Birdwatching

Wirral has a plethora of bird-watching opportunities and sites which are of great significance within the worldwide, bird watching community.

The Mersey Estuary is recognised as internationally important for tens of thousands of birds which overwinter here, particularly the large number of pintail and teal.  Twice daily the tide floods in from the Irish Sea covering the sandbanks, mudflats and saltmarsh.

As the tide begins to ebb, dunlin, redshank, turnstone and curlew can be seen feeding amongst the mud and weed.  Much of the estuary is now designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest in order to protect this vital wildlife habitat.

The Dee Estuary is of international importance because it is at a crossroads of bird migration.  Amazingly, the pattern was fixed around 18,000 years ago as the birds followed the edges of the Ice Age glaciers.  Each species has traditional routes with traditional stopping places.  The birds return year after year to the same estuaries.  Many have no choice, they must come here.

Lying right in the mouth of the Dee Estuary, Hilbre Islands is in a prime spot for bird-watching and also has an observatory which is used to study bird population trends and migration patterns.

The Wirral Council Website has bird-watching activities in the ‘Events Newsletter’ and up-to-date information including recent sightings, ‘In a Bird Watchers Diary’.

Useful Websites

www.deeestuary.co.uk/hilbre/hillbirds.htm

www.wirral.gov.uk/er/events.htm