Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. Learn how your comment data is processed. Heath Park Hill 44. The Jubilee Bridge and Mersey Gateway Bridge along with Ethelfleda, the railway bridge, spanned the river where it narrowed further upstream. Good numbers of Teal feed along the creeks on the marsh and flocks of waders may be seen roosting on the marsh (Golden plover, Lapwing, Avocet, Curlew, Redshank, Greenshank, Dunlin). numbers can be variable throughout, and passage wader numbers will tail off by Hale Road Woods. which have previously produced. I remember the Dam woods, which had millions of rhododendron bushes. I returned to Liverpool in 2012 I hadlittle to no knowledge of where to migration. Further along a Great White Egret was busy feeding, and above it a small flock of Pink Footed Geese were winking as they flew. Incredibly we never met up. returners from August such as, Autumn Any feedback is appreciated village) there are a two woods (Big Boars Wood and Little Boars Woods) which are From July post-breeding dispersal of finches can often be found around To the east of Pickerings Pasture there is a large industrial area I met up with Malc curtin this morning and we headed to Pickerings pasture for high tide. It was constructed in the early eighties, when a thick duvet of clay was draped over the pungent industrial detritus that had been accumulating on the site . Please use email: garybroad50@gmail.com for general enquires Email for wildlife records & photographs only: pickerings123@gmail.com Male bullfinch. But this place does have some significance in Liverpools economic history, because it was here, after the discovery of rock salt in Cheshire in the 17th century, that a salt refinery was established, the remains of which are still visible in the crumbling stone work and overgrown sandstone jetty. I headed over to Pickerings pasture this morning to look for a Firecrest that had been reported yesterday,this is the first time I had visited the reserve which lies right on the edge of the river Mersey. Pickerings Pasture is a stretch of small nature reserve on the banks of the Mersey estuary with views of the turbid river and the Runcorn bridge glinting faraway in the sun, even at night. The path was quite slippery and muddy all along the shoreline. There is a hide overlooking the scrape, birds possible on the scrape common sandpiper, lapwing, teal, oystercatcher, gadwall, mallard, ringed plover, redshank, grey wagtail and kingfisher. Rare and Pathways through - all very neat and tidy. Could see it from my bedroom window! Oak, elm, alder, wild cherry and sycamore are common species. All control tower traffic, maintenance, security, farm traffic etc will be diverted along Baileys Lane, which is a residential lane, already decimated by Liverpool Airport. Sewage Works, which have 16 active filter beds (although viewing of the area is Fourteen of us met up in Hale village for a morning walk past the agricultural fields to the Mersey estuary around Hale Lighthouse, and it proved to be a very relaxing few hours. Peak conditions occur Hale Lighthouse was built in 1906 to replace a much shorter structure protecting shipping on this dangerous headland. Till next time! Toilets should be accessible Hale village hall, Nearby Pickerings Pasture LNR, a former land fill site has been reclaimed and an excellent wildlife area created in its place. (June-August) is often quiet with many of the breeding birds becoming elusive. We were visibly checked out by two police patrols as we retraced our steps. Along the cliff top and down on the foreshore there are dense reed beds: I imagine that in the past villagers would have harvested the reeds for thatching (in fact, there are still a few thatched cottages in Hale village). You are here: Things To Do > Pickerings Pasture Local Nature Reserve. Credit: Mary Hines. Glad the pics and post can be of use. Hilbre 2 Scaup and a Snip Burton mere wetlands receives visit England welcome accolade! Leaving Hale we called in at WSR recycling in Widnes where we found an Adult Yellow Legged gull amongstthe hundreds of gulls. years flooding has also created a new set of pools (known by the local birders It is a peaceful place where people can enjoy quiet walks, picnics and wildlife watching. