CAR TRIP TO CARR MILL DAM, ST HELENS, 26 NOVEMBER 2011.
On 26 November, 13 members of the Society visited Carr Mill Dam, just north of the East Lancs Road at St. Helens. Once a mill pond to power Carr’s mill, it was hugely expanded in the 1750s to provide water for the new (but now derelict) St. Helens canal, about a mile away. The lake became an important recreational destination in the 20th century, and today is the home of a power-boating club (thankfully not operating on the day of our visit). The lake is surrounded by woodland, with some, in the Goyt valley leading north form the lake, designated as ancient woodland. The weather on our visit started bright but became overcast with some light drizzle later on. It remained mild and calm for the whole day.
We walked around the lake in an anti-clockwise direction, with frequent stops at points overlooking the water and in the woodland. Fungi were perhaps the stars of the show, with 18 varieties identified, including Sulphur Tuft, Stump Puffball, Wood Blewit, Clouded Agaric, Tawny Funnel Cap and Orange Wax Cap. It was most encouraging to see plenty of late flowering plants providing a welcome splash of colour, a result of our mild autumn no doubt. Examples of the 10 species seen in flower include Ragwort, Red Campion, Hawkweed, and Ivy Leaved Toadflax. The lake itself held large numbers of the “usual suspects” (Mallard, Canada Geese, Black-headed Gulls), but an uncommon Common Gull amongst the Black-headeds was a welcome bonus. There were also quite a number of Great Crested Grebes and Tufted Ducks about on the water. The woodland and lakeside revealed 27 seen and 2 heard bird species, including Grey Wagtail, Long-tailed Tit, Wren and Goldfinch. Buzzard and Kestrel were the only raptors spotted.
Lack of time prevented all but three members of the group visiting the Stanley Bank area a mile or two to the south at the end of the day. Although little of natural history interest was noted, there was an interesting archaeological site there that was worth seeing. A walk starting in this area and exploring more of the Sankey Valley to the south-east may be worth considering as a future Field Nats car trip.
RC
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