The Naturalists' Notebook

Report from John Clegg

A sunny, warm morning saw ten MNA members meet at Orrell Water Park for our walk.

We started with a pair of Great Crested Grebes dancing on the largest of the lakes, with good numbers of Coots, Black-headed Gulls and Canada Geese. At the feeding station a male Sparrowhawk  was seen to put up the feeding birds, including Blue, Great and Long-tailed Tits, Chaffinch, Bullfinch, Blackbird and Robin.

On the bank of a stream over 100 Miner Bees were seen , including Early, Tawny and Andrena Mining Bees. On the Holly hedge we saw a number of Holly Leaf Miner beetles and a Snake Millipede.

The sunny day brought out lots of butterfiles: Large White, Green-veined White, Comma, Small Tortoiseshell, Red Admiral and Peacock were all seen.  In the wood were carpets of White Wood Anemone and yellow Primrose.

A total of 21 bird species were seen on the day.

Farmyard Goose

A regular venue for MNA coach trips, Ellesmere is always a popular favourite. We arrived to scattered clouds, sunshine and a gaggle of rather vocal farmyard Geese, Greylags and Canadas all begging for food from the day-trippers. The geese looked non too impressed with Barbara’s swan and geese pellets!

Vocal Greylag Goose

Barbara And The Geese

We had a quick nose in the visitor centre at the cameras fixed on the Grey Heron nesting Heronry on the island in the mere. A couple of Mute Swans had blue darvic rings on their legs with numbers 7FID and 7FIP. These birds have been ringed by Tony Cross of the Red Kite Trust and a record of these sightings were forwarded to him. As we slowly ambled around the mere Buzzards were mewing overhead, Tufted Duck and Goldeneye were diving out at the back and Great Crested Grebes were proudly sporting their spring headdress.

Buzzard courtesy of Chris Derri

We stopped to look at a large Wellingtonia tree. Its fibrous looking trunk had a number of small indents with streaks of droppings beneath. Treecreepers snuggle into these holes to roost, their mottled back camouflaged against the trunk. Holes at various sides of the trunk are favoured depending on the wind direction.  As we entered the woodland we heard the distinctive tui-tui-tui call of a Nuthatch that was going to feature throughout the day.

Nuthatch courtesy of Chris Derri

Spring was evidently here with Chaffinches ‘pinking’, Great Tits calling ‘teacher teacher’, Wrens giving the occasional blast of song from the undergrowth accompanied by Robins, Dunnocks, Blackbirds, a few Song Thrushes, Blue Tits, the odd Coal Tit and Goldcrest. John Clegg had a lucky sighting of a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker flying across the path. A Raven joined the usual corvids exclaiming ‘prunk prunk’ as it flew overhead. We were glad when we watched a couple of upended Swans through our binoculars to find that they were Whoopers. A couple of members remarked that they seem to be able to hold their breath longer than Mute Swans.

A few Spring flowers with Coltsfoot Tussilago farfara, Lesser Celandine Ranunculus ficaria, Snowdrops and Daffodils. Fungi included Southern Bracket Ganoderma adspersum, Hairy Stereum Stereum hirsutum, Turkeytail Trametes versicolor, Velvet Shank Flammulina velutipes, Jelly Ear Auricularia auricula-judae, Coral Spot Fungus Nectria cinnabarina, Slime Mould Enteridium lycoperdon and some rather gross looking Dog Vomit Slime Mold Fuligo septica splattered over Smoky Bracket Bjerkandera adjusta.

The aptly named Dog Vomit Slime Mould

Various metal figures etc had been stuck onto some glacial erratic boulders beside the path. Modern art that had many scratching their heads!After lunch a small group of five of us walked through the small Shropshire Wildlife Trust Plantation Wood Reserve and down to the Shropshire Union Canal. 

Walked along the towpath of the Shropshire Union Canal hearing a few more Nuthatch, Wrens bursting into song and a calling Chiffchaff. Two Red Legged Partidge ran across an arable field at the far side of the canal and a number of Mallard pairs sat on the edge of the towpath some dropping into the water as we walked by. Wood Anemones were in flower along the canal. It was a flat calm Blakemere with a pair of Great Crested Grebes joining the two Cormorants on the water.

Blakemere Reflections

A few Greylags and Canada Geese were next to a pair of Mallards mooching in vegetation at the edge of Blakemere. A bare tree held a further eighteen Cormorants with one individual having particularly iridescent green plumage. Another Cormorant was holding its wings outstretched although it is still not fully understood why Cormorants exhibit this behaviour. Drying their wings, cooling off due to the heat generated by digesting a fish, keeping space between birds to allow for rapid take off have all been suggested. We continued along towards Coelmere where the Star birds were the flotilla of Goosanders – mostly females looking stunning in the sunlight.

