Reserve Round-up Week Commencing 11 December 2023

Reserve Round-Up – Week Commencing 11 December 2023

Has it stopped raining yet? It seems that the last couple of weeks have been nothing but wet, wet, wet. This seemingly never-ending rain has been occasionally punctuated by some freezing cold spells, leading to short periods of ice on the reserve. It has to be expected in December, I suppose! As I write this, it’s a truly beautiful day, sunny and crisp, so let’s hope for some better weather on the horizon.

Recent Sightings

Christmas is coming, the geese are getting fat…. and that’s certainly been the case on the Dee Estuary, where approximately 10,000 Pink-Footed Geese have been using the marsh as an area of refuge, to roost and to feed in. These birds breed in Iceland and Greenland and come into the UK in huge numbers to winter. They make for a spectacular sight when they are flying between their roost sites and their feeding grounds, and dawn and dusk are a particularly good time to see them, viewable from nearly anywhere on the estuary.

Amazingly, as recently as 20 years ago, the amount of Pink-Feet on the estuary could have been counted on a single hand.

The Estuary is a hugely important site for all manner of wintering wildfowl, so when looking for the Pink-Feet don’t forget to keep an eye out for the flocks of Wigeon, Teal, Gadwall and Shoveler that also make the Dee Estuary their home.

This time of year, a lot of people come to the Estuary looking to spot Hen Harriers and Short-Eared Owls. Both species are winter visitors to the reserve, but their numbers fluctuate year to year. So far this year we have been very fortunate in having at least four Hen Harriers and six Short-Eared Owls. The best places to spot both of these species are at either the Old Baths car park at Parkgate, or Denhall Quay. Both can be seen any time of day, but dusk is often the best.

At Burton Mere Wetlands itself, Kingfisher has often been showing ridiculously well right across the reserve. There are at least two birds, male and female, and visitors have spotted them at Border Hide, the fishery pools, the Visitor Centre, Marsh Covert Hide and from Reedbed Screen! Prolonged views have been seen from Marsh Covert Hide in particular. So many visitors have been delighted by these confiding birds, as they brighten a winters day.

Flocks of Siskins and smaller numbers of Redpolls are being seen feeding in the trees, often on the path down to Border Hide, and a male Brambling was seen on 12^th December.

Wader numbers have declined from the peak counts in Autumn, but a really good range of species continue to be seen. Black-tailed Godwit, Ruff, Redshank, Spotted Redshank, Lapwing, Snipe, Dunlin and Knot are still to be seen on the Main Scrape in particular.

Star Sightings

One unusual sighting really stood out during this period. A Jack Snipe was seen for two consecutive days (29 and 30 November) from Marsh Covert Hide. It could be pretty much relied upon to be seen in the exact same place across both days, often seen preening and ‘bobbing’ as it lurked in the reeds.

A Jack Snipe is much smaller than a Snipe, with a larger bill. If approached it tends to crouch down, relying on its camouflaged plumage, only flying at the last minute. It will fly low and rapidly drop down again, unlike a Snipe which zig-zags and then flies off high. When feeding it has a characteristic 'bouncing' motion, and it often did this when it was at Marsh Covert Hide. It was a brilliant opportunity to catch up with this really secretive and difficult to see bird.

Warden wanderings

Perhaps the biggest job of the year has recently started on the reserve - the replacement of the electric fence around the wet grassland and scrapes. The current fence is over a decade old and coming to the end of its natural life, with many of the posts rotten and in need of replacing. Not only will the new fence replace the old one, but the design will ensure that it is more effective in stopping foxes and badgers getting into these parts of the reserve.

Natural England has supplied funding for the project through the ‘Species Recovery Program’.

We are very fortunate to have a lot of badgers and foxes within the boundaries of the reserve, but for the sake of the ground-nesting birds, it is important to keep them off the wet grassland and scrape. Our breeding Avocets, Redshanks and Lapwings will hugely benefit from the work being undertaken, which will be finished before the 2024 breeding season begins.

Get Involved

Do you know that the RSPB’s ‘Big Garden Birdwatch’ is happening in January? Big Garden Birdwatch is the UK’s largest garden wildlife survey. Every year around 700,000 people take part. In 2024, Big Garden Birdwatch will be back on the 26 to 28 January. We’re hoping it’ll be the biggest Birdwatch yet. Find out more on the RSPB website.

The RSPB stock a range of Christmas products, such as cards, gift wrap and crackers, which are available to order from the reserve for home delivery. The great news is that these Christmas specific products are now available at a range of discounts. So, if you’re looking to grab a bargain, we can order your products for you today – subject to product availability.

Closer to home, we have a lovely new kids Christmas quiz trail around the Mere Trail and the Gorse Covert Wood for the whole family to get involved in. Find your way around the nine quiz boards and get active with nature. You even get your own Burton Mere Wetlands pencil!

Our thoughts are turning to events for 2024, and the first that we have planned in is a fascinating Farmland Walk. This exclusive early morning, behind-the-scenes walk will hopefully give you a closer  view of the farmland areas of the reserve, parts that aren’t normally open to the public.

We’ll hopefully find flocks of small farmland birds like Linnets, Stonechat, Reed Buntings, winter thrushes and if we’re lucky a Yellowhammer or two. The more common flocks of Goldfinch and Greenfinch should also be seen.

Details on how to book are on our Facebook page. https://events.rspb.org.uk/deeestuary

 We hope to see you there!