Calling all wildlife explorers- it's time to bioblitz Port Sunlight River Park

Looking over mersey estuary from park

Wildlife experts say Port Sunlight River Park, converted from a landfill site and opened to the public in August 2014, is now ready for its first official biological recording.

The 70-acre park perched on the banks of the Mersey is owned by national land management charity the Land Trust and managed by Wirral charity Autism Together. It boasts panoramic views of the iconic Liverpool skyline, woodlands, wildflower meadows and a lake.

There are several opportunities for community members to be involved with bioblitz activities and learn about the wildlife at the park:

river park pond

• On Friday 26 May official wildlife recorders will be checking the park for all signs of mammals, birds, bugs and plant life. Community members are welcome to work alongside them. Anyone interested should contact the park ranger.
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• That evening from 9pm the park will host a bat walk. Families will be given hand-held bat detectors which capture the calls made by different species of bats swooping around their heads and convert them into sounds humans can hear. This event costs £3 and must be booked in advance.
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• On Saturday 27 May wildlife walks will take place as part of May's month-long Wirral Walking Festival. A bird-themed walk at 9.30am will be followed by a wildflower walk at 10.30am, then a family fun nature walk from 1.30pm to 3pm. Wildlife experts will be on hand all day to teach community members about the species now living at the site and there will be family wildlife-themed activities from 10am to 4pm.
• All staff and volunteers are all trained in autism awareness.
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Autism Together park ranger, Anne Litherland, said, "In the early days of the park, when it was still finding its feet, it was hard to believe it could ever be an environmental success. But these days we regularly spot foxes, voles, shrews and rabbits living here amongst the lovely oxeye daisies and deciduous woods, dozens of species of birds around the lake and many different butterflies, moths and mini-beasts.

"Our bioblitz weekend will be a big step forward for us. We want to prove that, given care, even an old rubbish tip can become a beautiful wildlife haven. RECORD (Cheshire's biological recording service) will be collecting all the biological data and we look forward to sharing the results with the community. Our thanks Merseyside Environmental Trust for helping to fund the weekend's activities."

View of Liverpool's cathedrals from top of river park hill

Autism Together's bioblitz partners also include Wirral Wildlife, Cheshire Wildlife Trust, Chester Zoo and Friends of Ness Gardens.

Community members wanting to book places on the bat walk or find out more about the weekend's events should contact Anne on 07587 550060 or anne.litherland@autismtogether.co.uk.