Latest News 2019

If you have a short, newsy tale to tell about Pickerings Pasture LNR please send to pickerings123@gmail.com with date and photographs if possible..

Latest News from Pickerings Pasture Local Nature Reserve 2019

2018 is now ARCHIVED

Nov 15th. Bird feeding is really underway now at the Centre and at the hide. Two good birds were present on our visit today - a coal tit, which is quite rare at Pickerings Pasture and our first reed bunting of the the season. Reed buntings were quite scarce a few years ago but in the last few years they have begun to visit the feeders at the hide each winter - a welcome bonus to the commoner garden bird species.
The kingfisher was busy hunting: perched on several of our posts and by the dam. Several times it flew, piping, across the pond towards the reed bed: sometimes disappearing for a while.
There were two redshanks present on the scrape as well as some on Hale Marsh.

Coal tit

Reed bunting

Redshank

Kingfisher

Nov 19 A species of bug that is new to the area has been discovered at Pickerings Pasture. It is the Cinnamon Bug Corizus hyoscyami from a family known as scentless plant bugs. Even at 9mm it is a very striking insect. It is found in dry habitats and can be found all year round, on a range of plants upon which it feeds. The adults first appear in August or September and over-winter as an adult.

Previously only found on coastal sites in Southern England it is steadily moving North and pushing inland too. There is also a Lancashire record of the species at Mere Sands Wood and a few in Yorkshire.

This insect was discovered by Joy Mitchell- Lisle on a walk down towards the White Bridge.

Cinnamon Bug. © Joy Mitchell-Lisle

Map showing the distribution on Cinnamon Bugs

21st October 2019
The hide bench, which was vandalised in the Summer, has been replaced by The Friends of Pickerings Pasture with wood supplied by Halton B.C.
Sadly they were unable to alter the position of the slots but have tried to make viewing easier by allowing more standing room between the seat and the hide and by lengthening the seat itself.
We hope you like the improvements.

Flooded meadow

6th October After all the recent rain and particularly heavy rain this morning, the meadows are quite flooded in places. Strangely, some of the usual wet patches were passable in boots!
However this greyhound was really enjoying himself.

Making a splash!

Enjoying the freedom

4th October On the scrape there was a little egret and a grey heron feeding. The little egret was choosing smaller prey and was much more successful, maybe because the heron was an immature bird. The kingfisher was also present but too quick for a photo today. The small birds are enjoying the feeders down at the hide.

Juvenile grey heron.

Little egret in hunting mode.

Great tit on the feeders.

2nd October We hope you are all enjoying the new Wildlife Garden (it has it's own webpage)
We have certainly enjoyed the work involved and with meeting each week and working closely it has definitely brought The Friends of Pickerings Pasture together in a new way.
Our notice board, giving a brief resume of our objectives, is now in place. Our thanks to Lynda & Gary for designing and executing this part of the project. Thanks also to Gary and Paul for putting it in place.
Laura has acted as our project leader but each member has contributed in their own way.
Maurice's Bug Hotel is already in use - earwigs, lacewings and some beetles have been seen examining the property but we are not sure who has actually taken up residence.
Young froglets have been seen around the pond and we think other creatures have bred in there over the summer.

Our new notice board.

3rd August There has been a report of a banded demoiselle in front of the hide at Pickerings Pasture this morning: this is the second known record of this beautiful species. Also this morning an Emperor goose was seen flying from Carr Lane Pools over towards Hale Duck Decoy. It landed with the Canada goose flock. Although not native to UK there are well documented records of the species breeding wild in the country. It may be an escape from a wildlife collection.

Emperor goose on Hale Marsh.

A banded demoiselle.

13th July. There are some beautiful wild flowers on display down at Pickerings Pasture at the moment.

Viper's bugloss.

Purple loosestrife.

Meadowsweet.

Ladies bedstraw.

25th June Congratulations to Muffin

Margaret took Muffin to the Cheshire Show near Tatton last week and entered her in the Golden Oldies class at the Dog Show. The judges included well-known people like Claire Balding and Noel Fitzpatrick. She won her class and went on to the next round, which was against other classes in the same category. She won again, which meant automatic entry into the class for Best in Show.

Margaret was standing next to a pair of spaniels who had qualified from the Best Tricks category. Apparently, their co-ordinated display was excellent and Margaret thought they were certain winners, especially when the judges kept glancing over in their direction.

However she was wrong and it was Muffin who took the major prize: a hamper of dog food and doggie treats. Muffin also won a large rosette which she was very proud to wear! Margaret also recieved free entry into next year's show.

I think most of you will know of Muffins fight against cancer and Margarets diligence in helping her through her chemotherapy. It all paid off for Muffin & Margaret and they are, in our eyes, both very worthy winners. Well done both of you.

Winner of Best in Show.

29th April
Spring has really arrived with blossom on many of the trees and the meadows covered in cowslips. Orangetip butterflies are flitting around the control meadows, while small tortoiseshells and speckled woods are fighting over territories down at the scrape.

