The Naturalists' Notebook

From Seaforth and Litherland station, we crossed Seaforth Road by the pedestrian lights, then floated safely over the heavy dock traffic on Princess Way via the tall footbridge. The inconspicuous entrance to the park is under the railway bridge and then left. Although most of Rimrose Valley is a wide open sunlit grassland, the southernmost tip is a wooded triangle called Brookvale Nature Reserve, growing like a wilderness. It is quite damp because of the shade, and also because the Rimrose Brook flows through it. Thus it is usually muddy, but after last week’s record-breaking heatwave it finally became firm underfoot.

The trees are mostly Willow, Alder, Sycamore, Poplar, Elder and Hazel, with occasional Privet in bloom.  The path verges were thick with Brambles, Nettles, Bindweed, and also the damp-loving Hemlock Water Dropwort and Himalayan Balsam. We even spotted a patch of Japanese Knotweed.  The autumnal fruits and seeds are developing fast, with green Rose hips, some nuts on the Hazels (which are rarely seen on Merseyside), Guelder Rose berries and masses of green blackberries. The leaf-eaters are also thriving. Many Alder leaves were well-chewed by the larvae of the Alder beetles. The adults are quite smart-looking, shiny blue-black little beasties, but the larvae, also black and shiny, look quite “icky”, as if they may be slimy or sticky.

Two Great Spotted Woodpeckers suddenly flew out of the dense woodland, calling to each other, and were back in hiding a moment later. There were also several young Robins and Blackbirds on the paths and this young Robin up a Willow tree, just getting its red breast feathers in.

The Poplar leaves were also under attack, covered in yellow and brown marks, holes and lumps. What’s eating them? It could be Poplar Gall Mites, Phyllocoptes populi, said to infest Aspen and very occasionally other members of the Poplar family. The blisters on the tops of the leaves ought to have hairy openings on the underside where the mites live, but I saw nothing underneath. [Added later – it’s a fungus not a mite. Taphrina populina. Thanks, Steve.)

An overhanging branch had plain leaves and green immature berries along the twigs. Could it be the long-elusive Alder Buckthorn? Yes it was, as confirmed by the Plantlife app. It’s one of our rarer and most inconspicuous native British trees, food plant of the Brimstone butterfly and hard to find and identify.

As we turned at the Brook Vale corner, we spotted a row of jam pot lids on the sloping tops of fence posts. Each contained the crusty remains of bird food, although one had some peas, looking fresh out of the pod. Is the person who feeds the birds also hoping for small mammals?

There is a stagnant cul-de-sac of the Rimrose Brook along here, rather green and scummy. As we passed, the birdsong app suddenly identified the sound of a Kingfisher, although we hadn’t heard anything ourselves. (What do they sound like anyway?) They have been found here in the past, so we stood there for a while, noting all the possible perches, but nothing came along. We always hope!

There were Speckled Wood butterflies under the trees, and after we got out onto the open grassland we saw lots of whites and very many speedy, dark brown ones which were probably Meadow Browns. Also a possible Small Skipper, but it was very fast-moving in the hot sunshine. A Comma perched in the nettles while we lunched and later I saw a Small White near the Tesco supermarket in Litherland.

After lunch we walked northwards up the central path of Rimrose Valley. Birdsong from the trees on the left was identified as another invisible Blackcap. A Whitethroat dived into a bramble patch and disappeared. Occasional little brown birds came up from the long grass, which may have been Linnets, and a Swift soared high over us. There were all sorts of flowers, including Weld, patches of Field Bindweed (the one with the small trumpets about an inch across). A blue patch was a colony of Cow Vetch, and the magnificent seed heads of Goat’s Beard were scattered about.

As we joined the canal towpath to walk southwards, a party of young kayakers came past.

In places, the water on both sides of the canal was covered with Fringed Water Lily.

Two Jays flew between trees on the other side of the canal. A dead tree with bare branches appeared to be hosting a young Long-tailed Tit and a young Goldfinch, but fledglings are probably in all of the trees, it’s just that we can’t see them for the foliage. Unusually, there were no Canada Geese to be seen, and very few Mallards, Moorhens and Coots. Are they all hiding away and moulting?  A few of the Ragwort plants had the ravaging caterpillars of the Cinnabar Moth on them. We haven’t seen so many for quite a few years.

