Site Index...
This site index includes a list of articles written in the monthly newsletters which have been ongoing since March 1998, see the past newsletters page for a full list.
The articles cover a large range of subjects but all have some connection with the birds of the Dee Estuary. Many have been written by people other then myself (Richard Smith) for which I am very grateful. Recurring themes include bird reports (two of which have been published complete on this website), Dee Estuary Voluntary Wardens (information and data), species spotlights and site guides. The dates in brackets refer to when each particular newsletter containing the article was published. Links without dates refer to web pages elsewhere within this website.
Accessible Sites in Wirral, Martin Kelly.
"An Outsiders View" , article by the late Victor Smith about the birds of the Dee Estuary (Jun '99).
"A String in the tale" , an amusing tale of birders by Mark Feltham (Oct '03).
The Cheshire and Wirral Atlas (Oct '08).
Best time to go to the estuary.
The
right place at the right time .
Time
and tide wait for no man (Feb '99).
Bird Cruise (Apr '03).
Bird Races.
Wirral
Hundred Bird Race 1999 (Apr '99).
Wirral
RSPB Bird Race 2000 results (Jul '00).
Bird Reports
Cheshire/Wirral Bird Report, reviews: 1999 , 2000 , 2002 , 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007,
2008,
2009, 2010, 2011.
Hilbre Bird Report, reviews: 1998 , 1999 , 2001 , 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007.
Clwyd Bird Report, reviews: 1993 to 1995 , 1999 , 2001, 2002, 2003.
North-East Wales Bird Report, reviews: 2004-2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010.
DEVW
Annual Report 2000 , review, (Mar '01)
Hoylake
Bird Observatory Report 2000/2001 (Feb '02 and Apr '02) by
Jane Turner, whole report.
DEVW
Bird Report 2001 (June '02 and July '02) by Chris
Butterworth, whole report, covers West
Kirby and Red Rocks.
Merseyside
Ringing Group 50th Anniversary Report - Review (Aug '05).
Birdwatching Walks
A
Curlew Walk (Jan '99)
A
Christmas Walk (Dec '98)
Boating on the Estuary (Aug '99).
Burton Mere Wetlands (Oct '11), First Birthday and year summary (Oct' 12).
The Dee and the 20th Century, physical and ornithological changes (Dec '99)
The Dee Estuary Strategy (Oct '00) by Dr A Jemmett .
Colour Ringed Waders (Jan '05)
Conservation and Wildfowling (Sep '05)
Dee
Estuary Voluntary Wardens
Description
of role and appeal for new wardens (Sep '99)
West
Kirby High Tide Roost Counts 1986 to 1999 (Dec '99)
West
Kirby High Tide Roost Counts 1999/2000 (May '00)
The
role of DEVW in stopping bird disturbances at West Kirby (Nov
'00), by Karen Leeming.
DEVW
Annual Report 2000 (Mar '01)
West
Kirby High Tide Roost Counts 2000/2001 (May '01)
History
of the DEVW (September '01)
The
Wardening Year 2001 (May '02)
DEVW
Bird Report 2001 (June '02 and July '02), by Chris
Butterworth - whole report.
Lovebirds!
(Dec '02) by John Pugh.
Appeal
for Wardens (Sep '03), and (Sep
'04).
West
Kirby High Tide Roost Counts 2004/2005 (May '05), and July '05.
West
Kirby Review of season 2005/2006 (Sep '06)
West
Kirby Shore 2007/08 (Sep '08)
West Kirby
High
Tide Roost 2010/11 (Sep '11)
Wirral
Wonderful Waders (Oct '11)
DEVW and West Kirby High Tide Roost (Nov '12)
Eleven Star Rarities (Aug '09).
Following Colour Ringed Waders - Chasing Blackwits (Aug '12), Tangled Up in Knots (Sep '12).
Friends of Hilbre (Aug '02), by Sue Craggs.
Tribute to John Gittins (Jan '02) and John Gittins Plaque (Oct '02)
Gronant Little Tern Colony - 2008 Review and appeal for voluntary wardens 2009 (May '09)
Hilbre Bird Observatory 50 Years of Ringing and Recording (Feb '08).
Hoylake Bird Observatory Article (Jun '01), by Jane Turner.
Irruptions, Influxes, Invasions and Large Passages (Oct '04)
Lies and Little Auks (Apr '99 )
Low Tide Birdwatching (Feb '05 )
Migration
Migration
Watch '99, list of birds seen and map of migration routes
(Nov '99)
Spring
migration 2000 (March '00)
Spring
migration 2000 (April '00)
Migration
Watch 2002 (Dec '02)
Month by Month Guide to the Dee Estuary.
North Wales Breeding Bird Atlas, also May '10.
North West Estuaries - Wildfowl (Apr '10), Knot and Dunlin (Jul '10), Redshank and Black-tailed Godwit (Sep '10).
Protection on the Estuary, Legislation and Reserves (Aug '01)
Ramsar 40th Anniversary (Feb '11)
Reflections on 5 years of Internet Birdwatching (Mar '03)
Reviews
Wirral
Birding booklet (Aug '03).
Rare
Birds in Cheshire & Wirral (May '04) - also extract (June '04), second extract (Oct '05).
