Newts, Toads & Frogs :0)

As you may or may not know there is a lovely statue of a newt in Debdale Park, in fact it's official unveiling is on the 25th May :0)

So do we have any real newts in the park - well the answer is YES !!!!!

Last Friday evening in the pouring rain equipped with torches & wellies I met Rachel Kerr who is an ecologist & licensed to handle the very precious & protected Great Crested Newt.

Rachel lives in the area & gave us her time & expertise to see what amphibians we have living in the park.

As part of the Gorton Community Initiative Rachel was keen so see what amphibians were living on her doorstep.

Even though we got wet through it really was thoroughly enjoyable & I learnt so many things about amphibians that I never knew.

The Great Crested newt are Britain's largest newt species, although afforded some legal protection in the UK, populations have declined over recent years sadly as a result of the destruction and fragmentation of their habitat.

We did not find any Great Crested in the park but did find them further up on the Fallowfield  loop, there are some areas within the park that we have yet to check & it's our hope that we will be back in the park this week on the look out for these rare,protected & beautiful little creatures.

It would be amazing if we did have these amazing creatures, fingers crossed we will.

However we did find some other newts - the very beautiful Smooth newt & some lovely little toads :0)

Rachel told us that toads are also now protected, must say the Debdale toads were very beautiful indeed.

So I will keep you updated but just as a taster here are some facts about newts, frogs & toads :0)

Common toads are Britain's largest and heaviest amphibians, but are not found in Ireland. They can be found in fields, under hedgerows, in gardens and woodlands in fact almost anywhere you would expect to find their food supply of insects. The colouring of the toad will vary with the colour of the soil in their chosen habitat therefore they can be greyish or brownish depending on local soil colour.
They are great creatures of habit so you may find them in the same spot for weeks on end, but they can be difficult to spot because of their camouflage and therefore the ability to blend in. They also can remain completely motionless for hours at a time.

Our most widespread newt, the Smooth or Common Newt, is found throughout Britain and is the only newt species to be found in Ireland. It can grow to 10cm and is the species most often found in ponds, including garden ponds, during the breeding season between February and June. The Smooth Newt is brown, the female being fairly plain whilst the male is spotty and develops a continuous wavy crest along its back in the breeding season. The belly of both sexes is yellow to orange with black spots, and the spots found on the throat are a good way of telling this species apart from Palmate Newts (which have no spots on their throat). Outside the breeding season newts come onto land and live in damp places, they are most frequently found underneath logs and debris in this phase of their annual cycle.

Although called the common frog, sadly, because of changes to our environment and loss of habitat (ponds have been filled in and hedges and ditches removed) the frog is becoming more and more rare, which is where we can help enormously, by creating the habitats which they need in our gardens.
Another factor which has caused a decline, is the increasing use of insecticides, not only on farms but also in gardens, so their foodstuff is also becoming more scarce.
Frogs are different from toads (more about them later) in that they have a moist feel and the back of a frog has a slightly raised appearance. They have no necks and so the base of the skull rests very close to the collarbones.

This is our largest and most threatened species of newt. In comparison to the Smooth Newt and the Palmate Newt, the Great Crested Newt is significantly larger, growing up to 15 cm in length and looking much more heavily built. This newt is dark brown or black in colour with a more warty, rough skin. The underside is bright orange with black spots and the sides are stippled with tiny white dots.

In the spring, the males develop an impressive ragged crest along their back and a separate straight edged crest along the top of the tail. Females lack the crest of the male, and are bulky in appearance particularly in the breeding season when they are swollen with eggs. The efts of this species are mottled with black and have a tiny filament at the end of the tail. They are bigger and rather more fish like than the efts of the other two species.

The Great Crested Newt is a voracious feeder and because of its size can consume much larger prey than the smaller newt species. It can be found in ponds of all types and when a pond conditions are particularly favourable, numbers can grow to impressive proportions. This species needs extensive good wild habitat with plenty of invertebrate food for the period outside the breeding season when it spends time on land, and as a result is less commonly found in gardens.

The Great Crested Newt is widely distributed but uncommon throughout Britain, including Scotland. It is absent from Ireland. More than the other newt species it has suffered declines in recent decades, both here and in the rest of its range.

Because of the massive declines in range and abundance in recent years, the Great Crested newt is strictly protected by British and European law, which makes it an offence to ...

• Kill, injure or capture them;
• Disturb them in any way
• Damage or destroy their habitat
• Possess them or sell or trade them in any way.

Engaging ???

On my last check there are currently 666 members in the Gorton Community Initiative group which is a fair old number of people.


Last night the group met well five of us to be exact Rev David Gray, Paul Exall, Catriona Swanson & her husband Will & yes little old me.


The aim of the meeting was to discuss issues such as the park, the allotments, the donkey sanctuary, faith in the community, the old house to name but a few & how we could move forward with regards to funding & projects.


We are currently taking about emergency monies to repair Gorton House so that she is water tight until the main funding comes through to restore her & make her usable again.


