Tag: nature reserve

April 2nd – A cracking day. My seasonal clock a bit on the krunk, I went again to Shire Oak Nature Reserve to see if there were amorous amphibians getting busy, only to find none, but some spawn remaining. Clearly, I missed frog soup this year; however, some spawn under the overhanging trees that clearly couldn’t be reached by the dining heron I sacred off was, remarkably, hatching.

Yup, tadpoles are hatched.

There’s a running joke amongst my pals that one should be careful to check my hands for tadpoles and other wildlife slimies before shaking hands.

The cycle of life continues in a small corner of the town, largely undisturbed, as it has done for decades here. Poor heron had to go somewhere else for his tapioca meal, though…

March 28th – On my return, I popped through a very boggy Shire Oak Park to see if the frogs were busy mating here yet – sadly no evidence of that (although they may have been and gone, the spawn here tends to get eaten by foxed and corvids pretty quickly) but spring is here with green shoots, bright yellow gorse and a lovely, warming atmosphere.

This really is a gem of a place and so little known. Visit if you can, it’s well worth the time.

August 15th – Climbing the hill from Stonnall, I passed the entry to Shire Oak Park. There was once a gate here that either got broken or stolen, I’m unclear of the exact detail. For over 12 months now, the gate has been replaced by a variety of hastily-nailed planks, torn down once to enable access for flytipping.

Now, the gate has been replaced by two removable steel bollards. 

They don’t look terribly beefy to me. But time will tell. I can’t quite get my head around how long this has taken to sort out.

March 30th – The vehicle entrance to Shire Oak Park – which was formerly the main access to the quarry, and the route used by rangers to get into the lower are of the reserve – had the gate damaged and/or stolen about 12 months ago. It was never replaced by Waslall Council’s Greenspaces team, instead being haphazardly blocked with three light planks nailed between the gateposts.

A couple of weeks ago, the one remaining plank was smashed by a truck reversing through it, which then proceeded to flytip a large quantity of refuse.

This is the state of the ‘repair’, one good tug and those planks will be off. The previous, broken one still lies cast asunder in the ditch by the fence.

I support the Greenspaces team and have fought their corner many times. But come on, this is piss-poor.

This really needs sorting properly. If it had been fixed properly previously, the council probably wouldn’t have had to pay for the rubbish removal of the previous week, either.

March 16th – For what was once an old sand and gravel quarry that’s had minimal post-industrial landscaping, Shire Oak Park is a beautiful place, Down by the frog pool at the north hollow, in the golden hour reflected of the very red, red sand soil was gorgeous. It is of course, sandy here – and the stratified sandstone reveals the geology beautifully, but there is also greenery and wildlife. Not just the frogs croaking in the pool, but birds calling and foxes stalking in the scrub. The whole place feels beautifully secluded, and is complex enough to explore and get lost in for a while.

Shire Oak Park is not just a hidden gem of Brownhills, but of the Midlands in general.

March 16th – I was unhappy with yesterday’s frog pictures, so I thought I’d return today to Shire Oak Park and play around with the camera some more. The frog frenzy had calmed, now, and the frogs and toads that remained loafed on the surface croaking occasionally. I love these misunderstood creatures; they fascinate me. Their life is one of relative indolence; mating done for the year, they have the season ahead to eat, lounge around and prepare for hibernation. And avoid predators, or course.

I loved the little yearling on the twig, he was quite brave and didn’t hop away until I got very close.

January 3rd – It was at the southern end of the park I first heard it. An insistent, solid, two-pulse, one note, regular cry. Loud, actually, but until now, lost in the traffic noise and windrush. I dropped down into the base of the park and followed the calling. It was very nearly dusk, only the odd hardy dog walker or two around, and the persistent bird call, coming, as it turned out, from the dense copse in the northern hollow. What I think was a little owl (but I’m no expert on bird calls, it was certainly an owl) was calling out for all it was worth. I was in awe. Days of feeling lower than a snake’s knees, and then to hear such a bird a short ride away. Fabulous.

September 5th – In contrast to the Mango Tree half a mile away, nothing remains of the former Shire Oak transport cafe, informally known locally as ‘Greasy Lil’s’. Derelict and decaying for 25 years, the shell was finally demolished a couple of years ago. The patch of land it sat on stands now as a sandstone outcrop into a disused quarry, reborn as a nature reserve. Controversy has surrounded the planning history of this site for years, situated on a bad, inclined bend on the Chester Road once known as ‘Death Mile’, it’s a bad spot to pull out onto a fast road. Permission was granted some time ago for a development of flats, but nothing materialised. It seems someone has a new plan, as although there are no new planning applications, from the evidence of fresh, clean red sand, someone has clearly been drilling to test the bedrock. Whatever happens,the new residents need a head for heights. There’s a 30 foot drop the other side of that fence…