wider variety of heathland plants and the in-

sects they support.

The widespread habit of keeping wildfowl in collections

has long created problems for bird-watchers. Thus, an

apparent American Wigeon filmed by Ron Jackson at

Marshside may have been an escaped hybrid. Similarly, a

juvenile Ross’s Goose spent much of the month at

Marshside Nature Reserve. Rather than a genuine strag-

gler from Arctic Canada, this was probably also of captive

origin. Finally, a male Baikal Teal photographed at

Crossens on the last day of the month was either a “first

for Lancashire” of this extremely rare East Asian duck or

a further addition to the long list of escapees.

Wildlife Notes - November 2013 - Dr Phil Smith

Page 2 Merseyside Nature

Phil reports on the

Green Beach at

Birkdale

Buckthorn bashes

Sands Lake

Birds of the

National Trust

Woodland

Rare Teal duck

spotted at Crossens

Baikal Teal (Anas Formosa), D. Daniels, Wiki

Steve McWilliams reporting on find-

ing a new species to the North Mer-

seyside species list - the record has

been added via the Biobank copy of

RODIS (biobank.rodis.co.uk).

Yesterday (2nd December 2013)

Susan brought in some Bay (Laurus

nobilis) leaves from the small bush

which grows in the garden just out-

side the back-door.

These were to go into the stew for

tea. Before she put them into the

stew (thankfully) I picked them up

and noticed something on the under-

side of the leaves.

Using a hand-lens I decided that they

were scale insects but of a species I

had not seen before. I could not

track them down on the Net and

asking the Panlisters group on Face-

book did not elicit any positive re-

sponses.

Consequently, I took a few photos of

them and sent one to Dr Chris

Malumphy the Principal Entomologist

and Curator for the Food and Envi-

ronment Research Agency in York.

(Chris has written a book and a

number of papers on scale insects,

especially on Ferns and of those

species recorded in Bedfordshire).

He responded to say that the scale

insects were in fact the Brown Soft

Scale (Coccus hesperidum L.)

(Hemiptera: Coccidae).

It seems in the photo the four female

scales in the lower left segment of

the photograph have been attacked

by a parasitic wasp - sadly Chris did

not indicate which wasp - I have

written back and asked him.

It seems C. hesperidum is cosmopoli-

tan and one of the most polyphagous

of all scale insects, feeding on hun-

dreds of different plants.

Bay is one of its preferred hosts. It

is very common on indoor plantings

in the UK but is also found on ever-

green plants in sheltered situations

outdoors.

It was introduced to Britain more

than a century ago and is still one of

the most common scale insects

intercepted on imported plant mate-

rial. It is a serious pest in Britain of

ornamental plants grown indoors but

is rarely a pest outdoors.

So there we have it - another ‘first’

species and record for the database!

This gall was first found in the UK in

Berkshire in 1997 so is likely to be a

decent record for our area (and the

wider North West!).

The record is already in BioBank

RODIS !

I found a good number of Aphelonyx

cerricola galls on Turkey Oak - at

Calderstones Park, Liverpool on the

(25th October 2013)

These pictures are posted on my

timeline on Facebook and also on the

Pan Species Listers Group.

Now the search begins in Cheshire

as well.

Galls on Turkey Oak at Calderstones Park - Steve McWilliams

Scale Insects - Correspondence from Steve McWilliams

Page 3 Merseyside Nature

Steve McWilliams

reports on a new

species of Soft

Scale Insect

Steve reports on

galls found on

Turkey Oak in

Calderstones Park

Rob Duffy, World Museum, Liverpool

Rob Duffy is one of a group of con-

servationists; Kieron Connell

Knowsley Council, Anne Faulkner

Landlife, Rebecca Cunning OPAL and

others who have helped the natural-

ist community make connections

with the trees of Court Hey Park.

“The flora of Court Hey Brook is

typical of a public park. Much of the

area is mown amenity grassland,

with mature trees and some younger

stands. Many of the mature trees are

very large and at least 100 years old,

and mostly either Sycamore (Acer

pseudoplatanus), Beech (Fagus

sylvatica), or Sweet Chestnut

(Castanea sativa).”

This short extract from Ms Paula

Cass’s M.Sc. dissertation submitted

to Liverpool University, introduces us

to the abundance of ornamental and

non-ornamental trees found within

the parkland acquired and developed

by Robertson Gladstone, the elder

brother of four times British Prime

Minister William Ewart Gladstone.

