Woolston Eyes Nature Reserve is a SSSI (Site of Special Scientific Interest) 4 km east of Warrington Town Centre, designated for it’s breeding bird assemblage of lowland open waters and their margins. It is a mosaic of four separate beds, deposit grounds for dredging from the Manchester Ship Canal, of approximately 400 hectares of freshwater pools, reedbeds, willow scrub and rough vegetation sandwiched between the River Mersey on its north boundary and the Manchester Ship Canal on its south boundary. Only Beds No.3 and No.4 are open to visitors and visiting is by permit only and requires an access key. We had special access to the site without permit on the recording day. Invertebrate habitat includes flower-rich meadow, damp grassland, willow scrub, rank vegetation, and bare sand.
This was a joint event with the Coleopterists Society of Britain and Ireland.
Recorders: Cameron Barrington, Clive Washington, Danny Fitzpatrick, Joel Kilgour, Jess Sharp, Tony Allen, Kay Dinsdale, Keith Fowler, Lydia Cronshaw, Ralph Atherton, Simon Von Toller, Charlie Barnes, Alex Fitzroy, Gary Hedges
Notable Records:
Robertus neglectus (Theridiidae), J. Sharp
- Nationally scarce spider which is undergoing long-term decline according to the BAS
- New VC58 record
Paykullia maculata Picture-winged Woodlouse-fly (Calliphoridae), P. Brighton
- Widespread though somewhat localised in Britain
- Few records for the North-West
Stichopleurus punctatonervosus (Rhopalidae), Woolston Eyes, VC58, 03/08/2024, P. Brighton
- A plant bug that has spread across the country from the south-east in recent years. The first Cheshire record was from 2023, near Chester.
Records:
