A ride to Moore Nature Reserve

On Tuesday, since the weather was so nice me an Johnny decided to go for a ride. Moore nature reserve has to be one of my favourite places to visit in Warrington.

The journey took us through Warrington town centre onto Slutchers lane by Bank Quay train station, the picture above was taken from the back of the RSPCA centre looking at a railway bridge crossing the river Mersey. This to us is where the best part of the journey begins, from here on there's plenty of wildlife to be seen.

Johnny heading down the banks of the Mersey

We saw a pair of cormorants along the river but the pictures didn't turn out great. Just before we got to the bridge we stopped so I could look at some Jews ear fungi growing on a old Elder, I noticed a few loose bricks and upon investigation I found a geocahe by complete accident.

Reading the rules on geocaching.

Under the bridge there was some good graffiti, Johnny particularly liked the one with a Aum ॐ. 

Then a short distance down the banks another railway bridge across the river, this one has a footpath that we used to cross.

Over the bridge, along a service road an through a few gates and we are nearly there, head to the first bench to have a cup of tea, and sandwiches made from Christmas dinner leftovers mmmh cant be beat.

Love this path, looks lovely no matter what season.

Tea an Butties Mmmmh!

The reeds on the left are growing out of a old disused canal (Leeds-Liverpool I think), this is where johnny spotted a brood of young long-eared owls sitting in a tree above him a few years back.

This path leads out onto the Arpley Landfill site, the whole of Moore nature reserve including the moss woods are privately owned by the Waste Recycling Group but are open to the public, there have been many petitions to close the landfill.

There are 5 lakes as well as several smaller ponds, grassland and reed-beds at Moore. These areas provide an ideal habitat for a large range of wildlife, there was even a bittern spotted last month.
Sighting's at Moore.

Wetland with colony of gulls from the landfill!

From here we carried on around to the entrance of the reserve where we locked the bikes up and proceeded on foot. We think we saw a Hen Harrier on the grassland facing fiddlers ferry but are not 100% as I managed to scare it away, clumsily trying to get closer to get a pic.

Fiddlers ferry power station.

There was some lovely views around the reserve, and the good weather made them that much better here's a few more photos of things we seen on the way around.

Lovely Day.

Johnny at a bench.

There were owl pellets everywhere.

Johnny at another bench, looking over a lake.

Moss an Lichens, I know, I'm a geek.

Wildfowl watching from hide on lake.

Squirrel? Vole?

After a good walk around and a few cups of a tea we headed of home, was a good day out and some good exercise to burn of all the food over christmas, Thanks for looking, J