FREE news from around Wirral’s Coast

n tio Edi ng ri 13 Coastal Scene Sp 20 Photograph by JohnPhotograph by (Hoy Hartley lake Photographic Society)

Inside this issue:

In the next few weeks visitors to will see the results of the Wirral Country Park Coastal Rangers Winter Works Programme which has included some access 2 Access Improvements improvements at the Centre (see pages 2 and 3). Work will also start on the Cottage Lane Bridge (Lower ) Improvements Project with the removal of Wirral Walking Festival 4 ivy and other woody vegetation in March to allow initial inspection of the brickwork Hilbre Island Survey 5 and metal girders. Later in the year work will continue with removal of the concrete support columns, strengthening of the bridge and resurfacing of the access ramp onto Wirral Autistic Society 7 the Wirral Way. At North Wirral Coastal Park the Rangers and volunteers have Hilbre Island Wall continued managing the dunes at Meols and undertaking selective removal of Repairs 8 chestnut fencing originally positioned to help with dune stabilisation and Wirral Work Experience Council’s Asset Management Team have commissioned North West Construction to 9 undertake repairs to the collapsed boundary wall above the eastern slipway on Hilbre and TuffNutz and to the rendered ‘quarry wall’ where water percolation has made it unsafe (see page The John Muir Award 10 8). Summer events are being planned and will hopefully again include the very successful ‘Take Tea on Hilbre’ event held last year which attracted over 260 Family Matters 11 participants over the two days as well as the popular ‘Life at the Seashore’ events and Heswall Wastewater 12 some new Ranger-led events at some new locations around the coast. Improvements Treatment Works to the Visitor Centre and Green Shop at Thurstaston will include a new display for our Gardman range of bird food and feeders as well as some new lines for visitors Nature’s Calendar 14 during the summer! Useful Contacts 15

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Wirral Country Park Access Improvements One of the projects currently being undertaken by the Coastal Rangers and volunteers is the ‘restoration’ of the old railway platform and its immediate surrounding area at the Thurstaston Centre. The Wirral Country Park 10 Year Outline Management Plan ‘Aims and Objectives’ is To Make the Park More Welcoming: • Improve the arrival of the visitor experience of the Thurstaston Visitor Centre • Increase visibility of the building from the car park area • Improve the linkage between the visitor centre and the main and overspill car parks • Increase the visibility of the building and to develop a stronger relationship to the Visitor Centre with access improvements (steps, ramps and pathways) • Improve coach parking for schools and for improve parking for disabled visitors This work was also identified in the Wirral Country Park Improvements Study commissioned in 2006. Work started last year with thinning of vegetation along the east platform and continued with thinning of vegetation along the west platforms before Christmas. The Rangers, supported by volunteers from Phoenix Futures, Heswall Centre, the Wirral Country Park Thursday Task Force and recently from the Royden Project, will be creating new access for all users to the Visitor Centre from the Wirral Way and from the overflow car park on Station Road and under the historic Station Road Bridge, rather than visitors having to cross the busy road junction. During the thinning of vegetation it was noticed that one of the old large pine trees (present at the time of the railway) was leaning and with decades of wind action the rootball had started to lift. Thanks to the skills of our Parks and Countryside Foresters we have hopefully saved this historic tree with the careful removal of some lower limbs. New handrails have been fitted to the car park steps and further work will include the positioning of benches along with tree planting and creation of a designated coach parking area so that the 5,000 school children that visit the site each year can leave the car park and access the park and Visitor Centre in safety.

Page 2 In a previous issue of Coastal Scene the theft of items from parked cars was highlighted. The car park at the

