Field Trips 2017
Blackbrook and Carr Mill Dam, Saint Helens 8/4/2017, Loggerheads 22/4/2017, Altcar Rifle Range 12/5/2017,
Lunt Meadows 20/5/2017, West Kirby 10/6/2017, Court Hey Park 17/6/2017, Hilbre Island 1/7/2017,
Hall Road, Crosby 5/8/2017, Crosby 19/8/2017, Freshfield (Fungi Foray) 7/10/2017
Blackbrook and Carr Mill Dam, Saint Helens 8/4/2017, Loggerheads 22/4/2017, Altcar Rifle Range 12/5/2017,
Lunt Meadows 20/5/2017, West Kirby 10/6/2017, Court Hey Park 17/6/2017, Hilbre Island 1/7/2017,
Hall Road, Crosby 5/8/2017, Crosby 19/8/2017, Freshfield (Fungi Foray) 7/10/2017
Blackbrook and Carr Mill Dam
Saturday 8th April 2017
Leader: David Earl
About 18 of us met up on very sunny Saturday morning at the Blackbrook Heritage Centre in Sankey Valley Park, St Helens. Space in the car park at a premium due to small fun fair set up in the pub next door! Dave Owens, one of the St Helens rangers, made sure that the centre, with toilets, was open and also guided Dave Earl off onto the valley footpath system for the meeting which headed north-west along the course of the Blackbrook and canals up to, and around, Carr Mill Dam.
There was a good turnout of members for this first meeting of the 2017 season and there was plenty of Spring wildlife to be seen, and heard. Dave Earl undertook a full record, monad by monad (1km squares on OS mapping), however this plant list covers plants seen all the way from the visitor centre up to the lower bank of Carr Mill Dam, therefore recording only the Blackbrook valley part of the walk.
From the car park we set off along the banks of the St Helens Canal and around Blackbrook wharf, an extremely busy industrial scene in the second half of the eighteenth century, but now returned to nature, with a diverse range of water, wetland woodland, scrub and grassland habitats.
Continuing along the main canal path for a while we diverted to the right and up the bank onto the towpath of a much smaller and shorter canal, at a higher level, which once ran between Carr Mill and Stanley Bank. The surviving towpath runs through now well-established woodland with patches of wetland habitat as well as the old canal still partially in water. This section of the walk was particularly rich in ferns, with both Soft and Hard Shield-fern being seen as well as a small stand of Ostrich Fern, right on the water’s edge of the upper canal.
We returned to the course of the Blackbrook just south of Carr Mill Dam and then under the East Lancashire Road. At this northern end of the Blackbrook valley Greater Burnet-saxifrage is quite frequent along the path edges.
Some of the party turned back at the base of the dam, the majority continued, to complete a circuit around Carr Mill Dam reservoir.
PSG
Saturday 8th April 2017
Leader: David Earl
About 18 of us met up on very sunny Saturday morning at the Blackbrook Heritage Centre in Sankey Valley Park, St Helens. Space in the car park at a premium due to small fun fair set up in the pub next door! Dave Owens, one of the St Helens rangers, made sure that the centre, with toilets, was open and also guided Dave Earl off onto the valley footpath system for the meeting which headed north-west along the course of the Blackbrook and canals up to, and around, Carr Mill Dam.
There was a good turnout of members for this first meeting of the 2017 season and there was plenty of Spring wildlife to be seen, and heard. Dave Earl undertook a full record, monad by monad (1km squares on OS mapping), however this plant list covers plants seen all the way from the visitor centre up to the lower bank of Carr Mill Dam, therefore recording only the Blackbrook valley part of the walk.
From the car park we set off along the banks of the St Helens Canal and around Blackbrook wharf, an extremely busy industrial scene in the second half of the eighteenth century, but now returned to nature, with a diverse range of water, wetland woodland, scrub and grassland habitats.
Continuing along the main canal path for a while we diverted to the right and up the bank onto the towpath of a much smaller and shorter canal, at a higher level, which once ran between Carr Mill and Stanley Bank. The surviving towpath runs through now well-established woodland with patches of wetland habitat as well as the old canal still partially in water. This section of the walk was particularly rich in ferns, with both Soft and Hard Shield-fern being seen as well as a small stand of Ostrich Fern, right on the water’s edge of the upper canal.
We returned to the course of the Blackbrook just south of Carr Mill Dam and then under the East Lancashire Road. At this northern end of the Blackbrook valley Greater Burnet-saxifrage is quite frequent along the path edges.
Some of the party turned back at the base of the dam, the majority continued, to complete a circuit around Carr Mill Dam reservoir.
PSG
| blackbrook_species_list.docx |
Loggerheads
Saturday 22nd April 2017
Leaders – Peter Gateley & Peter Tipping
Saturday 22nd April 2017
Leaders – Peter Gateley & Peter Tipping
| loggerheads_plant_list_april_22nd.docx |
Altcar
Fri 12th May 2017
Leader: Steve Cross
Text and species list tofollow.
