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

…

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 

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…

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…

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…

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…

Current Restrictions - Opening/closing times and facilities

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...

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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 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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

Welcome to this weeks Ribble Roundup 13/01/20

Please like and follow our new Facebook page @RSPBRibbleEstuary.  We are really looking forward to increasing our followers and providing lots of information about our work across the estuary.  We are also looking forward to welcoming many visitor contributions, there are so many talented photographers out there, you can truly showcase our sites.

Recent sightings around Fairhaven…

Keen eyed visitors will have spotted the 'One Wing Amongst Many' sculpture that has appeared on the cross bank between Hesketh Out Marsh West and East. 

The skyline breaking wing stands to thank FCC Communities Foundation for supporting our work on the realignment of the East wing of Hesketrh Out Marsh. If the sculpture seems familiar, you may have seen the rest of the set one the Fairhaven Discovery Trail, near…