Thurstaston Centre was becoming a ‘hot spot’ for thefts from cars and we were noticing that many of the cars being broken into were along the first stretch of the car park adjacent to the Wirral Way near to the main park entrance. After the thinning of vegetation around much of the rest of the car park, traffic island and platforms, this area remained well vegetated. During some initial inspections to select a suitable route for pedestrian access to the Visitor Centre the Rangers discovered a well trodden pathway through ground ivy and bare soil leading from the station platform. The path didn’t actually lead anywhere but did provide a hidden elevated position from which to observe visitors parking. Wirral Country Park is an award winning Green Flag Park and we want to ensure our visitors that it is Safe, Secure and Welcoming. In January work started to thin the dense vegetation (a lot of which was dead and was actually falling onto the Wirral Way in high winds) and to create a new access to the northern end of the Visitor Centre—which now incidentally can be seen by people as they arrive in the car park of from the Wirral Way. The area will no longer provide a safe area for thieves to hide in and observe cars and visitors and I’m delighted that in the last couple of weeks we have been asked if we can plant a memorial tree to replace some of the vegetation removed and install a memorial bench along the platform in memory of someone who enjoyed their time birdwatching at the Thurstaston Centre. There’s still quite a lot of work to do here including scraping away soil from and resurfacing the old platform, digging out and edging a new and a ‘rediscovered’ ramp that will provide access for all as well as some further tree planting. With the contribution from our volunteers and donations from members of the public the Coastal Rangers have been able to undertake a major landscaping project that has been discussed and proposed for years. The old ramp edgings are being ‘recycled’ to edge the new path and we’re hoping to use some ‘leftover’ surfacing materials bought for other projects within the park. What has this project cost us? - practically nothing - but it will be a major improvement that we hope will be appreciated by all our park users and only made possible with the support of our volunteers.

A new access ramp leading from the platform to an old and disused ramped access marked by the old concrete fence posts

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The 2013 Wirral Walking Festival MEDIA RELEASE FROM WIRRAL COUNCIL

Wirral to host month-long walking festival

The 2013 Wirral Walking Festival will be taking place from the 1st – 31st May with over 100 walks taking place throughout the peninsula, with something suitable for everyone, regardless of age or ability. Highlights of the festival include a series of walks to mark the 40th anniversary of Wirral Country Park, one of the first designated Country Parks in Britain, and walks organised by the Wirral Footpaths and Open Spaces Preservation Society in this, their 125th year of existence.

Other events are organised by Wirral Council’s Rangers, local walking clubs and societies such as the Ramblers Association, while the festival also incorporates walks which are part of regular local initiatives such as ‘Buggy Park Fitness’ alongside other events incorporated within the themes of ‘History and Heritage’, ‘Habitats and Wildlife’, ‘Food and Drink’ and ‘Health Walks’. Tours of the tidal at the mouth of the River Dee and guided walks around the famous Ness Gardens will feature as part of the festival, as will the Wirral Coastal Walk, which attracts more than 5,000 people to the 15 mile route, taking place on Sunday 19th May.

Cllr Chris Meaden, Wirral Council Cabinet member for Culture, Tourism and Leisure, said: “Wirral’s coast and countryside has for a long time attracted walkers from all over the area and beyond, but this is the first time the Council has joined together with local groups to put together a dedicated festival of walking.

“It promises to be fantastic, with something taking place every single day during the month of May. It is fitting that the inaugural walking festival takes place when the Wirral Footpaths and Open Spaces Preservation Society celebrates its 125th anniversary. They have been instrumental in campaigning to protect and maintain many paths and public rights of way of those years. “I hope many people from all over the country come to the Visit Wirral website and find out what we have planned over the course of the month and find something that takes their fancy. We might not be able to guarantee the weather, but we can definitely guarantee they will feel welcome.”

Some of the walks planned during the festival will be accessible to people with limited mobility and some are designed for all the family to take part in. It is recommended that people check with the walk organiser for each event if you have specific requirements, including wheelchair access or if you are unable to step over stiles. A brochure containing full details of all the 2013 Wirral Walking Festival events is available at

www.visitwirral.com

Phone enquiries can be made to 0151 648 4371

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Hilbre Island Survey Article and Images by Roy Forshaw ( Industrial Heritage Society)

Visitors to Hilbre Island over the last 4 years may have seen tape measures stretched across the grass. This is part of a labour of love surveying project to measure the three islands. The work stated when it was decided that the principal buildings on the island should be recorded to provide illustrations for a research group’s forthcoming book on Hilbre’s history. After researching the Mersey Docks and Harbour Board archive at the Merseyside Maritime Museum it was found that the island had never been accurately mapped and so the project was extended to cover the whole island. Initially the survey equipment was tape measures and a note pad. Features were recorded using a surveying method called ‘chain surveying’ with measurements entered into a chain book. Wooden pegs formed the control stations between which a tape measure was laid providing a reference for measuring offsets. By this method a large portion of the island has been recorded. Getting down on your hands and knees to measure features has been beneficial as lots of new detail has been noticed such as an early slipway at the north of the island probably predating the Lifeboat Slipway. Other features on the beach include cut outs in the rock where stone blocks supported the rails for a tramway operated by Trinity House. This was used to bring buoys and supplies at low water to the buoy store. What we think were fish traps have also been found on the side of the island. The buildings have also been measured and drawn with individual stone bonding showing our interpretation on the various phases of construction. This has been done by measuring the elevation of a building which is drawn up using computer aided design software. Image corrected photographs are then imported onto the drawing and the stonework and brickwork bonding traced.