22nd April Many of you will have by now witnessed the mindless vandalism down at the hide - burning down the well used seat at the back of the hide, which also damage the trees behind. Another area of woodland was also destroyed up the United Utilities pathway. No-one can understand why they do it but if you do have any information, do please contact us, or the local police who will be able to act on our behalf.

5th April
A pair of Canada geese have been keeping a territory on the Scrape Pool for quite a while now. Today we found that they had taken up residence on one of the islands. The gander was defending the area rigorously from the pool itself, while the goose sat low on her nest, occasionally getting up and adding some dried reeds to the nest.

19th March The blackthorn bushes along the back path are almost in full bloom. To see them at their best, visit within the next week.

We were really delighted to come across this hedgehog feeding on the pastures on 15th March. It is many years now since we have had a positive sighting of this species but that does not mean they are not present.

Although they are usually strictly nocturnal we guess this one emerged from hibernation in the early spring-like weather a few weeks ago. With the really poor weather this week and last it could be struggling to get enough to eat during the hours of darkness. However it did look in good health and set up a good pace when it had finished eating some sunflower seeds we put down for it.

The cafe is open this Sunday 17th March. To see their Facebook page for details: click here

We were down at Pickerings Pasture on 6th March when two Royal Air Force Panavia Tornados came in together over the river. They were heading for Liverpool John Lennon Airport.

Feb update on the Wildlife Pool : You may have noticed that the wildlife pool was emptied and the rubber lining removed at Halton Borough Council's request, even though they were first informed of our intentions in October and December.

The good news is that after a meeting with their official we can go ahead with the plan. They are going to put a gated fence around the area before Spring and we will have more space than we originally anticipated. They didn't actually fill in the pond as originally planned, so we can go ahead shortly to re-line the pond, add a bog garden and generally improve the corner which, until now, has been quite bare. Watch this space...

Our Wildlife Pool before it was drained.

21st February. Three members of the Friend's Group met at the hide for the high tide. Although I have seen it many times before it doesn't fail to thrill as the tide slowly but surely covers Hale Marsh. The water crept in under the long grass and suddenly large areas were immersed in water. The two members who had not seen it before were completely amazed by what they were witnessing!

35 minutes before high tide and the marsh is going under.

Looking across the marsh as the tide creeps in.

At high tide the scrape is inundated: even the islands disappeared briefly.

Looking across the marsh towards Within Way.

16th February The feeder at the hide was mended during the week: its base had been eaten away by the squirrels! It was feeding on the feeder as we arrived today. Instead of running off it hid a bit further up the tree before crossing to another tree to come down to feed on the ground. There were plenty of small birds using the feeders too: the reed buntings are still coming, with great tit, goldfinch and dunnock the most common at the moment.

The damage and the repair.

Hiding up the tree!

Feeding on the ground.

11th Feb There are some wonderful displays of snowdrops around the site at the moment, in particular around the bases of the trees in the car park.
Sadly the ones planted by the children in the open areas of the car park haven't fared so well because the grass here is cut too soon after they finish flowering.
However, along the back path in the woodland copses and around some picnic tables they are also flourishing. They will continue to flower for a while yet.

** DOG OWNERS: PLEASE NOTE ** Alabama Foot Rot

Several dog owners have reported to us that Alabama Foot Rot has been reported again from Delamere Forest and, more importantly, at nearby Spike Island. From the Internet, I can confirm that there have been 21 confirmed cases within a 20-mile radius of Pickerings Pasture.

According to the dog walkers who told us, the early signs are a skin lesion that is not caused by an obvious reason. These are usually below the knee/elbow joint and are ulcer-like, swollen and red. Over the next few days the dog develops sudden kidney failure accompanied by lack of interest in food, tiredness and vomiting. As all dog owners will know these symptoms are indicative of other dog-related diseases so it is important to consult your vet early. Most dogs do die of this disease.

Alabama Rot is most common between December and June. As the cause of the disease is unknown we cannot tell you how to avoid it. However, some basic procedures may prevent its spread:

Check feet and legs regularly.
Wash your dog’s feet thoroughly after a walk, especially if muddy.
Walk dogs on tarmac pathways were possible and avoid muddy puddles.
Avoid woodland especially after rain.
Pick up carefully and put in bins provided. (or take home!)

We are sorry to mention this problem but think it is worthwhile that dog walkers know the facts rather than losing their pet. It is a rare disease in the UK and has not been recorded at Pickerings Pasture LNR: lets try to keep it that way.
Could readers please pass on this information to other dog walkers they may meet on site.

If we get any further information we will put it on to the website.

Jan The buzzard that is roosting in the trees around the car park is still entertaining our visitors. We assume the bird has been (illegally) hand-reared and then released because its behaviour is far from normal for a wild bird. Originally it was mainly feeding on worms. However, people have been leaving food out for it: including raw liver.
Fortunately someone has started to feed it higher up on the Pickerings Pasture Centre, well out of the way of cars and dogs. It remains very photogenic.
Although it is usually around the car park, it has also been seen moving further afield - on to Hale Marsh, across to Frodsham and over the other side of the main road. Hopefully as it gets more confident it will start to behave more normally.