The Naturalists' Notebook

From Freshfield Station we walked down Victoria Road, entertained by a succession of Blackbirds who sang to us all the way along. In estate-agent-speak it is “one of the best roads in the north west”, meaning it is lined by detached houses, all different, many with security gates and CCTV, and some with fanciful  names like “Windwhistle”. There were several Red Squirrels running about in the National Trust reserve. One particularly busy little fellow was up and down trees, collecting nuts from the feeding cages and scampering off to bury them, one at a time.

Then we threaded through the pinewoods and open spaces, noticing that there were many areas of younger trees, all apparently Corsican Pines, the dominant species of this sandy area. The male flowers are in clusters, while the female flowers are reddish, at the tips of the shoots.

The only other common trees were Poplars, especially in the more open areas. Some were Grey Poplars Populus canescens, a hybrid of  White Poplar and Aspen. The leaves have the white undersides of the White Poplar, but the scalloped edges of Aspen.

The other widespread Poplar had large soft leaves, with very long points on their otherwise typical “ace-of-spades” outline, and which weren’t white underneath. There were large clumps of them near the picnic tables, with broken, recumbent trunks and gnarly bark. They seem to be the Wild Black Poplar Populus nigra ssp. betulifolia, which is considered uncommon, but “locally abundant in floodplains and old parks”. They must like this light sandy soil.

The National Trust makes much of the history of asparagus-growing in this area, and there is a new wooden sculpture of three enormous asparagus stalks, apparently growing right out of the ground.

We noted some distant rabbits, and then took a path up and over the dunes to the shore.

Lots of people were enjoying the beach, and as we returned via Formby beach car park, even more vehicles were coming in. It must have been a very good day for the National Trust, at £6 per car. There were Swallows in the air over the shore, and near the tollbooth as we returned to the station, a Jay popped over the fence out of the pinewoods, grabbed something edible from the ground, then melted back into the trees. None of today’s birds were new, and although Swifts are back in the area, we didn’t spot any. I-Spy bird points now up to 1170. No new trees today, either, and we didn’t get last week’s Field Maple question. (Q. What is the type of Maple wood used by furniture makers? Answer at end.) Our tree points are stalled at 880.

We spotted just one new flower today, but it was a good one – the Common or Stinging Nettle Urtica dioica. There was just one clump of plants in flower, at the base of the last (easternmost) wooden post past the squirrel reserve. Why was that one so early? A lot of cars queue here, and there may be something in the exhaust fumes that it likes. Alternatively, it was below the first wooden post that dogs find on the way down Victoria Road, so it must be well-supplied with nitrogen fertiliser!

When I checked my book I was amazed to find that nettles have separate male and female plants and the flowers are different. These whitish-looking ones are female, I think, while the male stamens are redder. You learn something every day! It is worth 50 I-Spy points, which we might double if we answer the related question. Flower points now 295.

On the way home through Crosby I photographed some unusual Hawthorns in gardens. The normal white “May” flowers are out, and they are mostly the common Crataegus monogyna, which as its name suggests has only one seed in the berry, and thus only one style in the flower (that’s the bit the pollen grains land on.) Usually un-noticed is the Midland Hawthorn Crataegus laevigata, which has two or three styles and thus two or three seeds in the berry. It flowers a week or two earlier than monogyna and smells rather foul, aparently. But just now two red or pink varieties of Midland Hawthorn are in bloom. The red or pink double variety is ‘Paul’s Scarlet’, while the less common red single blossoms with white centres belong to variety ‘Punicea’. (Answer from above : Bird’s-eye maple.)

Public transport details: Train from Central towards Southport at 10.23, arriving Freshfield 10.55. Returned from Freshfield on the 2.11 train, arriving Central 2.43.

Long Lane in Aughton has interesting and colourful gardens, with Rowan, Cherry, Lilac and Laburnum all in bloom and red Maples coming into leaf.

Even the Sycamores are interesting, with many of them being the variety ‘Brilliantissimum’. The leaves open bright pink, become yellow-green, and finally settle to dark green, mottled with cream. They don’t make many seeds, either, which is a bonus for garden owners.

There were the usual garden birds, Blackbird, Dunnock and Chaffinch, and as we climbed the hill to the pumping station we spotted several fast-moving butterflies – some kind of White and a dark one which was probably Peacock. There were Swallows overhead, and John spotted a Reed Bunting. Along the verge the Cow Parsley was coming out, and lower down were the first flowers of Creeping Buttercup, worth five I-Spy points.

