A lovely day for a joint walk with the MNA, with bright blue skies but a cold gusty wind. We met outside the Visitors’ Centre and admired a Norway Maple which was doing its one and only good trick, putting out its froth of yellow-green flowers. For the rest of the year you wouldn’t give it a second glance.
We set off into the woods, noting the Hawthorn greening all the edges, the Weeping Willow shading from gold to green and both Horse Chestnut and Sycamore just putting out their leaves. There was more blossom about, this time possibly Crab Apple, but all those cherries, plums and apples are very hard to distinguish. Three-cornered Leek, Dandelions and Shepherd’s Purse were in flower and also a few patches of Wood Anemones
A lot of the cut and fallen wood is left to rot, so we saw various fungi, including Stump Puff Balls and Glistening Ink Caps on the stump of an old Beech. We kept finding little painted stones tucked into the bases of trees. One had a picture of a frog on it, others had cartoon characters, smiley faces or words like “happy”. It’s a game for kids, apparently, to give them something to rummage for in woods. There’s a “Wirral Rocks” Facebook page, and the stones are supposed to be re-hidden in another location. According to someone’s smartphone, about 60 new stones had been put out that morning in Eastham woods.
The bird feeders at the back of the Visitors’ Centre were busy, with a Nuthatch, Great Tits, a Coal Tit, a Chaffinch and a Great Spotted Woodpecker which was flitting around the trees but being elusive
A couple of us had to leave early but the others set off to look at another section of the woods.
Public transport details: Bus X8 from Sir Thomas Street at 10.21, arriving New Chester Road / opp Woodyear Road at 10.42. Returned on bus 1 from New Chester Road / Allport Road at 1.53, arriving Liverpool 2.20.