Dee Estuary Birding

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Site menu:

• Home
• Site Index
• Map of Estuary
• Latest Sightings
• Monthly News
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• Links
• Tide Times

Incorporated Websites:

• Dee Estuary Voluntary Wardens.
• Deeside Naturalists' Society.
• Friends of Hilbre.

More Information:

• 2015 Bird Events.
• Bird Counts.
• Photos of the birds and the Dee Estuary.
• Protection on the Estuary.
• What to Expect Month by Month.
• Birdwatching Walks.
• Bibliography.

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 Web site describes the best Dee Estuary birdwatching areas with detailed maps and latest bird news for dedicated twitchers and casual birdwatchers alike.

January Newsletter now published on this website featuring Colour-ringed Gulls - Part 1 and Red Rocks Update.

Latest Sightings.... (more)

Please send any sightings to:

Jan 25
1 Great White Egret - Parkgate Marsh this morning.
189 Golden Plover, 450 Lapwing, 2200 Dunlin, 250 Knot, 425 Black-tailed Godwit, 1 Hen Harrier (ringtail), 1 Merlin, 1 Peregrine, 4 Grey Wagtail - Heswall Shore this morning.
1 White-fronted Goose (European race) with Pink-footed Geese - Burton Marsh this morning.
3 Spotted Redshank and 20+ Twite - Connah's Quay Reserve.
3 Black-necked Grebe - Shotwick Boating Lake.

Jan 24
2 Short-eared Owl on the ground at Cottage Lane, Heswall but didn't fly.
1 Red-throated Diver swam up the channel past Riverbank Road and Cottage Lane, Heswall, as tide came in.
1 Merlin, 2 Peregrine and 1 Spotted Redshank - Riverbank Road, Heswall.
9 Knot and 1,850 Black-tailed Godwit in field behind playing fields - Newton, West Kirby, this morning.
2 Great White Egret (with possible third further out) and 1 Hen Harrier (ringtail) - Parkgate Old Baths this afternoon.
2 Snow Bunting west of Lifeguard Station, Wallasey Shore.
11 Purple Sandpiper, 180 Turnstone and 450 Redshank - New Brighton Marine Lake an hour before high tide.

Jan 23
7+ Short-eared Owl - Cottage Lane, Heswall, at high tide.
4+ Short-eared Owl, 1 Merlin, 2 Peregrine, 3 Jack Snipe and 1 Hen Harrier (ringtail) - Parkgate Old Baths.
170 Twite, 7,500 Dunlin, 4 Greenshank, 4 Rock Pipit and 1 Peregrine - Connah's Quay Reserve.
2 Snow Bunting on embankment west of Lifeguard Station, Wallasey Shore.
1 Merlin, 1 Peregrine, 1 Great White Egret, 50 Snipe, 1 Jack Snipe, 3 Water Pipit, 200 Skylark, 30 Reed Bunting and 50 Pipits (mainly Rock) - Neston Old Quay.

The January Newsletter includes:

Colour-ringed Gulls Part 1, Red Rocks Update and  Forthcoming Events.
Newsletters going back to March 1998 can be read, they are indexed both month by month and by subject matter.
Contact

Photographers - please note there is a wildlife photographers code of practice (www.wildlifeupclose.co.uk/codeofconduct.html), also read Guidelines. Please Maintain a safe working distance from all birds, particularly roosts, so as not to cause unnecessary disturbance.
Snow Buntiing at Wallasey, Jan 8th © Charles Farnell.	Stonechat at Shotwick, January 18th © Dave Wilson.	Red-throated Diver at Heswall, January 24th © Roy Lowry.

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 © 2007 Richard Smith | Template Design by Andreas Viklund | Header Photograph of Black-tailed Godwits © Steve Round.