Thursday 29 March 2018

Small Mammal Survey Training


Wood mouse. Photo: Hans Hillewaert

Alan Smail, the Ranger at Brotherton Park and Dibbinsdale Local Nature Reserve, is sponsoring a short training course on Small Mammal Surveying.

Ron Warne will be running the course which will be held in the reserve's Visitor Centre on the morning of 12th May 2018.

Ron will set up the traps on 10th and 11th with a view to having some real animals to experience.  He expects to have completed the session by lunchtime.

The number of places will be limited to give everybody some 'hands-on' experience with the equipment and animals.

If you would like to attend, please contact Ron directly via email to book a place.  If this session is over subscribed there will be a further one in conjunction with the Wirral Tree Wardens a little later in the Spring/Summer.

Friday 23 March 2018

Earth Hour


In case you haven't seen this email from Cheshire Wildlife Trust, here is their update about Earth Hour and the work being done to reduce the impact of climate change.


Whilst we at Cheshire Wildlife Trust spend a lot of our time working locally in Cheshire, much of our work does play a role in protecting the natural world on a larger scale. Whether it’s managing habitats of international importance or conserving our precious pockets of wildlife in Cheshire, we're working together to protect the environment.

With #EarthHourUK on Saturday 24th March at 8:30pm, we wanted to highlight some of the ways our work helps reduce the impact of climate change.


Mosslands


FACT: Peatland environments are the UK’s largest store of carbon. The carbon stored in UK peatlands is equivalent to 3 years of total UK carbon emissions!

In Delamere, we're helping to restore peatland which stores carbon from the atmosphere.

We’ve worked on 55 different sites across Delamere to restore peatland habitat through re-wetting. We’ve also surveyed new sites that need protection in the future.


Tree planting


We’re planting 1,000 trees in the Swettenham Valley to ensure woodland cover, capturing carbon in the area for centuries to come.


Reduce flooding


We’re working hard to hold more water upstream in the Peak District to prevent flooding downstream in Cheshire.

Pressures from climate change mean that floods have begun to occur more often and when they do occur, result in expensive damage.

As part of our five year Slowing the Flow project, we’re introducing flood prevention measures such as leaky dams to prevent flooding downstream during future storm events.


Minimise machinery


We’re working with local communities to teach traditional land management techniques as an alternative to machinery. In small, isolated meadows across Stockport the grass is scythed each summer, using no mowers or fuel.


Low food miles


As well as having our own allotment at our headquarters, we’re helping local Friends of Groups to manage Community Orchards, producing food locally and organically.


Working together




We're working with private landowners in the wider landscape, to create a landscape that is more permeable for wildlife to move through. This is necessary not just to protect populations, but also to enable species to extend their ranges in response to our changing climate. The combined effort of Wildlife Trusts nationally to create Living Landscapes is helping wildlife move around the British countryside.


What are you doing?

Is there something you’re doing to act against climate change? Perhaps you’re switching your lights off for just an hour at 8:30pm on Saturday, joining the likes of Buckingham Palace and Edinburgh Castle. No matter how big or small the action, do let us know what you're doing on Facebook, Twitter or email.

Sunday 18 March 2018

Hedgehog Rescue


Hedgehog rescue. Photo: Les Roberts

The return of ‘beast from the east’ reminds me that we also had some very cold weather in early December last year. On one particularly frosty Friday night we opened our front door to check no shoes had been left out under the porch. To our astonishment a small hedgehog was, quite literally, sitting on our front step and, we felt, looking rather sorry for itself.

Given the temperature, conditions and the time of year we realised this youngster was in trouble. A thick cardboard box was quickly found and we lined it with scrunched up newspaper, something which we hoped would retain the animal’s own heat and create some warmth. Into the box also went a plastic tub filled with water but we didn’t think we had any suitable food – we needed advice.

Given the hour it was not surprising that we could not contact the Hedgehog Rescue numbers we phoned but we did get through to RSPCA HQ. They asked us to weigh our guest which we did using kitchen scales and plastic container. Unfortunately, this showed that the little creature was underweight and would not survive hibernation even if it could induce that state. We were advised to go to our nearest supermarket and buy cat food, perfectly acceptable to hedgehogs apparently. We were also told to keep the animal warm overnight and find a rescue centre next day.

Finding an accommodating centre proved difficult. Not because the volunteers who ran them were unwilling, they were simply unable because of the numbers of such young, underweight or injured hedgehogs they were already housing – a winter long commitment. Thankfully a Wirral veterinary practice did offer to add our now very perky and endearing guest to those they were currently caring for. Why such numbers of these delightful creatures fail to reach the optimum weight and size to hibernate is worrying and sad. We presume it is down to changing land use and shrinking natural habitat. Gardens may be the salvation, especially if they offer ‘wilder’ areas, however small and are devoid of slug pellets. Well done the long-term rescuers who are giving their own time and money to help maintain the population of such charming animals.