A white Umbellifer bore an insect that looked at first glance like a honeybee, with bright yellow full  pollen bags on her hind legs. Alan’s app suggested a Buffish Mining Bee, Andrena nigroaenea. It is reassuringly common but supposed to be more strikingly furry orange. Since it has probably been working since April we might allow it to be a bit worn.  And the bright yellow pollen bags? The Buffish Mining Bee is said to have ginger tufts on its legs which collect pollen, so that could match.

An Emperor dragonfly was on patrol, surprisingly near to roads and traffic, and in sight of the Church Road bridge near the Red Lion pub. Around the same area we came across a little cluster of orchids, right on the edge of the canal bank. Two were purple, and the taller one was pale mauve. There were no spots on the leaves. (Added later – this is a Southern Marsh orchid – thanks again, Steve.) I gave up trying to identify orchids long ago when I learned they could hybridise, and I just accept that they are lovely.

Public transport details: Train from Central towards Southport at 10.02, arriving Seaforth and Litherland station at 10.17. Arrived back at Church Road, Litherland at 2.30, where most of us planned to get the 53 bus back to Liverpool. 
Next week we plan to go to New Ferry Butterfly Park. Meet at Central Station at 10 am.

Anyone is welcome to come out with the Sunday Group. It is not strictly part of the MNA, although it has several overlapping members. We go out by public transport to local parks, woods and nature reserves all over Merseyside, and occasionally further afield. We are mostly pensioners, so the day is free on our bus passes, and we enjoy fresh air, a laugh and a joke, a slow amble in pleasant surroundings and sometimes we even look at the wildlife!
If you want to join a Sunday Group walk, pack lunch, a flask, waterproofs, binoculars if you have them, a waterproof pad to sit on if we have to have lunch on the grass or a wet bench (A garden kneeler? A newspaper in a plastic bag?), and wear stout shoes or walking boots. We are usually back in Liverpool City Centre by 3pm at the latest.
If you are interested in the wildlife of the north-west of England and would like to join the walks and coach trips run by the Merseyside Naturalists’ Association, see the main MNA website www.mnapage.info for details of our programme and how to join us.

Otterspool Park is a pedestrian road that was once a carriageway to a proposed mansion on the banks of the Mersey. That mansion was never built and the land was taken over by the Council. In the 1950s and 60s the road was lined with neat grass and flowerbeds, but now it is a managed woodland. It follows the route of the stream called by the early Puritan settlers “the River Jordan”, the same water that flows through Sefton Park. The little brook is visible over the left-hand fence, but is mostly culverted to the river.  We took the woodland walk on the raised bank to the right of the carriageway.  It’s mostly Beech and Hornbeam woods on that side, with an understorey of Holly. The berries are developing fast, although still green, and this sprig also shows the track of a Holly Leaf Miner, the larva of the fly Phytomyza ilicisi, the only species which attacks Holly leaves.

Birds in the woods included Blackbird, Robin and a Nuthatch, possibly a young one. There was Bramble everywhere, and most of the flowers were pale pink, not the usual white. It’s going to be a good blackberry year.

We emerged to the open parkland on Otterspool Promenade on the banks of Mersey. We noticed a metal plaque in the tarmac saying “Original coastline, before prom was built”.

On the grassy fields near the skate park there have been some unusual trees planted, part of an experiment to see which ones do well in a warming world. It’s called the Otterspool Orchard. The trees include Pecan, Walnut, Purple Hazel and several types of fruit tree. They are all still young, but the Weeping White Mulberry has fruit developing already.

The Japanese Larches were full of pretty young cones.

On one of them we found a Shield Bug. It looks grey but I think that’s a effect of the light. I think it’s possibly a Bronze Shieldbug Troilus luridus. It has a “piecrust” edge to its body and an orange band on its antennae near the front end. (Added later: it’s the nymph of the commoner Red-legged Shieldbug. Thanks Sabena.)

The neat shrubberies had several lovely Dog Rose bushes.

In a rougher verge near to the fenced play area were some Poppies with white inner markings. They are the cultivated variety ‘Victoria Cross’, so someone has guerrilla planted them.

We returned along the southern edge. Two Speckled Wood butterflies were fighting in a glade between the trees. A clump of Lamb’s Ear was full of full of Bumblebees.