Rob Duffy, whose bedroom gave him

an overview of the park from 1959

onwards, gave us the benefit of his

local knowledge of the park and its

trees with a comprehensive collec-

tion of 70 slides. Importantly, the

creation of the National Wildflower

Centre, 1999 in the park established

native British wildflower areas which

encourage a wider engagement with

plants. Rob has carefully recorded

the location and species identifica-

tion of the trees - as those members

of Liverpool Botanical Society who

recently took up the challenge of his

‘Tree Orienteering Trail’ will affirm.

The indoor meeting profited from

the previous outdoor experience by

tree and feature recognition.

Historic maps show the main tree-

planting areas are along the main

driveway from Roby Road to the

Mansion and stable blocks, along the

banks of Court Hey Brook, and

around the perimeter of the park.

The more ornamental species -

perhaps collected from around the

world by Victorian plant hunters -

are to be found closer to the Man-

sion, formal sunken and walled pro-

ductive gardens.

The value of trees and their biodiver-

sity is shown in the collection of

mature species of popularly-known

trees.

Several species of Oak (Quercus)

are present; Pedunculate, Scarlet

Pin, Chestnut-leaved, Red and

Holm; Maple (Acer) species of

Silver, Amur, Smooth Japanese,

Ash Leaf, Cappadocicum and Nor-

way; Rowan (Sorbus) trees of

Chinese Scarlet, Japanese, and

Joseph Rock’s variety; Chestnut

(Aesculus) species of Horse, Red

Horse and Sweet all enhance the

aesthetic appeal of the park-scape.

Individual species of Ash, Hawthorn,

Sycamore, Poplar, Elm, Alder,

Hornbeam, Tulip Tree, Norway

Spruce, Tree of Heaven, False

Acacia and Indian Bean Tree also

add to the interest of shape, bark,

shoots, buds, leaves and flowers and

fruits and help to create a green

structure in the park.

Historically, the choice of tree-

plantings was not for economic or

productive reasons but to enhance

the pleasing appearance of the park.

One of the losses to the park was

the ancient Beech (Fagus sylvatica)

which became diseased and unsafe

and had to be carefully cut down.

Even in its leafless condition it com-

manded a central position between

the Rose Garden and buildings and

was a solid landmark in the 14 hec-

tare park. Now it is to become part

of an art project overseen by Friends

of Court Hey Park. Youtube and

Facebook show videos and slides of

this magnificent tree.

The skills of successive Head Gar-

deners and their staffs have contrib-

uted to the tree health in the park

and ensured their well-being by pest

control of invertebrates and treat-

ment of pathogenic diseases.

The native trees that are most sus-

ceptible to pests and diseases are

the Oak, Ash and Horse Chestnut.

Out of the 18 pests and diseases

which attack these three trees the

damage caused by the Knopper Gall

Wasp (Andricus quercuscalicis) on

the Oak was easily recognisable –

small wood-like balls where the

wasps germinate.

As long as there are people like Rob

who are prepared to share their

passion and knowledge of their local

Green Flag park then present and

future generations will benefit.

Hugh@Liverpool Botanical Society

What’s in your Quadrat? 1.12 - Hugh Harris 2013

Page 4 Merseyside Nature

Hugh Harris reports

on the history and

flora of Court Hey

Park

Hugh praises the

actions of the

committed

conservationists and

gardening staff of

Court Hey Park in

helping safeguard

tree health

The Holly and the Ivy at Court Hey Park

Merseyside Biobank at Court Hey

Park is a good place for visiting

naturalists for a number of reasons.

While there using the microscopes

Rachel Miller, the Red Squirrel Field

Officer at the Wildlife Trust, dis-

cussed with Ben Deed her ongoing

project utilising volunteers to collect

squirrel hairs from different north-

west habitats, to provide evidence

that Red Squirrels are making a

comeback, recent Red Squirrel sight-

ings have even been reported at

Childwall Woods and the adjoining

Black Woods in South Liverpool.

Many years ago they were common

in Sefton Park, a short distance away

but competition from Greys and

Squirrel Pox has led to them dying

out in those areas.

Ben indicated to Rachel that he knew

a couple of volunteers that could

help and introduced Rachel to Hugh

and myself, as two active local MBAN

members who had an interest in

Childwall Woods.

Tuesday 3rd December: We agreed

to take part in the project and Rachel

explained what was necessary and

we met up for some initial training at

Childwall Woods. Rachel mentioning

health and safety explained that tree

climbing was not allowed which had

been one of our initial concerns.

