Country diary: Seasons are changing as the Mersey slides by

Speke and Garston Coastal Reserve, Liverpool: The willows are upright and leafless, but still I hear my first greenfinch of the yearIt is unseasonably warm. My layers of clothing may be misjudged. The vegetation speaks of late winter: crisp, desiccated oak leaves, a flattened bracken coverlet protecting underlying soil, while pencil-thin willows stand upright, leafless, alongside marshy areas. Yet spring lurks in the wings: hazel catkins shiver, snow-white blackthorn flowers, and fresh meadow cranesbill lurks among bleached grasses. Seasons are shifting here at Speke and Garston Coastal Reserve.This 70-acre site in south Liverpool is sandwiched between the River Mersey to the south and the Estuary Business Park to the north. Formerly the site of Liverpool airport, before it decamped a few miles away to become Liverpool John Lennon airport, the reserve is a rich and diverse mosaic of habitats. Continue reading...