Near the overflow pond the Ground Elder was being visited by a Honeybee.

Other wild flowers along the paths were Hogweed, Herb Robert, Wood Avens, Foxgloves, Buttercups, Red Campion and a yellow Poppy. Was it a Welsh one or a faded California poppy? There was a faded orange one nearby, so “California” looks likely and we have evidence of more guerrilla planting. There were a couple of plants with airy, open flower heads and the flowers themselves were small and yellow with five cut-tipped petals. I think it was Wall Lettuce Mycelis muralis.

The Cut-leaved Beeches had well-formed seeds and the Hornbeams had hanging strings of winged seeds.  The Hornbeams also appeared to have reddish new growth at their branch tips. I have heard of this happening in late July or early August, where it is called “Lammas growth”, but never in mid-June.  Six weeks early!

Public transport details: Bus 82 from Elliot Street at 9.55, arriving Aigburth Road / Lisburn Road at 10.15. Returned from Aigburth Road / Jericho Lane on the 82 bus at 1.48, arriving city centre at 2.10.
No Sunday walk next week, as some of us will be on the coach to Hay Bridge on Saturday.

Opposite St Chad’s church, on the south side of Kirkby Row, is an open grassy area through which flows the Kirby Brook, on its way to the river Alt. The usual urban birds were there, Carrion Crow, Blackbirds, Wood Pigeons, Magpies and some Herring Gulls. There was also an invisible Blackcap singing loudly from an isolated Birch tree. Could several pairs of binoculars find it? Of course not!

The grassy artificial hills had unmowed areas at top, with lots of wild flowers and grasses.

Our main goal today was to see if the Peregrine falcons were nesting on the north side of the church tower, as they usually do. Yes, they were and we had great views. Later I discovered the live webcam.   Both parents were keeping watch, the mother on a gutter close to the nest and the father high on the church roof, later coming down to perch on the top of a pointy buttress. Mum started to call loudly, and we thought she might have been encouraging the chicks to emerge. I see now from the  webcam views that they are still a bit too fluffy to fledge.

Then we took a narrow path behind the church leading into the park called Millbrook Millennium Green. It flanks more of the Kirkby Brook, which becomes the Simonswood Brook further upstream. On the edge of the woodland we saw a Rabbit. We have seen them here before: they skulk in the woodland and emerge shyly to crop just the edges of the grass.

The brambles on the steep banks of the brook had an amazing mass of flowers. Blackberry foraging later in the year could be hazardous! Other wildflowers seen included Scarlet Pimpernel, Meadow Cranesbill and clouds of the poisonous Hemlock Water Dropwort along the sides of the brook.

A stand of Mugwort was infested with aphids and a variety of Ladybirds had come for the feast. There were several Harlequins, of multiple colours, and one little native Two-spot.

On the approaches to Headbolt Road Station, there were masses more of wild flowers, including Ox-eye Daisy and Knapweed.

Public transport details: Bus 21 from Queen Square at 10.05, arriving Kirkby Row / Old Hall Lane at 10.45. Returned from Headbolt Road Station (apparently known locally as Headbutt Road – it is Kirkby after all!) at 1.41, due Liverpool at about 2 pm.
Next week we are going to Otterspool Park. Meet at 10 am Elliot Street or at Aigburth Vale at about 10.30 at the 82 bus stop near the bakery shop.)

It was a Bank Holiday heatwave, with bright sun and a cloudless sky. Luckily for us, most paths in Birkenhead Park are under trees, cool and shady for strolling around. Near the Ashville Road gateway into the lower park a pair of Blue Tits were flying back and forth, but we couldn’t see where they were nesting. A Nuthatch usually calls around this spot, too. There is one unusual tree here, a Yellow Buckeye Aesculus flava, a relative of the Horse Chestnut from the Appalachian mountains of the Eastern US.

Another interesting tree noted today was a Beech with very well-advanced seeds, well-formed and hard to the touch.

Most of the Sycamores still have their green flower spikes hanging down, but this one had its seeds set, startlingly red. I see these occasionally – there is a row of them in Ormskirk between the Cricketer’s pub and Morrison’s – and I suspect it is a cultivated variety.

On the open fields or lurking in the trees were Jackdaws, Starlings, Magpies, Crows and Wood Pigeons. The rare Cucumber tree, which was severely pollarded this winter, is now re-sprouting.