As we walked around, Rachel demon-

strated her skill in spotting squirrels,

counting around nine greys on our

trek, in the canopy above. Rachel

indicated the approximate area that

she would like the collectors sited

and explained the use of the device

and the need to record a GPS read-

ing for mapping and re-collection. No

tubes were set out on this reconnoi-

tre.

Monday 9th December: Our first

visit, was on a dry, cool day, Hugh

who knows the woods, continued to

lead the way following marked trail

posts. In all it took us around 3

hours to set 9 tubes. Tubes were

sited low down, close to larger trees

and away from the path so squirrels

would feel secure and the devices

unlikely to be found.

We spent time cutting and threading

wire through the tubes (with a pair

of blunt cutters) then took photo-

graphs using a GPS camera and

wrote down GPS locations , storing

the waypoints on an Etrex.

Thin plastic wire, passed through

small holes at the base were used to

fix a single tube to a horizontal

branch. Inside the tube, at either end,

are a pair of Velcro pads. The squir-

rel, attracted to the peanut butter

smeared around the tube edges,

squeezes past the Velcro pads to get

at the larger mass of peanut butter

in the centre and deposits hairs on

the Velcro pads. Our collection of

tubes exhausted, we realised we had

missed taking pictures of the 2nd

location so I demonstrated to Hugh

how to use the waypoints to find the

location using an older Etrex. It

worked well and little time was lost.

Wednesday 11th December: The

second visit was far more produc-

tive, It helped that all the wire had

been pre cut and fitted and we had

another volunteer helper, Dave Flynn.

We started at 9.00 am. The weather

was still around 9 degrees, cool and

damp, ideal for fungi.

A number of fungi species were

spotted in passing, the largest being

a Razorstrap or Birch Polypore.

We completed setting out tubes for

Childwall Woods and passed over the

steel bridge and old shadowy car-

riageway below that once led to the

long since demolished hall. Crossing

Woolton road we went through the

steel gates into the Black Woods.

Here the woodland changes as ma-

ture trees intermingle with young

saplings. A carpet of soft brown

leaves in varying shades leave vivid

reminders of a more open brighter

environment.

We finally finished, having set out 20

tubes, just in time for lunch. Weeks

later these pads will be collected,

bagged and labelled with the GPS

location and the hairs taken to the

office and microscopically examined.

Data from the eTrex was downloaded

at MBB using a cable and the free

program from Garmin (Easygps).

Data was uploaded to Google Earth

and a jpg image generated.

Hugh, Bob, Rachel and Dave visit Childwall Woods in search of Red Squirrels

Page 5 Merseyside Nature

Volunteers site

Squirrel ‘Hair

Tubes’ in

Childwall, and

Black Woods

South Liverpool

Birch Polypore (Piptoporus betulinus)

Grey Squirrel hairs, R. Miller, 2013

20 Hair Tube Waypoints at Childwall and Black

Woods from Etrex mapped onto Googleearth Red Squirrel hairs, R. Miller, 2013

Bob Jude and Dave Flynn taking GPS

readings of Hair Tube location

Many thanks to those that have re-

sponded to our survey in relation to

The Biodiverse Society.

The results across all of the surveys

are building up a very good picture

that shows where we need to focus

activity, where support is needed the

most and which Local Wildlife Sites

we should choose to encourage more

active recording.

I appreciate it is a very busy time

before Christmas but we seem to

have a lack of responses from

Local Naturalist Groups.

It may be that people are responding

as individuals and not from a group

perspective, or that people do not

feel they have the right to speak on

behalf of the group.

I hope that you can understand how

important it is we get responses to

our questionnaire, as without this,

your group, or sites that are close to

where your group is based, may miss

out on the opportunity that The Biodi-

verse Society presents, or worse

still, Heritage Lottery Fund do not

award us with the funding as they do

not feel it is a strong enough pro-

posal.

I do not mind if I receive numerous

responses from the same group; in

some ways that just strengthens the

need to work with that particular

group, and with the Local Wildlife Sites

that are known or close to that group.

Please visit:

http://www.lancswt.org.uk/

bioconsultation

In light of the low responses I am still

welcoming responses to the survey.

If you indicate that you would welcome

a telephone call we will be carrying

this out in January.

By the end of January we hope to have

the Activity Plan produced for circula-

tion to whoever would like to com-

ment. At this point there will be little

room for additional activity, it is more

shaping and providing more detail.

We will also be seeking (very informal)

agreements and letters of support

that backs up further why we have

chosen certain activities, and that

there is the interest from those that

want to participate in The Biodiverse

Society.