We went down to look at the reserve’s “heritage varieties” Orchard. Last autumn they told us it was lovely when the blossom was out and the Cowslips were underfoot, but sadly the gate was locked and it wasn’t due to be open until later in the day.Too late for us. But we could see the distant blossom from the gate (and we claim our 10 points.)

An  Orange Tip butterfly flitted past as we headed back to the reserve. The woodland paths are bordered with lots of mini habitats for Newts and small mammals, plus bug hotels. Many of the trees are labelled (with children in mind) giving the name, description, ecology, use of the wood and so on. For instance “Crab Apple, Malus sylvestris. The flowers provide early pollen and nectar for insects and bees. The leaves provide food for the Eyed Hawkmoth. Fruit is eaten by birds – Blackbirds, Thrushes, Crows – and mammals like mice, voles and foxes. Humans eat Crab Apple jelly. Crab apple trees are good pollinating partners for apple trees and therefore useful to plant in an orchard. The name “crab” originates from the Norse word skrab meaning “scrubby”. The wood is excellent for carving and burning.”  It also gave us another 10 points!

Another sign said “Walk softly and listen, Mother Nature is at work.” Along the paths we spotted Hogweed, and also Red Campion, worth another 15 points.

We studied the labelled Downy Birch, (20 points), but we are no nearer to confidently distinguishing the Downy from the Silver Birch. No obvious downiness on the shoots that we could see, and it isn’t as simple as “weeping” or “not weeping”, either.

We sat by the pond in the strong sunshine for our lunch. A mother Mallard led a brood of eight ducklings along the path to the water. Had they just hatched that morning?  After a few minutes a kerfuffle of quacking and splashing broke out. Two Mallard Drakes were harassing a female, and we feared it was the same mother duck. Happily, it seemed to be another one and the little family were seen again later, all quite safe.

There was a Field Maple by the pond, worth another 15 points. We might double that next week when I remember to ask the associated question! The leaves are fairly small, while the bark is very interestingly gnarly.

We also admired the bark of a Rowan tree. It is characteristic of Sorbus to have white  patches on the trunks, and I always thought it was a feature of the tree itself, but it is clearly white and yellow lichen on this one. Is it always lichen?

We dawdled in the big field, hoping to see the Yellowhammers which are usually there, but no luck. There was a Whitethroat up on a hedge, then it did a song flight, followed by a dive back into the Bramble. There was also a Willow Warbler singing beautifully from the top of a bare Ash tree.

John thought he spotted a small brown mammal scurrying across the path a way ahead of us. We investigated, but it must have gone into another Bramble patch, because we couldn’t find or hear it. However, there was a little path beaten through the grassy verge, about two or three inches wide. Too big for a mouse or vole, I think, and too small for a rabbit, so had it been a weasel?

We took the path around the back of the pumping station. In one small glade an oak was just coming into brownish leaf, making the whole tree look golden in the bright sunshine.

Then back through the cultivated fields to Aughton Church and the station.

We continue to collect bird points, and we are now up to 1130. Four new trees today, taking us to 880 points, while the slow-to-start wild flowers are so far only up to 245.

Public transport details: Train from Central at 10.10 towards Ormskirk, arriving Aughton Park at 10.37. Returned from Aughton Park at 14.53, arriving Central at 3.23.

Hale village is a little bit of Old England, boasting over a dozen listed buildings, many of them 17th century thatched cottages.  Its most famous resident was John Middleton, 1578-1623, who was said to have been nine feet three inches tall and was known as the Childe of Hale. He was the servant and bodyguard of Sir Gilbert Ireland, Lord of the Manor of Hale Hall. The house below is where he lived, and the local joke is that the two little windows in the gable end were for his feet to stick out of when he was in bed.

His grave is in the churchyard, with the archaically-spelled carved words picked out in white. It is protected by railings, and many sight-seers feel the urge to throw coins onto it, as if it was a wishing well.

We headed past the church down towards the point. There were House Sparrows in the gardens and House Martins overhead, our first of the year. Along Lighthouse Road the St Mark’s Flies were hovering about, a Willow Warbler was singing in a tree by the kissing gate, there was a Wheatear on the path, Swallows and Skylark overhead, and a cock Pheasant was prancing about in the adjoining field.