On the lake were Canada Geese, Coots, a Moorhen, some Mallards, an occasional Herring Gull, but nothing unusual. More noteworthy were the millions of swarming insects over the water. They were like little white butterflies, and have been appearing all over the country. Newspaper reports are calling them whiteflies, but they aren’t the greenhouse pest.  It looks like mass hatching and mating behaviour, although they weren’t dancing up and down, just flying in horizontal swirls. The ducks and geese were showing no sign of jumping up to eat them. I wonder what they are?

Near the Jackson Memorial is lovely shrub called Chinese Dogwood Cornus kousa. On it we found a very tiny ladybird, about 4mm across. The FSC identification chart suggests it is a 14-spot ladybird (the black on yellow variation) Propylea 14-punctata.

From the Boathouse balcony we had a vantage point over a bay of warm shallow water.  The Carp,  introduced to the lake for the anglers, were spawning. They are big beasts, 2 foot long or more, looking like sharks circling. They were mostly black ones, with a few white-and-orange ones. They cruised about slowly, then there was an occasional flurry and splash as two or three got together and mated.

We saw lots of Holly Blue butterflies, a Speckled Wood and what was probably a Large White. They were all too fast or too far to take a picture of.  Around the lake in the Upper Park we had glimpses of a Wren and some Long-tailed Tits, which didn’t pose for the camera either. But we had more luck with several families of Canada Geese, broods of 5, 7 and 6, each at different ages.

There are still Terrapins there. We saw this group of three on a log, including one huge individual  on the top.

In the Holt’s Garden, near the entrance off Cavendish Road, there is a rare small thorn tree. I have no idea what it is, and there are many dozens of species in the Crataegus genus, but I like to look at it every time we pass, hoping one day to be enlightened.

Public transport details: The West Kirby train from Central at 10.05, arriving Birkenhead Park station at 10.16. Returned on bus 437 from Park Road North / Asquith Avenue at 2.22, arriving Liverpool at 2.35.
Next week we are joining the MNA for a visit to Dibbinsdale. Meet Central at 10am for the 10.15 train to Ellesmere Port. We meet the MNA at Bromborough Rake station at 11am.

It was an unexpectedly bright and sunny day, with long views from Hoylake’s North Parade, over what used to be their beach, to Hilbre Island in the Dee estuary and the North Wales mountains in the distance.

We started from Manor Road station, down Manor Road, then north along Birkenhead Road to Queen’s Park. Along that road there are small ornamental trees planted along the verges, and one was this exquisitely lovely pale-pink Hawthorn.

Thinking I might buy one one day, I later tried to find out what variety it was, but had no luck. There are plenty of pictures of similar pink blossom online, but none leading to an identification. I found a blog by the Southwick Country Park Nature Reserve near Trowbridge, saying they had some of these pink ones and appealing for a name, but there was no obvious follow-up. The RHS in their write-up of ordinary Common Hawthorn illustrates its page with a picture of a pale pink one like this, without comment. I am forced to conclude that it is an un-named and occasional genetic variation.

Queen’s Park had Starlings and Goldfinches in the hedge, fleeting Red Admiral and Holly Blue butterflies and a very well-signed Nature Corner for the kids. Then we crossed the road to Meols Parade Gardens on the edge of the promenade. They are a little sun trap, protected from the onshore winds by a strong fence. Someone is having fun with the planting, taking advantage of the hot conditions. The shrubby layer was the heat-loving Hibiscus, and towering over them were the exotic tall flower spikes of Giant Viper’s Bugloss Echium pininana, growing to well over 10 ft high. They are native to the Canary Islands. They bear masses of flowers all over the stem, which were just coming out and were very attractive to bees.

One basking Red Admiral rested on the fence between them.

Then out on the promenade with its views out to sea. There used to be a sandy beach here, but nature took its course and Spartina grass moved in. The local residents were NOT amused and have been fighting get their beach back. Recently the local authority has bowed to their demands and is doing some selective beach scraping. Some areas are being fully cleared while others have only a path, parallel to the promenade.

As we were looking around outside the Lifeboat Station, the staff member on duty chatted to us and invited us in to see the Lifeboat and all the other kit. It was quite a thrill to stand under the huge boat’s bow, looking out along the launch ramp to the sands.

