The Abram Flashes lies adjacent to the Leeds and Liverpool canal along the Hey Brook, and includes Lightshaw Meadows which forms part of a series of wetlands stretching for some 10 km between Wigan and Leigh, known as the Wigan Flashes. It is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), which means it’s been designated as a protected area for conservation purposes.
The site is underlain by tills and late-glacial flood gravels overlying Triassic sandstones of the Sherwood Sandstones Group. It supports the most outstanding assemblage of breeding birds associated with lowland open waters and wet grassland in Greater Manchester and Merseyside.
Key habitats
The Flashes themselves are shallow open water-bodies originally formed through the flooding of land which has subsided through deep-mining activities. Their gradual colonisation has resulted in a mosaic of different habitats, including:
- Open water
- Swamp
- Tall herb fen
- Wet marshy grassland
- Parts of the site and most of the surrounding land is farmed. Lightshaw Meadows is managed by the Lancashire Wildlife Trust, in partnership with City of Trees, and grazed with rare breed cattle.
Ecology of the area
- The swamp communities are dominated by Bulrush Typha latifolia, reed sweet-grass Glyceria maxima and reed canary-grass Phalaris arundinacea.
- The wet grassland is dominated by soft rush Juncus effusus with grasses such as Yorkshire fog Holcus lanatus and tufted hair-grass Deschampsia cespitosa.
- The tall herb fen includes species such as great willowherb Epilobium hirsutum and meadowsweet Filipendula ulmaria.
- There are a variety of other wetland plants such as water mint Mentha aquatica, hemlock water-dropwort Oenanthe crocata and water forget-me-not Myosotis scorpioides which occur throughout these communities and the transitions between them.
- Hedgerows and scrub comprised mainly of hawthorn Crataegus monogyna, blackthorn Prunus spinosa, grey willow Salix cinerea and bramble Rubus fruticosus agg.
- Areas of herb rich neutral grassland add to the diversity of the site and provide additional habitat for breeding and migrant birds such as warblers and finches.
Birdlife
The breeding waterfowl community is of particular interest and includes mute swan, mallard, tufted duck, pochard, garganey, shoveler, gadwell, yellow wagtails and waders such as lapwing, snipe and redshank, who breed in the tall fen grassland, itself a nationally declining habitat.
Characteristic birds of swamp and fen such as reed bunting, reed warbler and sedge warbler are well represented. The Hey Brook provides suitable conditions for species such as kingfisher and grey wagtail.
The site is also locally important for wintering waterfowl, which use the whole Wigan Flashes complex. Lower water levels, particularly in autumn, can provide a valuable feeding and roosting habitat for migrant waders such as greenshank, ruff and dunlin.