North Cheshire Group
Newsletter Autumn 2006
First, an apology to all those who received the wrong newsletter last time! It was due to a glitch at the distribution point in deepest Cheshire, far out of our control up here in the heartland of Trafford. Like many of you, I was surprised to receive the Macc & Cong newsletter, but then enjoyed having a nosey at what another group was doing. Yes, they were doing much the same as us, worrying about membership, getting enough volunteers on reserves, indoor meetings & the increasing cost of room hire etc. etc. Hope the sorters have got the sorting out sorted this time…Phew! Try saying that with a mouthful of cheesy wotsits!
The Bat Walk that never was! The opposition from local residents & environmentalists to proposed developments at Manchester Airport possibly prevented us from getting access to the nearby Bat Barn for our planned August event, and as we were not able to come up with another site at short notice we had to cancel the evening trip. So sorry to those of you who took the trouble to phone for information & to all those who showed interest. We will try again, maybe next year if we can get it sorted. In view of recent events at airports, security is a major problem which may also have contributed to the reluctance to give permits.
Timperley Fair. By the time you read this, the fair will have been and gone. Change of dates by the fair organizers, meant we couldn’t remind you all in time to come along & support us. To those who did we say thanks & hope you enjoyed the day.
For the computer buffs John Somerville, our Brookheyes reserve manager has an excellent web-site on British Wild Flowers, well worth a look at www.british-wild-flowers.co.uk
We were saddened to hear from Birch Moss reserve manager David Reeves, of the unexpected loss earlier this year, of his wife June. Though we only met June occasionally, she was an accomplished artist & craftswoman in various mediums, particularly stained glass painting, modelling & collage. Like David, June loved her garden & was an enthusiastic plantswoman, particularly of tropical species, many of which grow successfully in their large garden. Among figs & palms, there is what must be the only fruiting banana tree in Timperley. Standing some ten foot high, it lives on the patio & in winter has to be lovingly wrapped up against the cold. Caring deeply for the environment & in accordance with her wishes June was given a green funeral & laid to rest in a quiet woodland in Cheshire. We extend our condolences & sympathy to David & his family.
Out and About Buzzards have nested again in Sinderland Green reserve & in June several quail were calling, close by the path at the end of Dark Lane & the blackberries along there were plump & ready by the first week in August, no doubt brought on by the extended warm weather. We have heard, but only briefly seen young sparrowhawks calling in Black Moss Covert. Also, great spotted woodpeckers have frequently been seen. The swifts that nest along my road in Broadheath left on schedule on August 6th. In July my garden was visited for the first time by a garden warbler. With no colourful plumage to display, this unremarkable brown bird of no distinguishable features skulks about among shrubs & hedgerows as if ashamed of its lack of splendour. I remember it for its bright alert black eyes that dared me to disturb it! I didn’t!
Two Summer Outings by Jean Dufty:
1 Dutton Park Farm Reserve
On a VERY wet day in late May eight enthusiastic members of North Group met CWT head of conservation Jacki Hulse at the Leigh Arms pub car park, beside the R. Weaver just off the A49. Jacki expressed some surprise that so many had turned up & with enthusiasm un-dampened in such inclement weather! A walk of a little over a mile along a good path along the river brought us to Dutton Park Farm Reserve, recently acquired jointly by CWT and The Woodland Trust. Having read about it in the Grebe, seen photos and aerial views, contributed to the appeal to purchase it and heard about it from a member of The Woodland Trust at one of our indoor meetings, personally I was really interested to see it.
A good path led us eventually over the river & through a large area of grassland to a woodland area, where we heard from Jacki the plans to let the grassland and woodland recover from years of over grazing. We then walked to the viaduct roughly in the middle of the area, and were glad of its shelter from the persistent rain while we ate our lunch, grateful to a thoughtful architect who had provided a ledge at just the right height to form a seat. Had the weather been finer we might have walked the rest of the area, up a slope to some clumps of trees. Some members of the party resolved that we should go again maybe next year, but on a dry day, for though interesting and lovely as the area was, it would have had an added attraction on a fine day, and it will be interesting in time to see the land recover and see the meadow and woodland flora flourish. 2. Chadkirk Wildflower Meadow June 10th was as hot & fine as May 21st was wet! Seven members met in Sale, bound for Chadkirk estate, near Romily, where conservation officer Elizabeth Barrett and the Chadkirk Land Services Manager John Rowland met us. Ten minutes pleasant walk from the main car park, or an even shorter one from the disabled parking & we were beside the old chapel & farm buildings, alongside the walled garden with its beehives, orchard & flowers. John & Elizabeth conducted us across the lane to the wildflower meadow which had been deep ploughed to bring up soil from about three feet down that was neither enriched or fertilised & in which ‘old fashioned’ meadow flowers such as chamomile daisies, cornflowers, corn cockle & field poppies can grow. It had already been sown with wildflower seeds & the result was a picturesque mix of all these flowers.