There were several birds on the beach, spotted as we continued southwards along the prom. Carrion Crows were inspecting the vegetation, a Pied Wagtail ran across the open sand. House Martins were swooping about and some had found a small mud puddle and were scooping it up to make their nests with.  After lunch in a seaside shelter we carried on towards King’s Gap. There were no wading birds about at this time of year, and the tide was way out, anyway. But there were interesting specialist seaside plants, moving in to the vegetated areas. We identified Sea Beet Beta vulgaris and Sea Radish Raphanus raphanistrum ssp. maritimus. There were probably many more, and it would be a good place for a botanist’s outing, I think.

As we turned up King’s Gap, another specialist plant clung to a recess in a wall. There was a huge patch further on, on the pavement on the corner of  King’s Court. I think it was Seaside Daisy Erigeron glaucus.

Hoylake makes a feature of its seabirds, and much of its street furniture makes punning reference to Knots. On the main roundabout is a sculpture of a flock of them, whirling around.

Public transport details: West Kirby train from Central at 10.05, arriving Manor Road station at 10.30. Returned from Hoylake on the train at 1.34, arriving Liverpool at 2.10.
There is no Sunday Group walk next week, 17th May. On 24th May we plan to go to Birkenhead Park. Meet at Central Station at 10 am (or even a bit earlier), for the 10.05 West Kirby train.

The forecast said it would rain all day, but it was wrong. It was just humid and damp – what the Irish call a “fine, soft day”.  It was quiet, too. There weren’t many dog walkers, and just a few runners and cyclists. The verges of the Wirral Way are recovering after their intense mechanical thrashing during the winter of 2024/25, with many of the trees now in spectacular bloom. There were Dogwoods, Horse Chestnut, Rowans, Laburnums and several magnificent Hawthorns.

We heard just the occasional Chiffchaff along the way, although in the past I have counted eight singing males along the route. We were a bit later this year, so maybe they have all paired up and aren’t singing so vociferously in early May. A Blue Tit was nesting under the eaves of the old railway building near Hooton Station, we saw Magpies, Wood Pigeons, Robins, Blackbirds, Long-tailed Tits, Goldfinch, a Dunnock on the path and we heard a Wren, a Nuthatch and a Great Spotted Woodpecker drumming in the distance. There were huge stands of Garlic Mustard. Red Campion popped up occasionally, as did Wild Garlic, but the Cow Parsley was not as far on as I had hoped, and some of it was badly beaten down by last night’s heavy rain.

A great find was this caterpillar of the Scarlet Tiger Moth on some Nettles.

Through a gap in the hedge on the south side we saw a farmer doing some muck-spreading. Carrion Crows gathered, inspecting the offerings. Swallows swooped low over the field for insects. Through other gaps we saw a Canada Goose and a pair of Mallards.

In another field further along we saw this long-billed bird, at quite a distance. Curlew or Whimbrel? There have been many recent reports of Whimbrel from the Wirral, but is this one’s bill too long? We couldn’t see the top of its head to see if it had the diagnostic crown stripe, but it seemed to have an eye stripe, which does suggest Whimbrel.

There was a patch of what we initially called Cowslips, but they have flowers only on one side of the stem, whereas these point in all directions. They are probably False Oxlip, Primula veris x vulgaris, a hybrid of Primrose and Cowslip.

We were at Hadlow Road for lunch at 12.30, where we spotted a strange nest under the canopy of an old lamp. There seemed to be a House Sparrow flitting in and out, but it’s an odd place for a colonial Sparrow pair to nest, all on their own.

On the way back we noticed these insects in a couple of Buttercup blooms. I thought they were grubs at first, but now I see they have legs, so they are some kind of tiny beetle. Internet research suggests Pollen Beetles (which are mostly black and shiny), or Raspberry Beetles (which are paler brown than these.) Not sure I have come anywhere near to an ID.

Along the railway bridge over Hooton station was a long stand of Hedge Mustard.

Public transport details: The Chester train from Central at 10.15, arriving Hooton 10.42. Returned from Hooton at 2.17, arriving Liverpool Central at 2.50.
Next week we plan to go to Hoylake. Meet at Central Station at 10.00 prompt for the 10.05 train.

We were joined at St Michael’s by several MNA members, some with phone apps at the ready to identify plants and birdsong. Inspired by a recent talk at Calderstones on veteran and ancient trees, we went looking for a veteran Beech tree shown on their map, in the woods near the station. This must be it.