We are also talking about native British bluebells in the woodland area of the park ( which via facebook has had a really positive response).


Wildflower meadows, herbs, edible mushrooms, fruit trees, green corridors full of native British hedging, bat walks, cleaning the water up - there are so many positive ideas that can be achieved.


And there is such a lot that the group can & will do to make Debdale shine as one of the brightest stars in the city of Manchester, beautiful,clean, green & organic :0)


One thing we did notice that it is the same old faces that litter pick, attend meetings,apply for funding - so how do we get the 666 people within the group to engage & have a say??


Well litter picking might not rock everybody's boat but there really is so much potential.


I suppose our goal is to work out how to get more people interested in their park & area, what can we put on the facebook page that would want people to engage with group & come forward with their own ideas.


There is a lot of work to be done that will rely on the goodwill of volunteers working with Manchester City Council & as the late great Martin Luther King said :-


"Everybody can be great... because anybody can serve. You don't have to have a college degree to serve. You don't have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. a soul generated by love." – Martin Luther King, Jr.

Negativity?

Now my blog is not only a way to inform regarding 'Beautiful Debdale' and I hate to moan but ...........


Well here we go, Debdale does not only give back to the community with her beauty but also all the wonderful & not so wonderful events that take place within the park.


The park has also enabled me as an individual to meet & make friends with like minded people who want to see the park with a variety of facilities & events to please both young & old.


However there are some individuals & I will not be naming anyone who seem very negative about about improving the park, who do not wish to come together & basically poo poo any idea's.


Part of this I believe is down to not wanting change, they see any new ideas as quite a threat & then there is that old chestnut that in fact volunteers & ideas could lead to the job losses of Manchester City Council staff.


This is certainly not true, with more facilities & funding this will only enhance Debdale, secure jobs & improve the park.


Regardless of the negativity of this individual the volunteers will continue, we will improve the park & apply for as much funding as possible, we will have nature walks, bat walks, bee's, wildflower meadows!


Football & nordic walking are not for everyone & certainly should not be the only kind of events within such a large & diverse place.


I will also be emailing the council today,as yesterday I was informed that there were 80 bird boxes that had not been put up in the park as the staff had not had the correct training & therefore if they fell from the ladder whilst putting up the boxes they would not be insured, a fine example of Council bureaucracy.




Maybe in someways Mr Cameron's 'Big Society' is actually already taking place within Debdale, there is nothing that we can do to stop the massive amount of cuts that are taking place within the Public Sector, & I can confirm that the parks section in Manchester City Council have taken huge cuts & staff losses.


I am not an advocate of Mr Cameron, but on the same hand will not stand by and watch my local park go down the drain because there are not enough council staff to take care of her.


It is vital that volunteers continue to protect & improve 'Beautiful Debdale'.

Debdale Bats

I usually see the Debdale wildlife during day time hours so I decided to take a little early evening ride to & yes I was in luck swooping above my head were the resident Debdale bats :0)


It got me thinking about these amazing little creatures, what species do we have in the park & where do they roost, would other like minded people also want to know more about our little nocturnal friends?


I have heard of bat walks taking place in Blackley Forest & thought to myself how fantastic it would be for Debdale to do something similar.


So I picked up the phone & spoke to the 'Batman' Jerry Sorfleet, Jerry is an expert on bats & currently does the bat walks in Blackley Forest that have proved so popular.


Basically I told Jerry all about Debdale & basically begged him to come with his bat detector & tell us what we have in the park :0)


Thankfully Jerry agreed, so now it's just a case of waiting for this rain to stop as bats don't come out in the rain & who can blame them!


So whilst we wait for the arrival of 'Batman' I thought I would give you some interesting facts :0)

• There are 17 species of bats resident in the UK - that's more than a quarter of our mammals species.
• A tiny pipistrelle bat can eat up to 3,000 insects in a night.
• Bats usually only have one baby at a time and can live up to 30 years.
• Bats are more closely related to people than mice.
• Britain's most common bat, the pipistrelle, is only 4cm long and weighs about 5 grams - less than a 2p coin!
• There are over 1,100 bat species in the world (accounting for 20% of all mammal species). Three-quarters of these eat insects just as British bats do. In the tropics bats also eat many other foods - fruit, flowers, frogs, fish, blood, even other bats!
• Bats do not build nests; they hang up or creep into cracks and crannies.
• Valuable foods and derivatives from bat-adapted plants include dates, vanilla, bananas, breadfruit, guavas, kapok, Iroko timber, balsa wood, sisal - even Tequila and chewing gum!
• Bats have excellent navigation skills - they won't get caught in your hair!
• There are thousands of volunteers working for bats in the UK alone.

Rubbish??

Sadly nowadays due to such a disposable lifestyle that we have on society the amount of liter that is in our streets, countryside, rivers & seas has increased.