Hale Point is the most southerly point in the old county of Lancashire, but now it’s officially just outside Merseyside and part of Cheshire. It overlooks Stanlow near Ellesmere Port. The lighthouse here was decommissioned in 1958.

The tide was going out strongly and there was a gusty wind, but it wasn’t cold. Two Canada Geese flew in, there was an Oystercatcher at the water’s edge and flypasts of Cormorants and 20 or 30 Dunlin. A Small Tortoiseshell butterfly hunkered down in the rough grass, trying not to be blown away.  We took the path northeast around the point, and lunched on a bench opposite Helsby and Frodsham. Then we set off again around the headland, opposite Weston Point in Runcorn, with a field of oil-seed rape (which the Americans call “canola”) in bloom on the left, and the estuary to the right. It was very windy indeed, definitely blowing away any cobwebs we might have had left.

A huge dark Bumble Bee was foraging low down on a Dandelion, and she must have been a Red-tailed queen.

Under the edge of the bright yellow blossoms were lots of wild flowers. Does that mean the farmer hadn’t used pesticides and the crop was organic? There were masses of Speedwell and Red Dead-nettle, lots of Cow Parsley (5 points) and occasional Hogweed. Dandelions, of course, and some Ribwort Plantain.

There were Canada Geese and Shelduck on the mud towards Pickerings Pasture, where we turned back to the village along Withins Way. Masses of Hawthorn were blooming, and we spotted this amazing small fly with a red-bronze reflective abdomen and thorax, which were almost phosphorescent. It had what looked like white eyes at the front and a hairy rear end. It was on a Bramble leaf. The picture is horribly out of focus, sorry, but my best attempt at identification suggests it’s one of the Long-legged flies, the Dolichopodidae, perhaps of the genus Dolichopus.

At the end of Withins Way is an interesting sign about the old ford of the Mersey that used to be there, and was still in use until the mid 19th century. In 1644, during the English Civil War, some Parliamentary soldiers attempted to cross from Weston Point to relieve Prince Rupert’s siege of Liverpool, but they were intercepted. However, later in that same year two groups of Royalist troops successfully crossed the other way, those of Lord Molyneaux while being driven southwards from Kirkham near Blackpool, and some of the defeated troops from Marston Moor, who were routed at Ormskirk and fled in confusion towards Liverpool and Hale “and so quitted the county of Lancashire into Cheshire and Wales.” Hard to imagine soldiers along it nowadays.

Two Goldfinches flew across the path, we spotted a Song Thrush, and a Whitethroat popped up from behind the hedge, then dived back out of sight. At the end of the path was another interesting sign put up by the BASC. It’s the British Association for Shooting and Conservation, and they say they are all for conservation of course, as they would, but look how somebody has firmly crossed out the word “conservation” on this sign. It was either a BASC member opposed to conservation and determined to shoot anything in sight, or perhaps it was defaced by a proper naturalist objecting to their claim to have anything to do with conservation.

Our corpse of the day was a flattened and dried-up Hedgehog on the verge. Nearby was a surprising tree, a Japanese Larch Larix kaempferi (20 points). I know it by its light green foliage and curly cone scales.

In a garden opposite the Childe of Hale pub was a Ginkgo Ginkgo biloba just coming into yellowish leaf (25 points). Right behind it was a young Monkey Puzzle and on either side of them is what I strongly suspect to be a couple of Stone Pines. They are uncommon trees, supposedly not growing north of the Mediterranean, but there is definitely one thriving  in West Kirby, not too far away, so Stone Pines are possible. Perhaps they were planted from seeds gathered on holiday. It seems to be the garden of a connoisseur, at any rate.

From the bus home we noted a row of over a dozen Red Horse Chestnuts Aesculus x carnea (20 points) along the south side of Aigburth Road between Liverpool Cricket Club and Aigburth Vale.
Last week I forgot to ask the questions on two of the trees we ticked. Here they are.
Wych Elm: How does this tree get its name? Nobody knew the answer to that.
Horse Chestnut: Where does the name conker come from? We got that and doubled our points from 10 to 20. (Answers at the end.) We had three new trees today, so we are up to 825 points. The only new wild flower was the Cow Parsley, worth only 5 points, so we are up to 225. John continues to collect bird points, even though we have passed 1000, and further reports to come.
A1: “Wych” is a Saxon word for “bendy”. A2 “Conker” comes from Conqueror.

