The Naturalists' Notebook

The notice at Dee Lane slipway said we were not supposed to set out until 11.30, but there were crowds already ahead of us at 11.20. After the recent uptick in seaside fatalities, the Lifeguards were very obvious all day.

It was overcast and breezy, not too hot, a perfect day for the crossing. There were Cormorants and Herring Gulls towards North Wales and a line of Oystercatchers further over. A Heron beat its way towards Mostyn. Apart from the well-trodden path, the sand was covered in worm casts, and there were tiny crabs scuttling about in little pools, then burying themselves. The bigger pools had minute fish in them. It took only 20 minutes to Little Eye, then a further half an hour to Middle Eye, arriving at 12.10. We saw our first specialist flowers there, several clumps of Sea Mayweed Tripleurospermum maritimum. Until 1969 it was classified as the same species as Scentless Mayweed Tripleurospermum inodorum, and when we consulted the book of flower photos in the Telegraph Station it was called Scentless Chamomile, but in view of the rocky maritime environment, Sea Mayweed seems most likely.

We lunched on Middle Eye, looking out south eastwards to Hoyle Bank and the Grey Seals.

There was a Meadow Pipit in the grass, Oystercatchers on the rocks below and what was probably a Wheatear, which dashed across our line of sight then went down below us and disappeared.  The sun came out, and one Large White appeared. Several late Swallows were hunting overhead. Then we crossed to Hilbre itself. The rocks bore carpets of young barnacles and clusters of Winkles, also known as Periwinkles and Edible Winkles, Littorina littorea.

Growing high up on the red sandstone wall was a plant with blue flowers which might have been Rock Spurrey, and there was Rock Sea Lavender near the base. Clumps of Thrift were everywhere, most going over. Margaret found a tiny ladybird which appears to be an 11-spot Coccinella undecimpunctata. “Rarely found inland, except on sandy soils, this species is very coastal in its local distribution, but where it does occur it can be common.”

The Friends of Hilbre had declared an Open Day and were running a tea and cake stall, which was very well-patronised.

The beach towards Red Rocks and Hoylake was packed with birds.

We set off back again 1.55, noting the Heligoland Trap, used to catch and ring migrant birds. There was a Dragonfly patrolling in a bay in the rocks on the north side of Middle Eye. We thought it was brown, but couldn’t see it well enough to identify it further. There were plenty of Lugworm holes in the sand, and we came across this stranded Jellyfish, possibly a Lion’s Mane.

Then we followed the returning crowds back to the slipway, arriving just before 3pm. It’s about 2 miles each way, and allowing time to stop and look at everything, can take just over an hour.

Public transport details: Train to West Kirby from Central at 10.35, arriving 11.06. Returned on the 3.30 train to Central, arriving 4.05.

Calderstones Park holds one of the finest tree collections in the North West, and is perhaps the best park for trees in Britain. Today we hoped to see a rarity in flower, the Golden Rain tree, also known as the Pride of India, Koelreuteria paniculata. We walked up Ballantrae Road, across Allerton Road, and entered the park at the south east edge, where I spotted my first Yew berry of the year. There’s a Davidia tree (Dove tree or Handkerchief tree) at the south end of the Text Garden, and a Tulip tree in the middle. The Text Garden was designed with low hedges spelling out words. They are now hard to make out on the ground because some bits are missing, but try it on Google Earth! It spells out the names of flowers (Lords and Ladies, Love in a Mist, Lilly of the Valley and another unreadable one). We also spotted a Speckled Wood here, and a neglected nest box, lidless and squirrel-chewed.

Behind a fence in a shady corner just before the café at the corner of the Mansion House is a tree that has been identified to me as the infrequent Moosewood, Acer pensylvanicum, but I’m not quite sure. The leaves are more like the commoner Grey-budded Snake-bark Maple Acer rufinerve, and Mitchell says “A Snake-bark with grey and pink bark is always this species”.