One of the CAD drawings showing the detail that accurate surveying and computer software can provide Page 5

Blocked in openings, extensions and reuse of earlier dressed stone blocks have been shown. Over the centuries dressed stone blocks have been salvaged and reused in other structures and the intention is to use the drawings to identify the various stone types including type of material, masons finish and dimensions. There is a possibility that some of these blocks came from the chapel and monks cell. For the first three years the survey was carried out on day visits to the island when tides permitted. Wirral Borough Council kindly allowed staying over on the island and this greatly increased the survey time available as work could be carried out in blocks of three or four days. Modern techniques have also been used. The Korec Group based in Crosby hire out sophisticated surveying equipment. Korec kindly provided a free Sencefly Swinglet flying drone survey which took detailed plan photographs from the air. This has proved particularly useful in identifying rock cut features on the beach areas which are reproduced to scale in high definition. Korec have also supplied at a discounted price some ex hire total station equipment consisting of a Nikon Nova 3m theodolite, tripods and measuring prisms. Laser measurements can now be taken of the island so that points can be rapidly measured in three dimensions. Penmap.com based in Bradford have also been generous in selling a Trimble Yuma field computer with Penmap software which links to the theodolite enabling drawings to be prepared in a CAD program when the laser measurement is taken. The drawing can be checked immediately without worrying about returning to the main land with errors in observations. The funding for the equipment has come out of my own pocket helped by a generous donation of £500 from the Friends of Hilbre. Caroline Raynor from Oxford Archaeology North has also donated a tripod which will be kept on the island which will mean that there is one less piece of equipment to transport over each visit. The kit was tried out in February in cold windy conditions. Winter is the best time to look at areas normally concealed under bracken. At the southern end of the island early field boundaries and excavations into banking have been measured. These boundaries appear on early plans and have yet to be dated accurately. Elsewhere undulations in the ground are more apparent as the grass is shorter. It is hoped that the salt works remains at the north of the island can be measured to aid an application for funding a community archaeology excavation. Dating from the late 1690’s the salt works was never modernised and its remains are a valuable record of early salt making. Korec Group have also donated a mapping grade Trimble GPS for our use. This can measure to an accuracy of 500mm and the intention is to record the early field boundaries and archaeological remains on Middle Eye before the summer vegetation conceals it. The island will be revisited with the theodolite or more accurate GPS at a later date. Examination is also being made below ground. Dean Paton has been assisting with Oxford University Geophysics equipment. A resistivity survey has been made and further work in planned in April to look at the salt works site and potential targets for the chapel and monks cell. Gary Duckers who is an expert in LiDAR has been processing laser scanned data obtained from the Environment Agency which has produced a 3 dimensional model of the island that reveals undulations from early earthworks. Penmap.com have offered a discounted sale of survey grade GPS which would speed up some of the recording work, particularly on beach areas. The equipment would also be used to record the Formby prehistoric footprints and other community archaeology projects.

To help fund surveying expenses and the purchase of additional equipment I have prepared a lecture on the Hilbre survey work and can be contacted on [email protected]

http://www.mihs.org.uk Surveying across the southern slipway on Hilbre Page 6

Wirral Autistic Society 100 hours Volunteering at Wirral Country Park Congratulations to volunteers from Wirral Autistic Society who each completed 100 hours of voluntary service at Wirral Country Park by December last year. The volunteers each received a certificate recognising the valuable contribution they have made to the management of the park before enjoying a ‘Christmas lunch’ in the mess room at the Thurstaston Centre! The volunteers have recently set up a display in the Visitor Centre (located at the end of the main corridor) showing some of the tasks they have been involved in over the last twelve months including car park edging, path and step re-surfacing, litter picking and most recently the building and positioning a new handrail on steps leading from Car Park onto the Wirral Way. To assist all the volunteer groups at Wirral Country Park we have created a new secure tool store and separate wood store allowing volunteers safer access. Wirral Autistic Society are here most Mondays, so please take the time to speak to the supervisors and volunteers if you see them out and about and thank them for their continued hard work.

