Dee Estuary

Recent sightings

Yet another mixed unsettled week, with the weather reports always needing to be taken with a big pinch of salt here at Burton Mere Wetlands.

When the sun has made an appearance, the usual gorgeous butterflies have been out like painted lady, wall brown, speckled wood and fabulous dragonflies like southern hawker and emperor. The common lizards have also been catching the eye of our more observant young…

Recent sightings

This week the Canada geese numbers are still rising in number out on the reserve, with greylag, a barnacle and a snow goose mixed in as well. On the wader front dunlin, ruff and greenshank are still around along with the green sandpiper and wood sandpiper. There has been an increase of water rail activity around inner marsh farm hide.

Water rail by John Hewitt

Over at marsh covert hide two garganey have…

This weeks blog is being posted on behalf of Emma Drainey.

Recent sightings

This week marks the return of the geese onto the scrape with Canada geese and greylag geese both building in numbers. Snipe and water rail are also increasing in number with them being spotted on the scrape and at Marsh Covet Hide. A great egret has been making an appearance in and around the reception pool, joining the green sandpiper as an almost…

It only seems like yesterday that I posted Emma's first blog but this is her last week of her short stint as a residential volunteer here at the Dee Estuary reserve. Here's her farewell blog, rounding up her experiences and highlights from her time here.

I have spent just over two months here at Burton Mere Wetlands, half of that for dissertation research, and already my time as a residential volunteer is coming…

This weeks blog is being posted on behalf of Emma Drainey.

Recent sightings

The hot weather this week has let the butterflies and dragonflies steal the show, with peacock butterfly, brown hawker dragonfly and a hummingbird hawkmoth.

Image: Brown hawker by Neil Francis

Luckily the thunderstorms didn’t scare away any of the birds with great white egret juveniles still being seen with the adults. A spotted redshan…

This weeks blog is being posted on behalf of Emma Drainey.

Recent sightings

The waders this week have stayed consistent with avocet, lapwing and redshank all feeding up for their upcoming migrations. Green sandpiper and ruff have continued to hang around the scrape, with the spotted redshank remaining at Inner Marsh Farm hide. Once again, the Mediterranean gulls have been showing nicely, both adults and juvenile alike…

Recent sightings

A wealth of waders have decorated the reserve this week, with the breeding avocets gathering for migration, lapwings and redshank joined by south-bound black-tailed godwits, a couple of greenshank, single common and green sandpipers on Reception Pool, plus occasional ruff, little ringed plover, dunlin and snipe on the main scrape - all whetting the appetite for this year's Wirral Wader Festival, being held…

Recent sightings

With the breeding season coming to an end the fledgling numbers from all our breeding birds have been outstanding, including our top three waders, which are Avocets, Lapwings and redshanks. The bearded tits have also been down on nests with at least two broods fledgling and with the weather being calm they have been giving brilliant views.

Over at Point of Ayr the hard work of the warden team and volunteers…

You may have noticed a new face around the place in the past month or so, and sure enough we have another residential volunteer on site! Emma wrote this introductory blog about what she initially came here for and how she's evolved into our latest resi-vol:

The end of my university semester saw me quickly move onto collecting data for my third year dissertation project which I had chosen to conduct here at Burton…

Recent sightings

Well the weather has finally turned for the better! This, and the resulting receding water level has seen the return of the avocets to the Main Scrape along with lots of feeding black-tailed godwits, lapwings and redshanks. We are still seeing broods of shovelers and adorable tufted ducklings on Reception Pool.

Avocets by Paul Jubb

After last week's appearance of a fourth spoonbill, they mysteriously went…

Every keen birdwatcher needs a good pair of birdwatching binoculars. Whether you've just discovered a love for birding, or you've been a keen birder for years, we have a fantastic range of binoculars to suit everyone, even kids!

Children are some of the most enthusiastic birders, so getting them their very own pair of binoculars is a great way of encouraging their interest in nature. Kid's binoculars can be…

Recent sightings

With heavy downpours this past week most of the pools and some paths had become flooded, however for many intrepid visitors who braved the weather there was still plenty to see. A new spoonbill has joined the group, bringing the group up to four individuals this week. The spoonbills are still hanging around the pools at mash covert hide and the bridge screen. Over in marsh covert woods the cattle eg…

As we’re just about to install some new signs on the reserve, we’d like to remind all visitors of Burton Mere Wetlands’ opening hours.