On the path approaching the ladies’ and disabled loos is a Black Walnut in fruit, and the Golden Rain tree is along there too, almost against the wall. It is supposed to be a small-to-medium tree, but this one is hemmed in by dark Yews and has bolted for the light. It needs binoculars to see the canopy properly, even while standing right under it. It is supposed to flower in mid-August, and we were right on time, but Golden Rains only flower intermittently, and this one hasn’t performed this year. It needs a chainsaw to be taken to the Yews to give it more light!

On the lawn outside the Coach House and Gallery is a small multi-trunked tree with large leaves that we thought was some sort of Lime until we saw the nuts with their floridly spiky cases, tucked coyly beneath the leaves. It’s clearly some sort of Hazel. It has to be a Turkish Hazel Corylus colerna.

Beneath the Ivy on the wall by the Gent’s we found about three shoots of the parasitic Ivy Broomrape. There’s an old Gingko beside a path in the Old English garden, sprouting from its base. There are grape vines there too, with tiny bunches of grapes, no bigger than petit pois. We lunched around the fishpond, attended by a boisterous gang of Grey Squirrels and a rather scruffy-looking Robin, who clearly knew all about lunch.

Near the café corner, behind the City Bike rack, is a Snowbell tree in early fruit. At one point there were four of us under it.

On the lake we noted only Canada Geese, Coot and Mallard. Some fishermen said it was stocked with Roach, Perch and big Carp, one making the classic fisherman’s gesture, indicating fish of about 18-24 inches. There is Water Figwort along the rails and a huge stand of  Purple Loosestrife.

In the Bog Garden was a variegated Tulip tree, and what may have been a Lime-leafed Maple Acer distylum. I didn’t look at it properly, and I ought to come back for it sometime. (Added later: definitely not Lime-leafed Maple, because the seeds of that one stick up rather than hanging down. Perhaps Pere David’s Maple? )

I was being distracted by a wonderful Caucasian Wingnut Pterocarya fraxinifolia with its masses of hanging seeds.

It seems to be a very good year for tree seeds. There were heaps of immature Alder cones and both kinds of Walnut were in fruit. I didn’t notice much in the way of acorns, although it might be too early yet. The Beeches are covered with brown seed cases which aren’t open, but they feel a bit flat.

Corpse of the Day was a dead Wood Pigeon, probably a Sparrowhawk kill, but there weren’t many feathers about. In the rockery we noted a Paper-bark Maple, and a bit further we admired what was probably a Silver Pendent Lime Tilia petiolaris. Then we were stopped in our tracks by a tall Swamp Cypress Taxodium dischitum.

Right next to it was a mature Tulip Tree with just a few late flowers. We thought we’d missed them this year, so this was a bonus.

Then we headed back past the Allerton Oak and home the way we came, via Ballantrae Road.

Public transport details: Bus 86 from Liverpool ONE bus station at 10.15, arriving Mather Avenue / Ballantrae Road at 10.50. Returned on 86A from Mather Avenue / Storrsdale Road at 3.03, arriving City Centre 3.35.

This was a joint MNA / Sunday Group walk, with eight of us altogether – three “double” members, one “Sunday only” person and three additional “Nats”.  After noticing the molehills on Frankby Green we turned into Frankby Cemetery, hoping for Mandarin ducks on the pond, but there were only Mallards. No other interesting birds either, just a few Wood Pigeons and our Corpse of the Day, a young Blackbird. Sid found a small moth inside the gents loo, but we have to record it as an unidentified Noctuid. On the Buddleia by the cemetery office doorway there were a couple of bright butterflies, a Red Admiral, and a Peacock with its proboscis deep into a flower.

There was another Peacock on Buddleia along Montgomery Hill. It was sunny and breezy until we took the shady footpath south eastwards into the park. One of my goals for today was an uncommon tree, a Madrona Arbutus menziesii, which is said on the TROBI database to be “by the old iron fence S of Frankby Mere, at edge of clearing in the pinewoods (hard to find!)” Three of us set off looking for it while the others lingered over invertebrates. We found a young Tulip Tree, and the old iron fence, but were otherwise unsuccessful. We did, however, note some unusual “buds” on the Sessile Oaks which turned out to be Artichoke Galls. According to Wikipedia they are caused by the parthenogenetic gall wasp Andricus foecundatrix and affect both Sessile and Pedunculate Oaks.