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Hilbre Island Wall Repairs For some years there has been concern over the cliff top boundary wall in Telegraph House garden which was starting to lean due to undercutting caused by erosion of the cliff face and through leaching of rainwater under the wall from the garden. After a survey in 2011 Wirral Council’s Asset Management Team secured funding to have the wall underpinned but just one week prior to the start of the work the wall collapsed and the sandstone blocks ended up on the eastern slipway. North West Construction immediately started recovery of the blocks (with each one being carried by hand up the cliff steps) to save them from the effects of tidal action. Scaffolding was erected in January and, after a delay whist essential repairs were being undertaken to the road cutting at Thurstaston on the A540, the stonemasons finally arrived on the island on 4th March to start work on rebuilding the boundary wall. The stonemasons will also be repairing the ‘quarry wall’ behind the Buoymaster’s Store which has also been affected by rainwater leaching between the rear paddock and the wall with the hydrostatic pressure forcing off the lower rendering. Once the walls have been repaired we will be looking to construct French drains in the gardens and paddocks to assist in draining water away from these walls and some of the buildings.

The collapsed wall on the east side of the island and scaffolding in place ready for rebuilding work

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My Wirral Country Park Work Experience by Craig Rutherford Between January and February for four weeks I was lucky enough to get a chance to work with the Wirral Coastal Rangers at Wirral Country Park. I got this opportunity through Reaseheath College which is where I am currently on a 2 year Countryside Management course and the idea being that I get a placement somewhere that I can put what I have learnt into practice. Over my time at the park I got to see a lot of places I otherwise wouldn’t have known about and learnt things about those places from the Rangers and their vast knowledge of the area. I have to say that one of my highlights was getting the chance to go over to the Hilbre Island Local Nature Reserve on a couple of days with Matt Thomas, one of the Coastal Rangers. I remember thinking that there surely couldn’t be a better place to have an office! I also got to work with a wide range of volunteers from Phoenix Futures, Wirral Autistic Society and Wirral Country Park Task Force. This made me realise how important volunteers and task groups were to such a park. Working with them also, I feel, improved my people skills and gave me more confidence in my knowledge as I was sometimes given responsibility of groups and for a change it was them asking me questions! Not only were my people skills improved but I think that my practical skills and knowledge benefitted massively from working with the Rangers. Being able to put certain things into practice in a different environment was great for me and I learnt plenty of new things along the way. Getting the chance to work in a place that is so ecologically important is something I’m very grateful of because it meant there was added importance to the work I was doing. From emptying bins to building fires, cutting down trees to brash clearing I can safely say I thoroughly enjoyed my time at Wirral Country Park, North Wirral Coastal Park and the Hilbre Islands and will definitely be back again soon. I cannot thank the Rangers and other volunteers enough for making my time here enjoyable and incredibly useful for me. I just hope I have been as useful myself and they’re happy with what I have done in my time spent with them. TuffNutz 2013 Now in its 6th year, this challenging team endurance event, organised by Pensby Runners took place on Sunday 3rd March with competitors leaving the Thurstaston Centre already muddy from the scramble net challenge (see below!) and heading along the beach to the saltmarsh in Gayton and returning via and the Dungeon. In teams of three they had to help each other complete the course and the TuffTasks which were positioned at various intervals along the 11 mile course. These challenges are designed to be ‘wet, messy, uncomfortable, tiring and needing team co-operation’. For further details of the event please visit: http://www.pensbyrunners.co.uk/contact.html

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Park Volunteers Pioneer The John Muir Award by Cathy Oldfield (Coastal Ranger) The John Muir Award is an environmental award scheme focused on wild places. It encourages you to enjoy the outdoors, get to know more about nature and wild places, and to do something to look after these places. It is run and coordinated by the John Muir Trust, a charity which was set up in 1983 to make sure that wild places are valued by all sectors of society, and wild land is protected throughout the United Kingdom.

The charity takes its name and inspiration from John Muir, a Scot who pioneered ecology – the idea that animals, plants and humans are all connected to each other and their environment. Muir emigrated to America at the age of eleven and went on to become known as the founding father of the world conservation movement and helped to set up the first National Park.

In November 2012 fourteen members of the Thursday Volunteer Task Force based at Wirral Country Park, signed up for the advanced level Conserver Award. For this we will spend at least six months discovering, exploring, conserving and sharing our experiences in the park. We hope to have completed the award by the end of the summer, when we will be putting up some display material in the Visitor Centre to showcase our achievements. Look out for us if you’re walking in the park on Thursdays!