Public transport details: Bus 82A from Liverpool ONE at 10.15, arriving Hale Village Green at 11.02. Returned from the Childe of Hale pub on the 82A at 2.32, arriving Liverpool ONE bus station 3.15.

We entered Frankby Cemetery at the north-east end, near Frankby Green. A Robin greeted us from a low branch and a Chiffchaff was calling. There is a Hillsborough gravestone on a corner there, which we stopped to look at. By the pond a Rowan tree was showing its buds, as were the White Water Lilies. The only birds were Mallards, Coot and Moorhen, but we saw a Mandarin here once, so we always hope for another. Some Speckled Wood butterflies were dancing in the dappled light, and one landed amongst the fallen Cherry petals.

They have several varieties of Cherry trees here, so following the inspiration of the recent Springwatch in Japan, where the blossoming of the cherries is a great national event, we sniffed and tasted, but couldn’t detect the promised delicate perfume, and the chewed petals were underwhelming, sadly.

On a field near the south-west corner a Song Thrush and a Mistle Thrush were pecking about in the dry soil and allowing us to see how they differ from each other. A Jay flew through the trees on the far side. Then we walked along Montgomery Hill and crossed into Royden Park, heading for the car park and café. Some of us saw a brown furry bee which they later identified as Tawny Mining Bee from a leaflet in the ranger barn. For lunch, we headed to the walled garden. It has a huge Wisteria trained along a wall trellis, which will be magnificent in a few weeks. We were too early for the Laburnum tunnel as well: the flower buds are just beginning to show.

They make an effort for wildlife, and we checked out the small wildflower area, noting Cowslips, Greater Stitchwort, Wild Strawberry and some kind of Speedwell, probably Common Field Speedwell with the white lower petal. We want Germander Speedwell for our I-Spy “tick”, but this wasn’t it. The Bluebells were coming out.

Plenty of butterflies about, including an Orange Tip and a Blue (probably a Holly Blue), neither of which sat still for us. The Bird Cherry tree was putting out its flowers, so that’s another tree in the bag.

On Roodee Mere a Heron was perching very close to the “feed the ducks” platform, just far enough away to be quite relaxed.

The Royden Park Miniature Railway was in full swing, and four of the group took a ride.

After a walk through the pinewoods and over a bit of heathland, where we spotted a Sparrowhawk overhead, we headed back to the café block. There was a Peacock butterfly on the big field and a Grey Squirrel in the trees. The Wych Elms now have their clusters of winged seeds and their leaf shoots sprouting.

We returned to the bus via the footpath off Birch Heys.  More butterflies (it was a very good day for them) included a Comma on bare ground, a Large White, and more Orange Tips and Speckled Woods. We were interested in an orange ladybird sunning itself on Ivy, but it turned out to be yet another variety of Harlequin. An early-blooming clump of Herb Robert in a shady corner was an addition to the wildflower list.

We came out on Frankby Road opposite Frankby Stiles. There was a Whitebeam tree in leaf and bud, and some early Hawthorn blossoming. The Horse Chestnuts are also coming into flower, and there were plenty of fine ones in view from the bus back to Liverpool.

Here is our I-Spy certificate and badge for 1000 bird points.

We added six more trees species today, worth 90 points, taking us to 750. There are two questions that I forgot to ask (on Horse Chestnut and Wych Elm) so we may be able to add another free 25 points when I remember to ask them! We also had three new species of flower, worth 40 points, so we are up to 220.

Public transport details: Bus 437 from Sir Thomas Street at 10.04, arriving Frankby Road / Frankby Green at 10.40. Returned on bus 437 from Frankby Road / opp Baytree Road at 2.59, which arrived Liverpool City Centre at 3.38.

Leasowe on the north Wirral coast is a good place to find spring migrant birds, so we hoped to make our 1000 I-Spy bird points today: only 50 to go. We got off to a good start in Berrylands Road with a Collared Dove on a lamp post, a bird we really should have seen already this year, but inexplicably hadn’t (5 points). It was another warm and sunny day and the butterflies were on the wing even in the suburban streets – Small Tortoiseshell and Speckled Wood. By the stairs up from Bramble Way to Moreton Station we spotted our first Bluebells, but they weren’t “proper” native ones. The  Woodland Trust are currently running The Big Bluebell Watch, and are encouraging everyone to enter any they see onto a map, marked as “English”, “not English” or “neither”, which could mean hybrid, or “don’t know”.  I have entered all the ones we saw today.

