Wirral Countryside Volunteers

Wirral Countryside Volunteers take part in practical conservation work on sites across the Wirral, including Thornton Wood and New Ferry Butterfly Park, two of Wirral Wildlife's reserves.

They recently won the Unilever Dragonfly Award for their activites and were presented with a trophy. The photograph shows Paul Loughnane, WCV Secretary, being handed the award in Thornton Wood...


Anyone interested in joining the group can find a list of forthcoming events on their website.

A batty afternoon for the Watch group

At our May meeting, we walked along the Wirral Way, looking out for places where bats might roost...


At the end of our walk we played the 'bat and moth' game, in which the blindfolded 'bat' uses sound to find its 'moth' - an attempt to mimic echolocation...


In the Lecture Theatre everyone made a bat of their own...


and learnt more about the biology of bats...

Oak Coppice in Thornton Wood

This is a photo of Heavy Oak Coppice at Thornton Wood. It shows the oak standards with their raised crowns, the white of recently cut hazel stools and the bluebells.

The trees in Thornton Wood are managed by Wirral Countryside Volunteers. This spring's coppicing was the fourth cut in the cycle, with each successive cut producing thicker regrowth. The increase in light levels reaching the cleared coppice floor allows this display of bluebells and other spring flowers. The wood removed can be used in other conservation tasks - this year's coppice products included 300 hedging stakes, 80 bean poles and 20 pea sticks. The coppicing this year took a total of 45 volunteer days to complete so our thanks go to everyone involved.