Happy New Year

A Happy New Year from Wirral Wildlife! If your New Year's Resolution involves learning more about wildlife, or helping at one of our reserves, you may be interested in our January events.

Saturday 3rd January

Post Christmas Work-out: Removing Ground and Canopy Invaders

Thornton Wood, Clatterbridge

9.30 a.m. - 4 p.m.

Removal of ground flora invasives such as variegated yellow archangel, pink purslane, three cornered leek, to protect the ancient wood ground flora, and removal of potential canopy invaders such beech and sycamore saplings to benefit oak and alder regeneration.

Stout footwear and waterproofs recommended. Bring a packed lunch.

Contact: Paul Loughnane by email or telephone 0151 645 8937.

Sunday 4th January

Cleaver Heath Workday

Meet Oldfield Road, Heswall at 10 a.m.

Stout footwear and waterproofs recommended, and volunteers should bring a packed lunch if staying for the whole session, which ends between 3 p.m. and 4 p.m.

Further details from Mike Maher, email or telephone 0151 342 4249.

Map of location.

Friday 9th January

‘Sharks, Snakes, Spiders and Science’

Room B, Heswall Hall, Heswall.

7.30 p.m.

A talk by Dr Ken Neal, a professional marine biologist working for an environment consultancy company in the Wirral. Dr Neal, who has recently had a six week research holiday in Australia, will be talking about his marine research projects on sharks and the broader marine environment. 

Admission £3. All welcome.

Sunday 11th January

Keeping The Hedgerows In Trim

New Ferry Butterfly Park

9.30 a.m. - 4 p.m.

Trimming hedgerows to maintain the diversity of shrubs and collect some hedge stakes in the process to sustain hedge laying projects.

Stout footwear and waterproofs recommended. Bring a packed lunch.

Public transport available - the Park is next to Bebington Train Station.

Map of location.

Contact: Paul Loughnane by email or telephone 0151 645 8937.

Stop The Spread

North Western Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority (NWIFCA) have produced a Biosecurity Plan to minimise the risk of transmission of marine invasive non-native species (INNS) and shellfish diseases within its district. For more information see the poster below.

If you have spotted any of the species in the poster, report your sightings by email to NWIFCA.

To read the Biosecurity Plan, go to the Science and Research page of the NWIFCA website. There is also information on non-native invasive species on the Non-native Species Secretariat website.

Wirral Farmers' Market Sees Blue

Wirral Farmers' Market is run by volunteers, and the profits made from hiring out stalls go back into the local community. They have given an impressive £32,000 locally so far. Nearby New Ferry Butterfly Park benefited from their community grant scheme with a grant enabling 500 bluebell bulbs to be purchased. These were planted at Brick Pit Coppice, so called after the adjacent brick pit at the Butterfly Park. This was dug out to extract clay to make bricks in the late eighteenth century when the ferry was “new”. In the past finds at the site have included a brick with 200-year-old hedgehog footprints and a trident-looking tool, once used for breaking open the brick kiln.

The hazel coppice was planted in 1998 and cut in the autumns of 2004 and 2009. It will be cut next in the autumn of 2015. The initial saplings were established by planting them through a black geotextile, which acted as a mulch mat to reduce competition from vigorous brambles while the plants were young. This November the mulch matting was removed, the hazels thinned, and the soil dug over so bulbs could be planted. They can now establish their roots before taking advantage of the open conditions in spring 2016 when they will flower, providing nectar sources for bees, and butterflies such as peacock and orange tip, as well as for our newest breeding butterfly resident, the brimstone.

Simon Bell, Honorary treasurer of Wirral Farmers' Market came down to the planting event with his family and enjoyed planting the bulbs.

The next farmers' market in New Ferry is in the village hall on Saturday 13th December 9am until 1pm. Get there early as it will be busy. When considering treating yourself to some good quality products, remember that the money is recycled locally.

This is the third lot of bluebell planting at the park. In the last three years 1,500 bluebell bulbs have been planted to develop a woodland flora under the hazel shrubs. To create, in the words of Poet Laureate, John Masefield, who was associated with New Ferry, "a blue sea in which no ship sailed." Interestingly this coppice lies adjacent to Masefield Close.

National Pollinator Strategy

The Government has recently published the National Pollinator Strategy.

The full document can be read here:

www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-pollinator-strategy-for-bees-and-other-pollinators-in-england

Butterfly Conservation have given their reaction to the report:

butterfly-conservation.org/48-7322/pollinators-pushed-up-the-agenda.html

River Park Autumn Task Day - 22nd November

Click on poster to view it at larger size.

There will be a Task Day held at Port Sunlight River Park on 22nd November from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

To book contact Anne Litherland by email or telephone 0151 643 1359 or 07587 550060.

Dibbinsdale Winter Warmer - 7th December

Click on poster to view it at full size.

The Friends of Dibbinsdale have organised a Winter Warmer and Christmas Crafts event in the Walled Garden on Sunday 7th December from 1 to 4 p.m, featuring traditional crafts and activities for all the family.

Wildlife Quiz

Autumn has arrived, along with a chance to keep your brain active with the challenge of our annual quiz. Our Treasurer, John Gill, has managed to create another fiendish brain teasing collection of questions.

You can buy a copy of the quiz at our talk on November 14th, or download and print a copy by following the link on the homepage of our website:

www.wirralwildlife.org.uk

Good luck!