Chorlton Meadows and Ivy Green

23/03/2026

22/03/2026

It’s a busy time of year down at the nature reserve - and not just for the birds! 🐦‍⬛🪺

If you have walked near the top meadow by the river / reed pond you will have seen a lot of activity digging up scrub and grassland. 🚜🪏🕳️

This is part of a large-scale intervention to enhance this part of the Ees.

It looks quite unsightly now, but the goal is to create a series of natural water features such as channels, drops and swales which will enhance the land, increase its ability to cope with rain & flooding, as well as provide new habitats for amphibians & other creatures. 💦 🐸🦎🦋🐝🐌🦗🪱🕷️

More information will be shared about the works shortly - if you have any questions please comment below or message directly & we will find the answer. ❓💬

14/03/2026

🌳🌲 Family fun & free film for International Day of Forests, March 21st & 22nd 🌳🌲

Don’t miss this chance to see brilliant family-friendly stop-motion animation Sauvages, from Oscar-nominated Claude Barras.

Sauvages will be screened for free at the
📆 Carlton Club, Whalley Range, Sat 21 Mar
📆 Manchester Museum, Sun 22 Mar.

Both are family-friendly events and people are encouraged to bring their children as there will be refreshments and craft sessions!

Link to book free tickets for Carlton Club (Saturday 21st March 13:00-15:30): https://actionnetwork.org/events/sauvages-film-screening?source=direct_link&

Link to book free tickets for Manchester Museum (Sunday 22nd March (14:00-17:00): https://actionnetwork.org/events/sauvages-film-screening-manchester-museum/

Manchester Friends of the Earth are putting on this film as part of its Planet over Profit campaign, and both films will start with a short introduction to the campaign, followed by an informal open discussion afterwards.

22/02/2026

Thank you weekend of 21/22 February for two glorious mornings when spring was very much in the air! 🌱 ☀️

Yes the ground is still muddy & puddled, wind cold, and river fast & swollen with rain 🌨️ - but…
. It’s happening folks! Things are afoot and you don’t have to look too far to see the signs. 🕵️‍♀️

While slow starter the oak deceives us, letting its dead orange leaves flutter dry in the breeze. 🪾

So much is waking up… 😴

Clumps of green on the woodland floor, silver grey p***y willow furs, the dark purple buds of ash, bright green hawthorn leaves, but first place goes to… 🥇

… the delicate white blooms of the cherry blossom, some out already and lifting our spirits from winter gloom. 🥰

Birds are busy making their nests and sleepy bees are groggily emerging. 🪹 🐝

Cold and wet days remain ahead, but the light is back and the sap is rising. 💡

It’s still a month until celestial spring (March 21) ✨ but only a week til the meteorological start on the 1st March.📆

This is followed by March’s full moon on Tuesday 3rd 🌕 - often dubbed the worm moon, as earth’s soil makers are on the move. 🪱



https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/blog/2021/02/first-spring-signs-in-nature/

22/02/2026

Bumblebees don’t live in hives – like birds, they need somewhere to nest 🐝

Tree bumblebees prefer to nest high above the ground and will seek out suitable nest boxes. Use our top tips to help give them a home:

🪹 Line the inside of the nest box with dry, natural material like straw, leaves, moss or wool. Alternatively, if birds have previously used the box, leave their old nesting material inside.

🧭 Place the nest box somewhere north-facing. Bumblebees don’t like their nests to be in direct sunlight.

🪟 Position away from doors, windows, seating areas and garden toys – if successful, the nest box will get busy later in the summer!

Have Tree bumblebees made a home in your nest box before?

📷 Dave Buttery

22/02/2026

Did you know that our UK gardens collectively contain an area 3x bigger than ALL of the UK’s national nature reserves combined? 🤯 Imagine if we could harness that space to help nature thrive.

Join us at next week's online event to discover how to make your garden a haven for nature (and who knows, perhaps you'll inspire your neighbours too!). Register now 👇
https://www.cumbriawildlifetrust.org.uk/events/2026-02-25-introduction-wilder-gardening

22/02/2026

Keep your eyes peeled for the tiny, fascinating female flowers of the hazel tree! 🌿

These unusual flowers resemble a scaly green bud, with a bundle of delicate red tendrils emerging from the top. Looking a little like a sea anemone!

Take a moment to spot them on your winter walks, nature’s way of reminding us that spring is just around the corner. 🌸

22/02/2026

06/01/2026

Birds don't just need food in winter—they need places to escape wind and conserve body heat. A single cold night without shelter can be fatal. Here's what to leave standing in your yard through spring:

1. Dead Flower Stalks
• Hollow stems trap warm air pockets
• Use: chickadees, wrens roost inside
• Leave: coneflowers, sunflowers, black-eyed Susans

2. Brush Piles
• Layered branches block wind, hold heat
• Use: sparrows, juncos huddle in centers
• Leave: pruned limbs stacked loosely near hedges

3. Unmowed Grass Patches
• Dense tufts create insulated hideouts
• Use: towhees, song sparrows nestle at base
• Leave: corner sections, fence lines unmowed

4. Evergreen Shrubs
• Year-round foliage shields from snow and wind
• Use: cardinals, finches roost on inner branches
• Leave: native juniper, holly, arborvitae unpruned

A tidy yard is a death trap. What looks messy to you is survival architecture to them. ❄️🏠

02/01/2026

Hopeful news of young Atlantic salmon being spotted back in the Mersey

Mersey Rivers Trust

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/dec/30/young-atlantic-salmon-english-rivers-mersey-bollin-goyt

Species that is critically endangered in Britain is spotted in Mersey, Bollin and Goyt rivers in north-west

31/12/2025

Practice makes perfect, so here’s your second dose of Big Garden Birdwatch ID training 🔍

Will you see any of these on the big weekend? Make sure you sign up to take part!