Home Sightings Photos NewsletterTides etc. Site Guides Index

The Dee Estuary, on the North Wales / North-West England border, is one of the United Kingdom's premier birding locations for wetland and shorebirds. This Website describes the best Dee Estuary birdwatching areas with detailed maps and latest bird news for dedicated twitchers and casual birdwatchers alike.

Please send any sightings to:

December Newsletter now published on this website featuring Barolo Shearwater (accepted after 10 years!), Colour Ring Report and November Bird News.
Newsletters going back to March 1998 can be read, they are indexed both month by month and by subject matter.

Latest Sightings.... (more)


Dec 2
18 Purple Sandpiper and 5 Eider - Hilbre.
5 Goosander at high tide - Thurstaston.
1 Hen Harrier (ringtail) and 1 Merlin on marsh off Heswall Golf Course.
5 Great Egret, 2 Marsh Harrier and 4,000 Pink-footed Geese - Parkgate.

Dec 1
2025 Pinkfooted Geese flew inland to feed, 760 Pintail, 800 Lapwing, 180 Golden Plover, 3500 Knot, 520 Black-tailed Godwit this morning before high tide - Thurstaston/Heswall Shore.
500 Cormorant on edge of East Hoyle Bank, 3,000+ Common Scoter and 50 Great Crested Grebe on the sea before high tide - Meols Shore.
1 Long-tailed Duck and 7 Red-throated Diver - Hoylake.
1 Great Northern Diver - West Kirby Marine Lake.
1 Snow Bunting - Little Eye.
9 Purple Sandpiper, 2 Goosander and 5 Eider - Hilbre.
3 Waxwing in hawthorn hedge near Presthaven Sands caravan park - Gronant.

Top of Page


Sanderling near Hilbre, December 1st © Steve Williams


Great Northern Diver on West Kirby Marine Lake, November 30th © Richard Steel


Waders at West Kirby Marine Lake, November 29th © Steve Round


Snow Bunting near Red Rocks, November 27th © Sean O'Hara


Black Redstart in garden between Kings Gap and Red Rocks, November 26th © Alan Hitchmough


Waxwing in sea-front garden, Hoylake, November 26th © Jane Turner


Marsh and Hen Harrier at Parkgate, November 25th © Eleanor Sutton


Shag on West Kirby Marine Lake, November 25th © Mark Woodhead


Great Northern Diver on West Kirby Marine Lake, November 24th


Snow Bunting at Hoylake, November 14th © Matt Thomas


Snow Bunting just north of West Kirby Marine Lake, November 13th © Alan Hitchmough
 
Short-eared Owl over Middle Eye (Hilbre), November 11th © Alan Hitchmough


Red-breasted Merganser on West Kirby Marine Lake, November 10th © David Lang


Purple Sandpipers at New Brighton, November 10th © David Bradshaw


Shag (left) and Cormorant on the pontoon on West Kirby Marine Lake
November 7th © Les Hall


Marsh Harrier over Burton Mere Wetlands, November 7th © Steve Round


Shelducks just off Meols Promenade, about 300 there this morning, November 6th © Richard Smith


Great Northern Diver at West Kirby Marine Lake, November 5th © Peter Sutton


Great Northern Diver at West Kirby Marine Lake, November 5th © Jeremy Bradshaw


Snow Bunting at Meols, November 5th © Matt Thomas


Great Northern Diver on West Kirby Marine Lake, November 4th © Les Hall


Pallas's Warbler being ringed on Hilbre, November 4th © Alan Hitchmough


Ringtail Hen Harrier at Parkgate, November 1st © Mark Woodhead


Common Scoters off Leasowe, November 1st © Elliot Montieth


Yellow-browed Warbler caught and ringed in a Bidston Hill garden, October 30th © Tony Ormond


Knots feeding in the channel at Meols, October 29th © Richard Smith
 
Nice collection of waders at high tide, Hoylake, October 28th © Richard Smith


Ringtail Hen Harrier in the mist at Heswall Golf Course, October 25th © Steve Houghton
 
Merlin at Parkgate, October 22nd © Mark Woodhead


Bittern at Burton Mere Wetlands, October 18th © Les Hall


Hen Harrier past Hilbre, October 17th © Steve Williams (Hilbre Bird Observatory)


Rock Pipit by West Kirby Marine Lake, October 17th © Mark Woodhead


Short-eared Owl at Hilbre, October 16th © Steve Williams


Goosanders on West Kirby Marine Lake, October 16th © Charles Farnell


Redshanks on the rocks by West Kirby Marine Lake, October 14th © Alan Hitchmough


Flcok of Wigeon over the Dee Marshes, October 10th © Frank Burns


Short-eared Owl on the Dee Marshes, October 10th © Frank Burns


Stonechat at Denhall Quay, October 9th © John Crook


Cattle Egret at Burton Mere Wetlands, September 29th © Steve Round


Two Pectoral Sandpipers at Burton Mere Wetlands, September 28th © John Hewitt


Little Stint (centre) feeding with Dunlin, Heswall Shore, September 27th © Steve Hinde


