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There is nothing worse than arriving at a birdwatching site which everyone tells you is heaving with birds yet not seeing a single bird, except for a herring gull and a starling! This can easily happen on the Dee Estuary if you do not get the timing of the tides right.

Below is a table of each area showing how good the birdwatching is at different states of the tide. Of course there are other variables including weather and time of year, and the table assumes the most important time for the estuarine birds, roughly August to March. In addition the table assumes what you are after are large numbers of estuarine birds. So this isn't a twitchers guide to rare migrants nor is it a guide to sea watching!

 
Locality Low Tide Mid Tide Neap/ Medium High Tides Spring High Tide (Highest Tides)
Leasowe shore Very Good Good Poor Bad
Hoylake Poor Good Excellent Bad
Red Rocks Bad Very Good Good Bad
Hilbre Is. Good Very Good Good Good
West Kirby Bad Good Very Good Bad
Cubbins Green Good Good Poor Bad
Caldy Good Very Good Poor Bad
Heswall Very Good Excellent Very Good Good
Parkgate Bad Poor Good Excellent
Neston (Moorside Lane) Bad Good Good Excellent
Neston (Denhall Lane) Bad Poor Good Excellent
Burton Marsh Poor Poor Good Excellent
Connah's Quay Wharf Poor Good Good Poor
Connah's Quay Power Station Poor Good Good Very Good
Flint Castle Good Good Very Good Very Good
Bagillt Poor Good Good Poor
Greenfield Poor Good Good Poor
Ffynnongroyw Good Good Good Poor
Point of Ayr Poor Good Excellent Good