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. From the bottom of Withins Way an outcrop of rocks at the edge of the salt marsh attracts various waders and ducks and is always worth checking out. scarce birds recorded over the last few years have included, Winter It looked as if spring had arrived while we had been away from the car as a number of clumps of snowdrops had appeared. Within a 30-minute drive of this hotel, guests can visit Wrexham. Sadly in May 2017 the local landowner decided to drain the area, resulting in the loss of some highly promising habitat, not to mention the destruction of breeding areas for scarce breeders. This ride is suitable for hybrid bikes (fitted with road and off-road tyres), mountain bikes and road bikes (with caution) and is mostly on hard surface roads and cycle paths. The whole area is surrounded by arable land which contains a mixture of From Dungeon I turned to follow the broad sweep of the bay southeast towards Hale Point. Barn and short eared owl. Couple of benches along paths. I like to hike and backpack with my human dad. With a total of 61 species seen, if nothing out of the ordinary, it was a lovely way to spend a late autumnal day in November, and most of us were content with a good day spent birdwatching on this lovely bit of the Mersey Estuary. This part of the village was lined with thatched houses. provides the best opportunity to catch up with terns and, Autumn On the way back we called in at Hale park to try and relocate the over wintering Firecrest but no joy after a good hour searching. Cheshire. Ambassador to the United Nations. Historically, Pickerings Pasture, as part of Hale Marsh, was for hundreds of years, a place where cattle and horses grazed and ducks and wading birds would feed and roost, at high tide. In his biography of McCartney, Many Years from Now, Barry Miles describes how Paul and his brother Mike, like thousands growing up on Liverpools new housing estates, were raised on the border of country and city: For Paul and Michael, the best thing about living in Speke was the countryside. heron,Redshank,Oystercatcher,Shelduck and Canada Goose.On the way back to the car an injured Pink Footed goose flew low past us. Liverpool Airport have submitted plans to close historic Dungeon Lane and Ashtons Lane (a Rght of Way) which runs parallel to Dungeon. Starting from - The ride will start from the car park at Sherdley Park near the childrens play area which is accessed from The Score, off Elton Head Road St Helens, WA9 5DE (what3words app: fattest.demotion.automatic), WA9 5DE, This ride is limited to members of The FCs Satdy Club group only. I have lived and worked in London since 1981 though and now live in Croxley Green Herts. He said that there was no sign pointing to the Mersey Way. (LogOut/ set-aside depending on the time of year. Hale (September-November) sees large numbers of Pipits and Finches moving through, Change), You are commenting using your Twitter account. After parking in the almost empty nature reserve car park we set off along the Mersey Way in the direction of Liverpool. Change), You are commenting using your Facebook account. (LogOut/ I thought you might like to see my email to Graham in case he gets in touch directly. Born in 1943 and lived at Hale Road until 1960. and sandbars are revealed, along with small areas of rocky shore. As the road left the shore to continue inland we should have turned left to follow the shoreline again. Unbelievably, the man was whistling, quite loudly, Jingle Bells. Patch birding in and around Hale and Pickerings Pasture, currently classed as north Cheshire. basis. Plenty of things to see and photo opportunities on this ride! be viewed from Town Lane, along Within Way and from Pickerings Pasture. Winter Sadly, my dad wasnt paying attention and we carried on along the lane. a good mix of small fruiting bushes. My distant cousin Graham Houghton are researching our family tree which seems to indicate that we can relate to Thomas of Hale (1690 to 1730) although there is an earlier Isabel Houghton who used to live in the Manor House. Please ensure that you can cope with a thirty mile bike ride at this pace. Late passage waders, and early Working in Nether Alderley I've started spending my dinner hour birding the local sand quarries which are only a stones throw from wh COVID-19: Please adhere to current government advice and do not travel to see a bird. Surrounding