Spring in the Dales

Heswall Dales is a landscape of wooded valleys and hills of scrub and open heathland. Scrub is periodically removed to promote the regeneration of the rarer lowland heath and it’s in these areas that interesting things start to happen in springtime. Newly exposed to the light and warmth of the sun, many plants begin to germinate: sheep sorrel, wavy-hair grass, groundsels, hawkweeds, bilberry and heather. Amongst them, the ground teems with invertebrates, especially beetles, bugs and spiders. Solitary bees feed on the early gorse and heather flowers, constructing their burrows on the outcrops of bare earth that characterise the rugged hills. Common lizards bask in the sun, but are often only spotted when disturbed due to their superb camouflage. In the woodlands, woodpeckers can be heard drumming and warblers like blackcap, chiffchaff and willow warblers begin to call as they return from overseas. Lucky visitors may spot foxes, weasels, bats and even badgers. This sensitive ecosystem is vulnerable to disturbance. Please keep to paths, keep dogs under control and dispose of waste responsibly. There’s a lot to see on the Dales - you can find out more from the Friends of Heswall Dales website lhttps://www.heswalldalesfriends.co.uk/. Enjoy your visit! …and if you would like to help maintain this rare habitat, contact Ranger Chris Werney on 07767 474478"

The Dales in '25

Restoring lowland heath: this year has seen a lot of work clearing unwanted scrub, with an increasing use of machinery (including the hire of an excavator financed by a grant obtained by the Friends) and teams of rangers working alongside volunteers. More leaflets around Heswall, a new notice board near the Quarry Rd West entrance (with another planned for the Feather Lane pathway) an updated site map and a video of the Dales taken from a drone plus another bat walk....with continued support from Councillor Graham Davies and a visit from our local MP.....oh and Green Flag was awarded again. Well done everyone!

Video

Our website now contains a drone video of Heswall Dales in the autumn.

Green Flag re-awarded

 

The verdict of the recent "mystery shop" inspection of the Dales by Green Flag inspectors:

"This is an ideal nature reserve overlooking the great estuary of the River Dee. A slice of nature to be appreciated by all visitors, sympathetically presented and maintained".

Thanks to Chris Werney and the Ranger team, volunteers, visitors and the Friends -- well done all!

Heather

 The heather in the Dales is doing very well this year.: here's a selection. Enjoy it before it fades........

Wirral West MP Matthew Patrick visited Heswall Dales on 4th April, meeting members of the Heswall Dales Friends and Dales Ranger Chris Werney. During a ramble covering heathland and wooded valleys (and the Turtles Head) a wide variety of environmental topics was discussed including heathland management, protection and recovery, encouraging biodiversity and reducing dog fouling. We look forward to seeing Matthew on the Dales again.

 

More on gorse....

Cutting and burning is fine, but how to stop gorse regrowth? Financed by a grant obtained by the Friends from Wirral Together, an excavator was hired for a day to dig out the roots from the area around the granite bench down to the oak tree exit. This was highly successful and the next stage (already underway) is to collect and burn the (very many) roots. As ever, more volunteers welcome.