Despite the new signs, opening times are the same as they have been since we opened in 2011; the site opens to visitors at 9am, with the visitor centre opening at 9.30am.

Recently we have had an increasing number of visitors arriving before 9am and queuing outside the…

Recent sightings

A changeable week of weather meant a lot less activity from our colourful winged insects, but the birds once again did not disappoint. The three spoonbills are still present, and have spent a lot of time on Bridge Pool offering good views from Marsh Covert hide and Bridge screen, but also still spending time in the treetops. One cattle egret was also on Bridge Pool for much of Wednesday, with another…

Recent sightings

A mostly bright and sunny week for us here. Lots of beautiful butterflies, dragonflies, damselflies and even a bat was seen during the day over the meres. Common lizards surprising some visitor appearing inside the Bunker Hide. Some of the orchids are showing at the moment. The marsh orchid is flowering, and the spotted orchids are just showing some leaves as are the bee orchids.

Marsh orchid by Roy …

An incredible five different species of heron, some more commonly seen in the Mediterranean, have arrived at Burton Mere Wetlands this spring and are showing positive signs of breeding, which is very exciting! Here, our Site Manager, Graham Jones comments on this wonderful spectacle: 

Burton Mere Wetlands is well-known for its grey heron and little egret breeding colonies, but this year, those two more regular types of…

Earlier this year, the reserve was approached by nearby Leahurst College about the possibility of hosting a bird ringing demonstration for a group of their students. The reserve team having agreed, I relished the opportunity to get a taste of a whole new experience, and in preparation for this I was tasked with filling the feeders in the back garden to attract some birds a few weeks in advance.

The feeders hadn’t been…

Recent sightings

Yet another fantastic week of wildlife! The wall brown butterfly has been showing well now on the reserve seen typically near the railway end but occasionally near the visitor centre. There have also been some azure and large red damselflies and four spot chaser dragonflies around the boardwalk pools and the garden ponds.

On the main scrape we have had great views of three male garganey, wood sandpiper…

Well, I’ve been here for just over four months now and I’m still loving it!! I can’t believe how fast the time has gone. It feels like just yesterday I was starting my first day, but as I was looking back over my time here in preparation for this blog I’ve realised just how much I’ve learned and achieved in such a short amount of time. 

So, where to begin? On the warden side of the placement…

Recent sightings

The end of April and beginning of May brought characteristically unsettled spring weather, but a flurry of notable birds. Swifts and a hobby were first seen at the start of last week, with sightings throughout the first week of May.

Marsh Covert hide was the best spot for passage waders, with spotted redshank, greenshank and common sandpiper on show, plus a couple of water voles in the ditch close to the…

Recent sightings

We have a busy Easter weekend. Huge numbers of new visitors to the reserve. New and returning visitors have had some fantastic weather along with some fantastic wildlife.

A few more species of butterfly to add to this year’s list like, small copper, holly blue and green hairstreak along with a bold stoat mother moving her kits from one den to another right in from of Marsh Covert Hide. Some lucky visitors…

Hi all! I’m Dan, the new assistant warden at Woolston Eyes Nature Reserve in Warrington. I say new, but I’ve actually been here for about four months now…. Time flies when you’re having fun! So here’s a bit of a blog post to introduce myself and let you know what I have been up to.

So, about me…

I knew I wanted a career in conservation from quite early on, so I tried to get my foot…

Recent sightings

A brilliant week with gorgeous weather has meant we have had lots of beautiful butterflies like red admiral, comma, peacock, small tortoiseshell, orange tip and brimstone along with the common lizard basking in the sunshine.

From the visitor centre we have had up to nine Mediterranean gulls showing off on the scrape and the black-tailed godwits are looking very smart in their rusty summer plumage now…

Recent sightings  

The scrape is still bustling with activity, with over 115 avocets pairing up for the breeding season. Black-tailed godwits are starting to change into their wonderful breeding colors, other waders include ruffs, oystercatchers, lapwings and redshank. In amongst the black headed gulls the Mediterranean gulls are still displaying. Marsh harriers have become an uncommon visitor only stopping by for a quick…

Recent sightings

Avocets continue to be the star attraction on the main scrape, but up to four Mediterranean gulls in amongst the vast numbers of black-headed gulls are great to see sticking around and will hopefully nest again. In addition to our resident little grebes, a pair of great crested grebes have taken up residence on Bridge Pool. A few pintails in exquisite breeding plumage are still clinging on to their wintering…