the decoy is a salt marsh: the salt marsh provides feeding and roosting sites for waders such as Redshank, Lapwing and Black tailed Godwit, and migratory birds like Golden Plover, Teal and Widgeon. Explore a complete list of bird species observations in this area. Pickerings Pasture, Widnes: , , Pickerings Pasture, Widnes, Tripadvisor Merseyside. Hoylake Shore 800 Bar-tailed Godwit and 15,000 Knot in WIRRAL West Kirby Marine Lake 5 Scaup, 9 Red-breasted Merganser and 175 Brent Geese along shore to Red Rocks. WIRRAL Puddington Western Cattle egret-T hree in field opposite Castel House. Moving on from Hale I headed down the roadtowardsthe lighthouse. The paddocks often hold sizable numbers of, Summer Salmon are probably breeding in the Mersey river system since juveniles were found in the river Goyt. Change), You are commenting using your Twitter account. It is essential that everybody enjoys the ride which will be at an average pace of 10-12 mph but the average speed will be determined by the overall pace of the group. Tip top as this was a rubish tip for a long time. Hilbre 2 Scaup and a Snip Burton mere wetlands receives visit England welcome accolade! Flocks of hedgerow birds were exploiting the late summer seedheads; there were burdock (the dog came home with her coat festooned with the velcro-like burrs), teasel, and a delicate pink-and-white striped bindweed. Throughout the 18th century, flatboats and barges brought rock salt across the river from the Cheshire shore to Dungeon, where it was refined before being shipped onwards. Where relevant,comply with recommended social dista WIRRAL West Kirby Marine Lake 7Scaup,5 Red-breasted Merganser and 14 Brent Geese. Bush looks on at right, as Pickering's wife Alice holds the Bible. After a couple of hours wandering around I started to walk back to the car.Whilst I was watching a tit flock moving around in the trees I noticed a Ferret coming towards me.Thankfully it was on a long lead and had its owners attached to it! (June-August) can be quiet from the Town Lane end of the Marsh. This is where my love of the country came from, Paul said. CHESHIRE AND WIRRAL BIRD NEWS AND UK MEGAS POSTED DAILY,TWITCHES AND MORE! I could really call my own. The precise location can be pinpointed on the What 3 Words app as: "allowable.lizard.sweeping", L26 7YD Pickerings Pasture 105 Reviews #4 of 22 things to do in Widnes Nature & Parks, National Parks, Nature & Wildlife Areas Mersey View Road, Widnes WA8 8LP, England Open today: 07:00 - 19:00 Save Beverley M Formby, United Kingdom 40 21 Walked through to Spike Island Review of Pickerings Pasture Reviewed 2 August 2015 Books, exhibitions, films, music, places - anything that inspires. However if considering a walk extension, there is a Series of a zig-zagging shallow steps which ascend to cross the bridge over Ditton Brook, cycle path leads onto Runcorn Bridge. There are 2 hides on the decoy, one looking onto the inner pond of the decoy, the other onto the marsh. (LogOut/ Hale is a beautiful village with many thatched roofed houses. the sun is behind you. are two main areas to view the pools. Contact Information Moore Nature Reserve 46. Hale Decoy is inaccessible to the public, but guided walks are occasionally Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews. Walking on, the church tower at Hale was visible across the fields where a tractor was ploughing, pursued by a flock of seagulls. Pickerings Pasture 4 105 #4 of 22 things to do in Widnes National Parks Nature & Wildlife Areas Parks Open now 7:00 AM - 7:00 PM Visit website Write a review What people are saying " Lovely walk " Jul. The walk ends at Hale lighthouse (top) which stands at Hale Head. A small feeding station is situated by the scrape hide. Ramsbrook. (March-May)can produce typical migrants including, Summer Wild Poppies Sandstone Quarry 41. from saltwater breaches from high Spring tides. However the paddocks can still often produce small numbers of. - Italo Calvino, Six Memos for the Next Millennium. A duck decoy was an ancient method of catching ducks for food, consisting of a pond where ducks swam underneath a series of hoops and net, attracted by a small dog (piper) running along the bank. (March-May)provides a good time to catch up with, Summer Always remember, we will never leave anyone behind! Wigg Island 36. I love this place.a great view of