Posted on behalf of Katie Ellis:

Recent sightings

A slightly milder week of weather has welcomed back lots of wildlife to the scrape. We’ve seen plenty of our regulars including black-tailed godwits, redshanks, dunlin and good numbers of curlew. Also, seven spotted redshank appeared on Friday afternoon. Around reception pool and on the scrape there’s been lots of ducks including shoveler, shelduck, wigeon…

Hello! Let me start by introducing myself; I’m Liz and I’ve been working at the Dee Estuary reserve for five months now, and it’s been brilliant.

So where have I come from?

I’ve always known I wanted to have a career of some form in conservation. However it wasn’t until I joined the Aberystwyth conservation volunteers at university, that I realised my true passion was practical conservation and protecting…

Recent sightings

A week with ever changing weather has meant we have been looking out for the more hidden, shy and secretive birds like water rail, from the visitor center and the reedbed screen, cettis warbler and bearded tit from reedbed screen, kingfisher near burton mere loop and green woodpecker on top of burton point. Marsh covert hide, the bridge screen and the scrape have had fantastic views of the ducks and waders…

Posted on behalf of residential volunteer Jake Phillips:

Recent sightings

Marsh harriers have been showing well in the mornings with other raptors including kestrel, merlin, peregrine and buzzard hunting over the wet grassland through the day. On the main scrape there are a collection of ducks comprising of shelduck, teal, wigeon, gadwall and shoveler. A flock of 50 curlews have also been seen feeding on the scrape…

Recent sightings

Even though the weather this week has continued to have brilliant sightings across the site. Out in front of the visitor centre there have been some great views of wildfowl including teal, shelduck, shoveler, wigeon, and the occasional pair of gadwall. On the edges of  Reception Pool visitors where given an up close and personal view of the elusive water rail as it wandered in and out of the rushes in…

With the turn of the year, we welcomed our latest residential volunteer - affectionately known as 'resi-vols' - to the Dee team. Here's Jake's first impressions of the reserve he'll be calling home for the next three months. Check back for his ongoing updates through the coming weeks.

The start of a new year brings with it a plethora of new opportunities and experiences. For me this past week I have…

Recent sightings

It was yet another wonderful week filled with some spectacular wildlife. The raptors have been entertaining us over the main scrape. The marsh harrier, peregrine, sparrowhawk, kestrel, merlin, hen harrier (ringtail) and even a red kite all made an appearance.

The bearded tits have still been showing well from the reedbed screen, it just needs plenty of persistence. Marsh Covert Hide and Bridge Screen…

New Year often inspires people to start a new hobby, so what better time to take a closer look at one of the main activities people visit the Dee Estuary reserve for; birdwatching.

"Birdwatching?"

Yes, I understand. To the outside world, the concept of birdwatching is often-maligned and looked upon as a bit, well not very cool really.

"Isn't it a bit like train spotting?"

"Don't you just run off…

This last month I have continued to support the visitor operations here at Burton Mere Wetlands. It’s been great welcoming guests to the reserve and being able to talk about this wonderful place I’ve got to know over the past eight months.

In November, I accompanied Liz the assistant warden along with a group of our volunteers over at the Point of Ayr. We went to support the land management team from the…

Recent sightings

It’s been a busy week in front of the visitor centre as the work continues for the extension of the electric fence. Despite the recent work and the birds moving off the main scrape the reserve as a whole has still had some fantastic wildlife, in particular the raptors. The marsh harrier, peregrine, sparrowhawk, kestrel, merlin and hen harrier (ringtail) have all been showing exceptionally well from…

Recent Sightings

A week of stormy weather meant sightings were somewhat less extensive than usual, with generally fewer people visiting Burton Mere Wetlands. Still vast flocks of lapwings, but up to 40 curlews have been a nice addition alongside the usual black-tailed godwits, whilst a single spotted redshank was seen a couple of times around the reserve, and snipe were regularly exposed on muddy edges.