If you would like to write a letter of

support you may use our FREEPOST

address:

The Lancashire Wildlife Trust

FREEPOST PR983

Preston

PR5 6BY

Please try to include in your letter

why you think the project is important

and what you hope (or your group) to

get out of it.

If you would like to find out more

information about our proposal, or

would like to discuss specific ele-

ments,

I would be more than happy to dis-

cuss the project with you.

I can be contacted by email and if

you leave your telephone number I

will call you back. Or you can phone

my mobile 07740419180.

I really hope you can understand why

we need your input into the proposal,

and I look forward to receiving your

responses over the next few weeks.

In the meantime I wish you all a very

Merry Christmas

Daveen Wallis’ communication via E-

Mail reposted by Ben Deed

A Reminder to Naturalist Groups - The Lancashire Wildlife Trust

Page 6 Merseyside Nature

If you have some

spare time at

Christmas please

respond to Daveen’s

request

Winter is an exciting time for bird

lovers in Britain with immigrants

from Scandinavia and continental

Europe settling in and our British

birds making the most of the re-

sources in our gardens.

As we all know British winters can

be unpredictable so the British

Trust for Ornithology (BTO) needs

your help to see how our birds

cope with the cold weather.

Gardens are havens for our wildlife,

covering an area larger than that

occupied by our National Nature

Reserves.

Around half of all householders are

thought to feed their birds, which is

one reason why gardens have be-

come an important habitat, espe-

cially during the winter when food is

scarce elsewhere.

Rarer garden birds, like immigrant

Fieldfares and Waxwings, are exciting

to hear about but the BTO really

wants to find out about the common

birds living in and visiting local gar-

dens.

This year, in Merseyside, about a

third of the BTO’s Garden BirdWatch

(GBW) gardens have reported visit-

ing House Sparrows and Starlings,

and yet these birds have shown huge

declines throughout the country.

In order to get a clearer picture of

why and how garden bird populations

are changing, the BTO needs more

local people to tell them what they

see.

BTO Garden BirdWatch is the world’s

largest year-round survey of garden

birds, having run every week since

1995. Anyone who enjoys watching

the highs and lows of their garden

birds is welcome to get involved – it

is a simple survey and one that en-

courages you to sit in your armchair

and stare out of the window!

There are just 136 Garden Bird-

Watchers in Merseyside and

the BTO needs your help to increase

that number!

If you don’t watch the birds in your

garden but know someone who does,

pass on the word about the Garden

BirdWatch.

Clare Simm, of

the BTO Garden BirdWatch team

commented:

"Watching birds in your garden can be like watching your own mini soap-opera especially with the cold weather bringing more birds to-gether. The squabbles, the friend-ships, the family bonding – it’s in-credibly interesting and fun to dis-cover."

She added: "If you spend a few minutes each week watching what birds get up to in your garden, then you are already doing enough to take part in the BTO Garden BirdWatch. Get in touch with us for a free maga-zine and information pack on how to take part."

For a free BTO Garden BirdWatch

information pack, which includes a

copy of our quarterly magazine,

please contact gbw@bto.org, tele-

phone 01842 750050, or write to

Garden BirdWatch, BTO, The Nun-

nery, Thetford, Norfolk, IP24 2PU.

A Call to Merseyside's Armchair Birdwatchers from the BTO

Page 7 Merseyside Nature

Over Christmas why not

look in your garden,

take some pictures and

send them to

MerseysideBiobank

Common bird records

are especially welcome.

Waxwings visiting Court Hey Park, Ben

Deed, 2012

Editors Note

The Blackbirds of Court Hey Park will be happy that mild weather and a plentiful supply of food has kept these Waxwings in Northern Europe. Last year the Blackbirds fought a losing battle as these birds com-pletely stripped the berries We however, are hoping they will provide some new pictures for 2013/14 If you see any of these startling and easily recognisable birds please let us know

Like many common birds the Blackbird

(Turdus merula) is likely under recorded

The Starling (Sturnis vulgaris) is a priority

species locally and across England.

Events are run throughout

the year by Liverpool Mu-

seum.

These include Mammal Trapping at

Knowsley Park and other venues.

Please contact

Tony.Parker@liverpoolmuseums.org.

uk for details and to book places.