It was a good day for wild flowers, which are all now starting to bloom. There was Red Dead-nettle by the wayside on Pasture Road and Garlic Mustard at the base of a telegraph pole. There is a question on that one “”Do you know any other names for this plant?” (Answer at the end.) We got it right so doubled the points from 15 to 30.

Red Dead-nettle

Garlic Mustard

We spotted a row of White Poplars on the corner of Tarran Drive (15 tree points) and then turned onto the Wirral Circular Trail along the river Birket. Birds included Goldfinch and Blackbird, two Mistle Thrushes in a field, a Chiffchaff and a pair of Mallards on the water. We spotted out first Coltsfoot of the year, distinguished from Dandelion by their scaly stems, also our first Cowslips and lots of Green Alkanet in the shade of the hedge.

Coltsfoot

Cowslips

Green Alkanet

A male Orange Tip butterfly flew past us, heading towards the lighthouse, and there were lots of Harlequin ladybirds on the plant called Alexanders, some mating. This one has an unusual pattern – a black spot within a red spot.

There were several Wheatears in the rough fields. We got 15 points for that, so now we are up to  970 and closing in on the magic 1000 points.

I think these buds are of Wych Elm.

Previously I commented  that we were unlikely to see English Elm any more, and someone asked me why. They all succumbed to Dutch Elm disease, sadly. See this post by Bryony Rigby “Remembering the Elm” from the Manchester Museum’s “Stories from the Museum floor” blog.

We lunched by the lighthouse and watched a man in the field opposite, who was probably our well-known local ecologist Jeff Clarke, using a modified leaf blower to suck up insects from the long grass: he then carefully inspected his finds. Under our feet by the benches was Common Chickweed, another wildflower “tick”. On the path to the pond we saw more Speckled Woods, another Orange Tip, a Peacock and more Bluebells, probably hybrids. A Bumble Bee was humming on the path edge, probably a Queen White-tailed Bumble Bee. Then we took the long path through the horse fields, admiring how the empty ones were carpeted with Daisies.

The Gorse was in full bloom, giving off a strong almondy smell. There were a few Linnets bobbing up and down, giving us another 15 points, now 985. We were really hoping for a Swallow or a House Martin soon, to take us over the finishing line. There was a White Wagtail by the fence (but it’s not in the I-Spy bird book, drat it). We studied two mystery birds on a distant post, right against the sun, but we couldn’t identify them. There was a Tree Sparrow at the back of the hedge opposite the farm, but that’s not in the book either. A Kestrel was hovering almost motionlessly in the updraft from the bank, and we stopped to admire its skill, (but we’ve already had a Kestrel).

Sadly there was no sign of any Hirundines (Swallows or Martins), just a Pied Wagtail, so we climbed the bank and made our way back eastwards towards the Lighthouse. Off on the sandbanks in the water were three or four Little Egrets (we’ve had them). In one spot there were several hundred Coltsfoot flowers on the sloping side of the bank. We rarely see so many all together. We also commented on the abundance of Alexanders here, one of the only places we see it. It has a warm caramelly scent, classically likened to myrrh.  It is said to be found mainly close to the sea in the south of England and East Anglia, but it’s also found all around the Wales and Lancashire coasts. It’s native to the Mediterranean and was brought to the UK by the Romans, for cultivation as a food crop.

Then to our surprise a pair of birds settled on the cycle track along the sea wall. A pair of Bramblings! They are supposed to have migrated north already. They flew off before I could get a picture, but they are worth 30 points so we get our 1000 bird points in some style, overshooting to 1015. I have sent off for our certificate and badge.

We added 15 tree points for the White Poplar, taking us to 660. We got 135 points for wild flowers, taking us to 180.  A:  Jack-by-the-Hedge or Jack-among-the-Hedgerow

Public transport details: We would normally get the train to Moreton, but because of the rail tunnel closure, we opted to avoid the rail replacement bus and got the 423 from Sir Thomas Street at 10.10, arriving Maryland Lane near Moreton Cross at 10.55. Returned from Moreton station on the 2.42 train, arriving Birkenhead North 2.50. Then onto the rail replacement bus which got us to Moorfields at 3.10.

