• What's going on at Fairhaven Lake?

    An update on the exciting new developments in the National Heritage Lottery Funded project to restore the buildings and landscape at Fairhaven Lake.
  • Christmas crafting and family walk at Marshside

    RSPB Marshside Christmas Challenge 

    Can you help decorate Sandgrounders' hide Christmas Tree ? And what can you see on the way? 

    This is a two part Christmas challenge 

    Part One - At home  

    Using your Christmas crafting skills make a decoration for our Christmas tree in Sangrounders' Hide - Marshside Nature Reserve.

    Wrap up warm ready to visit Marshside reserve 

    Part Two - At Marshside Nature Reserve

    Find Sandgrounders…

  • 'My Latest Marshside Highlights' by Martin Campbell

    What are my birding highlights over the last few weeks at RSPB Marshside ?

    Well, there have been spectacular displays of thousands of Black-tailed Godwits, Lapwings and Golden Plovers which make an incredible sight when flushed from the ground by a hunting raptor. This has notably been a Peregrine, which had a real go at them!

    However, this time has provided me with close-up portraits of both male and female Kestrels

  • Breakfast Birdwatching

    Autumn lockdown 

    With the introduction of a second lockdown, the RSPB resurrected #BreakfastBirdwatch 8-9am weekday mornings where we can post sightings of the birds we see from our windows and share them with the online community.  It didn't matter where you live or how big or small your garden was, the #BreakfastBirdwatch community has been a source of great solace for all involved.  Getting involved with a time specific…

  • Marshside / Hesketh - Works and highlights Roundup: November 2020

    Marshside 


     Large flocks of birds love our Marshside reserves this time of year. Peak counts of black-tailed godwit still surpass 5,000 while over 20,000 pink footed geese regularly roost on the saltmarsh and graze the inner marshes.

    Wigeon are mobile, but have been giving up super views from Marshside rd recently often accompanied by teal

    Scarcer ducks can be found, with a sleepy scaup settled in by Faircloughs platform…

  • Duck spotting

    It's a strange time for us all at the moment, but it’s lovely to hear how much nature helps lift your spirits through lockdown. We know for many of you, our Ribble Estuary reserves are a big part of providing enjoyment and solace in the natural world, so with that in mind we have a bit of a duck challenge for you this week...

    Fairhaven Lake

    Scaup and tufted duck

    For visitors to Fairhaven in winter the sight of…

  • Introducing Martin Campbell - A new Guest Blogger

    Intro from Wes

    Extra pressures and working arrangements in our reserves team brought by Covid19 has made fitting in some regular blog writing time tricky. So we are delighted to have had an offer from Martin to help us out. We often bump into him (if you can still bump into people from 2m away!?) at the reserves, searching for the best light or telling tales of godwits escaping peregrines or impromptu starling murmurations…

  • Renovations at Fairhaven haven.

    Ribble Discovery Centre renovations.

    Things are moving rapidly at the Ribble Discovery Centre (RDC).  The contractors have now moved in and the internal walls are down already.  The suspended ceiling is also gone exposing the original roof beams.  It is deemed that these will remain on view, albeit I hoping the dangling cobwebs will be removed!  The new office has taken shape, it's much more spacious and warmer than the old…

  • Visiting Ribble Reserves - Updated - January 2021

    Current Restrictions - Opening/closing times and facilities
  • Time for change

    Ribble Discovery Centre It's been all systems go at the Ribble Discovery Centre since the beginning of September with the green light to clear the building in readiness for the re-furbishment. Thanks to funding from the National Lottery Heri...
  • What's open at the Ribble Estuary reserves?

    It's a strange time for us all at the moment, but it’s lovely to hear how much nature helps lift your spirits through lockdown. We know for many of you, our Ribble Estuary reserves are a big part of providing enjoyment and solace in the natural world.  

    Before setting off, please read through the following update on the opening situation of the facilities at each of our Ribble Estuary sites, changes that may be in…

  • Ribble Estuary reserves - part re-opening

    As we are now beginning to see the easing of some of the restrictions on travel and spending time in green space, the staff here on the Ribble Estuary have been exploring ways in which we can re-open our sites. Crucially we need to make sure that it is safe for our staff, volunteers and visitors, and the wildlife that calls them home.

    Firstly, we are asking people to please stick to visiting reserves within your local area…

  • Reserve closures

    Despite some very slight changes in lockdown restrictions in England, our Ribble Estuary sites, including Marshside, Hesketh Out Marsh and Ribble Discovery Centre remain closed to the public for now. Our priority is to ensure that we only re-open when we have everything in place to keep our members, visitors, volunteers and employees safe.

    We must also make sure that the wildlife that calls our sites home is ready to receive…

  • Breakfast Birdwatch, "Observations from my window" and Wild Challenge

    This week we have been in touch with all our volunteers and we are pleased to report that they are all doing well.  We are all making the most of the time at home to observe the birds and wildlife in our garden. 