Male Goosander courtesy of Chris Derri

Notices around the lake about the invasive Killer Shrimp. We passed the Coelmere Sailing Club building a nice with herringbone chimney pot and came across a Hawthorn tree parasitized by Mistletoe.

Mistletoe courtesy of Chris Derri

As we walked up Wood Lane from Coelmere we passed a number of quaint thatched cottages. Wood Lane Quarry could be seen as we peaked through the thick holly hedge. There is a large Sand Martin colony here in the summer. Lesser Celandine and Red Dead Nettles grew along the lane edge. A Sparrowhawk flew from a tree and glided across a rolling glacial drumlin field. We nosed through the slits in a wickerwork viewing screen at the ponds of Shropshire Wildlife Trusts Wood Lane Nature Reserve. Over twenty six Lapwings along with a couple of Curlew and Oyks and a lone Common Sandpiper comprised the waders. Gadwall and Teal joined the usual Coot and Moorhen for the ducks.We continued our walk along Wood Lane passing a vocal Coal Tit and surprising a couple of Rabbits that bolted into their burrows under the Holly hedge. We crossed the main road and onto a small track leading to Whitemere where there was a few Coot and Great Crested Grebes on the water. A Red Fox was foraging along the edge on the Mere on the far side and a Buzzard was sat in a tree. We continued back along the main road to Ellesmere with aching knees but with some great sightings!

It was a great turn-out with over twenty MNA members for our visit to the Wildlife Trust Reserve at Mere Sands Wood. Commendably many arrived using public transport or shared cars. Buzzards circled over the wood, a female Kestrel perched in a small tree and Chris Butterworth caught a glimpse of an Osprey as it flew over the tree line. From Cyril Gibbons hide overlooking Mere End Lake a pair of Great-crested Grebes were in the throes of their mating dance with much head shaking and graceful mirrored movements. A gang of male Tufties mooched about the far end of the lake and a pair of Goldeneye were diving for food. Later John Clegg and co watched a Kingfisher.

As we walked through the woodland birdlife included Blue and Great Tits, Chaffinches, Blackbirds, Treecreeper and Great Spotted Woodpecker whilst Robins, Dunnocks and Wrens were in full voice. The feeders around the visitor centre were busy with Tree Sparrows, good numbers of Reed Buntings, Collared Doves, a Nuthatch plus more Chaffinches and Tits.

Female Reed Bunting Courtesy of Chris Derri

Snowdrops were in flower and there was a splash of yellow with Narcissus.

Narcissus Flowers

From Lancaster Hide we watched a Water Rail as it walked around the edge of the reeds and listened as a pair of Little Grebes were whinnying away. Gadwall, Teal, Shelduck and Canada Goose were added to the list.

Water Rail photos courtesy of Chris Derri

From Ainscough and Redwing Hide more views of wintering Wildfowl with Shovelers and a few female Ruddy Ducks who had escaped the cull.

Around at Rufford Hide there were not one but two Bitterns! One played hide and seek in the narrow line of reeds opposite the hide. Patient watchers eventually caught glimpses when the bird silently stalked through the reeds or stood, head held high, fluffing out its neck feathers. The second Bittern in the reeds to the right hand end of the hide was slightly more obliging and we watched as its head and dagger bill protruded from the reeds. A number of visitors with extremely large camera lens remained pointed in its direction when the sun caught its streaked buff brown plumage. A juvenile Grey Heron also caught visitors’ attention at it stood on a plank of wood intently staring at the water then stabbing and catching a number of small fish. Three female Goosanders with chocolate brown heads floated by on the water. These ‘sawbill’ ducks have a serrated edge to their bills that help them to firmly catch fish.

Fungi was on the most part a bit past its best but we still noted Oyster Mushroom Pleurotus ostreatus, Southern Bracket Ganoderma adspersum, Jelly Ear Auricularia auricula-judae, Birch Polypore Piptoporus betulinus, Turkeytail Trametes versicolor, Lumpy Bracket Trametes gibbosa, Smoky Bracket Bjerkandera adusta and Common Puffball Lycoperdon perlatum.

Turkeytail

Peering under rotting wood Chris Butterworth had some interesting finds with a Land Planarian Microplana terrestris – this native terrestrial flatworm feeds on earthworms and some snail species such as Arion hortensis and Discus rotundatus. A small 6mm snail with glossy, flattened shell gave away its identity with its characteristic garlic odour – Garlic Snail Oxychilus alliarius. There were also a couple of Ground Beetles Nebria sp. the egg case from a Wolf Spider and a spherical Potters Wasp nest clinging to the ceiling of Rufford Hide.

Pottters Wasp Nest

A fantastic local meeting where we were rewarded with some real wildlife treats!