The Dee Estuary, on the North Wales / North-West England border, is one of the United Kingdom's premier birding locations for wetland and shorebirds. This Website describes the best Dee Estuary birdwatching areas with detailed maps and latest bird news for dedicated twitchers and casual birdwatchers alike.
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sightings to: 
Newsletters going back to March 1998 can be read, they are indexed both month by month and by subject matter.
Latest Sightings.... (more)
April 18
5,800 Pink-footed Geese flew out of estuary in first two hours of daylight this morning - Hilbre.
6 Whimbrel just to the south of Marine Lake at high tide, also a nice selection of other waders including 10 Ringed Plover, 150 Knot, 200 Curlew, 200 Grey Plover and 2,000 Dunlin - West Kirby Shore.
1 Lesser Whitethroat, 1 Grashopper Warbler (heard) and 20 Sand Martin over - Leasowe Lighthouse.
1 Common Sandpiper, 2+ Ruff, 5 Spotted Redshank, 1 Hen Harrier (ringtail) and 5 Mediterranean Gull - Burton Mere Wetlands.
1 Grasshopper Warbler and 1 Hen Harrier (ringtail) - Burton Point.
1 Whinchat (male) and 12+ Wheatear - Burton Marsh.
April 17
1 Ring Ouzel behind Hoylake Rugby club in stubble field - Hoylake Langfields.
2 Common Redstart (1m & 1f), 1 Common Whitethroat, 4 Blackcap and 3 Willow Warbler sheltering in hedge/scrub at back of beach, and 1 Whimbrel in the tidal channel, also 1 Hen Harrier (ringtail) seen from Riverbank Road - Heswall Shore.
22 Brent Geese by the causeway and 4 Whimbrel - Thurstaston Shore.
1 Common Redstart in field behind Kerr's Field - Leasowe Lighthouse.
Grasshopper Warbler at Burton Point. April 18th © Mark Woodhead
Black-tailed Godwits at Caldy Wildfowl Collection, April 18th © Richard Smith
Male and female Redstarts at the back of the beach at Heswall, April 17th © Steve Hinde
Whimbrel at Heswall, April 16th © Steve Hinde
Ring Ouzel on Hoylake Langfields, April 14th © Tony Ramsden
Spotted Redshanks with Redshanks and Black-tailed Godwits, Burton Mere Wetlands, April 14th
© Mark Woodhead
Whinchat on Hoylake Langfields, April 13th © Richard Whitby
Common Redstart at Leasowe, April 11th © Ian McKenna
Cattle Egrets on Burton Marsh, April 11th © Mark Woodhead
Water Rail at Parkgate, April 9th © John Crook
Ring Ouzel at Riverbank Road, Heswall, April 7th © Steve Hinde
Ring Ouzel on Hoylake Langfields, April 7th © Richard Whitby
Sandwich Tern, Hilbre, April 6th © Alan Hitchmough
Ring Ouzel on Hilbre, April 6th © Alan Hitchmough
White Wagtail at Leasowe, April 5th © Steve Round
Ring Ouzel at Leasowe Lighthouse, April 3rd © Elliot Montieth
White Wagtail on Hilbre, March 29th © Alan Hitchmough
Wheatear on Hilbre, March 28th © Matt Thomas
Iceland Gull in the roost on Hoylake Shore, March 26th © Allan Conlin
Waxwing at Neston, March 24th © Steve Williams
Wheatear by Middle Eye, March 21st © Alan Hitchmough
Stonechat at Leasowe Lighthouse, March 20th © Graham Connolly
Avocets on Parkgate Marsh, March 19th © John Crook
Waxwings at Neston, March 17th © Nigel 'Wirral Guy'
Wheatear on the cliffs at Thurstaston, March 17th © Steve Hinde
Greenshank in the channel by the groyne, Meols, March 16th © Sean O'Hara
Short-eared Owl over Burton Marsh, March 13th © Nigel Maitland
Grey Partridge in field by the Old Baths, Parkgate, March 13th © John Hewitt
Water Rail at Parkgate, March 12th © Dave Edwards
Dunlins at Meols on the flooding tide, March 12th © Graham Connolly
Green-winged Teal on tide off Riverbank Road, Heswall, March 12th © Alan Hitchmough
Green-winged Teal on Heswall Shore, March 9th © Steve Hinde
Short-eared Owl at Denhall Quay, March 3rd © Stuart Phillips
Short-eared Owl near Hilbre, March 3rd © Alan Hitchmough
Waxwing on Halkyn Mountain, February 24th © Ken Lewis
Waxwing on Halkyn Mountain, February 23rd © Rob Devenish
Goldcrest at Ness Gardens, February 20th © Bruce Hogan
Little Egret in field, Lower Heswall, February 18th © David Thompson
Redshanks on Heswall Marsh during the spring high tide, February 12th © Frank Burns
Water Rail which had been walking around in front of the buildings near Nicholl's Ice Cream Shop!
Parkgate, February 12th © Dave Ball
Jack Snipe at Parkgate, February 12th © Chris Wilding
Stonechat at Parkgate, February 11th © Roy Wilson
Knots at Hoylake, February 10th © Steve Round
Twite flock by Flint Castle, February 10th © Jeff Cohen
Bar-tailed Godwits at Hoylake, February 9th © Richard Smith
Bittern at Burton Mere Wetlands, February 2nd © John Hewitt
Waxwings on Halkyn Mountain, January 28th © Steve Round
Glaucous Gull, Dove Point Meols, January 26th © Martin Dohn
Waxwing on Halkyn Mountain, January 26th © Jeff Cohen
American 'Storm' Wigeon at Burton Mere Wetlands, January 24th © Mark Woodhead
American 'Storm' Wigeon at Burton Mere Wetlands, January 22nd © John Hewitt
Drake Smew on West Kirby Marine Lale, January 18th © Richard Smith
Drake Smew and pair of Goldeneyes, West Kirby Marine Lale, January 18th © Steve Williams
Drake Smew on West Kirby Marine Lale, January 18th © Alan Hitchmough
Siskin at Burton Mere Wetlands, January 17th © Bill Wonderley
Common Scoter on West Kirby Marine Lake, January 16th © Ron Brumby
Brent Geese and Dunlin at high tide, Hoylake, January 13th © Richard Smith
Goldeneye on West Kirby Marine Lake, January 12th © Steve Williams
Slavonian Grebe off Hilbre, January 12th © Alan Hitchmough
Waxwings in garden, Seabank Road, Heswall, January 11th © David Thompson
Knots feeding in the late afternoon sun, Thurstaston, January 9th © Richard Smith
Goldeneyes on West Kirby Marine Lake, January 4th © Les Hall
This is a wholly independent web site and unless where specifically stated has been written and maintained by myself, Richard Smith. I do receive articles for the newsletter from time to time for which I am very grateful, and also various people kindly donate photographs and sketches. l rely to a large extent on people keeping me informed about the birds they have seen - this, more than anything, is what keeps the website going. Note that everything on this website is subject to © copyright although some material may be available for non-commercial use - but please ask first! Lastly, 'Dee Estuary Birding' is just the name of this web site - it is not the name of an organisation or society.
Copyright © 2020 Richard Smith | Header Photograph of Black-tailed Godwits © Steve Round.