RSPB 25 Years on the Estuary, (Jan '04), by John Harrison.
RSPB Makes Investment in Dee Wildlife, (Jan '07), by Colin Wells.
Site
Guides
Hilbre
Island (Sep '98),
Heswall Shore (Nov '98),
North
Wirral Shore (Oct '99), Greenfield
Valley (Feb '01) by Brian Roberts,
Connah's
Quay Reserve (Nov '02), High
Tide at Parkgate (Dec '01) by Dave Jowitt,
Point
of Ayr sea watching (May '03) by Gareth Stamp,
Lingham
Lane and Leasowe Lighthouse (Nov '03) by Allan Conlin.
The
Magic of Parkgate (Oct '05) by David Esther, Liverpool Bay (Jan '06),
Gilroy
Nature Park and the Langfields (May '06), Point of Ayr (Jul '06),
Heswall
and Thurstaston (Aug '07), Gronant
(Jun '09), West Kirby Marine Lake
(Jan '10).
Also see Site
Guides page.
Sounds of the Estuary (Jul '01), article by W. Victor Smith.
Species Spotlight
Curlew
Sandpiper (Sep '00), Knot (Apr
'00), Redshank
(Aug '00),
Little
Terns at Gronant (Aug '01), Leach's
Petrel (Oct '01), Shelduck
(Nov '01),
Wheatear
(Mar '02) by Steve Williams, Sandwich
Tern (Aug '02), The
Godwits (Sep '02),
Brent
Geese (Oct '02) by Chris Butterworth, White-throated Sparrow (Jun
'03),
A
Golden Age for Raptors (Jul '03), Dunlin
(Dec '03),
Colour ringed Godwits (Jan'04) by John Harrison, Little Egret (Apr' 04), Common Terns (May '04).
Ruddy
Shelduck (Jul '04), 'Sands
and Shanks' on passage (Aug '04),
Am.
Golden Plover (Sep '04), Turnstone
(Nov '04), Oystercatcher
(Apr '05).
Cetti's
Warbler (Jun '05), Barn
Owls (Dec '05),
Migration - Ringed Plover, Little Gull and
White Wagtail (Apr '06), Little Tern (Jun '06), Gannet (Oct '06),
A Golden Age for Raptors Part
2 (Nov '06), Black-tailed Godwit
(Dec '06),
Leach's
Petrel Wreck (Jan '06), WeBS
and Waders (Knot and Bar-tailed Godwit) (May ''07).
Manx
Shearwater (Jun '07), Rare
Shearwaters (Sep '07), Pintail
(Oct '07).
Radde's
Warbler (Jan '08), Gronant
Little Terns (May '08), Storm
Petrel (Jun '08).
Common
Scoter, Liverpool Bay SPA and Windfarms (Jul '08).
Colour-ringed
Black-tailed Godwits (Dec '08), Short-toed Lark (Aug
'09).
Paddyfield
Warbler on Hilbre (Sep '09), Hen
Harrier (Oct '09).
Short-eared
Owl (Nov '09), Colour-ringed
Knot (Jun '10), Leach's
Petrels 2010 (Oct '10).
Lapland
Bunting Influx (Nov '10), Great
Crested Grebes (Dec '10),
Black-tailed
Godwits Part 3 (Jan '11), Spring
Migrants (Apr '11 and May '11).
Curlew
Sandpiper Influx (Oct '11), The
Scaup (Dec '11),
Geese on the Dee Estuary Part 1 (Jan
'12), Geese on the Dee
Estuary Part 2 (Feb '12)
Mediterranean
Gull (Jul '12), Sanderling (Apr '13), Waxwing (May '13).
Visible Migration (Oct '10).
Wader Roosts (Dec '05).
Wetland Bird Survey
WeBS
review - low tide counts '96/'97 (May '99)
WeBS
Counts - 97/98 to 01/02, tabulated counts month by
month.
Wetland
Bird Survey Counts for 1999 (Dec '00)
Dee Estuary WeBS Reports, 99/00, 00/01, 01/02, 03/04, 04/05, 05/06, 07/08 reviews.
National WeBS Counts Reports - 96/97, 97/98, 98/99, 99/00, 00/01, 01 to 04, 04/05,
06/07
Reviews
including discussions of trends relevant
to the Dee Estuary.
Wetland
Bird Surveys (National 05/06 and Dee Estuary 06/07) (Apr '08).
Wetland
Bird Surveys (National 08/09 and Dee Estuary 09/10) (July
'11).
Wetland
Bird Survey 2010/11 (Dec '12) and Part 2 (Jan '13).
The Dee from A Canadian Perspective (Dec '01).
Ten Years of deeestuary.co.uk (Mar '08)
The Hilbre Party - The days of Eric Hosking's et. al. visits to Hilbre (Nov '99)
Three Magical Spring Days and Weather and Migration Study (Jun '12).
Website of the Year 2001 (Dec '01).
Wingspan (Jan '10).
Wirral Birding - A Personal Perspective (Mar '10), by Tom Giles.
Wirral CP Recording Group (Jan '10).
Year Highlights
March
1998 to Feb 1999 ('Mar '99)
March
2000 to Feb 2001 (Mar
'01) March 2001 to Feb 2002
(Mar '02)
March 2012 to Feb 2013 (Mar
'13)