The Dee and Thereabouts

Category: Wirral

At Mostyn Shore

(Sunday 20^th 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!

24.09.2026
Roodee Mere

(Sunday 13^th September, 2026)

Over to Royden Park on the Wirral this morning. It was a sunny 20°C with barely any wind as we made our way through the woods to Roodee Mere.

    Despite the recent rain that we’ve all experienced in the last few weeks, it seems that parts of the United Kingdom are still a long way off regaining their pre-heatwave water levels. Surprisingly, Wirral and Cheshire managed to avoid being placed in official drought status unlike many parts of England and North Wales (where, at the time of writing, it is still in place).

Black-headed gull perched on rock pile exposed by the low water level at Roodee Mere

    Even so, water levels are clearly very low, as indicated in the photograph. While previously, we’ve seen the Black-headed gull (Chroicocephalus ridibundus) perched on the same rocks in the mere, we’ve never seen the rock pile underneath as it’s usually submerged. (We’re fairly sure, by the way, that this is the same Black-headed gull we’ve seen here on recent occasions, although I suppose we have to be open to the possibility that it might be a different bird). The gull is in its non-breeding plumage, which means that the chocolate-brown hood (not black, despite the bird’s name!) has been replaced with just a smudge at the side of its head, behind the eye. Both male and female Black-headed gulls adopt identical breeding and non-breeding plumages so it’s very difficult to separate the sexes.

Moorhens and Mallards enjoying the sun

    There were a number of Mallards (Anas Platyrhynchos) and Moorhens (Gallinula Chloropus) on and around the mere. The Mallards had found an area of sunlight on the bank which they could bask in, with their heads tucked in under their feathers, although one or two males were dabbling out on the water amongst the lily pads. The Moorhens were a little more industrious, probing in the undergrowth and at the water’s edge for morsels to feed on.

Top: Mallards showing their best sides as they dabble amongst the lily pads; bottom: juvenile Moorhen

    There was a commotion high up in the sycamore trees behind us as a flock of Long-tailed tits (Aegithalos caudatus) searched for insects and grubs to feed on. Looking through my binoculars, I could see some Blue tits (Cyanistes caeruleus) in the group as well. The two species often combine to feed in mixed flocks once the breeding season is over. The sudden flurry of activity was over very quickly, so no photographs unfortunately.

    Just afterwards, Stu alerted me to a Sparrowhawk (Accipiter Nisus) sitting in a tree quite near to us. As I looked for the branch that he was indicating, my movement was enough to scare away the bird and we watched as it swiftly retreated a little deeper into the woods out of view. Actually, we wondered if it was the presence of this Sparrowhawk that might have caused the mixed flock of Blue tits and Long-tailed tits to abruptly move on earlier as such a large number of birds would inevitably attract the attention of predators.

    We watched the Mallards for a while, enjoying the sun’s rays just like them, before sauntering off to the Courtyard Café for refreshments.

The important stuff

A slice of Victoria Sponge (Col) and a Caramel Biscoff (Stu) to go with our cappuccinos. Very nice!

18.09.2026
Parkgate Again

(Thursday 6^th August, 2026)

Today, I was over in Parkgate on the Wirral Peninsula – for the second time this week. On this occasion I was accompanied by my mother, my brother, Michael, and my niece, Sophie. Regular readers will know that our chief cameraman is Stu but he had to go to work today and help keep the British economy ticking over, so all photographs were taken by Sophie today. Thanks very much Sophie!

Goats near the Old Baths carpark

    Parkgate village lies on the English side of the Dee Estuary and is a great place to visit for birdwatching. The expansive salt marsh is 100 square kilometres and all sorts of bird species can be found here: it’s home to waders, wildfowl, herons and egrets, birds of prey, warblers…the list goes on. During today’s visit, for example, we saw several people excitedly watching a group of Spoonbills out on one of the flashes (shallow ponds). There was also a Marsh harrier patrolling low over the marsh and, later, a Kestrel hovered, facing into the wind, eyeing the ground below.

