We seem to have a glut of oranges at the moment so this lot were consigned to the oven to be dried.

We decided to take advantage of the good weather and headed down to the nature reserve. At the feeding station we were treated to a couple of woodpeckers while at Birchwood Pool we watched a small murmuration of starlings in the distance.

A small herd of Hebridean sheep, belonging to the Cheshire Wildlife Trust, have been introduced to help manage an area of the site. Without grazing, or cutting, the area would be invaded by shrubs and trees to the detriment of other ground flora.

The lease on the nature reserve ends in 2016 and we read yesterday about proposals for the area which could be detrimental. We need to understand what is being proposed as the loss of this wonderful amenity is something which should be resisted.

We have experienced problems with the internet connection but it now seems to be behaving.