Natural Parks in Rimrose Valley, Crosby and Formby Nature Reserve by Joshua Exploring Rimrose Valley • I am very lucky to live around the corner from Rimrose Valley and enjoy going here to explore in the woodland and look at the various wildlife that lives here. • Rimrose Valley is a 3.5 km country park and valley which forms a border between Crosby and in the borough of Sefton, , , with the Leeds and Canal on its eastern edge. • On my visits I have also walked along the Leeds and Liverpool Canal and have been very happy to see and explore the life cycle of tadpoles and frogs, it was very exciting catching them in my net to observe them and then putting them back in the canal carefully. I am excited to keep going back to see them grow legs and turn into froglets.

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• As Sefton's only non-coastal reserve, Brookvale provides a valuable and unique green oasis amongst what is otherwise a heavily populated and industrialised area. With its interesting network of pathways and raised boardwalks, Brookvale and Rimrose Valley as a whole provides opportunities for quiet informal countryside recreation in an area where such activities are scarce. • I even found two large terrapins basking in the sunshine which was quite a surprise to see!! They are very well camouflaged sitting on the reeds. • If you look closely you can just about see them in this picture.

3 6/22/2020 Add a footer Exploring Rimrose Valley • Rimrose Valley is fantastic for exploring and for children to be out in the fresh air. • A lot of bird life can also be seen here lots of Snipe, Water Rail, Woodcock, Common Whitethroat, Blackcap and Reed Bunting. In the summer you see an array of insects including Southern Hawker, Broad-bodied Chaser and Common Darter dragonflies and butterflies like the Gatekeeper, Peacock and Speckled Wood. You might also see Water Vole territories as they have also been seen along Rimrose Brook. • I was lucky enough to see 14 ducklings with their mummy when I visited!!

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Canada Geese also nest here to raise their chicks.

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Crosby Beach is part of the Merseyside coastline north of Liverpool. The beach has been the permanent home of the Another Place sculptures by Antony Gormley since 2007 which I enjoy going to see. There are many sea creatures along the Sefton Coastline and my favorite creature to see are the many different types of jellyfish. You may also be lucky enough to see humpback whales occasionally on our coast, porpoises, minke whales, bottlenose dolphins and grey seals.

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