Looking southwards along The Parade

Female Pheasant

    However, Parkgate is more than a destination for birders and wildlife-lovers and I was reminded of this as I went through Sophie’s photos later. Often, when we visit places, we can be so intent on a particular purpose that we overlook other aspects that might be just as interesting – both to others as well as to ourselves. So it was refreshing to see Parkgate through a different perspective.

    For the benefit of those who are unfamiliar with Parkgate and might be considering a visit, here’s a little bit of information about its history.

Above: School Lane (St. Thomas’ Church is on the left); below: Girl with traffic cone on lead

    Lady Emma Hamilton (originally Amy Lyon) was born in the nearby village of Ness – and raised in Hawarden in Flintshire – and composer George Frideric Handel sailed back from Ireland via Parkgate which, at the time, in 1742, was a busy port. Towards the end of the eighteenth century the accumulating silt on the River Dee meant that Parkgate could no longer function as a port and was supplanted by the port of Liverpool on the River Mersey.

View from the Donkey Stand

    Parkgate then switched to being a seaside resort and successfully drew people in to take the fashionable salt waters. Open-air baths were built during the 1920s which became very popular and helped Parkgate maintain its status as a resort right up until the late 1930s. Sadly, not a lot remains of the baths now except the odd section of wall at the Old Baths carpark which lies beyond the Boathouse pub.

Looking northwards along The Parade

    Parkgate is well worth a visit and you don’t have to be a birder to enjoy it either.

11.08.2026
Low Tide at Parkgate

(Sunday 2^nd August, 2026)

Over to Parkgate on the Wirral Peninsula this morning where it was a sunny 21°C with just a faint breeze (ESE). Visibility was very good and we had panoramic views of the Dee Estuary: Moel Famau and the other hills on the Clwydian Range stood out sharply to the south of us and, in the opposite direction at the estuary’s mouth, we made out the many wind turbines that stretch across Liverpool Bay.

    The trees and bushes near the Old Baths have clearly been stressed by the current drought, their leaves browning and crisping before dropping early. Conversely, Dandelions, bindweed, knapweed and thistles out on the marsh seem to be thriving – all obviously more able to cope. A welcome consequence of this hardiness is the variety of insects that visit them. We spotted ladybirds, White-tailed bumblebees and several white butterflies – mostly Small whites, although we did see one Green-veined butterfly too.

Top: White-tailed bumblebee; middle: Seven-spot ladybird; bottom: Small white butterfly

    We were intrigued by several hoverflies which seemed to be especially partial to thistle flowers. These are Pellucid hoverflies (also known as Pellucid flies). They are mostly black except for a distinctive white band around their abdomens and they have very large, reddish-brown eyes, which provide them with a wide field of vision. As with other hoverflies, Pellucid hoverflies have evolved to mimic bees or wasps and this mimicry acts as a visual deterrent to predators such as birds, amphibians or spiders that might ordinarily prey on them but will hesitate if they believe they might get stung!

Pellucid Hoverfly

    A pair of small birds scooted low in front of us. They were very quick but Stu managed to take a snap of one of them clinging to a reed, before it swiftly departed again. This looks like it’s a juvenile Stonechat. Even without the more defined red-orange breast of the adult, it’s still a striking-looking bird.

Juvenile Stonechat

   Down at the Donkey Stand, we looked over the other side of the wall and watched an adult Moorhen as it ferried its chick back through the reeds to shelter.

Moorhen encouraging its chick to seek shelter

Further out. the ‘flash’ looked bone-dry apart from one small section of water in the far corner where a Grey heron stood forlornly hoping for the best. We were there just after low tide although I believe the flash (or shallow pond) relies on rainwater as much as water from the river and – like everywhere else – Parkgate hasn’t had much rainfall recently.

Heron and gull lamenting the absence of water.

On the nearer side of the flash were several Lapwings and Black-headed gulls, most of which were sprawled on the ground and making the most of the sun. They didn’t stir, even when a Marsh harrier flew low nearby. Talk about lethargic!

