The Naturalists' Notebook

Took the train from Central to Moreton, then cut through the Tarran Way Industrial Estate to the Moreton Brickworks Landfill site. Circled Moreton Mere and had our lunch at Leasowe Lighthouse. The sun brought out lots of butterflies today – Orange Tip, Speckled Wood, Small White, Small Tortoiseshell and a Common Blue. Lots of Whitethroats were singing in the open, we had good views of Greenfinch and Goldfinch, a fleeting sighting of a Linnet and saw several Swallows zipping over the horse fields. After lunch we walked along the front past Leasowe Castle, where there were several hundred Oystercatchers on the tide line. We had been invited to tea at the home of a previous member who has not been able to walk with us for a while, so we cut over the fields to Lillian’s, where we were so well entertained with tea and cakes that it was after 5pm before we got back to Liverpool.

Next Sunday 16th May is Walton Hall Park, meeting at Queen Square at 10am.  I will not be blogging about that walk, because I will be away birdwatching in Poland, volcanic ash permitting.

A bit of a mystery tour this week. Where is Mayer Park? Some of us had done our homework and knew it was in Bebington.  Got there by the Parkgate bus which left Sir Thomas Street at 10.30. Nice park, but fairly small.  We were interested in the old building, and one of us had looked it up beforehand and had some information on Mayer, the builder. Not so warm today, and there were a few spots of rain, but we were able to admire the blossom everywhere, and try to work out the age of the stump of an enormous fallen tree. Ate our lunch in the sunken garden, then through the tunnel into Port Sunlight. The only bird of any note today was a Mistle Thrush hunting worms on one of the lawns. We went into Port Sunlight Museum and Lady Lever Art Gallery, then split up at about 2.30, some for the station and home and some to the Port Sunlight Garden Centre..