It's been another exciting week here on the Dee, with some high profile departures but enough significant arrivals to make amends.

After becoming 'part of the furniture' over the summer, seven of the 12 spoonbills at Burton Mere Wetlands were seen heading for the saltmarsh during the morning of  Saturday 10 October - nothing unusual about that, except they were never relocated, and presumed to have left for…

As we wind our car park closing time back to 7:30 pm, there’s a definite sense of autumn in the air. The kids are going back to school and the dusky-coloured eclipse plumage of the arriving ducks says it all.

Last week started with bank holiday Monday, which was certainly one to remember; we hit a new reserve record for the number of visitors in a day, with 370 people taking advantage of the excellent weather! This…

After all these blog posts I've written (all TWO of them up to now) I'm seriously starting to become famous and I'm thinking that I may have to go into hiding soon and live the life of a hermit. I'm sure you've all been thoroughly engaged in my ramblings though and completely awe-inspired to come and check out Burton Mere Wetlands though right? Hello? Anyone? Is this mic on? *tap tap*

Well, massively…

Here's the latest installment from new blog-writer, Paula:

After the astounding reaction from my last blog (ha-ha) I figured I would give this writing lark another go. If you weren't one of the many million that read my last post, then here's a quick summary: I’ve volunteered at RSPB Burton Mere Wetlands for just over two years. I'm hardly a seasoned birder, but I absolutely love nature. My aim is to keep learning…

It may only be five years since Burton Mere Wetlands opened its doors, but the RSPB has owned part of the land which makes up the reserve for three decades. In 1986, a modest area of water-logged arable farmland was purchased with the vision of creating a rich wetland refuge primarily to support the flocks of wildfowl and wading birds that spend the winter months on the estuary.

The excavation of three large lagoons…

I really hope you’re not getting bored of our spoonbills yet – how could you possibly be? Incredibly though, it’s now over two months since the first four turned up out of the blue and set up residence with the little egrets in Marsh Covert woodland. Four quickly became seven, and since last Thursday the count has been NINE! Where they keep coming from is impossible to be certain, but what we do know is they’ve proved…

We're always striving to write more blogs to keep our visitors and online followers up to date with reserve developments and inspire you to visit, so we're delighted that one of our wonderful volunteers, Paula, has decided to start writing for us. Here, she writes an introduction to herself and explains the slightly different view of the reserve and its wildlife that she'll provide.

Hello everyone!

My name…

I hear your groans, but I couldn’t possibly write this blog without using that awful pun. Without question, the star bird of the past week was the single white-winged tern, a rarer relative of the vagrant black terns of which there were multiple sightings in the North West this spring, including at Burton Mere Wetlands.

Around 3 pm on Friday, the staff and volunteers were alerted by a keen-eyed visitor of the unexpected…

Typical; just as we were getting comfortable in the lovely warm, dry weather, the British summer gets up to its usual tricks. Whilst we’ve barely seen the sun for days, the rain showers have generally been brief although heavy, but if you manage to dodge them the mild temperature still makes for a lovely walk around the reserve.

There’s still plenty of wildlife to enjoy at this time of year, not least the stunning…

What a week we've had to end May! The warm sunny weather along with the arrival of four spoonbills last Tuesday left some visitors wondering whether they were beside the Mediterranean rather than the Dee.

We'd been getting fairly excited by a single, elusive spoonbill on Burton Marsh for a few weeks, so imagine our amazement when the awesome foursome were first seen in the Marsh Covert treetops close to where…