The floor of the woods had large patches of Wild Garlic. On the edge of the big glade we spotted Lady’s Mantle and several native trees and shrubs like Guelder Rose, Aspen, Hawthorn in blossom, and something with very big white blossom, perhaps some kind of Pear? Butterflies included Small White, Orange Tips and Speckled Wood. There was a big spread of Winter Heliotrope near the dried-up stream bed.

We crossed Riverside Drive to the park. In a flowerbed near the gate was a straggly plant which the Plantlife app suggested was Common Ramping Fumitory. What a good name!

The Cow Parsley was nearly out and Herb Robert was everywhere. A shady path near the main lake was edged with Pendulous Sedge and another similar plant identified as Greater Woodrush.

Birds in the park included Wood Pigeon, Crow, Robin, Blackbird and a pair of Song Thrushes creeping through the undergrowth. We heard Chiffchaff and Goldcrest. There was a Moorhen on the lake and a couple of Great Tits on a bridge. Along the banks of the half-empty main pond were Water Mint, Grey Poplar and a few tall plants of Wild Lettuce. There were several examples of a very lovely ornamental Cherry, with pendulous clusters of pale pink, double blossom. It’s late in the cherry season, so it was probably one of two, either ‘Shirofugen’ if the leaves are purple-red, or ‘Longipes’ if the leaves are green. The leaves still look reddish, so probably the former.

Around the inner ponds and bridges we noted five drake Mallards loitering without females, while another secluded pool had a female with a single tiny duckling. Mallards usually have larger broods than that, and we suspect some of the resident Rats had predated her eggs.

After lunch we headed down to the river and northwards towards the Britannia Inn. Low tide was due in about an hour, so the sea wall was exposed.

We heard a single Ring-necked Parakeet screeching. Herring Gulls were picking through the seaweed and a single Shelduck flew upriver, low and fast.  No waders, though. Two Mallards were apparently eating or drinking on the low walkway below the railings. I think they were drinking at a freshwater seep, but why did they have to go down there? There is plenty of fresh water in the nearby Festival Gardens.

Along the edge of the promenade were big clumps of Sea Beet and also a smaller plant with white flowers which I think was one of the several species of Scurvygrass.

Near the Inn, on a part of the bank sheltered by trees, was a clump of Ragwort which looked slightly chunkier than usual. I had a look, turned the flowers over, and found it was Oxford Ragwort Senecio squalidus. You can tell because the bracts below the flower have black tips, not just at the base of the petals (Common Ragwort has those), but also lower down the flower head and at the top of the stem.

Public transport details: Train from Liverpool Central at 10.13, arriving St Michael’s station at 10.20. Returned from Riverside Drive / Britannia Inn on the 500 airport bus at 1.25, arriving Liverpool One bus station at 1.38.
Next week we plan to walk part of the Wirral Way from Hooton to Hadlow Road and back. Meet at Central Station at 10 am.

Wallasey Central Park is a medium-sized and pretty park near Liscard. The wooded edge along Liscard Road had a Chiffchaff calling, a Blackbird and several Wood Pigeons. Small White butterflies were about, and there were clumps of Spanish Bluebells scattered among the trees. Next to the old church called Egremont St John there appears to be a tree nursery, with small shrub-sized trees planted in straight rows – Whitebeam, Hawthorn, Rowan, Horse Chestnut, Scots Pine, Oak and Field Maple. In the main park many trees were in flower. Cherry and Crab Apple with their brightly-coloured blossom are obvious, but many trees have green flowers that look at first glance like they are leaves. An example is Wych Elm, which has no leaves yet, but is fully clothed in immature winged fruit. The seed is the little bump in the centre of the wing.

We also looked at breaking shoots of London Plane. There are tiny little leaves, and the hanging red-brown ball at the bottom is the female flower which will become a seed ball in autumn. The male flower are nearer the twig and yellow, but I didn’t notice them because I didn’t look them up until later!

The little duck pond had Mallards, Moorhen and Starlings. There was a brief glimpse of a Great Spotted Woodpecker, then it disappeared. Had it gone into a tree hole? We walked around trying to get an angle that wasn’t into the sun, but never saw the bird again.