Marsh harrier

    To be fair, the harrier seemed to be concentrating on a long stretch of the marsh that it was patrolling and that was mostly obscured form our view. Flying characteristically low, the bird would every now and then twist and drop down, feet first. This is how the Marsh harrier grabs the small mammals, amphibians and fish that make up much of their diet, although Marsh harriers are opportunistic predators that will also take small waterbirds like Moorhens, too. This Marsh harrier was a male and, though the male is smaller than female – well, less bulky – it’s still a large bird and surprisingly agile. Fascinating to watch.

    There was a scattering of House martins that seemed to be darting between the marsh and the rooves of the buildings along The Parade, where they presumably have nests: an ideal vantage point. As we turned to go, we glimpsed a pair of Common buzzards further out, leisurely rising as the thermals carried them both skywards.

Moel Famau from Parkgate

The important stuff

We called in at Daleside in Hawarden on the return journey where we each had a Vanilla slice with our customary cappuccinos. Very gooey!

07.08.2026
Treecreeper at Royden Park

(Sunday 21^st June, 2026)

Over to Royden Park on the Wirral Peninsula this morning. It was sunny with a very light north-easterly breeze, the temperature a comfortable 21°C, though it climbed higher after midday.

    We followed the path from the car park and cut through the woods to Roodee Mere. Here, there is a nesting platform in the water on which we often see a Grey heron perching while it surveys the mere for food. This time, however, the space was being shared by a Canada goose and a Moorhen. As you can see, each bird has a nest either side of the central box.

    Judging by the number of chicks present in and around the water, many of the Moorhens had already produced their first broods. Moorhens might have two or even three broods during the breeding season and chicks from the first brood will often help their parents with feeding the later broods. While this obviously helps the parent birds, it’s also useful practice for when these first-brood chicks go on to have their own offspring the following year.

Moorhen juveniles negotiating the lily-pads …

    Water-lilies were plentiful on one section of the mere and several young Moorhens took obvious delight in agilely skipping across the lily pads: they seemed to be doing this purely for the sake of it. The more responsible parents – who were probably too heavy now – simply swam through the pads, although this didn’t appear to be half as much fun!

…while the heavier adult has to swim

    A Herring gull circled above the mere and dropped down amongst the lily pads: at first, we were a little concerned in case it was after one of the chicks but it seemed to have spotted something under the water. The gull made a couple of attempts to retrieve whatever fish or amphibian it had seen but eventually gave up and flew off.

It wasn’t clear what drew the Herring gull to the water (above), although this mystery fish appeared soon after (below)

By coincidence, we did see a large fish that was swimming close to the surface – you can’t really tell what fish it is, though it’s size might indicate a carp. It’s possible that this was what had interested the Herring gull but we can’t say for sure. In turn, the fish might have been interested in one of the many dragonflies that were zipping around the mere today.

A four-spotted chaser dragonfly resting on a hazel leaf

    There were one or two Grey squirrels out and about, demonstrating their acrobatic skills. One in particular entertained us as it descended head-first from a nearby tree before jumping across the path in front of us and disappearing in the undergrowth. Moments later another squirrel appeared on the wooden jetty at the side of the mere, where it nibbled at some bird food that presumably had been left for the Moorhens.

Shameless squirrel

    While we were stood there watching this scrounging squirrel, a small bird flew across from the surrounding wood and landed low on a tree just in front of us. It was a Treecreeper and we watched as it scaled the tree then fluttered down to the second trunk of the same tree and climbed again before repeating this procedure for a third and final time, after which we lost sight of it.

    Although the Treecreeper is quite common throughout the United Kingdom, we were lucky to have seen it as its mottled brown back and wing feathers act as great camouflage against the bark of trees. It has a white underbelly that is generally hidden from view as it climbs, but we happened to catch a glimpse as it flew in front of us.

Treecreeper blending in against the lichen and bark

    The tree was a common alder with its distinctive round leaves and it looked like it had been coppiced at some point in the past, which would explain the three trunks radiating from it. As it climbs, the Treecreeper uses its long, curved beak to probe cracks in the bark for insects to feed on. I reckon we were lucky here too in that the Treecreeper didn’t fly off to another tree but simply dropped down, enabling us to keep sight of it.

