All aboard!

Lesser black backed gull

Come and discover Liverpool’s amazing sea life

Take a special cruise of discovery with Mersey Ferries to see some of the UK’s most spectacular wildlife on the Mersey this summer.

Previous passengers on the cruise have seen birds such guillemots, kittiwakes, sandwich terns, godwits and knots and marine mammals like grey seals and porpoises.

Porpoise

Museum staff will be aboard the ferry showing people the abundance of wildlife Liverpool Bay has to offer. Passengers will have the opportunity to meet experts from the the museum's Clore Natural History Centre and learn about the local marine life. They will be doing a series of plankton trawls throughout Liverpool Bay and displaying the catch under high powered video microscopes.

This is a real chance to get up close and personal with these tiny but beautiful plants and animals which are the building blocks for the ecology of the Mersey Estuary and the main reason why the area is so important for breeding bird populations. There will also be chance to see a huge variety of specimens from the extensive natural science collections of National Museums Liverpool many of which have been washed up on the coast.

The next Mersey Ferry heads out into Liverpool Bay for a specialist cruise on Wednesday 29 September 2010.

The cruises depart from Seacombe at 11.00am, Pier Head at 11.10am and Woodside at 11.20am. The trips last about three hours.

Tickets cost £12 for adults and £6 for children (age 3-15 years).

For more details, or to book, contact Mersey Ferries on 0151 330 1444 or visit their website.