Author Archives: Sabena Blackbird

The two Dave’s and I took a trip over to Minera near Wrexham in Wales whose name derives from the Latin for “mine” or “ore” (the Welsh name Mwynglawdd translates roughly as “ore mine”) Hoverfly Eristalis sp. on umbellifer Noonday … Continue reading →

  23 MNA members joined the coach for our visit to the RSPB reserve at Bempton Cliffs in East Yorkshire. Looking back at my records it is five years since we had visited the reserve so there were a lot … Continue reading →

MNA members John from Biobank and Martin Corcoran headed up onto the fells during our visit to Stocks Reservoir on 4th June 2011. They came across a pile of bird pellets on a rock amongst the moorland vegetation and brought me a … Continue reading →

Terry, Dave Bryant and me headed up to Hay Bridge, the private reserve owned by the John Strutt Conservation Foundation (JSCF) nestling in the Rusland Valley in Cumbria. As ever we were to have a wonderful day with a variety … Continue reading →

19 MNA members joined the coach trip visiting a new venue for the group at United Utilities Stocks Reservoir near Slaidburn in the picturesque Trough of Bowland, Lancashire. It turned out to be a fantastic day and a place many … Continue reading →

MNA coach trip with 20 members visiting the South Walney Reserve run by the Cumbria Wildlife Trust. The area consists of a shingle island with lagoons where salt, sand & gravel were extracted during the 19th and 20th centuries. As … Continue reading →

Heavy downpours and Merseyrail engineering works didn’t put off the sixteen members of the MNA / Sunday Nature Group who reached Leasowe Lighthouse for our Spring migrants meeting. We had a good route around the area, wandering along Lingham Lane checking out … Continue reading →

After our visit to The Spinnies we retraced our route back along the A55 to Conwy RSPB reserve at Llandudno Junction.   As always there was plenty of birdlife on the lagoons that could be viewed from the many hides on … Continue reading →

After a delayed depature leaving Liverpool the MNA coach eventually arrived around 11:30am at North Wales Wildlife Trust Reserve at The Spinnies. We wandered down the small lane that runs alongside the high stone wall of Penrhyn Estate. Gloriously sunny day with … Continue reading →

An eventful and exciting day. Eighteen of us set out from West Kirby, five of us made it to Hilbre Island and the rest ended up marooned on Middle Eye as the tide cut them off.   Gazzilions of Wheatears, the Bird … Continue reading →