From Wasteland to Wetland: A History of Woolston Eyes

As a birder growing up in Greater Manchester in the 1990s, I would regularly phone Birdline Northwest (remember those days of having to phone up for bird news?!) and very often, the site Woolston Eyes, in Cheshire, would feature. Although I never had the chance to visit the site as it requires a permit to access, the name has always been a familiar one to me, and in my role as one of the Wetland Bird Survey (WeBS) team, I have had a few phone conversations with Brian Martin about a few of his WeBS records on that site over the years. Even before he published this book of the history of the site, from its beginnings as a desolate wasteland just a couple of miles from the centre of Warrington to the amazing wetland reserve it is today, the enthusiasm in which he spoke of the site was always evident and this book captures that love and dedication.

The first chapter tells of the history of the area, which sits underneath the busy M6 Thelwall Viaduct, which many will have driven over without realising what was below them. The next few chapters detail the development of the habitat of the reserve which today is a Site of Special Scientific Interest and has a nationally important breeding population of Black-necked Grebes, among other rare breeding species. The final part of the book has short stories detailing certain species which have been conservation successes on the site, including the grebes and also Willow Tits which are declining at an alarming rate (90% decline in England since 1995) but this site remains as a stronghold. The site is not only important for birds, but also invertebrates and they are covered in this book too.

The book gives a thorough overview of the reserve’s history and its birds and even for those who may never get the chance to visit the site, it will be a fascinating read on what can be done with a bit of vision and a dedicated group of volunteers successfully managing a site over 40 years.

Book reviewed by Neil Calbrade