This is not only eye pollution but has a detrimental effect on wildlife :(

Debdale is sadly full of rubbish with many culprits to blame, some say it's down to McDonalds that sits on the edge of the park, but can we put all the blame on them?

Yes they certainly do add to the litter problem within the park but surely does the onus sit with the individuals who would rather throw their rubbish rather than finding a bin or as I do if I cannot find one TAKE IT HOME WITH ME!!!

An example that really get's my goat in Debdale is that people take bread to feed the ducks, well yes that is a lovely enjoyable thing to do, but then they throw their bread wrapper on the floor????

Dare I also mention the dog walkers who very gallantly bag there doggies number two's & then decide not to place the bag within the appointed dog crap bins scattered around the park, but throw it into the trees or throw it on the floor :(

Are these actions down to laziness, uneducated individuals who have not been shown how to use bins (should we get it on the national curriculum at schools) is it lack of bins down to lack of funding within our parks, or that people just don't think & just don't care?

Some people believe that by throwing their litter on the floor they are keeping people in jobs?????

Well no it does not keep anyone in jobs in fact I was advised my a member of staff in Manchester City Council that Debdale had lost 30% of it's staff due to the funding cuts that our current government has dished out across the land.

The onus now lies with volunteers like myself who with other like minded people go into the park & pick litter to our hearts content <3

Our last pick was on Sunday, myself, Paul, Catriona & Will gave our time to pick up what others so carelessly discarded.

From beer cans to condoms, McDonalds to microwaves the list is endless.

Thankfully that Sunday the probation service were doing a 'Community Payback' with some naughty people, they saw us badgering away & came to where we were to lend a helping hand :)

Our next litter pick is on Sunday 29th April at 11.00 we meet at the old house with our bin bags & gloves.

We are GOD's  (Guardians of Debdale) :)

The sense of achievement when our work is done is amazing &' Beautiful Debdale' is restored she is no longer tainted by rubbish.

Gorton House


Gorton House is a grade two listed building that lies in the heart of Debdale Park.

Sadly at this moment in time she lies in a state of disrepair, time has forgotten this once beautiful house & although still lovely she needs some TLC as all old girls do from time to time ;0)

I often walk past this beautiful house,and wish that I could go back in time to see her in her glory days, I imagine the people that have passed through her doors, the ladies in all their finery & wonder what secrets & scandals she holds within her walls.

Thankfully there are people out there they have the same vision for this beautiful building to be restored, for her heart to beat again, she will be part of the community,no longer will she lie dormant, but with funding, love & dedication she will be brought back to life.

Everybody has different ideas as to where her future lies with regards to what her purpose will be.

I personally would love to see her restored to her former glory, with conference rooms, a museum showing the history of the local area, and a lovely cafe where the public could sample the produce that is currently grown within the area.

I have been looking at Vernon Park in Stockport which has all the above & is wonderful!

So here is a little bit about the history of Gorton House.

The exact date of construction of Gorton House is unknown but it is believed to have probably been in the late 1780s. It is not marked on Yates' map of Lancashire of 1786 but is marked on Greenwood's map of 1818. It is believed to have been built for Robert Grimshaw, a local mill owner who was living in the house in 1790. Grimshaw had a patent right with Rev. Dr. Cartwright. He was the first person to introduce power looms to Manchester at Knott Mill. This was a brief introduction as the mill was destroyed by arsonists in 1790. 

In the early-C19 Gorton House was owned by Joseph Howard and leased to various tenants who used outbuildings as a hat manufactory. In the 1820s land to the north of the house was purchased by a water company in order to construct reservoirs. Ownership of the reservoirs passed to Manchester City Council in 1851, and in 1874 they acquired further land to the south, which included Gorton House.

In the early 1840s Gorton House was used as a school for young ladies, and in 1851 it was occupied by the Marion Place School for the sons of gentlemen, which provided boarding accommodation. By 1864 the house was being used as a residence by Edward Pinder, a local steel manufacturer, who operated a steelworks near the house until c.1877. In the late-C19/early-C20 the house was lived in by Thomas Parker (chief mechanical engineer of the Manchester, Sheffield & Lincolnshire Railway). 

In 1918 the land surrounding the house (excluding the immediate front and rear gardens) was transformed into a public park known as Debdale Park. 

Introduction

This little blog is all about one of the most beautiful places in the world.


So I guess that your thinking Barbados, Thailand or the Maldives, well all of those places are beautiful but the place I refer to is a park not far from Manchester city center, a fantastic urban shangri - la, where flora & fauna thrive within the busy hustle & bustle of urban life.


I have loved this place since I was a small child, my Grandfather would bring me here and it is as wonderful today as it was then, my love for this peaceful perfect refuge has never changed.


The aim of my blog is to share all the wonderful things within the park, from the wildlife to the dedicated teams of individuals who have dreams & visions of retaining the beauty of this beautiful place, and look towards enhancing & protecting her :0)


The park is full of history & my aim is to share her past so we can preserve her future.


Welcome to the most beautiful place in the world 'Debdale Park'