the merest estuary and the existing Jubilee Bridge(Runcorn Widnes bridge)beautiful pastures and glades a lovely place for walking the dogs, having picnics and enjoyment. A great days birding and two more quality birds to the list. All riders will be required to wear a helmet and carry spare inner tubes and the means to be able to repair a puncture (assistance will be provided if needed). In the village itself, a bird friendly garden gave us good views of Goldcrest and Redwing . Revenue impacts the experiences featured on this page, Excellent for a stroll on a summer evening along the riverside promenade. . The village still retains something of its rural and farming character, the product of the rich and fertile soils hereabouts. Pickering pastures wildflower meadows make a colourful sight throughout spring and summer and boast many species including rare marsh orchids. Resorting to Google maps I found an area that BIRDING AROUND HALE AND PICKERINGS PASTURE CHESHIRE AND WIRRAL BIRD NEWS AND UK MEGAS POSTED DAILY,TWITCHES AND MORE! Fixed: Release in which this issue/RFE has been fixed.The release containing this fix may be available for download as an Early Access Release or a General Availability Release. You cant forget that the airport is nearby on this stretch you walk parallel to the approach which aircraft make on their descent to the runway. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Design a site like this with WordPress.com. Lovely walks but too many inconsiderate dog owners who allow their dogs to foul footpaths and grass verges. Fourteen of us met up in Hale village for a morning walk past the agricultural fields to the Mersey estuary around Hale Lighthouse, and it proved to be a very relaxing few hours. We have the biggest indoor inflatable in, The ruins of Halton Castle stand on a prominent rocky hill overlooking the River Mersey., Solve the puzzle of the Speke Hall maze. Haughton could be a derivative of this and village (which is as you no doubt know is what ton signifies so its possible that Thomas of Hale could have been Thomas Haughton but its all guess work. This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. There were muddy puddles lined with hedgerows where small birds were hiding from me. We will pass under the newly built Mersey Gateway Bridge and take our break at Zenas Marina Caf at Spike Island with its fantastic views over the river to the Silver Jubilee Bridge and the nature reserve. It wasent that long before Malc picked up a Little stint with the Dunlin flock,we managed to get on the bird a few times as the tide flooded the field. Its a big job and can only be done by degrees. L. Bimsom Benches & picnic tables on site.No Tiolet facilities. This ride is suitable for hybrid bikes (fitted with road and off-road tyres), mountain bikes and road bikes (with caution) and is mostly on hard surface roads and cycle paths and short sections of park paths some of which may have a loose stone finish. Credit: Mary Hines. There is a hide at the far western end of Pickerings Pasture There are salt marshes between the village and the river which can flood at particularly high tides or during storms. The little village of Hale was less than two miles away, with thatched roofs, home of the giant Childe of Hale who, legend has it, was nine foot tall. The scrape is surrounded by * " S A> .,. Hi Gerry this is an excellent blog . (March-May)is by far the most productive season around Burnt Mill Farm. Get this Runcorn Weekly News page for free from Thursday, June 28, 1990 s have called on the authority to sort out its finances and stop wasting money Liberal Democrat and Tory members want the . It was a pleasant, genteel interlude, a touch of quality before they walked back to their very different life among the new grey houses and hard concrete roads of the housing estate. It's a lovely place to sit and watch the sunset over the river. Looking over Carr Lane Pools from the track we saw a very strange looking goose with the Canadas, which we agreed was a cross between a Canada and Bar-Headed. , close scrutiny can reveal something rarer. there is a disused football pitch and sections of scrub and longer grassy SC037654, Trip Report Hale Lighthouse and Pickerings Pasture November 20th 2022. . From here there are superb views of the hills at Frodsham and Helsby on the opposite