Today we walked the section of the Leeds-Liverpool Canal from Halsall to Downholland Cross. Bright sunshine all day, with just an occasional chilly breeze. In the gardens the Magnolia petals are dropping and the Forsythias are past their best, but the common deciduous trees are coming into leaf. These new Sycamore leaves were shining in the sun as we got off the bus.

Jackdaws were foraging amongst the gravestones of St Cuthbert’s Halsall, where the lych-gate is flanked by two statuesque Irish Yews.

We headed east down Summerwood Lane, seeing Blackbird, Wood Pigeon and a Wren. Then we turned south onto the canal by the sculpture of the Halsall Navvy (a tribute to the men who dug the canal). We heard a Chaffinch and a Skylark, and had a glimpse of a possible Kingfisher flying low over the water. A Reed Bunting popped up briefly out of the reeds. Soon we came to the Haskayne Cutting – dead straight for eight tenths of a mile, which was rock-cut by hand all those years ago. There’s a new sign marking the place where the first spadefull of earth was dug.

As well as the I-Spy tree and bird books, we have started on their wild flowers. So far this year we have spotted only Gorse, Daisy, Lesser Celandine and Dandelion. Here’s the question for the Dandelion: Where does the name come from? Answer at the end. We knew it and doubled our points, but only from 5 to 10.

Lots of wild flowers were in leaf or bud – Speedwell, Cow Parsley and Garlic Mustard, but the only  “tickable” addition was White Dead-nettle, which was flowering all along the bank. We have a meagre 45 points for the year so far, but they will soon come thick and fast.

We lunched by bridge 23, Harker’s Bridge (which carries Plex Lane). There were no ducklings today, just small groups of loafing drake Mallards, waiting for their hidden mates to hatch the eggs. I think we saw only one Coot, and no Moorhens, so they must all be hunkered down too. But the butterflies and other insects were all responding to the warmth.

South of the Ship Inn an unidentified dragonfly zoomed past, one of the increasingly scarce native 5-spot Ladybirds sunned itself on a mixed bank of Cow Parsley and Cleavers (Goose Grass), several Bumble Bees droned around and we spotted both Peacock butterflies and several Small Tortoiseshells.

They are refurbishing the old canal mileposts to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the canal. All the remaining ones are Grade II listed, apparently. We found this one with the plate missing, but it must have been out for repair because someone has scribbled “Leeds 110¼” to assist whoever brings the new one back.

The old 17th century farmhouse called Downholland Hall is also Grade II listed.

One of the trees I was hoping to find today was a Wild Cherry. All the garden Cherry trees are either out or coming out, depending on the variety, so Wild Cherries should be in flower. The old hedges of the canal are likely spots, and although it’s very hard to distinguish the members of the Prunus genus, this one wasn’t a Blackthorn, or anything else I could positively identify, so I tentatively suggest it was a Wild Cherry and claim my 15 points.

We had walked for three miles by then, and some of the older members of the group had begun to flag. We revised our plan to walk as far as Lydiate (another two miles), and got the bus at the New Scarisbrick Arms, rode it for just two or three stops, and went for tea and cake in the Hayloft tea shop. Afterwards we visited their farm shop, where I got some duck eggs. They keep Peacocks here (the exotic birds, not the butterflies), and they were all lounging about in the sun, taking the weight off their tails.

From the bus on the way home we saw several of the common street trees Norway Maple, which are just coming into flower. At this time of year the bare trees put out a sudden froth of acid-yellow flowers before the leaves. Here’s one from my neighbourhood. (It’s the one on the right.)

It isn’t in the I-Spy tree book, sadly, so today we got just 25 points from two tree species, taking the total to 645. Last week’s good birds actually took the score to 950 (when John got his glasses on and counted them up properly). We may not have seen anything new today but we hope for some spring migrants next week. We could hit 1000 points with just one or two good birds.
A: from Dent-de-Lion (French for “lion’s teeth”) which refers to the toothed leaves.

Public transport details: Bus 300 from Queen Square at 10.25, arriving St Cuthbert’s church Halsall at 11.25. Returned on the 300 bus at the Scarisbrick Arms at 2.27, although we got off three minutes later at Hall Lane, then came back to the same stop an hour later for the next 300 bus to Liverpool at 3.27.

It was dazzlingly sunny as we left the bus in Preesall Close, and it stayed that way all day. We wondered if the House Martins who nest under the eaves there would be back and building, but there was no sign of them. From up on the bank overlooking the reserve we could see Greylag Geese, Tufted Duck, a few Lapwings and a big flight of Pink-footed Geese far off to the north. Closer in was a Hare!

