Member of the European Parliament meets European wildlifeThe sand-winning works that used to dominate the Southport seafront near Marshside has long since vanished, but on Tuesday 7th August Brian Simpson MEP was delighted to see that shovelers were still around at Marshside.Brian and his wife had come to visit RSPB’s Marshside reserve where shoveler ducks, a summer visitor to the UK that overwinters in southern Europe and Africa, were basking in some long-awaited sunshine. Alongside the shovelers were a host of other waterbirds and waders, including black-tailed godwits, mute swans, greylag geese, lapwings, coots, reed warblers, black-headed gulls and a ruff.Marshside is such an important site for these and other wild birds that it is protected under the EU’s Birds Directive, and is part of the EU-wide Natura 2000 network of sites protected for the wildlife they are home to.“I am delighted to find such a wonderful place for wildlife right on my doorstep. The RSPB’s success in transforming the Marshside site into a wetland teeming with wildlife is a great achievement. It is vital that we protect the wildlife we have, and take every opportunity to bring wildlife back to our countryside. We owe it to future generations to leave the planet in no worse a state than we inherited it. I wish RSPB every success in its work at Marshside, and look forwards to visiting other RSPB reserves in my Constituency.”Brian ended his visit signing a pledge in support of legal protection for our natural heritage. “I am very pleased to be able to demonstrate my support for nature conservation and the environment that we all depend on.”