We had expected to re-connect with the others for lunch in the walled garden, but it was closed. Mobile phone time. The others had found the Madrona right away, without really looking for it, and were sitting under it having their lunch! We met eventually near the Ranger Station and walked southwards over the high sandstone heath near to Thor’s Stone. Interesting view over to Hoylake and Moreton, with the yellow bases of new wind turbines being put in.

The Birch was seeding heavily and there were thick patches of bright purple Bell Heather.

Birch seeds

Bell heather

A fast-moving dragonfly was probably a Migrant Hawker, and we noted a patch of an Umbellifer with much smaller flower heads than the others of its family. It was a new one on me, Upright Hedge Parsley, which also flowers later than its cousins. Back at the Ranger Station we looked around the day’s displays. Alwood Donkeys had a mother donkey in a pen with her much admired 12-day-old foal called Buzz Lightyear.

Rockliffe Raptors were there too, with Ziggy the Common Buzzard, Truffle the Asian Brown Wood Owl (Strix leptogrammica) and Zako the Little Owl.

Truffle

Zako

On the way back John took us to the Madrona tree. When it was last checked and measured by TROBI, in 2000, it had three stems, but one has since been removed. It’s still the Britain and Ireland Champion for girth, though. It’s an evergreen, native to the US west coast, with orange-red bark. Two Buzzards called and displayed overhead while we were looking at it.

Public transport details: Bus 437 from Sir Thomas Street at 10.05 towards West Kirby, arriving Frankby Road / Frankby Green at 10.41. Returned from Frankby Road opposite Baytree Road on the 437 bus at 3.20, arriving Liverpool 4.00.

There were magnificent displays of flowers all around Maghull station, and congratulations are due to the Maghull in Bloom volunteers and their sponsors, including the Great Mogul pub and other local businesses.

Access to the canal is down Rutherford Road and over the footbridge. A great day for butterflies started with a damaged Comma on the footbridge handrail, soon followed by a Large White, bird-pecked in almost the same place.

One of the many fishermen said the canal is well-stocked with Bream, Tench, Roach, Perch and Pike. We saw many young fish swimming about in the murky waters in Maghull town centre and another fisherman told us they were Roach, which smell bad when they are caught. Further along we watched yet another angler bring in a Bream, then remove the hook and put it back.

On the fields bordering the canal we noted Carrion Crows, Starlings, Jackdaws, Sparrows and Black-headed Gulls. A Cormorant flew high overhead, heading westwards. One Moorhen seemed to be living on top of a hedge on the other side, while another clucked at us angrily as we passed her three tiny black balls of fluff, perhaps hatched just that morning.  There were some very tiny Mallard ducklings, too.

There was a Green-veined White butterfly on Creeping Thistle, a second Comma, and a Red Admiral flew across the water. Several Holly Blues were hanging around in the nettles.

Also on the nettles was this small orangey Ladybird with something like 18 spots. Not one of the commoner ones, and I think it’s the Water Ladybird Anisosticta 19-punctata. North west England is getting near to the northern end of its distribution.

Masses of flowers on the tangled verge, including Great Willowherb and Rosebay Willowherb, Yarrow, Honeysuckle, Meadow Sweet. Pineapple Weed, Tufted Vetch and Burdock. None of the Ragwort had any Cinnabar moth caterpillars here either.  On the canal edge were the water-loving Water Mint, Marsh Woundwort and Gypsywort.

Water Mint

Marsh Woundwort

Gypsywort

Just after the Maghull Business Centre there’s a Fig tree on the opposite bank, and what looks like a small palm-type tree. Are they the remains of a garden that’s now built over, right to the water’s edge? There are other surprising things in some of the gardens. One had a very convincing-looking pair of bird sculptures of dancing Cranes. Near Lollies Bridge 17A there’s an Indian Bean tree on a lawn, and one verge has four very active beehives.

