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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.

Tuesday, 11 June 2013

In Search of Birds and Flowers. Talacre to Gronant 10th June 2013

Sea campion.
A Pyramidal Orchid.
A few more orchids.
A Meadow pipit collecting food for the family.
An Oystercatcher - possibly on a nset.
A Ringed plover on Gronant beach.
A Little tern on Gronant beach.
A Reed bunting near Presthaven Sands.
Not a bird or a flower, but the iconic picture for this walk.
Walk stats: Distance: 7.3 miles. Climb: Not a lot!
Time: 3 hours 52 minutes. On the move walking average: 1.9 m.p.h.
Group: Martyn.
The forecast was for this to be the last really good day of the week, so I thought it would be a good day to visit the Little Tern colony at Gronant. In fact it was a little overcast and cooler than expected as I set off through the Nature Reserve, but it wasn't long before the Sun was out and blue skies appeared.  The tide was well out as I approached Gronant, so it was difficult to see any of the birds on the water's edge, but there was the delightful sound of Skylarks and the entertaining parachuting of Meadow pipits around the dunes.
Birds seen or heard today included: House sparrow, Woodpigeon, Black-billed magpie, Common whitethroat, Jackdaw, Carrion crow, Raven, Meadow pipit, Skylark, Mallard, Mute swan, Grey heron, Little egret, Chiffchaff, Sedge warbler, Reed bunting, Great black-backed gull, Lesser black-backed gull, Herring gull,Shelduck, Oystercatcher, Kestrel, Ringed plover and Little tern. 
Flowers seen today included: Early marsh orchid, Pyramidal orchid, Yellow flag, Red clover, Whte clover, Red campion, Meadow buttercup, Creeping buttercup, Bird's foot trefoil, Ribwort plantain, Sea campion and many more that I saw but failed to identify.
The surprise of the day was a small Sand lizard that ran across the boardwalk on my way back from the Little tern viewpoint.

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