It’s amazing what you can see and hear in your local area if you are prepared to get up that little bit earlier.

The guided walk (Sunday 8th May 2016) by Adam Machin from Cheshire Wildlife Trust, in conjunction with HMVCG, revealed no less than thirty different bird species in Mersey Vale Nature Park.  Adam was extremely knowledgeable regarding all aspects of flora and fauna but it was birds that proved to be his real speciality.

By the end of the 6.30 to 8.30am walk, we had learnt to identify blackcaps, whitethroats, willow warblers, bullfinches, greenfinches and chiffchaffs along with the more familiar blackbirds, wrens, robins and thrushes.  By the beautiful cowslip meadow we glimpsed a lapwing in flight, overheard an oystercatcher and saw a trio of grey herons perched on the old railway viaduct.

If this walk is repeated then we can highly recommend it – alternatively why not ‘Do it yourself’ armed with the RSPB App loaded onto your mobile ‘phone?  Burnage RFC do an excellent brew and breakfast barm to round off your morning walk.

John Sibbald and Jamie Peate, Heaton Mersey

Find out about other Cheshire Wildlife Trust events taking place across the region here: www.cheshirewildlifetrust.org.uk/whats-on