Orrell Water Park 15th May 2011

More silly games with Merseytravel this morning. We needed to get the number 10 bus at 10.06 to  make a tight connection at St Helens Bus Station. As we waited, a man came and fitted a new timetable into the holder – our bus wouldn’t be coming until 10.16. Nothing like plenty of notice!  At St Helens we saw our bus just drawing out so we had half an hour to wait.

But the 352 came eventually and dropped us outside Orrell Water Park just before noon. It’s north of Billinge, and very close to Orrell station. Although not billed as a nature reserve and catering for local fishermen, it is lovely place with lakes, streams, reedbeds and many wild flowers. On a better day it would have been delightful, but we had a steady drizzle all the time we were there.

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We saw Mallards (one with seven newly-hatched ducklings), Coots (without rings), a Heron, some Great Crested Grebes, Black-headed Gulls, Canada Geese, a Robin and a Chaffinch. Part way along the southward path there is a screen for a bird feeding area, with a spider’s web catching the raindrops.

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Flowers included Red Campion, Yellow Flag Iris, Wild roses and Dog roses, loads of Buttercups and Guelder Rose.

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At the southernmost end is “Water Vole Bridge”, but none were showing. On our way back we saw a mother Coot feeding some of her chicks.

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We caught the 2.30 bus outside the Park, changed at St Helens and we were back in Liverpool by 4pm.  

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