    This week we have two guest blogs.  One from our retail assistant Liz who has written an account of the bird antics in her garden and one from Ellie, who has written about her sunflower competition with her brother…

  • Get Ready for a Wild Challenge

    Well, in this time where we are all adjusting to working and learning from home, there are fantastic opportunities to re-engage with nature.  Whether that is in your garden, what you can see from your window or even what you see in your allotted daily exercise time. 

    I have appreciated the wildlife in my garden more than ever before, taking more time to notice the pair of blackbirds in my garden that not only come for the…

  • Covid19 and the Ribble Reserves

    Last Updated -  24/03/20

    These are difficult and unsettling times for all of us but we hope that nature can provide a welcome respite in whichever form and wherever you may encounter it.

    Following the latest advice, we have closed our reserves. The carparks at Marshside and Hesketh Out Marsh are now closed, along with the hides and toilet.  

    You can find the RSPB’s latest response to coronavirus on our website h…

  • Ribble Roundup: Avocets at Newton - Last of the big high tides - Out and About - Twite rump

    Out and About 

     The RSPBs work extends far beyond our reserves. Working with partners across the county and country helps us give nature a home wherever we can. This week the Marshside team and volunteers were out and about in the wider area lending a hand 'off site'. We surveyed Newton marsh, a privately owned site used as grazing pasture on the northern side of the Ribble. This site is great for waders, and is one of…

  • Ribble Roundup - Start of the school year - Pink feet - Black-headed gull musings - Marine plastic - Red 67

    Ribble Discovery Centre

    Education and Visitor Centre

    The start of the school visit season has kicked off in style, with Plant Detectives proving a popular choice even in February.

    The secret garden is the ideal location for this key stage 1 activity, it's quiet, safe and secluded and is the ideal backdrop for the activities.  Measuring and calculating the age of a tree is always one of the favourite activities, alongside…

  • A Call for Survey Volunteers

    Volunteer Bird Surveyors Needed 

    Keeping track of the fortunes of birds on the Ribble is no easy task, its an enormous area to cover, and to make things harder its not always accessible. We run various programs, from specific species success, to full breeding species lists. This breeding season brings challenges of new areas (Crossens inner marsh) and an increased effort on target species. There is no way we can cover…

  • Ribble Roundup - National Nestbox Week - Creeping Spring - More Weather - Hiding in Hides

    Nestbox Week at RDC

    Half term nestbox building was a great success, celebrating National Nestbox Week in style.  The kits provided by Marshside and Presfield School were fabulous and it was inspiring to see the enthusiasm of the children.  It was great to see so many children able and willing to use tools such as screwdrivers and hammers and be given the opportunity to do so.  This was something I was passionate about when…

  • Wild is the wind

    Welcome to this weeks Ribble roundup, which as the title suggests has been a wild and windy week. 

    The Ribble Discovery Centre welcomed their first school visit of the new year on a very blustery day!  The Year 2 class from Strike Lane Primary School Completed the Plant Detectives session in the secret garden, it was quite a challenge in the wind, but, one I suspect many of the children will not forget.  The children were…

  • Calm is the day

    Welcome to this week's Ribble roundup.

    We are still eagerly awaiting more followers for our new Facebook and Twitter pages.  Please share, so we can reach out to as many people in the area as we can.

    Facebook: RSPBRibbleEstuary

    Twitter: @RSPB_Ribble

    Ribble Discovery Centre

    After the success of the feeders we have had in the "Secret Garden" at Fairhaven Lake, we have placed a feeding station near the centre of the park…

  • Volunteer Power at Marshside & Not So Pink Feet on the Ribble NNR

    Love My Marsh Event 

    Clearing waste from Marshside is an ongoing battle, with waste from the sea and river collecting in the saltmarsh on falling tides, as well as litter being thrown from cars along the roads. Fly-tipping is also becoming a more frequent issue.   

    Despite the inclement weather, we had a hardy gang of folk make a difference on the saltmarsh at Marshside last weekend. Togged up to the hilt and pickers in…

  • Spring is in the air...but should it be?

    Welcome to this weeks Ribble Roundup

    Not only do we have our new Facebook page @RSPBRibbleEstuary, we also have our own Twitter page too @RSPB_Ribble.  Please like and share our pages, we are really looking forward to engaging with as many of you as possible and providing lots of information about our work in conservation and education around the estuary. We look forward to welcoming many visitor contributions on both channels…

  • Skyfall

    Welcome to this weeks Ribble Roundup 

    Not only do we have our new Facebook page @RSPBRibbleEstuary, we also have our own Twitter page too @RSPB_Ribble.  Please like and share our pages, we are really looking forward to engaging with as many of you as possible and providing lots of information about our work in conservation and education around the estuary. We look forward to welcoming many visitor contributions on both…