Wirral Ranger Service is a member of the John Muir Trust. This allows us to use our knowledge, to offer assistance to people who want to do the John Muir Award. You can do the award as a family, as part of a group or on your own. The award is open to all, except very young children who may not understand the aims. There are three different levels to suit all abilities. If you would like to do the award at Wirral Country Park or North Wirral Coastal Park please get in touch on 0151 648 4371 and ask for Cathy Oldfield, or call in at the Visitor Centre. Alternatively you can email [email protected].

You can also find out more information by visiting the John Muir Trust website www.jmt.org.

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Family Matters by Cathy Oldfield (Coastal Ranger) Now that the days are getting lighter and winter is behind us it’s good to get out and about with the family to look for signs of spring. Here are a few ideas to get you going at our coastal sites: 1. Take a two hour circular walk up to the Dungeon, a small steep-sided valley with a waterfall and cave. Maps are available from the Thurstaston Visitor Centre. Look out for woodpeckers, treecreepers and nuthatch in March and in April the woodland floor is carpeted with bluebells before the tree canopy develops. There are lovely views from the top paths across the estuary but please be aware that the path is close to steep drops in places. 2. Call into the Thurstaston Visitor Centre for a free spotter sheet and head off to look for the signs of spring. We can provide certificates for all children who make a good effort. We also have a variety of sheets to suit most children’s interests! 3. Collect or download a free Wirral Nature Guide and explore the coast with this full-colour guide to some of the animals and plants that can be found there. http://www.visitwirral.com/information/download-guides 4. Collect or download a Wirral Circular Trail leaflet and go for a walk or cycle ride around sections of the peninsula. Go to: http://www.visitwirral.com/information/download-guides 5. How about having a go at The John Muir Award? You can do this together as a family and we can help you. This would be a good project for over the Easter or Summer Holidays. Check out the information in the John Muir article and contact us at the Visitor Centre.

If you would like to take part in an organised event, take a look at the Events Programme at www.wirral.gov.uk The Wirral Walking Festival is taking place in May and many of the walks and activities are suitable for families. www.visitwirral.com

Photograph by C & P Sadler Photographic (Hoylake Society)

Bug Hunting at Wirral Country Park with the Coastal Rangers Page 11

Heswall Wastewater Treatment Works by Leanne Jones (PR Manager—Costain)

Welsh Water is proud to be investing almost £7million in an underground storage tank at Heswall Wastewater Treatment Works. The current works serves a population of around10,000 in the Heswall and surrounding area and has been in operation since 1996. Our investment work forms part of the European Shellfish Waters Directive which is aimed at improving wastewater treatment in the area. The overall aim is to protect and improve shellfish life and growth which will benefit the quality of shellfish products sourced from the local estuary and to achieve this, we are constructing a new storage tank. The tank will store water during storm weather conditions when the works are working at full capacity. This will improve the performance of the works which in turn will improve overall water quality in the . The facility will store nearly 6 million litres of storm water – enough to fill 2 Olympic size swimming pools. Work on the project began in May 2012 and we anticipate that it will be finished by August 2013.Work on site has gone well to date, despite encountering some difficult ground conditions and we are pleased with progress made to date on the construction programme. Richard Heaps, Project Manager said: ❝We have faced several challenges over the last few months due to a number of factors including difficult ground conditions and adverse weather. We would like to thank local customers for their patience during the work.❞ The excavation of the earth inside the storage tank began at the end of January and will take approximately 10 weeks to complete. Welsh Water is also proud to be investing £1.5 million in an underground storage tank on Riverbank Road. The work is also part of the European Shellfish Waters Directive which is aimed at improving the performance of wastewater treatment by reducing the number of spills into the Dee Estuary. The overall aim

New storage tank construction at Heswall Wastewater Treatment Works

Page 12 is to protect and improve shellfish life and growth which will benefit the quality of shellfish products from the Saturday 15th December estuary. To achieve this, we are constructing a new tank which will store water during storm conditions when our systems are working at full capacity. This in turn will improve water quality in the Dee Estuary. The facility will store nearly 1.6 million litres of storm water – that’s over 250,000 toilet flushes. Work on the project began in November 2012 and we anticipate it will be substantially completed by May 2013. Work on site to date has gone well and we are making good progress in the construction programme. Richard Heaps, Project Manager said: ❝We are pleased with the progress made to date and our team currently remains on target to complete the work to schedule. I would like to thank the residents of Riverbank Road for their co-operation during work at our temporary site❞ As part of the scheme, we will be separating the surface water from the wastewater network, which will allow our network in the area to operate more efficiently. The work will involve laying 130 metres of pipeline within the highway. To complete the work in a safe and timely manner it will be necessary to have a lane closure in place on Riverbank Road for five weeks from mid February. Some traffic management will be required during this period.

