What did you get up to in 2015

So how was your year?

Feeling in a reflective mood as I sit looking out the window on this dreary January Sunday - well it's what you do at new year, put the old year to bed, bank the good memories and plan for the new. 

Despite the foul weather, my garden birds are battling on, the goldfinches (counted over 20 today with a sprinkling of greenfinches too) have taken to picking the seeds from the evening primrose stalks and I've just seen a male house sparrow pass a mealworm to a female, early courtship because of recent mild weather perhaps?

This time last year, the weather was drier and colder and we had an honorary member with us - remember Monty Adelie who went to live with our Fran.

My year, like probably most of you, had highs and lows. But I'm only going to pick out some of the highlights from my year.

Monty Adelie our endearing penguin gifted from Lewis's brought a smile to our faces and raised the group a lot of dosh!

Monty and Crew...Speke Garston Coast Jan 2015

Getting a great and unusual view of a female scoter sitting on the tide line (sadly appeared unwell, waterlogged) straight after seeing the snow buntings on the beach on the Wirral.

Poorly Scoter

It was a miserable day in March when I joined the wildflower centre and friends of Everton Park to scatter wildflower seed on Everton Park, but I enjoyed watching it develop over the year, cumulating in the land life tale of two cities celebration day in July.

Poppies Druid st patch

Our RSPB Croatia trip in May, what can I say- lovely scenery, great birds and good chums. Fond memories of sitting quietly alone, awestruck, listening to nightingales in an olive grove at 7am, and then standing in a dark churchyard searching for scops owls. Wandering through mountain gorges, visiting wetlands, and then there was Pag Island – griffon vultures and the wonderful wryneck. 

Olive groves between beach and mountains

If you haven’t been away with us before, why not review the past blogs; we’ve been to some wonderful places, Norfolk, Cairngorms, Mull, Croatia, and Hungary. .. Maybe join us in future?

A particular happy memory was coming across a nifty stoat in Clock face Country Park, heaving his rabbit dinner back home...small but mighty!

Stealthy stoat in the buttercups

Walking around the coastal path of Anglesey during summer watching peregrines, choughs and ravens. Saving a hedgehog from certain death, as it had become stuck down a cattle grid, I’ll never walk across a grid again without looking down... A trip to Penmon point & Puffin Island on a beautiful spring day seabirds galore including puffins and eider ducks.

Saved - should have gone to specsavers!

Attending the Hen Harrier weekend in August in support of our hen harriers, and other persecuted birds of prey and wildlife. Proud to be part of RSPB Liverpool standing up for nature (the only RSPB group who took a bus load of members by the way)

Hen Harrier champions

Enough from me, if anybody would like to share a few happy/exciting memories with the group; I will post it on our January blog page 

Don’t forget were also have a twitter account @RSPBLiverpool, and our group is now on WhatsApp, a real-time info portal to find out what’s about, certainly has been well used today, pallas warbler, black throated diver, Caspian gull. Once registered on the site call Chris T and he'll add you to our group RSPB Lpool- Local Birds.  Enjoy

Hope 2016 brings you all you could wish for, birdie or otherwise!

Laura

Everton's Triumph. The tale of 2 cities

Druid st poppies

In March I told you about Landlife/Grow wild England’s ‘ tale of two cities’ wildflower corridors planted on Everton brow.

http://liverpoolrspb.blogspot.co.uk/2015/03/it-was-wettest-of-times.html

Grow Wild’s aim has been to transform unexpected inner city areas into wildflower centres of excellence and Everton Park fitted the bill perfectly.

Kepler plot

Under its green slopes are the hidden foundations of over 100 steep terraced streets, demolished as part of the 1960s slum clearances. It was once one of the most densely populated districts in the UK.

Ceramic houses Kepler St

Landlife, a charity based at the National Wildflower Centre at Court Hey Park in Huyton, has spent months working with the community involving local groups like the Friends of Everton Park, West Everton Community Council and all of the local schools, with residents and children encouraged to join in the planting. Preparing the park for an explosion of wildflower colour based around a walking trail.

Wildflowers with St George's church in background

On Saturday 18/07/15 the fruits of their labours was celebrated in an event in the park . All the lost Tribes of Everton, those who used to live in the demolished streets were invited to join in with a reunion and appreciate the planted wildflower meadows on the sites of Kepler, Sampson and Druid street.

Grow wild stall

Visitors, talked to staff on the Grow Wild UK Roadshow,   availed themselves of the healthy food stalls and creative workshops throughout the day.

Waggledance performers entertain children

In the afternoon, the West Everton Community Council  hosted ‘Out of the Blue’ music stage with poets, local and guest bands and performers, including Ian Prowse and Friends. That played on til 7pm.

