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: 
Newsletters going back to March 1998 can be read, they are indexed both month by month and by subject matter.
Latest Sightings.... (more)
Sep 10
600 Pink-footed Geese over early morning - Moreton.
415 Pink-footed Geese flew onto marsh in several small flocks early morning, 303 Little Egret roosted overnight inland and a site record - Heswall Marsh.
300 Pink-footed Geese - Parkgate.
Sep 9
6 Leach's Petrel by 9am = Hilbre.
2 Arctic Skua over Little Eye.
1 Leach's Petrel in Mersey mouth, 1 Great Northern Diver off Fort Perch - New Brighton.
28 Pink-footed Geese flew towards marsh, 37 Greenshank, 3 Ruff and 14 Spoonbill on Boathouse Flash- Parkgate.
2 Leach's Petrel and 1 Manx Shearwater off Coasguard Station - Wallasey Shore.
1 Leach's Petrel - Leasowe Gunsite.
5400 Black-tailed Godwit - Caldy Wildfowl Collection.
11+ Wheatear on beach and on rocks by Lifeboat Station - Hoylake.
Sep 8
1200 Shelduck, 4250 Oystercatcher, 80 Ringed Plover, 65 Dunlin, 2 juv Curlew Sandpiper, 4 Turnstone, 1 Ruff, 2 Whimbrel, 1100 Curlew, 3700 Redshank, 1 ad f Hen Harrier over high tide - Heswall Shore.
12 Leach's Petrel, 14 Manx Shearwater, 1 Arctic Skua, 125 Sandwich Tern, 11 Brent Geese and 1 ad m Peregrine late afternoon to dusk - Hilbre.
1 Little Stint at dove Point but distant - Meols Shore.
14 Spoonbill, ad Water Rail, 10 Greenshank & Ruff Boathouse flash. Green Sand Donkey Stand flash this morning - Parkgate.
1 Curlew Sandpiper, 1 Little Stint, 260 Ringed Plover, 560 Dunlin, 140 Sandwich Tern, 55 Common Scoter, 1 Guillemot, 1 Red-throated Diver, 1 Fulmar and 1 Gannet, also 150 Swallow early morning with many sat on beach. Flew up at 8:30 when juvenile Merlin gave chase - Point of Ayr.
Leach's Petrel past Hilbre, September 9th © Alan Hitchmough (Hilbre Bird Observatory)
Wheatear by Lifeboat Station Holake, August 9th © Sean O'Hara
One of two Arctic Skuas over Little Eye, September 9th © Alan Hitchmough (Hilbre Bird Observatory)
Leach's Petrel past Hilbre, September 8th © Steve Williams (Hilbre Bird Observatory)
Juvenile Merlin at Point of Ayr, September 8th © Mike Pollard
Stonechat at Leasowe, August 6th © Jeremy Bradshaw
Baird's Sandpiper, Meols Shore, September 3rd © Steve Williams
Baird's Sandpiper on Meols Shore, September 3rd © Sean O'Hara (finder!)
Baird's Sandpiper on Meols Shore, September 3rd © Joe Downing
Baird's Sandpiper and Little Stint, Meols Shore, September 3rd © John Hewitt
Baird's Sandpiper on Meols Shore, September 3rd © Richard Smith
Little Stint and Dunlin at Meols, September 2nd © Sean O'Hara
Greeenshanks at Burton Mere Wetlands, September 1st © Lawrence Holland
Female Common Redstart on Hoylake Langfields, September 1st © Richard Whitby
Little Stint at Meols, August 31st © David Thompson
Kingfisher at Burton Mere Wetlands, August 30th © John Kane
Juvenile Black-tailed Godwits, Caldy Wildfowl Collection, August 30th © Richard Smith
Common Sandpiper on the groyne at Meols, August 27th © RGraham Connolly
Turnstone on West Kirby Shore (just south of Marine Lake), August 26th © Richard Smith
Snipe on Hilbre, August 25th © Alan Hitchmough
14 Spoonbills in flight at Parkgate, August 25th © Mark Woodhead
Massed Hirundines at Target Road, Heswall, August 24th © Steve Hinde
Willow Warbler near Boathouse Flash, Parkgate, August 21st © Nigel Favager
Juvenile Wheatear at Burton Sheep Pens (Burton Point), August 16th © Frank Burns
Greylag and Godwits at Caldy Wildfowl Collection, August 15th © Richard Smith
Juvenile Sanderling at Hoylake, August 14th © Mark Woodhead
Dunlin and Curlew Sandpiper at Hoylake, August 14th © Sean O'Hara
Ringed Plovers at Hoylake, August 13th © Richard Smith
Curlew Sandpiper at Hoylake, August 13th © Sean O'Hara
Yellow Wagtails south of Tinkers Dell, Thurstaston August 10th © Mark Gibson
Marsh Harrier at Parkgate, August 5th © Nigel Favager
White-rumped Sandpiper on Meols Shore, August 5th © Sean O'Hara (finder)
White-rumped Sandpiper on Meols Shore, August 5th © Joe Downing
Temminck's Stint at Burton Mere Wetlands, August 5th © John Hewitt
Curlew Sandpiper with Sanderling at Meols, August 5th © Sean O'Hara
Adult curlew Sandpiper (centre) with Dunlin and Sanderling
Meols Shore, August 4th © Sean O'Hara
Black Stork over Burton Mere Wetlands, August 1st © George Scott
Black Stork off Heswall Golf Course, August 1st © Joe Downing
Black Stork on Heswall Marsh, August 1st © Alan Hitchmough
Part of the large Little Tern flock at Point of Ayr, July 31st © Mike Pollard
Whimbrel at Dove Point, Meols, July 28th © Allan Conlin
Little Grebe on pond by Thurstaston Visitor Centre, July 24th © Bruce Hogan
Bittern in front of reed bed screen, Burton Mere Wetlands, July 23rd © Alex and James Keeble
Black-tailed Godwits at Caldy, July 19th © Richard Smith
Barn Owl at Parkgate, July 16th © John Crook
Green Woodpecker on the Old Baths car park, Parkgate, July 15th © John Kane
Sandwich Tern, Hilbre, 13th © Steve Williams
Cinnamon Teal at Burton Mere Wetlands, July 12th © Steve Williams
Short-eared Owl this evening, July 8th © Jake Goswell
Mediterranean Gull at Hilbre, July 5th © Alan Hitchmough
First Black-tailed Godwits of the season (non-stop from Iceland!) at Caldy Wildfowl Collection
July 2nd © Richard Smith
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.
Copyright © 2020 Richard Smith | Header Photograph of Black-tailed Godwits © Steve Round.