    Treecreepers use their strong toes to grip the bark and they have very stiff tail feathers which offer extra support when pushed against the tree and this helps to reduce strain on their legs as they climb. Most references describe the Treecreeper as spiralling upwards around the trunk as it climbs and this is what I remember from the two previous occasions that I’ve seen them. However, this particular Treecreeper climbed vertically up the same side of the trunk without looping round until it was quite high up the tree. A fascinating little bird to see,

The important stuff

On to the Courtyard Café for cappuccinos and a slice each (or should I say ‘doorstop’ each) of Caramel biscoff cake (Stu) and Carrot cake (Col). Scrumptious!

26.06.2026
Four Seasons in One Day

(Sunday 12^th April, 2026)

Over to Wirral Country Park at Thurstaston this morning where we experienced sunshine, wind, rain and hailstones during our brief excursion!

    The morning began well enough with a moderate temperature of 12°C which felt much warmer when the sun came out. However, the south-westerly wind was very gusty, particularly as we traversed the exposed part of the path near the cliffs. But at least it was dry at this point.

Mallard drake

    Unfortunately, there weren’t a great deal of birds about, which we put down largely to the weather: the occasional crow or gull that was brave enough to take to the air was swiftly blown off course by the wind. Any other birds witnessing this spectacle would have had second thoughts, I’m sure.

Looking towards Welsh side of the Dee Estuary from Thurstaston, at low tide. (You can just make out Point of Ayr Lighthouse, Talacre, on the top right, next to the wind turbines).

    We also happened to arrive at low tide – this doesn’t mean that birds aren’t feeding, but because the estuary shoreline is farther out any birds that are feeding are themselves farther out and dispersed along the vast area at the edge of the water. So, further away from us and spread out wide too. If you look at the photograph (you may need to zoom!), you can see some wading birds, Oystercatchers mostly, and crows to the left of the two boats. We did hear the distinctive sound of a Curlew calling from somewhere on the beach, but we didn’t actually locate it visually. Still, it’s reassuring to know that there are still some about here, despite numbers declining (Curlews are on the Red List of Birds of Conservation Concern).

    In the park itself, we saw a Wren skipping along the low branches of a hawthorn bush, but it was reluctant to have its photograph taken this particular morning. Likewise, we saw a Long-tailed-tit a little further along which didn’t hang around long enough for a photograph either. It was unusual to see one of these birds by itself – usually, you see several together chattering excitedly to each other as they flit about, but this one was alone.

    Luckily, it was business as usual for the Canada goose and the three Mallard drakes who were all pretty much unconcerned by the weather, happily swimming around in the little ponds of the park.

The important stuff

We went to Flissy’s Coffee Shop on Station Road and sat outside while we waited for our refreshments. It was quite pleasant because we were out of the wind now but, seemingly out of nowhere, we were deluged by a combination of hailstones and rain. We adjourned inside to dry out and finish our customary cappuccinos and Bakewell slices. Squelch!

17.04.2026
At The Wetlands

(Sunday 22^nd March, 2026)

Over to the RSPB Burton Mere Wetlands on the Wirral side of the Dee Estuary this morning. Although a little overcast, it was dry with a very light westerly breeze, and the temperature was a decent enough 11°C. We arrived about 09:15 and already the car park was quite full.

    From the visitor centre we saw Avocets, Lapwings, Mallards, Coots and Moorhens feeding and generally gathering together, though some remained in their respective groups. There was a pair of Mediterranean gulls amongst the many Black-headed gulls that had settled on the islet. And a few Northern shovellers glided through the shallow waterways too.

Top: Avocets, Northern shovellers and Canada goose. Middle: Black-headed gull. Bottom: Lapwing.

   We watched as first one Marsh harrier came in from the marsh, then saw two of them flying together. We watched them both sky dancing, which is the term used to describe their aerial courtship ritual and often involves the male passing food to the female in mid-flight, although I’m not sure that this happened between the two birds we were watching today. Unsurprisingly, the birds in and around the scrape were being vigilant every time the harriers appeared.

Above: Marsh harrier (male). Below: A flock of Shelducks and the harrier share the sky.