Little Egrets were displaying, and in and around the gullies along Marshside Road were Teal, Gadwall, Black-tailed Godwits, Moorhen and some Wigeon.

Next to Sandgrounders hide, in that warm sheltered corner, there was a Peacock Butterfly on a Dandelion. (Next to it is the fertile stem of Field Horsetail Equisetum arvense.)

There were huge numbers of Black-headed Gulls displaying, bickering and generally making a racket. Amongst them were Canada Geese and the odd Oystercatcher.

Some people there told us that earlier they had seen a Hare swim from an island just north of the hide to the bank next to Marine Drive. Didn’t know they could swim!

Shoveller

Then we walked along to Nel’s Hide. We had hoped to see the Cattle Egrets which had been reported here on Friday, and which were probably the same ones we had hunted in vain at Kew Woods on 19th February. They weren’t at Marshside, either. But there were lots of other birds worth looking at, including just a few Avocets, with Pintail, a distant Snipe, and elegant Gadwall.

Avocets

Pintail

Gadwall pair

The Shelduck were feeding by upending (“dabbling”), and it was so quiet we could hear their feet paddling.

On the way back we spotted this Black-tailed Godwit feeding on its own by the side of Marshside Road. It appears to have colour rings on both tibias (above the “knees”). The colours are hard to distinguish but I think they are Left – green above white, and Right – white above yellow. There is a large international study of their migration patterns, and this bird has been reported (with photo) to Prof Jenny Gill at the University of East Anglia.

She responded quickly, saying  “Very many  thanks for reporting this sighting – we are always keen to receive these records as they are invaluable for our research. I think that the yellow ring on this bird is actually a flag, which means it is one that was ringed in Iceland. I am therefore copying this to Böddi, who runs those schemes, and he will send details. If you would like to know more about our research into godwits (and other waders), please see our blog series: https://wadertales.wordpress.com/category/black-tailed-godwit/.  Thanks again, Jenny”

By Tuesday morning I had heard from Bodvar Thorisson of the University of Iceland. He said “Thank you for this sighting and image. The top ring on left tibia is a white ring, it is just in shade. It is bird WW-WYflag.  Böddi.” He sent me a file of the bird’s life history. It is still a young bird, nearly four years old. It was ringed in the nest on 11th July 2013, sex unknown, at Reykholar, A-Bardastrandarsysla, NW Ice, Iceland. (He gave me the co-ordinates, so the spot is marked with an orange pin on the map below.) Then it disappeared for nearly 2 years until it was spotted in May 2015 on the Loughor Estuary in South Wales. Since 5th September 2016 it has been spotted 12 times locally at either Marshside, Thurstaston or Newton Marsh on the Ribble Estuary. (Well done that team at East Anglia and Reykjavik for their fast response.)

We just missed the 2.25 bus so we walked along the eastern bank again. There were six or more Small Tortoiseshells all darting about in a group, in some sort of mating dance or display. Another Hare was about, and a Meadow Pipit flew quickly away. This Redshank was feeding near the edge of a pool.

John had hoped to crack 1000 I-Spy bird points today, but we didn’t quite make it. We were up to 775 last week and got 160 today, making 935, so it can’t be long now. There are several common-ish birds which we still haven’t seen during Sunday Group walks, including Wheatear, Great Crested Grebe and Treecreeper. We counted no additional trees today, but here’s a fine young Monkey Puzzle in Preesall Close, to compensate for the one we counted in January which was only seen from the bus!

On the way home I stopped to look at a luxuriant growth of various mosses on the coping stone of an old wall near Blundellsands and Crosby Station. I have no idea of mosses, but this one might be Capillary Thread-moss Bryum capillare, said to be common in urban areas.

Public transport details: Train from Central at 10.23, arriving Southport 11.09. Then 44 bus at 11.20 from Hoghton Street, stop HC (opposite the Little Theatre), arriving Elswick Road / Preesall Close at 11.30. Returned on the 44 bus from Elswick Road / Pilling Close at 2.54, arriving Hoghton Road 3.04. Then the train at 3.28, due back in Liverpool at 4.14.