In the warm, sunny walled garden Grey Squirrels scampered about. Goldfinches. Magpies, and Holly Blue butterflies were going about their business. A Wren was singing softly in the shrubbery, not making the more common loud alarm call. Wood Pigeons called and also at least one Collared Dove. We spotted it, basking high in a red Norway Maple.

At the north end of the big fishing lake the grass bank was almost completely white with Daisies.  The birds were Canada Geese, Mallards, Feral Pigeons, juvenile Herring Gulls, one Lesser Black-backed Gull and a Coot. We had been told there were some cute Mallard ducklings to see, but could find no sign of them. A lady turned up with two big bags of bread and all the birds queued up.

So much bread in the diet is said to cause the permanent deformity in geese and ducks called “Angel Wing”, and one of the Canadas was showing it.

On the other side of the lake, someone had tried to feed them a more “green” diet by scattering mixed frozen veg onto the parapet, but nothing was interested in it.

We took the path at the far end of the lake, leading past the allotments towards Poulton Road and the playing fields. We have found this to be a nature hot-spot. May (Hawthorn) blossom was out and the Sycamores were flowering, with hanging flower clusters of the type called racemes.

There was a Robin on the fence and House Sparrows cheeping in the hedge. They and several Blue Tits appeared to be hunting insect food in the large Bramble patch on the open ground. There were several Holly Blue butterflies on the wing along the top of the hedge, and also many Whites, none stopping to be identified. An  Orange Tip butterfly sped past.  There were several Speckled Wood butterflies looking very smart, probably recently emerged from overwintering as pupae.

Also this very worn and damaged Small Tortoiseshell, resting on the pathway. It was alive despite its battered appearance, because it stirred and flew off strongly to another resting place. It must have overwintered as an adult, possibly in an allotment shed. It ought to have mated and laid eggs by now, but looks like it can’t be long for this world.

We headed back via the big lake. I was remembering the old country saying about whether or not it will be a wet summer, as predicted by the emergence of the leaves of Oak and Ash.  “Ash before Oak, you’re in for a soak. Oak before Ash, only a splash.” I took pictures of the emerging shoots of both trees. The Ash has the remains of the flowers and what appears to be only the first pair of leaves emerging, with hints of the second. The Oak has its flowers just out, with the male pollen tassels hanging profusely, and what seem to be two or three pairs of leaves. Although it’s a close-run thing, I think the Oak is slightly further on and is “before Ash”. Just a splash then, and a dry summer is forecast.

Public transport details: Bus 433 from Sir Thomas Street at 10.18, arriving Liscard Road opp Chatsworth Avenue at 10.42. Returned on bus 433 from Liscard Road / Martin’s Lane at 1.51. arriving Liverpool 2.10.
Next week we plan to go the Festival Gardens. Meet Central Station at 10 am.

Rice Lane City Farm is a 24-acre, volunteer-run site occupying land which was once Walton Parochial Cemetery, serving the poor from the Liverpool and Walton Workhouse hospitals. It is still consecrated ground, with graves still visible along the paths.

South of the farm, a path leads down to a triangle of woods which has flowers typical of ancient woodland. I’m nor sure it really is, but it seems to have been undisturbed for many decades, if not a couple of centuries. We came for the Bluebells, and they carpet the ground here.

They seem to be hybrids, not the pure English species. There are many white variants amongst them. They have quite thick fleshy stems which bend slightly, not completely upright, and flowers about three quarters of the way around the stem. Some seem more like the true native species, with curled petals. I would guess they are about 75% Spanish, but there must have been native English bluebells here once.

It was quiet in the woods, and almost deserted, like a patch of wild woodland in the heart of the city. We heard and saw Wrens, Chiffchaffs, Blackbird, Blue Tit, Great Tit. No noisy Parakeets seem to have found it yet, but the Grey Squirrels have. The trees were Beech, Hornbeam, Holly, Elm, Sycamore, Birch, Field Maple, Horse Chestnut and Wild Cherry. We didn’t see any Oaks at all.

Below the big trees were Hawthorn, Elder and Hazel, while the floor was carpeted with Ivy and  Bramble. Clumps of Pendulous Sedge grew along the sides of the paths, possibly planted there, but they suggest the woods are quite wet in winter. [Added later – Pendulous Sedge is also an indicator of ancient woodland.] As well as Bluebells there were large patches of Wood Anemone, Wild Garlic, Lesser Celandine and Yellow Archangel, the one with the variegated leaves, thought to be a garden escape.

