Friday 25 October 2019

Charity Spectacular at Gordale


Have an evening at Gordale Garden Centre and help raise money for Cheshire Wildlife Trust.


Monday 11th November

6 – 9 pm

Gordale Garden Centre, Chester High Road, Burton, CH64 8TF

£6 (£3 from every ticket sold goes to charity)

Tickets available at Gordale or from the Cheshire Wildlife Trust website:

Ticket includes a welcome drink and nibbles, food tasting, musical entertainment, live demonstrations.

Also enjoy a 15% discount on all purchases sold during the evening.

Monday 21 October 2019

Thank You Ed and John



At our recent AGM two committee members retired. We will miss them both as they have made significant contributions to the group and for wildlife in Wirral.

Ed (on the left) and John received Thank You certificates from Cheshire Wildlife Trust.


Dr John Gill

John has been our Treasurer for the last 19 years. He has not only kept excellent accounts but has always taken a full and active part in our affairs, from helping remove invasive rhododendron and coppicing hazel to participating in events such as Ness Children’s Day, Apple Day, Walks, Events and Talks. His skills at proof reading were much appreciated when we produced our paper and online newsletters and he would always scrutinise our draft papers and propose wise and thoughtful amendments. John’s abilities as a photographer have helped us keep a good record of our activities such as New Ferry Butterfly Park Open Day and Apple Days. John has completed the Wirral Coastal Walk on 15 occasions, each time raising considerable donations for Cheshire Wildlife Trust. Each year he devises a brain-teasing cryptic quiz – look on our website or buy a copy at our next talk – and has promised to continue with this tradition.



Dr Edwin Samuels

Ed, who is a skilled botanist and bird watcher, spent his final pre-retirement year from Unilever at Cheshire Wildlife Trust so it was perhaps inevitable that he would find a role with Wirral Wildlife. On his retirement he took up Recording for Wirral Wildlife and for over ten years he has organised all our vital Recording work. For decades Ed has been a recorder of Wetland Birds and undertaken monthly counts of wintering birds on our estuaries and wetlands. He is also a Licenced Ringer and completed a long running study of breeding birds in a Welsh Woodland. As well as completing such painstaking work Ed has been a keen helper at our Apple Days and knows the intricacies of our mincer and apple press, even creating a modification to make it safer for children to help with the machinery. Ed has made an invaluable contribution for which we are all most grateful. It says much for his contribution that we have replaced him with two people.


Ed (wearing the hat) with the apple pressing equipment.

Saturday 19 October 2019

Out In All Weathers



Recording flora and fauna on our Reserves and other local sites is a vital part of the work of Wirral Wildlife.

Whatever the weather our Recorders will be there at the appointed time.

The photo above shows some very wet volunteers doing the annual survey of the fixed quadrats at Thurstaston Common - inspected by some equally wet Galloway heifers.

Sunday 13 October 2019

Monitoring Wildlife at Chester Zoo Nature Reserve




RECORD are holding another Wildlife Exchange Session at Chester Zoo this month.

Book your place on eventbrite here

Wednesday 30th October
7-9 pm
Cedar House, Chester Zoo

Come and find out about the regular wildlife monitoring that happens each year at the Chester Zoo Nature Reserve, and discover how you can get involved. Sarah Bird, Chester Zoo’s Biodiversity Officer will lead the session, with Eric Fletcher, RECORD Manager, telling us about the wildlife highlights.

In the last 3 years Andy Jennings-Giles has developed a range of systematic monitoring methods for various species groups, to help us to understand how wildlife is changing on the reserve. We now need volunteers to help with this monitoring. Whether you want to help with regular recording or just drop in now and then, its all valuable data and we want to know what you see. We will describe the monitoring techniques, and explain how RECORD can support you to help us, and develop your own wildlife identification skills too.

These evenings provide an opportunity for wildlife recorders, conservationists and anyone with an interest in local wildlife to get together in a relaxed environment and find out about our natural environment and how it is changing. The ‘exchange’ sessions also allow sharing of ideas, knowledge, experience and views on Cheshire’s natural history and how we can monitor and conserve it.

Tea/coffee and snacks will be provided.

Hosted by RECORD and Chester Zoo.

Please note photos may be taken at this event for use in RECORD publications.

If you would like to sign up to the RECORD mailing list to hear about future events please click here

Kind regards,
The RECORD Team
Tel: 01244 383749
RECORD LRC, Cedar House, Chester Zoo, Caughall Road, Upton, CH2 1LH.
WWW.RECORD-LRC.CO.UK