A great day was had by all.
Laura

Everton streets and cathedral skyline

A tale of two cities awakes

First  poppy out - Kepler street plot

For those of you who follow the blog, you will recall that I helped spread Everton meadows wild flower seeds.  The grow wild project, twinned with Manchester

http://liverpoolrspb.blogspot.co.uk/2015/03/it-was-wettest-of-times.html

An incredible wet day for us who made the effort but now the fruits of our labours awaken.

I've been following the plots since their creation and reported the first poppy to bloom on  21/06/15.

12 days later a sea of red has occured, with the Druid st plot being the brightest. The white chamomile is also doing well whilst the back runners at the moment are the cornflowers... but with the recent hot sun and today's rain we expect a tide of blue very soon.  

Druid st plot poppy fest

Druid st plot

Estuary View over  Kepler and Sampson st plots

Kepler and Sampson st plots

Laura

It was the wettest of times

Seed sowers -Kepler Street Plot

It was the wettest of times, but like Hen Harrier day it was also one of the best of times... Not a bad turn out considering the downpour, but then it was for a grand, worthy cause, wildflowers for Everton and nature.

Last year the Landlife National Wildflower Centre, Manchester City Council and the Friends of Everton Park entered the Grow Wild England Landmark Project. The project was named.’ A Tale of Two Cities’ and they won.

Grow Wild is creating four high profile flagship sites, one in each UK country.  Tale of Two Cities won the public vote in England in November 2014

The vision is to deliver a unique cultural landmark project in the northwest of England to:

-       redefine wildflower best practice

-       turn people’s heads and hearts

-       inspire new Grow Wild communities

The plan was to sow bold landscapes in both Liverpool and Manchester on a grand scale – about 10 hectares (equivalent to 20 football pitches!), and into the spaces between where we can.  Uniting the people and communities in both cities to experience, celebrate and create Grow Wild adventures. Igniting a new generation of wildflower lovers - especially aiming to involve local children.

A Tale of Two Cities won £120,000 to achieve this. Liverpool and Manchester will be forging new pathways between environment and culture, using music and arts practice, to bring the beauty of wildflowers to people in intriguing and imaginative ways. Our project will run until 2017.

http://www.nwc.org.uk/landlife/about_a_tale_of_two_cities

http://www.evertonpark.org.uk/

I don’t work too far from Everton Park and enjoy dinnertime strolls there in the summer. I’d seen areas of white lines being marked out the week before, so when I read Damien Young’s tweet (Young4Damian) about the seed sowing event. I thought I’d mosey along.

Three areas of the park have been  marked out for wildflower sowing,  roughly large rectangles on the  slopes overlooking the city.(Great view of the city, river and out New Brighton and beyond by the way) Each plot representing an old Everton street, long demolished and now buried under the park. Kepler, Sampson and Druid Street.  

Kepler and Sampson street plots

  

Druid Street Plot

Keeping in faith with the ethos of links to the environment, culture, music and arts different organisations and individuals were invited to observe and join in with the seed scattering.

Richard Scott, Landlife’s Senior Project Manager led the event, Damian from the wildflower centre brought the seed and distributed it to the scatterers.  The chosen wildflowers were Poppy, Chamomile and Cornflowers -   red, white and blue!  

http://www.nwc.org.uk/visitor_centre/plant_id_guide

 

Richard Scott

                                                                          

Ken Rogers attended the event, author of the book ‘The Lost Tribe of Everton’’ thus linking  history and cultures of the area from past times.

http://losttribeofeverton.co.uk/everton-memories.php

John doing his reading,  Ken to left 

The friends of Everton Park & Everton in the community were well represented Foe’s John Hutchinson gave a spirited reading from Charles Dickens’s   a tale of two cities

     It was the best of times, it was the worst of times….

We even had a musical accompaniment to the morning activities with Accordion player Helen Maher. Maybe we should have sung ‘we plough the field and scatter’, instead we attempted streets of Everton (Streets of London Ralph Mctell) mmh

Better - Listen to Helen and Ian sing the war cry - Flowers to the people - Vote for A Tale of Two Cities

  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DtuAG2Xx6-A&feature=youtu.be

This video was made during the Launch event for our Tale of Two Cities Grow Wild England Flagship bid to win 120K.

Helen provides the music for Silky Skills

Well it is Liverpool so we also had a little bit of football,  in the form of - Richard Braithwaite (silky skills) showing us some of his magical  freestyle football skills  

http://www.kaosfootball.co.uk/home/footballistas/most-wanted/mr-silky-skills

So there you have it, in a couple of month’s the slopes will be in bloom.

I’ll be following their development with interest, besides it will get me out the office for a couple of hrs, and it's good for your mind and waistline!

Laura