bank. Pickerings Pasture: Pleasant walk on banks of the Mersey - See 105 traveler reviews, 23 candid photos, and great deals for Widnes, UK, at Tripadvisor. We expect all our riders to adhere to the current government guidelines with regard to social distancing and precautions needed during the current Covid pandemic. At the end of the lane we turned left onto Hale Gate Road. The route in part is concurrent with the Trans-Pennine Trail. Pickerings Hale Icehouse Woods has a mixture of mature trees and has three small Clincton Wood. The path to Hale follows the edge of farmland, skirting fields of barley, potatoes and carrots. Joe the Cocker here again. species. The river is very wide at this point, with the lights of Ellesmere Port visible on the far side across enormous shifting banks of mud and sand pecked over by gulls. Hale Lighthouse and Shore Pickerings Pasture (Local Nature Reserve) Spike Island / Widnes Warth The South Shore New Brighton New Ferry Eastham Country Park The Weaver Bend and Estuary Wigg Island (Local Nature Reserve) Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates. Others have tried and failed but I have to stop the rot before i can shine it up. My (December-February) is relatively quiet with only the resident woodland species From Dungeon I turned to follow the broad sweep of the bay southeast towards Hale Point. When we reached the The Green at the village centre we headed along Town Lane and later Hale Gate Road until we turned right towards the nature reserve. Moore Nature Reserve 40. Lots of paths to follow. CHESHIRE AND WIRRAL ORNITHOLOGICAL SOCIETY, NESTON SEWAGE WORKS AND LEASOWE LIGHTHOUSE, LAPWING HALL POOL AND ACRE NOOK SAND QUARRIES, CHESHIRE AND WIRRAL BIRD NEWS 25TH FEBRUARY 2019, CHESHIRE AND WIRRAL BIRD NEWS AND UK MEGAS 6TH MARCH 2018, CHESHIRE AND WIRRAL BIRD NEWS AND UK MEGAS 4TH MARCH 2018, CHESHIRE AND WIRRAL BIRD NEWS 19TH MARCH 2019. is relatively quiet around the main section of Pickerings Pasture, with the early October. (September-November) often fails to produce the expected migrants around Burnt Pools is the name given to a set of shallow flooded fresh water scrapes Although waders are present during low Here so I don't forget. This, in turn, became Town Lane as it entered Hale Village. The shoreline has some retained saltmarsh HALTON BOROUGH COUNCIL WOOD. pickerings pasture to hale lighthouse. Walking down the lane I connected with Skylark,7 Yellowhammers,Grey Partridge,Reed bunting,Linnets and a stonking female Merlin that perched up on a hale bale.Curlews were feeding in the fields and a Great white egret flying over the Mersey was a good addition to the daylist. He was, allegedly, nine foot three inches tall and a life-sized statue of him can be found in Church Lane. Hybrid year tick anyone? I have watched some Good area to stroll round. His watch was stolen and he had to go to court because they knew the youths that did it. Marshes, although a telescope is a must! Further south along Carr Lane (towards Hale Trip Report Hale Lighthouse and Pickerings Pasture 20th November 2022. No public dicussion or debate has taken place regarding the closure and non realignment of Dungeon Lane, Ashtons Lane. Unresolved: Release in which this issue/RFE will be addressed. go birding,other than the well-known sites which were all a reasonable Pickerings Pasture 4 105 #4 of 22 things to do in Widnes National Parks Nature & Wildlife Areas Parks Closed now 7:00 AM - 7:00 PM Visit website Write a review What people are saying " Lovely walk " Jul 2022 Nice area for a short walk, free parking, plenty of grassed areas to explore and see the lovely wild flowers and birds. With a squint against the glare the North Wales hills could be seen with Moel Fammau clearly visible. with dog walkers ,families and all ages we have even took a packed breakfast with us on Xmas morning ! Joe's adventures on the trail. Clamley Park Plantation. At this point we met a man walking his Staffy puppy. majority of activity on the Mersey. BIRDGUIDES REVIEW OF THE WEEK:31ST JANUARY-6TH FEB BIRDGUIDES PHOTO OF THE WEEK:31ST JANUARY-6TH FEBR BIRDING AROUND HALE AND PICKERINGS PASTURE, THIS WEEKS BIRDING!15 MILE RADIUS #LOCALBIGYEAR, CHESHIRE AND WIRRAL BIRD NEWS 25TH FEBRUARY 2019, LAPWING HALL POOL AND ACRE NOOK SAND QUARRIES, CHESHIRE AND WIRRAL BIRD NEWS AND UK MEGAS 6TH MARCH 2018, CHESHIRE AND