Mediterranean Gull on West Kirby Shore, September 25th © Alan Hitchmough



Leach's Petrel at Hoylake, September 22nd © Alan Hitchmough


Baird's Sandpiper (centre) at Meols, September 21st © Richard Whitby


Baird's Sandpiper, Hoylake Shore, September 20th
Found and photographed/videoed by Sean O'Hara


"Wonderful view from up here"
Wheatears at Meols, September 16th © Sean O'Hara


Curlew Sandpipers just south of West Kirby Marine Lake on the rising tide, September 15th
© Steve Round


Cattle Egrets at Burton Mere Wetlands, September 13th © Steve Round


Dunlin enjoying the sun, West Kirby, September 13th © Richard Smith


Arctic Skua being chased off Hilbre, September 12th © Hilbre Bird Observatory (Chris and Steve Williams)


Another curlew Sandpiper pic! Three at West Kirby, September 12th
© Richard Smith


Curlew Sandpipers off south end of West Kirby Marine Lake, September 11th © Richard Smith


First Brent Goose back, Hilbre, September 8th © Steve Williams (Hilbre Bird Observatory)


13 Cattle Egrets at Burton Mere Wetlands, September 7th © John Hewitt


The March of the Oystercatchers, Hoylake, September 2nd © Ian Sheppard


Large number of gulls (mainly Herring Gulls) at Hoylake after high tide, estimated around 10,000,
September 2nd © Richard Smith


Juvenile Peregrine at Hoylake at high tide, September 1st © Mark Woodhead


Juvenile Curlew Sandpiper at Meols, August 31st © Sean O'Hara


Part of a large flock of juvenile Knots at Hoylake, August 30th © Richard Smith
I've never seen so many juveniles at Hoylake before, they must have had a very good breeding season.
 
Curlew Sandpiper at Meols, August 29th © Richard Smith


Avocet on Meols Shore, August 28th © Sean O'Hara


Wheatear on Hilbre, August 26th © Alan Hitchmough


Citrine Wagtail on Meols Shore, August 23rd © Graham Connolly (the finder!)


Citrine Wagtail on Meols Shore, August 23rd © Alan Hitchmough


Little Stint and Curlew Sandpiper at Meols, August 22nd © Frank Burns


Cattle Egret at Burton Mere Wetlands, August 22nd © Andrew Ingham


Curlew Sandpiper at Hoylake, August 21st © Mark Woodhead


Black-tailed Godwits at Caldy, August 20th © Richard Smith


Curlew Sandpiper (moulting adult), Meols shore, August 20th © Sean O'Hara


Bathtime at Meols, August 18th © Richard Smith


Curlew Sandpiper (centre) with Dunlins and Ringed Plovers at Meols at high tide, August 17th © Sean O'Hara


Green Sandpiper at Burton Mere Wetlands, August 17th © Mark Woodhead


Kingfisher at Burton Mere Wetlands, August 15th © Francesco Parisi


Ringed Plover, high tide at Meols, August 15th © Charles Farnell


Spotted Flycatcher near Leasowe Lighthouse, August 14th © Sean O'Hara


Spotted Flycatcher, Hoylake Langfields, August 13th © Richard Whitby


Yellow Wagtail at Burton Mere Wetlands, August 12th © Carole Killikelly


Turnstones on wall of West Kirby Marine Lake, August 12th © Richard Smith


Nine Spoonbills at Parkgate, August 10th © Roy Wilson


Juvenile Sedge Warbler at Burton Mere Wetlands, August 9th © Mark Woodhead


Yellow-legged Gull at Hoylake, August 3rd © Mark Woodhead


Greenshanks at Burton Mere Wetlands, August 2nd © Bill Wonderley


Breeding plumage Knot in the tern and wader roost at Hoylake, August 2nd © Richard Smith


Black-tailed Godwits at Caldy, July 28th © Richard Smith


Hen Harrier over Burton Mere Wetlands, July 27th © Francesco Parisi


A small portion of the Black-tailed Godwit flock (with feral Greylags) at Caldy Wildfowl Collection, July 25th
© Richard Smith


Juvenile Wheatear at Red Rocks, July 8th © Anthony Ramsden


Sandwich Terns near Hilbre, July 6th © Richard Smith


Black-tailed Godwit just flown in from Iceland (ringed in Ireland), Caldy Wildfowl Collection, July 6th © Richard Smith


Night Heron at Burton Mere Wetlands, July 4th © Allan Conlin


This is a wholly independent web site and unless where specifically stated has been written and maintained by myself, Richard Smith. I do receive articles for the newsletter from time to time for which I am very grateful, and also various people kindly donate photographs and sketches. l rely to a large extent on people keeping me informed about the birds they have seen - this, more than anything, is what keeps the website going. Note that everything on this website is subject to © copyright although some material may be available for non-commercial use - but please ask first! Lastly, 'Dee Estuary Birding' is just the name of this web site - it is not the name of an organisation or society.
Copyright © 2020 Richard Smith | Header Photograph of Black-tailed Godwits © Steve Round.