Photos Steve Cross
Fri 12th May 2017
Leader: Steve Cross
Text and species list tofollow.
Photos Steve Cross
Lunt Meadows
Sat 20th May 2017
Leader: Steve Cross
Text and species list to follow.
Photos Steve Cross
Sat 20th May 2017
Leader: Steve Cross
Text and species list to follow.
Photos Steve Cross
Dovedale & Biggindale, Derbyshire
MNA trip
plant species list - 111 species
MNA trip
plant species list - 111 species
| derbyshire_june_3rd_plant_list.docx |
West Kirby
Saturday 10th June 2017
Leader – John Crowder
species list
Saturday 10th June 2017
Leader – John Crowder
species list
| wirral_way_list.rtf |
Court Hey Park
Saturday June 17
Leader : Ben Deed
Text and species list to follow.
Photos Steve Cross
Hilbre Island
Saturday 1st July 2017
Leader – Robert Freeth
The early start was held until 9:45 with 10 setting out experiencing a slight on-shore breeze, broken cloud & sunshine at times. A 20 minute walk to Little Eye with the sand surprisingly dry. Secretary Wendy Atkinson retired on the way due to feeling unwell. However, we gained 2 late members due to train delay who managed to catch-up with us at Little Eye. So a total of 11 members present. Explored this smallest isle for 15 minutes, then a rapid 25 minute walk to Middle Eye. Here we examined the West Kirby cliff-side of the isle. Found one highlight the Sea Spleenwort in an 8 metre deep cleft into the rocks. Also encountered a significant winter/spring rock slide on the far corner with a few plants of disturbed ground growing here. We reached Hilbre within 10 minutes crossing the uneven rocky/sandy ground between these 2 isles. There was another large rock slide at the bottom of the track way onto this main island. Warm sunshine took hold for the rest of the day. We had a more leisurely explore around here, including a half-hour lunch break at the over-grown pool with Sea Club-rush & Marsh Pennywort predominant. Eric observed that the colony of Rock Sea-lavender which was protected by an artificial wall on the Welsh side of Hilbre had spread significantly over the western side of the isle in the 12 years since the wall was built. We also rested for 15 minutes on our return to Little Eye. Then returned to the main land by 15:10, well before the return of the tide. Total distance covered there & back was 4 miles. A few of us stayed on for a welcome ice-cream sat on a wall by the sea-front car-park.
A list of 81 species recorded in order of first sighting by Robert Freeth, with additions from Eric Greenwood who solved problematic identification issues.
Saturday 1st July 2017
Leader – Robert Freeth
The early start was held until 9:45 with 10 setting out experiencing a slight on-shore breeze, broken cloud & sunshine at times. A 20 minute walk to Little Eye with the sand surprisingly dry. Secretary Wendy Atkinson retired on the way due to feeling unwell. However, we gained 2 late members due to train delay who managed to catch-up with us at Little Eye. So a total of 11 members present. Explored this smallest isle for 15 minutes, then a rapid 25 minute walk to Middle Eye. Here we examined the West Kirby cliff-side of the isle. Found one highlight the Sea Spleenwort in an 8 metre deep cleft into the rocks. Also encountered a significant winter/spring rock slide on the far corner with a few plants of disturbed ground growing here. We reached Hilbre within 10 minutes crossing the uneven rocky/sandy ground between these 2 isles. There was another large rock slide at the bottom of the track way onto this main island. Warm sunshine took hold for the rest of the day. We had a more leisurely explore around here, including a half-hour lunch break at the over-grown pool with Sea Club-rush & Marsh Pennywort predominant. Eric observed that the colony of Rock Sea-lavender which was protected by an artificial wall on the Welsh side of Hilbre had spread significantly over the western side of the isle in the 12 years since the wall was built. We also rested for 15 minutes on our return to Little Eye. Then returned to the main land by 15:10, well before the return of the tide. Total distance covered there & back was 4 miles. A few of us stayed on for a welcome ice-cream sat on a wall by the sea-front car-park.
A list of 81 species recorded in order of first sighting by Robert Freeth, with additions from Eric Greenwood who solved problematic identification issues.
| lbs_hilbre_visit_2017july01.docx |
Hall Road
Saturday August 5th
Leader – Steve Cross
Text and species list to follow.
Photos Steve Cross
Crosby
Saturday August 19th
Leaders – Pat Lockwood & Phil Smith
Text and species list to follow.
Photos Steve Cross
Saturday August 19th
Leaders – Pat Lockwood & Phil Smith
Text and species list to follow.
Photos Steve Cross
Freshfield
Saturday October 7th
Leader – Steve Cross
Text and species list to follow.
Photos Steve Cross
Quite a few plants still in flower on a rather wet day.
Saturday October 7th
Leader – Steve Cross
Text and species list to follow.
Photos Steve Cross
Quite a few plants still in flower on a rather wet day.