We had a glimpse of a Jay and of one fast-moving Speckled Wood butterfly. We exchanged pleasantries with a fellow walking a dog, who called the woods “a little piece of heaven.

In the open fields were Magpies, Crows and Wood Pigeons. A Robin was loitering near the picnic tables and we heard a Nuthatch calling.  Daisies and Dandelions peppered the grass verges, as well as big patches of Red Dead-nettle.

The little fruit orchard was in bloom – Cherries, Damsons, Apples. Their farm animals occupied the fenced pastures. We spotted one old dark brown donkey, two cows and three sheep. The seven ewes were in a shed for lambing, so these three living outside were probably the males, the “tups”. The brown ones are Ryelands sheep and the white one is a Welsh Mountain breed.

There are also two Pygmy Goats, some Guinea Pigs, Rabbits, Quail and Chickens. Their Silkie chickens are very unusual-looking with white fluffy feathers and black faces.

We chatted to a young woman volunteer, who was interested in their wildlife. She said there were foxes with cubs on the site, and that she also thought she had seen a couple of the very rare Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers, although she wasn’t sure. In support of her tentative ID, she said birdwatchers turn up at the farm occasionally, asking it the rumours are true and where should they go to look for them.

Public transport details: Bus 20 from Queen Square at 10.20, arriving 10.40 at Rice Lane / Rawcliffe Road. Returned different ways from Rice Lane at about 1.30 pm.
Next week we are going to Wallasey Central Park. Meet Sir Thomas Street at 10 am.

It was Easter Sunday, but winter still had a sting in its tail. Storm Dave had roared through in the night, scattering the paths with broken twigs and small branches, but nothing worse. This morning the storm was blowing itself out, but there was still a surprisingly cold north-west wind. The blue sky had dark grey threatening clouds and we had a five-minute hailstone shower, rattling off the bus as we passed through Birkenhead.

The east and south sides of Landican Cemetery border on horse pastures, so despite being near to the Woodchurch estate and Arrowe Park Hospital, there are still countryside birds and mammals there. Brown Hares are known to creep in and we have occasionally seen them. During our walk we looked out over those pastures from time to time, but we saw no Hares. However, we heard a Cock Pheasant calling and John spotted a Grey Partridge scurrying away into a dip. The first Cow Parsley was just showing some straggly flowers and the Blackthorn hedge was still white.

The Willow catkins were going over on the male trees and the flowers on the female trees were setting seed.

We spotted the usual ubiquitous urban park birds, Crows, Wood Pigeons, Magpies, a couple of Blackbirds, a Robin, some Great Tits and Greenfinches.

We wondered if this could be a Tree Sparrow, but they are now quite rare, and there are no reports of them being here. It had no black spot on the side of its head, so it’s probably a female House Sparrow.

In the wild area near the south-east corner we noted a predated nest box, which looked like it has been gnawed by a Squirrel.

The Norway Maples are all in flower.

I expected more colour and blossom from the ornamental Cherries and Crab Apples, but they are just getting going.

Something that has nagged at me for a while is why Weeping Willow branches all seem to end at a neat height, like a browse line. Do they just grow like that or are they managed? Now that I look online, I see there are numerous instructional videos about “canopy raising”. On this picture from the inside of an overhang, I think I can see the neatly cut ends.

A Kestrel swooped into the Commonwealth War Graves Commission area and perched on top of the Cross of Sacrifice, looking closely at the ground all around.

Primroses and Cowslips have been planted below some memorial trees, and some appear to be naturalising in the grass.

There were plenty of Dandelions flowering in ones and twos, with the big flush of yellow blossom expected nearer the end of April. But as we know, things are getting earlier each year. There is a big display of Dandelion flowers along the roadside verge near Arrowe Park Hospital, several weeks earlier than they ought to be.

Public transport details: Bus 472 from Sir Thomas Street at 10.12, arriving Woodchurch Road / Arrowe Park Road at 10.40. Returned on the 471 bus from Arrowe Park Road / Landican Cemetery at 1.25, arriving Liverpool 2 pm.
Next week we plan to go to Rice Lane City Farm, looking for bluebells. Meet at Queen Square at 10 am.