A peak of four…

The Christmas robin is out in front of the visitor center, the tree is up and almost the first half of the month has passed signalling a countdown to the last of 2018 with the heavy twinkling of lights on the industrial horizon here holding the tone of the season in their own way. Winter skies fleck with the brightest of stars able to penetrate the light pollution as I walk back late from Neston some nights. Christmas…

Recent sightings

We continue to have several hundred lapwings gathering in groups swirling around over the reserve, along with growing numbers of teal, wigeon, shoveler and this week a small number of pintail dotted around the pools. There’s been good numbers of snipe especially on the main scrape and groups of curlew dropping in to feed.

The estuary's wintering raptors are taking advantage, with up to two peregrines…

Recent sightings

Several hundred lapwing take to the air shoaling and reforming. Amongst them a scattering of dunlin form a small silver ball against the shades of a winter sky, smeared clouds thick and heavy, the sun's light streaked into a faint gold on the horizon. Away to the east from Inner Marsh Farm hide is a good place to look for golden plovers, groups of curlew, from black-tailed godwits  and pintail. On a…

The middle of October saw my original placement coming to an end and my new placement just focusing on the visitor operations starting.

Assistant warden Liz, previous residential volunteer Gwen and I started the big job of sorting out the tool store. We focused our efforts at the front around the work bench area to get it organised and to have all the tools in set places to make it more efficient and tidy. It was satisfying…

Posted on behalf of Steven Williams.

As the reserve sets into late autumnal scenes, cold damp nights recede into misty mornings with the crunch of leaves underfoot and the reserves wildlife has responded with more coots arriving and almost daily sightings of hunting peregrines. Small groups of people are gathering at points along the Neston saltmarsh in the hope of catching a glimpse of a hunting owl during late afternoon…

Recent sightings

Feeling very autumnal here with glorious golden leaves shining, we continue to be treated to several thousand pink footed geese filling our skies coming into roost here on the reserve. The daily spectacles from raptors such as marsh harrier, kestrel, sparrowhawk, peregrine and hen harriers flying over the reedbed and wet grassland giving our visitors some amazing views.

Still lots of wonderful waders…

My name is Steven Williams. I have returned from bonnie Scotland, where I have experienced the might of the Cairngorm’s in all its changing seasons but the depths of winter, to ensconce myself as a residential volunteer at Burton Mere; That feathered edged no mans land at the fringe of Northern England a stones throw from Wales and the boarder lands of Cheshire and the Wirral where it appears that every one in four people…

In the last week, with temperatures dropping, the skeins of geese coming into roost at dusk have been amazing with several thousand pink footed geese using the fields surrounding the reserve. Birds of prey including peregrine, marsh harriers and kestrel have been sighted almost daily. There are at least two silver male hen harriers and three ringtails on the saltmarsh, with ringtails regularly being reported at Burton…

My six months placement draws to an end however, I’ve been given an extension to stay for an extra couple of months to focus on the visitor operations side here at Burton Mere Wetlands. Which is great!

At August bank holiday I accompanied Katy, the Dee’s very own Membership Development Officer, on an offsite event at Hoylake for the RNLI open day. We pitched up our spot on the front on a very blustery morning,…

Road closure notice for the next 3 to 5 days for drainage investigation. 

The road closed is The village. Access to the reserve is via the A540 chester high road or access from Neston.   

Recent sightings

The views from reception hide have had some great autumn visitors recently with kingfisher, spoonbill, whooper swans, floods of pink-footed geese, marsh harrier, peregrine, sparrowhawk, merlin, kestrel and hen harrier that has been showing really well across the site and up close and personal in front of reception hide.

Inner Marsh Farm and Marsh covert hide have both had a good share of the waders this week…

My six month placement at the Dee has come to an end, but the last few weeks have been really fun!

We went to Woolston Eyes once more to help assistant warden Ash with reed cutting and clearing (and got very muddy). We've also done some significant willow cutting at Burton Mere Wetlands, beneath the viewpoint beside the sacrificial crop field on the Farm and Fen trail. This served to open up the impressive view over…

Recent sightings

Inner Marsh Farm remains excellent for waders still this week, black-tailed godwits, lapwing, ruff, a count of 58 golden plover, spotted redshank, redshank, dunlin, ringed plover, green sandpiper and the curlew sandpipers still being seen every day. One day this week we had a count of 600+ pintail on Bridge Pool. This week all three types of egret have been seen around Burton Mere Wetlands, with cattle…