(Sunday 20th September, 2026)
Down to the Dee Estuary at Mostyn in Flintshire this morning. Although it was pleasant in the sun, the 16°C temperature meant it felt quite autumnal, especially when the wind (WNW) sent through odd blasts of cold air.
We followed the path from the back of Abakhan, scanning the fields and the irrigation ditch on our left but the birds were being sensible and staying out of the wind.
Mostyn Docks
Thankfully, the wind died down once we reached the road that runs alongside the estuary. The sound of Oystercatchers reached us from the middle of the river, where a multitude of them were feeding on a narrow sandspit revealed by the receding tide. At the opposite end of the spit was a large mixed flock of birds. The estuary here spans about 4 or 5 miles (6-8 km) and, even though we were only looking halfway across it, most of the birds appeared indistinct through binoculars.
Top: Hilbre Island at the mouth of the Dee estuary; bottom: Hoylake viewed from Mostyn – the white ‘lighthouse’ you can see in the middle is actually part of a house
We waited patiently and eventually several birds flew in and landed on the Mostyn shore near to us and began feeding. A Redshank (Tringa totanus) was feeding along a stretch of shoreline by itself. This part of the beach must have provided rich pickings as it was soon joined by a Black-tailed godwit (Limosa limosa) that began combing the same area. (Black-tailed godwits and Redshanks have different length beaks, which means that they don’t feed at the same depths of water, sand or mud, so they don’t actually compete with each other for food).
Black-tailed godwit (left) and Redshank (right)
Likewise, Black-headed gulls (Chroicocephalus ridibundus) will happily feed on the same stretch of sand as Black-tailed godwits. However, Black-headed gulls (like most gulls, I suppose) also have the habit of pinching food if the opportunity presents itself: they will sneak in and try to grab any morsels brought to the surface by the godwits’ probing. You can see in the photograph below that the godwit is alert to the presence of the gull and is making sure it doesn’t get too close!
Black-tailed godwit and Black-headed gull
The godwits were still in their summer plumage, a vibrant brick-red that covers neck and breast, although this will soon be gone. It’s probable that these birds had travelled from Iceland. Many will stay in the United Kingdom for winter while others might just be taking a breather before carrying on to winter elsewhere, in places such as Ireland, France or Portugal. Black-tailed godwit pairs mate for life but often winter in separate countries, only meeting up again at their breeding grounds in Iceland in the spring.
The godwits still had their vibrant brick-red summer plumage although – as you can see in the bottom photograph – they are beginning to moult
We saw a lone Curlew (Numenius arquata) foraging at the water’s edge. These birds have declined in number over recent years and they are now on the UK Red List, signifying those birds most urgently requiring conservation action. The Curlew is a magnificent bird with a very distinctive call and, despite the drop in population, there is still the odd sighting on both the Welsh and English sides of the Dee Estuary.
Curlew
As we turned to make our way back, a flock of Canadian geese (Branta canadensis) flew over in formation, honking noisily as they made their way towards the Wirral.
Canadian geese
The important stuff.
We called in at the café at Abakhan for our cappuccinos and cakes – Coffee and Walnut (Stu) and Raspberry Bakewell (Col). Most enjoyable!
