We visited this park for the first time last September, on a wet and miserable day, and agreed how much better it would be in spring. We were right, it’s a lovely spot. Flanking the main path are two flat-topped cherry trees in a prominent position. Unfortunately we had missed the best of their flowering and they had almost gone over. The remaining flowers were white, about 4cm (two fingers) wide, semi-double and hanging down on longish stems. Possibly the variety ‘Shirotae’ (Mount Fuji).
We also spotted a newly-planted avenue of cherry trees, all upward-trained, three on each side of a short path. Happily, they all still had their nursery labels. For my future reference they were: 1R ‘Sunset Boulevard’; 2R Prunus schmittii; 3R ‘Tai-haku’ (Great White)
1L ‘Tai-haku’(Great White); 2L ‘Sunset Boulevard’; 3L Prunus schmittii.
The customary town birds were scattered over the lawns: Wood Pigeons, Magpies, Feral Pigeons and Carrion Crows. One Crow had a big chunk of bread in its beak, but when it saw some gulls closing in with an eye to steal it, it flew off to a quiet spot on a nearby roof. A pair of Mallards were perched on an old sandstone wall surveying the passers-by.
There are a couple of small duckponds adjacent to Silverbeech Road, holding a few pairs of Mallards, one Moorhen and also a Rat sneaking around the edge.
Many of the trees were in flower, hence the warnings about tree pollen on the weather reports. There was Norway Maple (both green and red varieties), Oak, Ash, Wych Elm, Laburnum, Hawthorn and various fruit trees.
We ate our sandwiches in their lovely walled garden, watched by an opportunist Blackbird and entertained by singing Robins. Some Long-tailed Tits were flitting about in a large curtain of Ivy. As well as the manicured flower beds they have a small orchard there, planted as a memorial to A. Graham Harrison, former Town Clerk of Wallasey and Chairman of the Wirral group of the Cheshire Wildlife Trust. It contains a variety of fruit trees, plum, apple and others we couldn’t name, well-attended by pollinating insects.
Then it was off to walk around the lake, dodging the fishermen as we went. More birds here, including the usual Mallards, Coots and a Moorhen, but also a dozen or more Canada Geese and a few Herring Gulls. There were beautiful Willow trees on the island, and an area of water ringed by posts with what look like old Xmas trees in it. One of the fishermen said it was a place for the Coots to nest, and it looked like one may have already started.
Two lads had caught a big fish, a Common Carp, over 5 pounds they said. They let me take a picture just before they released it. The lake is stocked with carp for the entertainment of the local fishers, and the poor fish are intended just for catching and putting back. What a life for them!
While we were on the bus this morning we looked at the small park off Poulton Road, which we passed quite a distance before our main destination, and we wondered if it was a different part of the same Wallasey Central Park. Later, as we were at the south end of the fishing lake, we saw a path leading in that direction, so we investigated. Yes, it does come out by the lower park along Poulton Road. Some of it is laid out as playing fields behind Park Primary School, but a smaller section has been left as rough grassland with a brambly Hawthorn hedge between it and the allotments. The Hawthorn’s May flowers were budding and just starting to come out.
Sparrows were cheeping in the hedge and some Privet berries were hanging on from last autumn.
We also saw more butterflies than we’ve seen recently – several pairs of Small Whites and many Speckled Woods. It was the best wildlife area of the whole day.
Public transport details: Bus 433 from Sir Thomas Street at 10.17, arriving Liscard Road opp. Chatsworth Avenue at 10.40. Returned from Liscard Road opp. Martins Lane on the 433 bus at 2.20, arriving Liverpool city centre at 2.42.
Next week we’ll be going to Flaybrick and Tam O’ Shanter. Meet Sir Thomas Street at 10 am.