We checked all the Buddleia trees on the other side, but there were hardly any butterflies on them. Just one Peacock all day. Where are the dozens we used to see on Buddleias not so many years ago? It was better on the towpath, where we added Gatekeeper, Meadow Brown and the always-photogenic Speckled Wood.

There were Greenfinches calling and Swifts overhead. On another lawn we spotted a Mistle Thrush and a Song Thrush feeding side by side. Blackberries and Cherries are ripening. By Lollies Bridge someone had fished a filthy old bike out of the canal, and it was propped up to dry. It was covered with what we think were freshwater mussels. They were smaller than the marine variety, just a little bigger than a pistachio nut shell. There must be plenty of them living down there, providing food for water birds. Our last interesting flower was a Nettle-leaved Bellflower on a shady bank, with just one spike, and another one that had fallen over.

We came off the canal at Jackson’s Bridge, onto Hall Lane. Near the junction of Eager Lane we heard a Yellowhammer, but couldn’t see it. Some of us got the bus on the main road right away, but four of us went to the Hayloft for tea and a visit to the Farm Shop.

Public transport details: Ormskirk train at 10.10, arriving Maghull 10.30. Returned on the 300 bus from Southport Road / Hall Lane (outside the RC church) at 3.35 (which was the 3.29, late), but we could have got the one an hour earlier. Arrived at Bootle New Strand at 4.05.

The tide was out at Parkgate, and on the marsh were two Little Egrets, a young Heron, two Mute Swans and very many Black-headed Gulls. There are House Martins nesting on Mostyn Square.  We walked up to the Old Baths and lunched on the picnic tables there, sheltering under a tree from a  short but heavy shower. Then up to the Wirral Way, noting Buttercups, Ragwort and Greater Willowherb. There was a Buzzard calling, flying over the farmhouse by the steps down to the Wirral Way.

There was a mass of tangled greenery on each side of the path, including great swathes of Meadow Sweet. Lots of Ragwort, all immaculate, with never a Cinnabar moth caterpillar to be seen all day. Tall Stinging Nettles, Yellow Loosetrife, Convolvulus, Yarrow, White Dead-nettle, Rosebay Willowherb, Herb Robert, Black Horehound, White Clover, Hogweed, Wild Carrot, a Snowberry bush with its little pink flowers, Hemp Agrimony just coming out, Burdock and the bright orange-red berries of Lords and Ladies Arum maculatum, also known as Cuckoo Pint or Wild Arum.

Hemp Agrimony

Burdock

Lords and Ladies

It was overcast, so the only butterfly out and about was a Speckled Wood, and during the whole of today’s walk I spotted just one tiny patch of the Horse Chestnut leaf miner.

Near the crossing of Station Road there is a new car park with steps up to it. Nearby is an old wartime pillbox, its gun slits bearing on the road, ready to attack any German tanks coming up from Parkgate.

Several autumn fruits are coming on, and it isn’t even August. There were green Hawthorn berries,  wild Raspberries, unripe Damsons, Rose Hips and some ripening Blackberries.

Near Neston a big old hollow Ash had fallen, spreading three broken-off branches in different directions. Locals said it had been down for a week.

There’s a great view over to Moel Fammau from there.

We turned off into Church Lane, and up through the graveyard of the lovely sandstone church of St Mary and St Helen (1874, Grade II*).

And just to note, before we set out this morning I checked St John’s Gardens, and the Indian Bean trees are now in copious blossom.

Public transport details: Bus 487 from Sir Thomas Street at 10.29, arriving Mostyn Square Parkgate at 11.20. Returned on the 487 from Neston Brook Street on the 487 at 2.36, arriving Liverpool 3.25.

There’s a small colony of House Martins nesting under the eaves in Preesall Close, which is near where the 44 bus dropped us, and adjacent to the path along the sea wall on the south east side of the reserve.

