Wildlife Trust Calendar

The Wildlife Trust calendar for 2013 will be on sale at all our events and at £6 makes a great present.

Why not come along to our Members' and Friends' Coffee Morning on November 3rd from 10 a.m. to noon?

There will be calendars and Christmas cards on sale, a Bring and Buy and raffle and a chance to meet other people who are working to create an environment rich in wildlife  for everyone.

Telephone 625 5570 for the address and directions to the venue.

Apple Weekend

Another successful Apple Weekend with our annual events at Brimstage Hall and Eastham Country Park.

Lots of tasty local apples to sample...


The return of the 'Longest Apple Peel' competition...

For more pictures see the slideshow on the events page of our website.

National Moth Night - update

David, our Events Organiser, has sent this species list following the moth night event.

Wirral Wildlife: Moth Night Event - Friday 18th September 2009 at Claremont Farm, Bebington (SJ325826)

Species List

Lamp on sheet

New Zealand apple moth E. postvittana - 11
Marbled Carpet C.truncata - 7
Satellite E. transversata - 1
Large Yellow Underwing N. pronuba - 13
Common Wainscot M. pallens - 8
Setaceous Hebrew Character A. c-nigrum (Xestia) - 9
Grey Pin Carpet T. obeliscata - 4
Centre-barred Sallow A. centrago - 1
Angle Shades P. meticulosa - 3

MV lamp

Blastobasis lignea - 2
Copper Underwing A. pyrimidea - 3
Flame Shoulder O. plecta - 1
Silver-Y A. gamma - 5
Smoky Wainscot M. impura - 1
Rosy Rustic H. micacea - 3
Shuttle-shaped Dart A. puta - 2
Red-green Carpet C. siterata - 2
Square-spot Rustic A.xanthographa (Xestia) - 3
Frosted Orange G. flavago - 1
*Oak nycteoline N. revayana - 1
Lesser Yellow Underwing N. comes - 3
N. fimbriata - 1

Peronea variegana/ Hedya nubiferana

Clepsis consimilana/ unifasciana Duponchel

A total of 24 species.

* New species to Alan Creaser and new to grid reference SJ38.

National Moth Night

On Friday night seventeen intrepid members joined Alan Creaser to trap moths as part of the National Moth Weekend. Around the country about 500 similar events were taking place. Alan told us that although there are now more species of moths being caught, the number of specimens of each has decreased.

Passers-by might have wondered what a circle of people gathered around a bright light and a white sheet were up to in the darkness of a field at Claremont Farm...



The species attracted to the lamp were:

Light Brown Apple Moth
Carpet Moth
Satellite Moth
Large Yellow Underwing
Common Wainscot
Setaceous Hebrew Character
Grey Pine Carpet Moth
Sallow
Tortrix

Here Alan Creaser and Ed Samuels, Wirral Wildlife's Recording Officer, are trying to identify one of their finds...

Visit to Raby House Farm, Willaston

On Friday evening we enjoyed a guided tour of Raby House Farm in Willaston, farmed organically by David Tedstone.


David is applying for Higher Level Stewardship, a Natural England scheme to provide funding for farmers who manage their land to deliver environmental benefits.


This is one of two barn owl boxes installed by Wirral Barn Owl Trust.


One of the ponds had two families of Canada geese, seen here guarding their chicks from us.


This is one of several wild flower meadows that impressed us. They provide a fine hunting ground for the barn owls.

Newts in your pond

If you managed to go to the talk on Friday you will have been thrilled to see so many newts at close quarters.

If you missed this engaging talk have a look at James Grundy's website where you can also order a copy of his book.
http://www.newtsinyourpond.com/

Inspired by Fender Valley talk

Colin Millington's talk about the Fender Valley on March 13th inspired us to explore the area on Sunday. We started at Thingwall and walked through extraordinarily muddy fields to Landican. We then turned onto Landican Lane. Lots of signs of spring to spot on the way. Celandines, first hawthorn leaves and hazel catkins....



We passed several small ponds...





...and crossed Prenton Brook...



...before arriving at Storeton.

Finally we returned to Thingwall across the fields...