RIMAG

 RISLEY MOSS ACTION GROUP

  Registered Charity No 1041935

Working for the future of Risley Moss

RISLEY MOSS  -  Local Nature Reserve

 

Risley Moss is one of the last remnants of the Chat Moss raised bog system which once covered over 100 square miles of the Mersey Valley between Warrington and Manchester.   

 

The Risley Moss Action Group (RIMAG) which was formed in 1990 now works in partnership with Warrington Borough Council to promote and manage the reserve.

Meetings

 

If you would like to support your local nature reserve or become a member of RIMAG then  why not come along and meet the group.   Indoor meetings are held at the visitor centre at 7pm on the  following dates in 2012:

 

1st March / 3rd May / 7th June

 

For further details contact us via e mail at mail@rimag.org.uk  or come along on the night and ask for Andy.

Volunteering

 

You can also get involved in helping to conserve your local nature reserve.  Tasks vary from month to month and according to season but you are welcome to join us on the following Sundays in 2012:

 

 29th January / 26th February / 25th March

 

Meet at the visitor centre for 10am.  Be advised to wear stout shoes and warm practical clothing. 

All tools and equipment will be provided as will safety briefings.

The Changing face of a mossland

 

You can’t help but notice that there’s a lot happening on the reserve this winter.  

Firstly and perhaps less obvious has been the changes out on the mossland itself.  The previous rewetting schemes of the 90s & 00s were very successful in ensuring that the water table was never very far from the mossland surface and in the process attracted a wide range of birds which had not been seen on the reserve before or since.  But the scheme didn’t go far enough as parts of the mossland remained dry or slowly became drier.   The answer? Take two mechanical diggers manoeuvre them skilfully around the mossland and create a new set of bunds and dams to redirect or hold the water back from disappearing off site too quickly.  How successful this will be only time will tell.

 

More obvious management work has been the on-going and gradual removal of rhododendron from parts of the woodland.  The plant is an alien and can cause problems in the long term and has to be dealt with but in modest controlled amounts it is an important evergreen shrub that supports good numbers of birds during the winter period as a visit to the Tower at dusk most evenings as Blackbirds, Song Thrushes, and various Finches will demonstrate.  This work is scheduled to take out most of the rhodi along the northern edge of the reserve.

Both schemes are supported by Natural England.

What a difference a year makes!

 

This time last year the long  freeze with its spectacular scenery gave us a taste of a traditional winter and sadly s

ome of our wildlife suffered badly whilst for others it seemed to reset the biological / hibernation clock to

something like a normal response to one of the coldest periods for many years.

 

Moving forward 12 months and we are just out of one of the warmest Decembers since records began. 

If we are confused just imagine what impact this is having on our wildlife and their response is all around

us!

 

Over the new year many species are treating this balmy weather as a sign of spring.  Normally over this period the only bird you might hear singing is the Storm cock  –  the Mistle Thrush, which has strangely been rather quiet, instead the Song Thrush, Robin and Wrens  have been singing their heart out on some of the warm sunny days.  But its not just the bird life responding to this fair weather, have you noticed that the Hazel is already producing catkins, a few flowering Cherries are in blossom and many spring bulbs are well advanced?  There has also been the odd report locally of butterfly and Bees on the wing.   Sadly at the time of writing cold weather is on its way and may change all that.

 

Wildlife on the reserve is quiet although there has been good sightings of Woodcock, Short Eared Owls and Merlin, most of which can be seen from the Observation Tower if you are fortunate.   And as the cold weather comes in then the Woodland Hide feeders are an ideal spot to sit and watch close up as a variety of birds overcome there fear to get at the food supplied by RIMAG.   And don’t forget, we are always interested in your wildlife record, send them in via our e mail  mail@rimag.org.uk 

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