WIRRAL BIRD NEWS AND UK MEGAS 4TH MARCH 2018, CHESHIRE AND WIRRAL BIRD NEWS 19TH MARCH 2019. Starting from - The Environment Centre, Halewood Park, Okell Drive, Halewood (near to Halewood Triangle).The precise location can be pinpointed on the What 3 Words app as: "allowable.lizard.sweeping", L26 7YD, This Cycle : St Helens ride is open for anyone to join. garden area. It was not without danger. I couldn't bear the thought of having nowhere to go birding locallythat Scarcer species can often include. This provides good views However if considering a walk extension, there is a Series of a zig-zagging shallow steps which ascend to cross the bridge over Ditton Brook, cycle path leads onto Runcorn Bridge. happy happy days down Oglet shore.remember what we thought were tank traps on the beach..also the demolition of some lovely big houses to make way for the Jet runway at the airport.. Rather than drive an hour or more to Snowdonia, the Lakes or the Peak District we thought that we would explore our local area again. The influence of Liverpools greatness and wealth as a port is seen floating across the whole of Lancashire, Oer Mersey mud and Mersey flood, to pervade everything it touches, While near and far and far and near/ Is Liverpool baroque. It is a truly fun piece, which mirrors the brilliant playfulness demonstrated in the baroque designs of the architecture, also Betjemins nod towards the speaking clock, is particularly appealing: Rococo, says the pendulum, / Baroque, baroque, baroak. So peaceful with the weather on our side for a change. The area is made up of mainly arable land, but the river path has by a mix of mature deciduous trees and a moat. From the start of April early morning and late afternoon As the river continues to recover from industrial pollution, the range of fish species in the estuary has increased to over 50. Great pictures and memories! The web page of the Mersey Estuary Conservation Group reports that dunlin, turnstone, teal, black-tailed godwit, redshank, pintail, and shelduck visit the estuary, while it is nationally important for wigeon, lapwing, curlew, golden and grey plover. the meadows will often hold a good selection of, Summer Spring Welcome to my birding blog.It will be updated daily with bird news from Cheshire and Wirral and will cover all my birding adventures chasing rare birds around the British Isles. Speke was originally planned in 1936 as a complete town for 22,000 people, with an industrial estate, schools, a civic centre, a cinema, an open-air music garden and a stadium and pleasure beach on the banks of the River Mersey. So, I ran wild. We were planning to walk on to Speke Hall but, due to this unintentional diversion we ran out of time. The airport are again threatening the closure of Dungeon Lane and demolishing of Oglet Farm and surrounding buildings. is hit and miss, with the breeders keeping rather quiet, and the water levels On a clear day you could see beyond the Wirral all the way to Wales. origins and history of globalization epoch; objects of affection central idea. From this junction we followed the muddy Mersey Way along the shore towards Liverpool John Lennon Airport. He would take his Observer Book of Birds and wander down Dungeon Lane to the lighthouse on a nature ramble or climb over the fence and go walking in the fields: This is what I was writing about in Mother Natures Son, it was basically a heart-felt song about my child-of-nature leanings. flocks which will often contain, Spring Following a recce across the new Mersey Gateway Bridge to find Pickerings Pastures, Hale/Widnes area (which was very quiet bird-wise), we travelled on to Neston Marshes (Denhall Quay area) on the Wirral; on the whole it was a beautiful sunny day although thick cloud often obscured the sun and the wind picked up mid afternoon before settling down I lived in Ganworth Rd, Speke, for a couple of years 1964ish It's always well patronised by folk walking , jogging, family picnics , families playing, photographers and birdwatchers. Trip Report Hale Lighthouse and Pickering's Pasture 20 th November 2022. Birds of prey seen hunting over the estuary/marsh, peregrine, merlin, sparrowhawk, buzzard, kestrel, marsh harrier and the rarer hen harrier. weather conditions and an early start are a necessity. We walked all the way through to Spike Island under the Runcorn Bridge.