Welsh Water is a not for profit company owned on behalf of customers and investing in your local community. Keeping you informed If you have any queries regarding our work, need any additional information then please contact Leanne Jones on 01244 529700 or email [email protected]

New storage tank construction at Riverbank Road Wastewater Treatment Works

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Nature’s Calendar Article and photographs by Lynne Greenstreet (Coastal Ranger) Kestrels are one of our most common birds of prey and are readily identified from their hunting technique. They are able to hover into a head wind while keeping their eyes firmly focussed on their prey below. It is because of this they get the old name ‘windhover’. They have keen eyesight enabling them to pick out a small vole or frog from a great height. After diving down onto their prey, their sharp yellow talons pierce and kill the unsuspecting victim which is usually carried away to be eaten. Their habitats are very varied and can be seen hunting over open grassland, verges and saltmarsh.

Slugs are unfortunately regarded by many as unwelcome garden pests as they munch their way through our prized plants! Related to snails, there are approximately 30 species of slug in the UK, but the one that we see in our gardens – the Common Garden Slug – is easily identified by its black body and orange/brown colour underneath. It breathes through a small round hole on its back and uses the two pairs of feelers for sight and smell. Slugs can be found most active at night from early spring and hiding in damp places during the day so as not to dry out. Hedgehogs, frogs, toads and birds such as song thrushes will help reduce the numbers of slugs – and snails – in your garden, so rather than putting out the poisonous slug pellets, give them a break by leaving them for the wildlife and you never know what might turn up in your garden!

Water Rails are nervous, secretive birds that are heard more often than they are seen. They inhabit dense reedbeds and other wet areas where there is plenty of cover keeping themselves well out of sight from predators such as herons and large gulls! They are very vocal, particularly during the spring as they pair up and vigorously defend their territories by calling out to other pairs in the vicinity. Their calls include a high pitched squeal that sounds rather like a ‘squealing pig’. Being very slim in build it is able to creep around among the reeds in search of food largely undetected. Brief views can be had as this bird comes out to feed before it quickly runs back into hiding among the vegetation. They will take small fish, worms and vegetation.

Looking further ahead into early spring, Wasp Beetles start to emerge around late April until August after spending the winter as a larva in dead deciduous wood. Despite the ‘wasp like’ appearance – it is in fact completely harmless to humans. It uses the yellow and black markings as a form of defence against predators! At around 2cm long, this longhorn beetle spends most of its time feeding on pollen and smaller insects. Being quite common, you can find them in many varied habitats including hedgerows, gardens and wood piles. They have been known to emerge in homes from timber brought indoors for log fires. Page 14

All articles and photographs by Josef Hanik (Senior Ranger for Wirral’s Coast) To receive an electronic copy of this newsletter by unless shown otherwise e-mail (Adobe Reader required) e-mail Coastal Scene [email protected] Thurstaston Centre Wirral Country Park Information will be entered into a database and will not Phone: 0151 648 4371 be made available to any other persons other than the Fax: 0151 648 0776 editorial team and will be used solely for the purpose of e-mail: [email protected] assisting in the distribution of this newsletter.

Wirral Coastal Rangers Alternatively a downloadable version of the newsletter 0151 648 4371 can be found at www.visitwirral.com [email protected]

Wirral Lifeguard Service 0151 630 2188

West Kirby Marine Lake 0151 625 2510

Wirral Country Park Friends Group www.wcpfg.co.uk

The Friends of North Wirral Coastal Park www.friendsofnorthwirralcoastalpark.co.uk

Friends of Caffe Cream www.leasowelighthouse.co.uk Located in New Brighton’s Marine Point development Caffe Cream was

crowned Wirral’s Fairtrade Champions in Friends of Hilbre 2012. Enjoy a hand crafted coffee or home-made ice cream www.deeestuary.co.uk/hilbre made on site in their own ‘flavour laboratory’ whilst enjoying 0151 648 7115 stunning views over the marine lake or sit outside for some ‘people watching’! [email protected] http://www.visitwirral.com/food-and-drink/caffe-cream-p310611

Dee Estuary Voluntary Wardens 0151 648 4371

Hilbre Safe Crossing Times 0151 648 4371/3884

Boat Launching Permits www.safewater.co.uk 0151 630 0446

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