It was overcast, and cooler than we expected with a brisk breeze in our faces as we walked along Marshside Road. Along the verge we noted Tansy, Burdock, Convolvulus, Great Willow Herb, Poppy, Ragwort, Yarrow, Mint and Comfrey. We had heard that a Glossy Ibis has been coming and going here for the last few weeks, so we kept our eyes peeled, but saw only Wood Pigeon, Moorhen, Mallard, a few Oystercatchers and a Little Egret posing nicely.

We had a quick look in Junction Pool, but there were just Shovellers, Greylag Geese with goslings, Black-headed Gulls and a Coot. Then we walked along to Sandgrounders hide. The sides of the path there remind me of Darwin’s tangled bank, such a lot was going on in just those three hundred yards. Plants included Rest Harrow, Evening Primrose, White Campion, Green Alkanet, White and Red Clover, Yarrow (including some with pink flowers), a Pyramidal Orchid, Hop Trefoil, and a clump of about 20 stalks of something nettley, each covered with very dark sepal tubes and sparse pink flowers. Was it Black Horehound? That’s best match I can find. The book says it has a disagreeable smell, but I regret we didn’t think to sniff it.

There was also plenty of Ragwort, but only one small patch had caterpillars. There were about four  plants, two on each side of the path. Did a single laying female put eggs in just this spot? The caterpillars were fatter than the ones we saw last week, looking almost ready to pupate and  twitching occasionally.

The sun was now out and several Gatekeepers were basking. The ones with the brown diagonal smudges on their upper wings are males, apparently.

Sitting quietly and inconspicuously amongst the leaves was this handsome moth, possibly a Shaded Broad Bar, Scotopteryx chenopodiata.

There were Red-tailed Bumble Bees visiting something very like Bramble, but growing far less aggressively, so I think it was the dune specialist Dewberry. Also several pairs of mating Burnet moths, probably Six-spot, although they were quite entangled, making the spots difficult to count precisely.

From Sandgrounders hide there were mainly BHGs, Coot, Moorhen and Canada Geese. Suddenly all the Lapwings from further out, and all the gulls, flew up but there was no sign of a predator. One Black-headed Gull parent had two chicks who were a little younger than all the others, and who were still pestering her for food.

Then off to Nel’s hide. There was a herd of cattle there, of many mixed colours, doing some conservation grazing. A couple of Avocets had two well-grown chicks and were very twitchy and aggressive in protecting their young. First they saw off a Mallard, and then a mother Shoveller with two fluffy shovellettes.

Then 100+ Black-tailed Godwits wheeled overhead and settled to the pool. They drove the Avocets frantic!  The Avocets kept on flying at the Godwits, trying to herd them away to the far side of the pool, and amazingly, they succeeded!

On the way back to Marshside Road we looked at the Duke of Argyll’s Tea Tree Lycium barbarum which grows on the bank here. It was flowering, and later it will have red berries which are attractive to birds. Apparently those berries are the much touted “superfood” Goji Berries, although I would be cautious with anything from the Solanaceae, which includes the poisonous Nightshade group.

The volunteer in Sandgrounders hide had told us that the Glossy Ibis had been seen that morning near the corner of Marshside Road and the sea wall footpath, over the wooden pens and near the pond intended for Natterjacks. Sadly, no joy. We saw a Heron and a Collared Dove, but the Ibis was hiding or gone.  So we descended the bank into Pilling Close and spotted the Tree of the Day. It was a small Fir tree in a garden, about 6 or 8 feet tall and covered with cones. I think it was a Korean Fir Abies koreana. It’s “infrequent” and endangered in its native Korea, but sometimes planted in European gardens, because it doesn’t grow very tall and it bears abundant cones, even on young trees.

Public transport details: Train from Central at 10.08, arriving Southport 10.50, then 44 bus from Hoghton Street / London Street (opposite the Little Theatre) at 11.17, arriving Elswick Road / Preesall Close at 11.29. Returned on the 44 bus from Elswick Close / opp Pilling Close at 2.44, arriving Southport, by the Little Theatre, at 2.55. Just missed the train at 2.58, so got the 3.13, due in Liverpool at 3.55.