Moore Nature Reserve is a

nature reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, or features of geological or ...

in the village of

Moore Moore may refer to: People * Moore (surname) ** List of people with surname Moore * Moore Crosthwaite (1907–1989), a British diplomat and ambassador * Moore Disney (1765–1846), a senior officer in the British Army * Moore Powell (died c. 1573 ...

in Halton,

Cheshire Cheshire ( ) is a ceremonial and historic county in North West England, bordered by Wales to the west, Merseyside and Greater Manchester to the north, Derbyshire to the east, and Staffordshire and Shropshire to the south. Cheshire's county t ...

, England. Created from an area which had included a sand quarry and farmland, and run by FCC Environment who operate the nearby Arpley

landfill A landfill site, also known as a tip, dump, rubbish dump, garbage dump, or dumping ground, is a site for the disposal of waste materials. Landfill is the oldest and most common form of waste disposal, although the systematic burial of the waste ...

site, the reserve covers and is considered one of the best places in Cheshire for

birdwatching Birdwatching, or birding, is the observing of birds, either as a recreational activity or as a form of citizen science. A birdwatcher may observe by using their naked eye, by using a visual enhancement device like binoculars or a telescope, b ...

History

The Runcorn to Latchford canal at Moore Nature Reserve

The 200-acre reserve lies alongside the

Manchester Ship Canal The Manchester Ship Canal is a inland waterway in the North West of England linking Manchester to the Irish Sea. Starting at the Mersey Estuary at Eastham, near Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, it generally follows the original routes of the river ...

and is bisected by the de-watered course of the

Runcorn to Latchford Canal The Runcorn to Latchford Canal (or Old Quay Canal or Old Quay Cut or Black Bear Canal) was a man-made canal that ran from Runcorn, to the Latchford area of Warrington. It connected the Mersey and Irwell Navigation to the River Mersey at Runcor ...

. Prior to becoming a nature reserve it was used as farmland and for sand quarrying. The land is owned by

Peel Holdings The Peel Group is a British infrastructure and property investment business, based in Manchester. In 2022, its Peel Land and Property estate extends to of buildings, and over of land and water. Peel retains minority stakes in its former ports ...

, who have it licensed as a landfill site and only protected until 2021. Part of the reserve has been registered to be used in the expansion of Port Warrington.

Facilities

It is managed by wardens employed by FCC Environment, operators of nearby Arpley

Landfill A landfill site, also known as a tip, dump, rubbish dump, garbage dump, or dumping ground, is a site for the disposal of waste materials. Landfill is the oldest and most common form of waste disposal, although the systematic burial of the waste ...

site. Arpley Landfill began operating in 1988 and covers more than . The landfill no longer accepts waste and is being restored to a mix of woodland and grassland and, together with Moore Nature Reserve, will eventually provide an important public amenity and area of rich biodiversity on the edge of what is a busy, and growing urban area. Access is made freely available to the public and there are maintained footpaths around the reserve.

Bird watching

There are five lakes, woodland, meadows, bird feeding stations and nine

bird hide A bird hide (blind or bird blind in North America) is a shelter, often camouflaged, that is used to observe wildlife, especially birds, at close quarters. Although hides or hunting blinds were once built chiefly as hunting aids, they are now commo ...

s covering the lakes. The RSPB state that is one of the best in Cheshire for bird spotting, noting that it hosts all three species of woodpecker including the

lesser spotted woodpecker The lesser spotted woodpecker (''Dryobates minor'') is a member of the woodpecker family Picidae. It was formerly assigned to the genus ''Dendrocopos'' (sometimes incorrectly spelt as ''Dendrocopus''). Some taxonomic authorities continue to list ...

s and five species of British owls including

tawny owl The tawny owl (''Strix aluco''), also called the brown owl, is commonly found in woodlands across Europe to western Siberia, and has seven recognized subspecies. It is a stocky, medium-sized owl, whose underparts are pale with dark streaks, an ...

References

{{authority control Nature reserves in Cheshire Lakes and reservoirs of Cheshire Lakes of Cheshire

History

Facilities

Bird watching

See also

References