Museum collections are open to

amateur naturalists and volunteers

(by appointment)

Other activity events

Knowsley: www.knowsley.gov.uk/

things-to-see-and-do/events.aspx

Liverpool Parks: liverpool.gov.uk/

leisure-parks-and-events

Wildlife Trust: www.lancswt.org.uk/

what-s-on

Court Hey Park:

www.courtheypark.co.uk

National Wildflower Centre:

www.nwc.org.uk/events

Shoresearchnews

www.cumbriawidlifetrust.org.uk

Merseyside Naturalist Asso-

ciation

The MNA organize informal nature

events including field trips, talks and

practical sessions

Visit www.mnapage.info for the pro-

gramme of events

**Details of the programme for 2014

will be loaded on the website in Janu-

ary 2014**

Liverpool Botanical Society

Saturday 11th January

Treasure House Theatre, Level 1

World Museum

Caledonian Pine Forests

Peter Gately

Saturday 8th February

Treasure House Theatre, Level 1

World Museum AGM plus members’

field meetings photos

North West Fungus Group

The North West Fungus Group is a

regional umbrella group aiming to

promote an interest in fungi across

the counties of Cheshire, Lancashire,

Greater Manchester, Merseyside

Cumbria, Flintshire & Denbighshire.

Benefits of membership include:-

two newsletters per year.

forays and special events.

help and advice on a range of fungi

related topics.

Events

Page 8 Merseyside Nature

HELP! BIRDERS STILL NEEDED

The Mersey Estuary is one of Britain’s

best wetlands. We know this because

each month we count the waterfowl

as part of the national Wetland Bird

Survey (WeBS).

However, we need ‘new blood’

volunteers. You don’t need to be an

experienced wildfowl counter, though

you should be able to identify

common waders and wildfowl. If you

think you can help then please email

Dermot Smith at

dermot.smith71@gmail.com or phone

07505 418832 for further details.

For more information plus recent

reports and photos visit the Mersey

Estuary WeBS page on facebook

North West Fungus Group

Membership

Individual membership - £7.50

Family membership - £10.00

Members joining after November

1st will receive membership for

the following year.

Please contact the Membership

Secretary for a membership

form.

Officers

President: Prof. Bruce Ing

Chair: Dr. Irene Ridge,

Smalley’s Farm, Whalley Old Road,

Billington

Clitheroe, Lancashire BB7 9JF

Tel. 01254 247274

Treasurer and Membership Secre-

tary:

Liz Moore,

48 Alan Road, Heaton Moor,

Stockport, Cheshire, SK4 4LE

Tel. 0161-432-9124

Recorder: Tony Carter

NWFG Home Page:

http://www.fungus.org.uk/nwfg.htm

Extract from 2014 Programme can be

found on following page.

Facebook

Facebook is increasingly becoming a

major contact point for rapidly expanding

naturalist groups and volunteers. Unlike

fixed web pages Facebook is easier to

manage, costless and attracts like minded

individuals who post pictures, pass data

and contact each other.

Future Newsletter Editions will expand this

list but good starting points are:

MerseysideBiobank www.facebook.com/

MerseysideBioBank

MBAN

www.facebook.com/groups/

ActiveNaturalists/

UK Hoverflies

www.facebook.com/

groups/609272232450940/

WeBS

www.facebook.com/pages/Mersey-

Estuary-WeBS/216178248450013?fref=ts

For all events bring strong footwear.

Details about terrain and accessibil-

ity of sites can be obtained by con-

tacting the foray leader. Most venues

have their own website. Forays are

planned so that they can continue

into the afternoon. If you intend to

so continue please bring food and

drink. If travelling a considerable

distance to a foray it is advisable to

confirm with the leader that the

foray is taking place, as on extremely

rare occasions, forays have had to

be changed at short notice. Changes

will be on the NWFG website.

Saturday 22nd February – AGM

10am (Coffee) for 10.30 at Risley

Moss, north Warrington. Usually

followed by an informal foray.

Sunday 23rd March - Spring

Wood, nr Whalley. Meet10.30 at

Spring Wood Car Park, adjacent to

Visitor Centre / Picnic Area on A671.

SD741361 (Sheet103) (BB7 9TD).

Leader – Mike Valentine (07541

240874)

Sunday 13th April – Freshfield and

Ainsdale NNR, Merseyside. Meet

10.30 at Freshfield Station car park

SD291084 (Sheet 108) (L37 7DD).

Leave A565 Formby-by-Pass onto

B5424 at roundabout signposted for

Formby Point BUT at mini roundabout

keep straight on until Freshfield Road

then turn right. (OR go by train).

