Environment Day at Wirral Arts Festival

Monday 3 October is Environment Day at Heswall Hall in Wirral Arts Festival, and marks the UN's World Habitat Day.

Wirral Wildlife is involved in an afternoon event “Local Concerns, Global Responsibilities” at which we will have a stall and give a short talk on the work of our group.

The event runs from 1:30 to 5:00pm - admission is free.

Please come along, and tell your friends about it!

To see information about the rest of the day, see the Wirral Arts Festival website:

wirralartsfestival.co.uk/events/un-world-habitat-day

Vote For Tree of the Year

The Woodland Trust are asking people to cast their votes for the Tree of The Year 2016.

www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/visiting-woods/tree-of-the-year/

The winning tree will benefit from a “Tree LC” care grant of £1,000. Plus all runner-up trees that receive more than 1,000 votes will be eligible for a grant of £500. The grant can be used to arrange a tree health check or advice from an arboriculturalist, provide interpretation or educational materials or simply just hold a celebratory event in honour of the tree.

Each country’s winning Tree of the Year will go on to represent that nation in the European Tree of the Year competition, organised by the Environmental Partnership Association.

Winners will be revealed later this year.

Transition Town West Kirby - October Events

Thursday 6th October 7 p.m.

'The 11th Hour'

Film showing and discussion.

Free entry, but donations welcome to cover the costs. Bar, tea and coffee available.

Incredible Edible

More volunteers are needed to maintain the Incredible Edible planters. If you would like to join in please ring 07724 175779 or 625 9974 to find out more.

The Community Orchard in Grange Cemetery is maintained jointly by Incredible Edibles and Friends of Grange Community Park, in regular sessions on the second Saturday of every month from 3 - 4 p.m. and the fourth Friday of the month at 10 - 11 a.m. Note the new meeting point at the Scout Hut at the Lang Lane entrance to Grange Cemetery. Planned maintenance dates are:

Saturday 8th October 3 - 4 p.m.

Friday 28th October 10 - 11 a.m.

Sunday 23rd October 10.30 a.m. - 2 p.m. (approx)

Fungus Foray

A guided walk with herbalist Jesper Launder.

Discover the fungi on Caldy Hill and find out what's edible and what's not. Followed by mushrooms on toast!

Suggested donation of £12.50 per head to cover costs. Numbers limited, so early booking advised by email.

Seal Cam

Grey seal pup at South Walney Nature Reserve.
Photo: Lindsey Dickings/NW Evening Mail

The Cumbria Wildlife Trust have installed a seal cam at their South Walney Nature Reserve. 

You can view the live stream here:

www.irishsea.org/seal-cam

See if you are lucky enough to spot a grey seal!

Autumn Activities at Port Sunlight River Park

Events continue at Port Sunlight River Park this autumn with health walks and volunteer sessions taking place each week.

Health Walks

Tuesdays 10.30 - 11.30 a.m.

This friendly group meet every Tuesday for a variety of walks, some easy and flat, all led by trained leaders. The walks range from 30 minutes to one hour. The walk is free but we have a drink together afterwards for which donations are welcome. Please arrive at the Dock Road North car park about 10 minutes early on your first walk to register.

Health Walks

Wednesdays 5.30 - 6.30 p.m.

This friendly group meet on summer evenings every week from April to October for a variety of walks, some easy and flat, all led by trained leaders. The walks range from 30 minutes to one hour. The walk is free. Please arrive at the Dock Road North car park about 10 minutes early on your first walk to register.

Volunteer Sessions

Wednesday and Saturday

10 a.m. - 12 noon and 1 - 3 p.m.

To find out more about these sessions contact the Ranger, Anne Litherland, by phone on 07587 550060 or email

Forest Church at New Ferry Butterfly Park

Photo: Richard Ash

In a first for New Ferry Butterfly Park, local churches recently held a "Forest Church" session there. Many Christians find it helpful to worship God outdoors, linking to God through His natural world. It is also a time to pray for all life, and encourage people to look after the natural world better. This first session (for us) was blessed with sunshine, bees and butterflies. It was organised by Hilary Ash's church (St David's URC, Eastham), but attended by people from a wide variety of local churches. We plan to do something similar again - but the next one will be at St Mary's Eastham (20 November, 3 p.m.), so we have cover if the weather is cold!

Wirral Wader Festival

The Wirral Wader Festival takes place on Saturday 1st and Sunday 2nd October.

There will be events held at Thurstaston Visitor Centre, Red Rocks Nature Reserve, Hoylake Promenade, Leasowe Lighthouse and RSPB Burton Mere.

For more details see:

wirralwaderfestival.blogspot.co.uk

Facebook: Wirral Wader Festival

www.waderquest.org

www.deeestuary.co.uk

Trophy for Green Flag Volunteer of the Year

Last week, we posted the details of Hilary Ash's Green Flag Volunteer of the Year award.

Here are some photos of the trophy:

Vote for Butterfly Park as the People's Choice

Butterfly Park volunteers with the Green Flag award 2015/16.
Photo: Richard Ash

Nominations are now open for the annual Green Flag People’s Choice award, giving the public a chance to vote for their favourite park or green space. As New Ferry Butterfly Park is a Green Flag award winner, it is also eligible for the People's Choice award.

If you would like to vote for the Butterfly Park, please go to this page on the Green Flag website and click on the 'Vote For This Site' button:

www.greenflagaward.org/park-summary/?ParkID=2066

We very much appreciate your help!

As it is the 20th anniversary of the Green Flag Award, there won’t just be one People’s Choice winner – there will be ten, all voted for by the public.

The vote closes at noon on Friday 30 September. The ten most popular parks and green space in the UK will be announced in October.

Hoylake: Green Belt and Greens - Radio 4

Richard Smith, Helen Mark and Hilary Ash

Dr Hilary Ash, Hon. Conservation Officer for Wirral Wildlife, was asked to take part in the Radio 4 programme Open Country. The subject was ‘Hoylake: Green Belt and Greens’.

The details are below and the programme is available on the BBC website http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b07qbl5p

Open Country: Hoylake: Green Belt and Greens

BBC Radio 4 - Thu 01 Sept at 15:02

A new golf resort has been proposed for Hoylake in Wirral. Helen Mark explores how this will affect the local green belt and the birdlife and wildlife that live there.

The programme features Cllr Gerry Ellis, Andrew Needham from the CPRE, John Hutchinson from the Hoylake Golf Resort Committee, botanist Dr Hilary Ash, Richard Smith, David Stacey, and Craig Gilholm from the Royal Liverpool Golf Club.

Some of the 2000 black-tailed godwits Richard Smith was counting (with a few Canada Geese), on the Gilroy scrape at Hoylake. The godwits stop off here on migration south after breeding, so were still in summer  plumage at the time (11 August).