Despite the colder turn, spring is still moving forward. I love this time of year, when the distant trees show faint washes of colour – misty greens and maroons – as they start to bud and leaf. There was a grey sky when I set out, and a gusty wind, but the sun soon made an appearance. In the churchyard of St Mary and St Helen in Neston, a tree had been blown down in Storm Doris: John saw it cordoned off  a week or so ago when he was there last. He thought it might have been a big old Holm Oak, but now it’s gone, reduced to a few logs and a patch of chippings. The wind was roaring in the tops of the other big bare trees. We headed down Church Lane then northwards along the Wirral Way.  The white blossom of Blackthorn and the pale green leaves of Hawthorn are out side-by-side.

We get 15 tree points for the Blackthorn and doubled it to 30 by correctly answering the question. Q1 “What is the name of the Irish hand weapon traditionally made from a Blackthorn branch?”  Hawthorn is worth only 10, but we doubled that too. Q2  “What other names do you know for this tree?” (Answers at the end.)  We also noticed the sticky buds of the Horse Chestnut breaking open, but we won’t count it until the leaves and flowers are out.

The Weeping Willows are greening and magnificent Magnolias are blooming in gardens. Many streets are adorned by early cherry blossom, and the Forsythia adds splashes of brilliant yellow.

The leaves of Wild Garlic showed in large patches by the wayside, but their flowers are still just buds, snuggled well down in the heart of the plant. There was a Bumble Bee, which looked like a Buff-tailed, flying low over the verge.  She will be a fertile Queen who has just woken from her winter sleep and is looking for a hole in the ground to establish a new colony.  As we reached Parkgate there were a few spots of rain. I was quite taken with this ornate inn sign outside The Red Lion, which I’ve never noticed before. (Too busy looking out over the marsh, I suppose.)

The tide was out and there were very few people or birds about. The main pool had a couple of  Oystercatchers, a few Canada Geese, half a dozen Black-headed Gulls, one Herring Gull and a  Moorhen. There were a few Teal on the far side and a Kestrel hovered over The Parade. Then a Little Egret flew in to a gully and caught a couple of fish.

We lunched in the little garden behind St Thomas’s church, sheltered from the gusty wind. They had a pretty display of early Tulips and Grape Hyacinths, and another Bumble Bee was prospecting in the flower beds. Then we walked up School Lane, where I spotted a shrub called Stag’s Horn Sumach in a garden, with last year’s dried-up flowers still showing well, reaching for the sky like a candelabra. The I-Spy tree book has made some idiosyncratic choices about what constitutes a tree, and this is one that they include, worth 25 points.

At the end of School Lane there is a footpath marked “3 miles to Thornton Hough”, and we went a few hundred yards along it. Perhaps we’ll explore it further another day. It was worth the short foray though, because we spotted a Chiffchaff, our first of the year. It wasn’t singing, and had perhaps just arrived from Africa . Then we returned to the Wirral Way and went back the way we came. A Robin was singing in the sunshine and the second Mistle Thrush of the day flew off as we passed. We heard the call of Great Spotted Woodpecker then spotted it in a tree. The early feathery leaves of Cow Parsley are shooting up all along the verges, and there was yet another Buff-tailed Bumble Bee. Less than a hundred yards from Station Road, Parkgate, there is big mound of red earth by the side of path, with several entrances on the far side. It is smooth by the entrance holes and there are some long scratch marks in the earth. There was no foxy smell. We think it’s probably a Badger sett, very near to houses and a busy road.

On a sunny tangled bank there was a carpet of Lesser Celandine, and in a shady corner what looked like Periwinkle but with oddly narrow petals. Was it an abnormal Lesser Periwinkle? The website English Wild Flowers, a seasonal guide, has a picture of a similar-looking Lesser Periwinkle Vinca minor, marked “Purple variety, Dorset”.

We came off the Wirral Way at Station Road, Neston. There was Shepherd’s Purse blooming at the edges of the pavement and some early Dandelions. High Street Gallery in the town had this painting of Parkgate Panorama, about 6 foot (2m) wide, marked “Limited Edition, only available here, £150”

The I-Spy bird points were up to 695 last week and we got at least 50 more today (including Teal, Chiffchaff and Mistle Thrush plus Rooks in the rookery in Thornton Hough as we passed on the bus.) The tree score is now up to 620.  (A1 Shillelagh, A2 May or Quickthorn).

Public transport details: Bus 487 from Sir Thomas Street at 10.29, arriving Neston Brook Street at 11.20. Returned on the 487 from Neston Brook Street at 2.40, arriving Liverpool City Centre at 3.25.