Tuesday 28 November 2017

Festive events in December


These are events organised by Port Sunlight River Park, the Friends of Dibbinsdale and Cheshire Wildlife Trust.



Christmas Crafts and Carols
Port Sunlight River Park
Saturday 2nd December, 12 - 3 p.m.


Winter Warmer
The Friends of Dibbinsdale
Saturday 9th December, 1 - 4 p.m.

























Green Christmas Arts and Crafts
Sunday 10th December
Bickley Hall Farm
£5 per person, booking essential
Telephone Cheshire Wildlife Trust on 01948 820 728

Monday 20 November 2017

Tree Planting at Dibbinsdale


Planting the lime
Planting the small leaved lime. Photo: John Gill

On Saturday 18th November the group planted three trees at Dibbinsdale Local Nature Reserve to celebrate winning The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service. A small leaved lime, a wild pear (grown from a seed from a tree at Willaston) and an oak were planted with the help of Bella Smallthwaite the daughter of committee member Caroline Smallthwaite. We are grateful for the assistance of Ranger Alan Smail and the Friends of Dibbinsdale and the use of a room to celebrate with tea and cake afterwards.

Planting the oak
Planting the oak. Photo: John Gill

Planting the pear
Planting the pear. Photo: John Gill

Monday 13 November 2017

Receiving The Queen's Award for Voluntary Service


Wirral Wildlife, local group of Cheshire Wildlife Trust, was presented with The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service by Her Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant of Merseyside, Mr Mark Blundell, on November 10th at a ceremony at Heswall Hall.

The Commendation and the glass Award. Photo: D. Higginbottom
























The Award was created by The Queen in 2002 to mark the occasion of her Golden Jubilee, recognising excellence in voluntary activities carried out by groups in the community. The Queens Award for Voluntary Service is described as the MBE for volunteer groups.

Wirral Wildlife was established to protect and champion wildlife in the Wirral and this award represents the tremendous achievements of everyone in Wirral Wildlife over the last 46 years.


Her Majesty’s Lord- Lieutenant of Merseyside presenting the award.
Photo: R. Ash


















About 50 members attended the evening presentation, which was followed by a talk by Sarah Bird about the role of Chester Zoo in conserving UK species of animals and plants.

Of course, no celebration can take place without a cake!


 Photo: D. Higginbottom





















Thank you to every volunteer who has worked as part of Wirral Wildlife.

We hope to continue to inspire, inform, educate and encourage people to protect nature in Wirral for many years to come.

Friday 10 November 2017

Seal Cam


Seal

The first few seal pups of the year have been spotted – grey seals around the country have started to give birth!


See for yourself...

You can see these wonderful animals in the comfort of your own home, by visiting the live seal cam on South Walney Nature Reserve - the only breeding colony of grey seals in the North West of England!

In Wirral we are lucky enough to have two of the richest marine environments in the region: the Dee and Mersey estuaries. We are working to secure the future for these internationally important habitats and those of the Irish Sea. If you'd like to find out more about the campaign for Living Seas in the North West, visit the Wildlife Trust's Irish Sea website.

A very large mammal, the grey seal spends most of its time out at sea where it feeds on a variety of fish, shellfish, crustaceans and squid. Although they’re perfectly adapted to life in the water, as a mammal they have to breathe air. Seals can hold their breath for eight minutes at a time!

How do they do this? Researchers at the University of Liverpool discovered that an adaptation in an oxygen storing protein in marine mammals’ blood allows them to store a huge amount of oxygen in their muscles – like having their own oxygen tank.

Seals haul-out in large numbers to rest, breed, get warm and dry, digest food and give birth as well as moulting their fur annually. On Wirral, grey seals occupy the east side of the West Hoyle sand bank, near to the Hilbre islands, with some venturing into the Dee. However our seals don’t actually breed here. After a summer stocking up on food, mums journey elsewhere at this time of year to have their pups on beaches anytime between now and December.

Being born at such a harsh time of year means that the first few weeks of pups’ lives are spent fattening up on their mum’s milk! When they have enough blubber to keep them warm, they swap their fluffy white coat for something more suited to the water. Around a month after the pups are born, mothers leave the beaches and head back out to sea to feed and mate again. The pups remain on their own until they have completely moulted their white coats and trebled their birth weight; at which point they head to the sea to hunt for themselves.

Thursday 9 November 2017

Support Heswall Dales!









Help us to support Wirral Council in making the most of this unique space – with SSSI status – in the heart of Heswall.

The Friends of Heswall Dales will hold its second meeting at Heswall Hall on 22nd November at 7pm.

* Find out what’s happening in the Dales.
* Become a member.

For more information please email Neil Irvine