Les Roberts

Thursday 15 March 2018

Wildlife Quiz 2017: Answers


Here are the answers to the Wirral Wildlife Prize Quiz 2017. 

Many congratulations to Vivienne Pitcher in Greasby who received the prize of a National Garden Gift Card.


Quiz Clue Number of Letters Answer
1 Girl accommodates 10 oriental insect appendages 8 ANTENNAE
2 Tabitha resettles here 7 HABITAT
3 Swindling breeding place? 7 ROOKERY
Gullery
4 Scottish football club loses one, wins nothing, draws a tie initially; a seasonal strategy 11 HIBERNATION
5 Soft mountain range appendages 5 PALPS
6 A Welsh Nationalist leaders bristle 3 AWN
7 Take a breather by Lakeland streams 5 GILLS
8 A bush in the British Rubber Co.’s factory in West Yorkshire yielded 25kg of latex in 2016 5 SHRUB
9 Swindle on condition that Arthur Daley’s wife has left the house for evergreen 7 CONIFER
10 Leaf-like structures support the beginnings of computed tomography scanners 6 BRACTS
11 Temporary home, property of mains electricity, the French feeler 8 TENTACLE
12 Seasonal strategy of fighter with quota 9 MIGRATION
13 2 is a danger to shipping – shorten sail! 4 REEF
14 Shedding leaves of French police department where French turn American 9 DECIDUOUS
15 Athletes trailing shoots 7 RUNNERS
16 Sailor initially, man on board, to reproduce 5 SPAWN
17 What follows when railway is removed is part of a flower 7 COROLLA
18 Grahame character’s implement yields a fruiting body 9 TOADSTOOL
19 Type of music before ball game is a 2 8 ROCKPOOL
20 Transformation of little sister having encountered a clay model animation with first from Oxford to start with 13 METAMORPHOSIS
21 Almost unnecessary leaves on some conifers 7 NEEDLES
22 A Greek character, cautious without a leader, makes a home for many insects 6 APIARY
23 Animal’s home found in Welsh settlement in Patagonia 4 SETT
24 Drown the rug unfortunately in vegetation 11 UNDERGROWTH
25 Able to work on unknown to cover 24 6 CANOPY
26 Prose phase surprisingly found on fronds 5,5 SPORE HEAPS
27 Sit on the fence before shouting match for 2 8 HEDGEROW
28 Male reservists in, e.g., Great Britain, find reproductive organs 7 STAMENS

In the following questions, you should find a word that can follow the first word, and can precede the second word, to give the names of two plants or animals. E.g.: For “Jersey -------- parsley” the answer might be “Cow” giving “Jersey cow” and “Cow parsley”.

1
Jersey
COW
Parsley
2
Road
RUNNER
Bean
3
Prairie
WOLF
Grass
Spider
4
Red
KNOT
Kangaroo, Deer
Grass
5
Destroying
ANGEL
Fish
6
Song
THRUSH
Nightingale
7
Wall
BROWN
Kiwi
8
Slippery
JACK
Snipe
9
Sham
ROCK
Pipit
10
Prickly
COCKLE
Bur
11
Hedge
HOG
Weed
12
Winter
GREEN
Woodpecker
13
Sparrow
HAWK
Bit
14
Saddle
OYSTER
Horse
Mushroom
15
Horseshoe
CRAB
Apple
16
Barn
SWALLOW
Tail
17
Wood
LARK
Cock
Spur
18
Small
COPPER
Beech
19
Harvest
MAN
Fly
Orchid
20
Marbled
WHITE
Grey, Moth
Wagtail
21
Mountain
GOAT
Moth
22
Large
BLUE
White
Whale

23
Yellow
RATTLE
Snake
24
Isle of Man
CABBAGE
Root fly
25
Painted
LADY
Bird
26
Cat’s
EAR
Wig
27
Great spotted
CUCKOO
Bee
28
Earth
STAR
Ling
29
Water
SOLDIER
Flea, Lily
Beetle
30
Sea
HOLLY
Blue
31
Purple
EMPEROR
King
Penguin
32
Russian
VINE
Weevil
33
Snow
LEOPARD
Seal
34
Meadow
SWEET
Chestnut
35
Guinea
PIG
Nut
36
Slow
WORM
Wood
37
Acorn
BARNACLE
Goose
38
Electric
EEL
Grass
39
Prong
HORN
Beam
40
African
GREY
Poplar
41
Long-tailed
DUCK
Weed
42
Sweet
PEA
Fowl
43
Snowdon
LILY
Beetle
44
Scots
PINE
Marten