by Elliot Taylor
LAST weekend, I had the honour of visiting yet another Warrington attraction which is putting our town firmly on the map.
It’s called Woolston Eyes, and it’s a hidden gem which you need to visit.
Spanning a massive 1000 acres, this Warrington nature reserve is grabbing attention from organisations far and wide, most recently having been featured by national media organisations. It has been awarded the status of an SSSI, a Site of Special Scientific Interest. This really is something special as these sites cover just 8% of England’s total land area. Furthermore, the title also ensures heavy legal protection from strict wildlife laws set up by organisations like ‘Natural England’.
The astonishment doesn’t stop there though, as the story of how the reserve came to be is just as staggering. Originally created as a set of industrial containment “beds” for depositing silt dredged from the Manchester Ship Canal, the area has undergone a completely natural transformation. Over the decades, these layers of nutrient rich sediment have settled, allowing nature to take over. Gradually, this has created a vast array of beautiful natural wonders including freshwater pools, reedbeds, willow scrub, and wildflower meadows, to name a few.
The triumph was heavily praised by RSPB environmental expert Robin Horner, who upon his research of the Reserve, stated it to be a “real success story”, where both “industry and wildlife” have worked together to create something magnificent.
The reserve is also widely acclaimed as being a high-quality birdwatching site, something which has been a huge part of achieving SSSI status. This is due to the wetland habitat hosting a truly incredible 60% of the UK’s breeding population of Black-necked Grebes. These can be spotted alongside massive numbers of Wintering Wildfowl, as well as rare Passage Migrants. On top of birds, you can also witness thriving groups of dragonflies, butterflies, and even small amphibians, like Great Crested Newts.
As you can imagine, this diverse ecosystem takes some serious maintenance and the site is continuously preserved by the volunteer-run Woolston Eyes Conservation Group. First established in 1979, this dedicated group of volunteers are constantly at work, and due to the fragility of the ecological habitat, are always making sure wildlife is protected in the best way possible.
I was truly honoured to receive a guided tour of the reserve from two of these incredible volunteers: Geoff Settle and Brian Martin. Throughout the entirety of this, I was particularly struck by the peacefulness of the reserve despite it being not far out from the centre of Warrington. Brian, also known as “Warrington’s David Attenborough”, noted how much of a surprise the location tends to be to first-time visitors, highlighting how important Warrington really is for wildlife in the UK.
Geoff and Brian are always welcoming new visitors to the site and if you’d like to experience the reserve for yourself, visit woolstoneyes.com to apply for a permit today for just £20.