Leader - Tony Carter (0151-724-

4600)

Sunday 11th May – Carr Mill Dam.

Meet at 10.30 in car park of The

Waterside Premier Inn SJ524976

(Sheet 108) (WA11 7LX). Entrance off

A571 to Billinge at junction with A580

(T). Leader - Tony Carter (0151-724-

4600).

Sunday 8th June – Tandle Hill CP,

Royton, Greater M/C. Meet 10.30,

car park end of minor road off A671

north from Royton to Rochdale.

Tandle Hill on northern outskirts of

Royton. SD908088 (Sheet 109) (OL2

5UX). Leader - Norman Bamforth

(0161-336-3914)

Sunday 13th July - Beacon Hill

Country Park, Upholland, West

Lancashire. Meet at 10.30 in Rang-

ers' car park, Elmers Green Lane, off

Beacon Lane SD505067 (Sheet 108)

(WN8 7RU). From M58 Junction 5 exit

for A577 Skelmersdale East, passing

south under the Mway but then turn-

ing back north until to you reach a

roundabout signposted to Beacon

Park. Take right up A577 Windmill

Road and continue, turning right then

left into Upholland. At wrought iron

clock in town centre, turn sharp left

onto Mill Lane /Beacon Lane. Con-

tinue 2 miles to Beacon Park Golf

Centre on left, turning down to car

park continuing left to the far end of

this car park and the Rangers' cab-

ins. Leader - John Watt (07768 043

461/01695 578843).

Sunday 17th August – Dibbinsdale,

Wirral Meet 10.30 at Woodslee

Cottages. SJ346828 (Sheet 108)

(CH62 2BJ). Leave M53 at Jct4 onto

B5137 Spital Road. Reserve on right

about 2 miles after RH bend. 15 mins

walk from Spital Railway Station.

Leader – Jeanette Maddy (07548

838946)

Sunday 7th September - Ainsdale

NNR. Merseyside. Ken Jordan

Memorial Foray. Meet 10.30 car

park at Reserve Manager’s Office.

SD303112 (Sheet 108) (PR8 3QW).

Take A565 north past Woodvale

Airport, turn on to Coastal Road,

over railway bridge and left into

private drive. Leader - Tony Carter

(0151-724-4600)

Sunday 14th September - Clock

Face Colliery Country Park, Bold,

St. Helens. – Meet 10.30 at Gorsey

Lane Car Park. From Jct 7 of M62

follow A57 Warrington Rd. After 2

miles turn left on to A569 Clock Face

Road. After 1.5 miles, (passing back

under M’way), turn right into Gorsey

Lane (blue cycling sign Burtonwood).

Continue to entrance on right. SD

535915 (Sheet 108) (WA9 4SN).

Leader – Tom Ferguson (01744

739774 /07743 509671 (m))

Saturday 20th September – Risley

Moss, north Warrington. Begin-

ners Foray. Meet 10.30. Access from

M62 Jct 11. Continue along A574 to

first island, turn left. Reserve sign-

posted. Ample parking space.

SJ665922 (Sheet 109) (WA3 6QS).

Leader - Irene Ridge (01254-247274.

A morning foray will be followed by

an afternoon microscope workshop.

Sunday 28th September – Moor

Piece NR, Bashall Eaves. Meet

10.30 in Bashall Eaves Village Hall car

park at SD696434 (Sheet 103) on

right just past Red Pump Inn before

onward journey to the Reserve.

(Follow signs for Whitewell/Trough

of Bowland). Terrain is rough and

wet. Leader - Irene Ridge (01254-

247274)

Sunday 19th October - - Duxbury

Woods, Chorley. Meet 10.30, Dux-

bury Park Golf Course car park.

SD585152 (Sheet 108) (PR7 4AS).

From A6 to Chorley take A5106 at

traffic lights. Take first right and

follow signs to Duxbury Golf Course.

Keep left at each junction till car

park reached. Leader - Peter Smith

(01204-843439)

Sunday 26th October - Rostherne

Mere. Meet 10.30. Take the third

turn on the left going south on the

Chester Road (A556) from the

M56 Jct 8. The car park is 200 yards

past the church on the left hand side

SJ743833 (Sheet 109) (WA16 6SB).

Or park on the road. Leader - Tim

Rogers (07890949997).

Extract from the Fungal Foray Programme 2014 - Tony Carter

Page 9 Merseyside Nature

Beginners are

welcome at ALL

forays.

Please note that

forays are not

suitable for very

small children.

Unfortunately

dogs are not

allowed.