The estate comprises about 60 acres and is owned and managed by Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council. The area may have been mentioned as ‘Cedde’ in the Doomsday Book, and it is believed that there has been a chapel there since the 7th century. After a picnic lunch, sheltering from the sun this time, under trees, we enjoyed the walled garden and the chapel, beautifully restored and now looked after by The Friends of Chadkirk. Then some of the party walked uphill to the canal & others walked on the level through the wood to the River Goyt and a weir; both being alternative routes back to the car park. We were told that kingfishers may be seen near the weir, but on a very hot, sunny afternoon they were wisely resting and not on view. Another pleasant and interesting day out! June 25th A Visit to the National Wildflower Centre near Liverpool: by Liz Nall
On Sun. June 25th six members headed for the National Wildflower Centre at Knowsley. The centre, founded by the environmental charity Landlife is in the grounds of Court Hey Park, former home of the brother of William Gladstone.
A plant nursery in the former walled garden has numerous small flower beds filled with different types of planting material. Some with soils of differing ph & others with substrates derived from waste materials such as ‘shoddy’, (old wool or worsted fibres) crushed re-cycled glass, or broken bricks. Each had been sown with a mix of British wildflower seeds suitable for the base material & selected to flower at differing times to give a constantly changing display. The labelling of the beds with notes on the growing medium & named pictures of the dominant plants answered many questions without being intrusive. Nor are all the plants at ground level. A rooftop walkway edged with meadow species is on the modern building that houses the shop & café. Again all are clearly labelled & indicating the plant succession throughout the year.
As we worked our way around the various displays, a diverse population of insects were also busy among the plants. Shield bugs, ladybirds, damselflies & bees were everywhere, but most exciting was a humming-bird hawk moth, darting from flower to flower, briefly hovering to feed on nectar, its rapidly beating wings just a brown & orange blur, defeating the photographers amongst us trying to get a clear shot!
Feeling peckish, we were astonished to find three hours had passed so quickly & headed for the picnic tables behind the shop to have our lunch, after which we walked out into the park with its mature trees & innovative sculptures. The day had been dry though overcast but now the cloud was thickening & rain threatened so we headed for the visitor centre & shop before returning home along the M62. All agreed that it had been an absorbing visit, well worth another look, perhaps at a different season of the year. Trafford Ecology Park by Liz Blackman
It was during the long July heatwave that the day for our visit came up. Despite the heat, eight of us greatly enjoyed a gentle exploration of the Park’s different habitats. Also enjoying the warmth were numerous butterflies & bees. Comma, peacock & several whites were on the buddleias around the visitor centre & nearby pool. Meadow browns were seen among the long grasses & holly blue & speckled woods patrolled the woodland glades. Later in the small arable wildflower bed, a single female common blue was spotted on its food plant, birds-foot trefoil. Almost as big, the day-flying silver Y moth fluttered among the shrubs. The expression ‘busy as a bee’ was amply demonstrated by the many & varied bumblebees around the site. The freshest vegetation was by the visitor centre pond where roots still had access to water. Spikes of purple loosestrife gave brilliant colour among the reed mace & candelabra-style water plantain. Fleabane, like tiny sunflowers was just coming into bloom. We noticed alder leaves reduced to lacy skeletons by an army of small black caterpillars.
The shade of the trees was a welcome relief as we made our way around the lake. The well vegetated slopes surely giving cover to the wildlife, hopefully not just rats from the nearby warehouses (we only saw a dead one)! A large brown hawker dragonfly whizzed over the water hunting for small insects. A marshy grassland area was quite dried out, although the sharp-eyed spotted the remnants of fruiting orchid spikes & common pink century. Further on, another area of dry, thin soil provided the botanists with vipers bugloss, chicory, mullein & wild carrot – rare in Trafford. The main wildflower meadow was understandably past its best, but is a wonderful sight nonetheless & still had bits of lady’s bedstraw & perforate St Johns wort in flower. A tiny bed of arable wildflowers had scraps of cornflowers, corn cockle, corn marigold & birds-foot trefoil.
The Ecology Park is an astonishing oasis in the heart of industrial Trafford Park, with only a mere glimpse of a distant high-rise & a rumble of passing lorries to impinge on its peace. Do go there. Open Mon-Fri, 9am-5pm
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