Spoonbills by Anthony Lovatt

Marsh harrier - 1 over reed bed

Hobby - 1 over Marsh Covert hide

Spoonbill - 5 on scrape

Avocet - 70+ chicks on scrape

Ringed plover - 1 in front of reception hide

Spotted flycatcher - 2 in trees in car park

Cetti's warbler - 3 around the reserve

Reed warbler - 1 by reed bed screen

Raven - 1 over Marsh Covert woods

Barnacle goose - 1 on scrape

Garganey - 1 in front of Inner…

Spoonbill by Anthony Lovatt

Avocet - 70+ chicks on scrape

Ringed plover - 1 on scrape

Spoonbill - 3 in Marsh Covert woods

Great white egret - 1 on marsh seen from Burton Point

Spotted flycatcher - 2 in trees in car park

Cetti's warbler - 1 by reed bed screen

Reed warbler - 1 by reed bed screen

Sedge warbler - 1 by reed bed screen

Grey wagtail - 1 in front of reception hide

Green woodpecker - 1 by railway…

Whitethroat by John Hewitt

Marsh harrier - 1 over reed bed

Spoonbill - 4 in Marsh Covert woods

Avocet - 70+ chicks on scrape

Black-tailed godwit - 50+ on scrape

Ringed plover - 1 on scrape

Cetti's warbler - 1 by reed bed screen

Spotted flycatcher - 2 in trees in car park

Green woodpecker - 1 behind mere pool

Mandarin - 1 on mere pool

Also seen around the reserve -

Bee orchid - first flower of the…

Avocet chick by Anthony Lovatt

Marsh harrier - 1 over reed bed

Avocet - 45+ chicks on scrape

Dunlin - 3 in front of Inner Marsh Farm hide

Ringed plover - 1 on scrape

Swift - 50+ over reception hide

Cetti's warbler - 1 by reed bed screen

Sedge warbler - 1 in reeds next to reception hide

Green woodpecker - 1 on Burton Point

Common tern - 1 over mere pools

Pintail - 1 on bridge pool

Great crested grebe…

Dunnock by Stephen Griffin

Marsh harrier - 1 over reed bed

Hobby - 2 over field by barn

Avocet - 45+ chicks on scrape

Curlew sandpiper - 1 on scrape

Ringed plover - 11  on scrape

Little ringed plover - 1 on scrape

Dunlin - 3 by Inner Marsh Farm hide

Cuckoo - 2 on Burton Point

Cetti's warbler - 1 by reed bed screen

Green woodpecker - 1 on Burton Point

Barnacle goose - 1 on scrape

Great crested grebe -…

Curlew sandpiper by Anthony Lovatt

Hobby - 1 over reserve

Ruff - 1 on scrape

Curlew sandpiper - 1 on scrape

Dunlin - 1 on scrape

Common snipe - 1 behind scrape

Grasshopper warbler - 3 around the reserve

Cetti's warbler - 4 around the reserve

Spotted flycatcher - 1 by path to barn

Yellow wagtail - 2 by barn

Grey wagtail - 1 in front of reception hide

Cuckoo - 2 by Marsh Covert hide

Spoonbill - 1 on…

Raven by Anthony Lovatt

Hobby - 1 over Marsh Covert woods

Curlew sandpiper - 1 on scrape

Black-tailed godwit - 200+ by Inner Marsh Farm hide

Dunlin - 1 on scrape

Cuckoo - 1 by Marsh Covert hide

Cetti's warbler - 5 around the reserve

Common tern - 1 over mere pools

Mediterranean gull - 1 on scrape

Great crested grebe - 2 on bridge pool

Raven - 1 over Burton Point

Also seen around the reserve -

Ha…

Little egret by John Hewitt

Marsh harrier - 1 over reed bed

Greenshank - 4 on scrape

Redshank - 12+ on scrape

Little ringed plover - 1 on scrape

Cuckoo - 1 by Marsh Covert hide

Grasshopper warbler - in reed bed

Reed warbler - in reed bed

Cetti's warbler - 1 by reed bed screen

Little gull - 1 on scrape

Mediterranean gull - 3 on scrape

Great crested grebe - 3 on bridge pool

Great white egret - 1 in front…

Coot with chicks by John Hewitt

Marsh harrier - 1 over reed bed

Hobby - 1 by barn

Bar-tailed godwit - 1 on scrape

Ruff - 3 on scrape

Knot - 1 on scrape

Dunlin - 40+ on scrape

Ringed plover - 8 on scrape

Cuckoo - 1 by bridge screen

Lesser whitethroat - 1 by bridge to Inner Marsh Farm hide

Grasshopper warbler - 1 by Marsh Covert hide

Reed warbler - in reed bed

Cetti's warbler - by reed bed screen

Black…

Grasshopper warbler by Liz Pitchford

Marsh harrier - 1 over reed bed

Hobby - 1 over scrape

Wood sandpiper - 1 on scrape

Black-tailed godwit - 300+ on scrape

Dunlin - 60+ on scrape

Common sandpiper - 1 on reception pool

Redshank - 7 on scrape

Knot - 1 on scrape

Ringed plover - 1 on scrape

Oystercatcher - 2 on scrape

Cuckoo - 1 by Marsh Covert hide

Spotted flycatcher - 1 in trees by Inner Marsh Farm hid…

Bluebells by Helen B

Marsh harrier - 1 hunting over reed bed

Sparrowhawk - 1 over scrape

Avocet - 50+ on scrape, 31 nests

Redshank - 6 on scrape

Black-tailed godwit - 150+ on scrape

Dunlin - 12 by Inner Marsh Farm hide

Knot - 1 by Inner Marsh Farm hide

Little ringed plover - 1 on scrape

Spotted flycatcher - 1 in woods towards Inner Marsh Farm hide

Green woodpecker - 1 on Burton Point

Little gull - 1 by Bridge…

Black headed gull by Anthony Lovatt

Tawny owl - 2 in Gorse Covert woods

Avocet - 31 nests on scrape

Spotted redshank - 2 on scrape

Redshank - 12+ on scrape

Knot - 4 on scrape

Dunlin - 3 on scrape

Common sandpiper - 1 on scrape

Wood warbler - 1 in trees around car park

Sedge warbler - 1 in reeds by reception hide

Grasshopper warbler - 1 by railway bridge

Raven - 1 over Burton Point

Green woodpecker - 1 on…

Common tern by Anthony Lovatt

Sparrowhawk - 1 over reserve

Avocet - 31 nests on scrape

Spotted redshank - 5 on scrape

Ruff - 3 on scrape

Redshank - 20+ on scrape

Black-tailed godwit - 200+ on scrape

Oystercatcher - 2 on scrape

Knot - 3 on scrape

Common tern - 3 over scrape

Cuckoo - 1 on fence in front of reception hide

Garden warbler - 1 in trees by mere pool

Grasshopper warbler - 1 by Marsh Covert hide

Jackdaw by Paula Rees

Marsh harrier - 1 hunting over reed bed

Hobby - 1 over reserve

Avocet - 70+ on scrape, 30 nests

Black-tailed godwit - 100+ on scrape

Oystercatcher - 2 on scrape

Pied flycatcher - 1 in trees around mere pool

Swift - 2 over reserve

Sand martin - 1 past reception hide

Swallow - many flying low over reception pool

Cetti's warbler - 1 by reed bed screen

Grasshopper warbler - 3 around…

Chiffchaff by John Hewitt

Marsh harrier - 1 hunting over reed bed

Sparrowhawk - 1 over scrape

Avocet - 77 on scrape, 30 nests

Black-tailed godwit - 300+ on scrape

Bar-tailed godwit - 1 on scrape

Ruff - 3 on scrape

Spotted redshank - 6 on scrape

Knot - 4 on scrape

Dunlin - 6 on scrape

Little ringed plover - 2 on scrape

Common sandpiper - 1 on scrape

Yellow wagtail - 2 by side of scrape

Cetti's warbler…