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When? Started: 1993 Who? Started with staff and friends from U H S, Chester. Organiser: Martyn Harris We walk every Wednesday and Saturdays, New Years day and May Day. How many walk? Walks take place as long as there are at least 2 wanting to walk on that day. More walk on a Wednesday than on a Saturday. Most ever: 29. Current group size walking: 2-7 in mid-week and 2-4 on Saturday. Where do we walk? Saturday: Anywhere in North and Mid-Wales, Peak District, Shropshire and the Long Mynd and as far North as the Trough of Bowland. Thursday: Anywhere within about 40 miles of Chester. Type of walk: Distance: 6 – 14 miles (but usually under 10 miles). Climb: up to 4000’ (but usually very much less!). People involved on walks in 2024:- Martyn Harris, Fran Murphy, Sue and Michel Pelissier, Mike Dodd, David Savage,, Ed Meads, Nigel and Elaine Taylor, Winston Feather.

Saturday 21 May 2022

Gronant Sand Dunes and More 21st May 2022

Flag iris on the banks of Prestatyn Gutter.
Orchid in Gronant Sand Dunes Nature Reserve.
Marsh Orchid in Gronant Sand Dunes Nature Reserve.
Skylark inGronant Sand Dunes Nature Reserve.
One of the Little terns at Grontant Little tern colony.
Little terns at Grontant Little tern colony.
Little terns at Grontant Little tern colony.
Skylarks singing in Little terns at Grontant Sand Dunes Nature Reserve.
Skylarks singing in Little terns at Grontant Sand Dunes Nature Reserve.
Looking towards the Point of Ayr Lighthouse from the Little tern Hide.
Looking towards Prestatyn from the Gronant Sand Dunes.
It's always good to see and hear the sound of the sea - here at Barkby Beach, Prestatyn.
A Dandelion getting ready to send its offspring out to colonise the neighbourhood.
Poppies on the roadside on the way to Prestatyn Golf Course.
Common mallow on Shore Road, Gronant.
Walk stats:
Distance: 4.8 miles. Climb: 230'.
Time: 2 hours 48 minutes. On the move walking average: 2.2 m.p.h. Overall walk average: 1.7 m.p.h.
Beaufort Wind Force: 1 - 3. Mainly a light breeze, but rising to a gentle breeze as I approached Prestatyn ann returned through the golf course.
Max temperature: 20.2 Celsius.
Group: Martyn.
With no other Saturday walkers around, I was tempted to enjoy exploring once again the environs of Halkyn Mountain. but the chance to visit the Little tern colony at Gronant won out.
It was a good decision, and even better when I found there was a small hide overlooked the colony that you could visit. 
I arrived quite early, so I had the hide to myself. Lots of Little terns about, some returning with their catch, but trying to spot them once they had landed on the pebble beach wasn't easy.  I was informed that there were currently over 300 Little terns around, although I didn't see that many.
Skylarks seemed to everywhere, in the sky singing and on the ground, especilly near the path the the observation hide.
There seemed plenty of Common swifts around as well, the first that I have seen this year.
It was good to see the orchids showing, not easy to see if they were Southern or Northern March orchids.
Birds seen or heard today included: House sparrow, Greenfinch, Goldfinch, Common blackbird, Chiffchaff, Cetti warbler, Sedge warbler, Reed bunting, Common coot, Mute swan.Mallard, Meadow pipit, Skylark, Great cormorant, Stonechat, Herring gull, Carrion crow, Common whitethroat, Jackdaw, Rook, Lesser black back gull, Oystercatcher, Barn swallow, House martin, Common swift and Little tern.
The Sun only came out as I arrived back at the car, so the temperature throught my walk was very pleasant and I didn't have to resort to getting my sunhat out of my pocket and I still had plenty of liquid left in my "hydration puch".
Nevertheless seeing and / or hearing so many birds and seeing so many flowers required a celebration pint of Lees Bitter at the Blue Bell Inn at Halkyn.




















 

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