We wandered down to the picnic area beyond the Bunker Hide. Last year we saw Yellow wagtails on the fields inland from the estuary. None this time, although we saw a few Greylag geese and Canada geese here and there. They had presumably sought a more peaceful sanctuary away from the noise and traffic of the main scrapes!

    Greylag geese happy to get away from it all

Mind you, some of the geese clearly preferred the water. We watched these Greylags and Canada geese as they flew across the marsh and came into land.

We’d heard the loud shrieking of a Pheasant earlier when we were near the picnic area. I’m not sure if this was the same bird on the other side of the visitor centre, but I’m glad we saw it close up: you tend to forget how colourful these birds are – well, the males at least. Actually, I think this is something we tend to do with a lot of the more common birds and wildlife in general. In our determination to see and record animals seldom if ever before seen, I think we sometimes overlook those that we see regularly. (I live near a couple of Pheasant farms and see the birds often, so I can be almost oblivious to the sight of them, although I don’t think you could ever be oblivious to their call!)

Pheasant

    A Grey heron flew over in that ungainly way they have while we were focussing on the birds that were busying themselves near the feeder, mostly Great tits and Blue tits. We also spotted a Wren on a nearby branch before it flitted away and we’re pretty sure we saw a Reed warbler as well. Unfortunately, we were unable to get a photograph.

Blue tit chomping away while another waits its turn.

Marsh marigolds

    However, I’m pleased to say that Stu managed to get a photograph of a Grey squirrel. What’s remarkable about that, I hear you ask! Well, regular readers of these pages will know that squirrels don’t usually hang around long enough for him to capture on film. But the Burton squirrels evidently hadn’t heard of the international embargo against this blog’s photographer and two of them were happy to display their acrobatic skills for us. Very entertaining they were too! And we’re both very grateful that at least one of them was happy to have its photo taken!

A Grey squirrel which, unusually, didn’t disappear as soon as Stu got his camera out!

    I mentioned earlier that the car park was very busy even shortly after nine in the morning. Obviously Burton Mere Wetlands is a popular place to visit but people may have also been enticed by the chance of seeing the otters which have been seen here recently. I’m not sure at which part of the reserve you’re likely to see them, although the staff at the visitor centre should be able to help. We didn’t see any otters but still enjoyed our visit immensely.

The important stuff

We had our usual cappuccinos with a slice of Carrot cake (Stu) and a Toasted teacake (Col). Very nice!

26.03.2026
Rain and Wind Stop Play

(Sunday 15^th March, 2026)

Over to Parkgate on the Wirral Peninsula this morning. It was dry and reasonably bright to begin with and it reached 10°C while we were there. We started off at the Old Baths but there was a fierce wind (SSW) blowing from across the Dee, directly at us, which meant that it was difficult for us to focus our binoculars and cameras without them shaking.

    We counted four Avocets in the channel and two Little egrets nearby, and there were several small flocks of geese circling the marsh, but for the most part the birdlife was staying low and out of the wind!

Pink-footed geese

    We transferred to the Donkey Stand at the opposite end of The Parade where, somehow, the wind seemed to have eased. There were several Black-headed gulls on the little island in the middle of the Flash, all of which were making plenty of noise. We just thought it was the gulls making their normal racket until we saw two Marsh harriers flying low over the marsh, which is when we realised that they’d actually been sounding the alarm. The harriers quickly swept past and arced back towards a clump of reeds in the distance.

Black-headed gulls

    Where earlier we’d seen two Little egrets, here there were two Great white egrets stalking separate sections of the marsh. The latter are much larger birds and have yellow beaks throughout most of the year but, during the breeding season, their beaks become black. You can see that the beak of the Great white egret in the photograph below is just beginning to change to black at the tip.

Great white egret. Note the yellow beak just beginning to turn black.

    Although the wind had lessened, we could clearly see that it was raining over on the Welsh side of the Dee. Inevitably, the rain reached us before too long and we brought forward an early end to our visit. Never mind – there’s always next time!

Great white egret flying into the wind

The important stuff

Today was Mothering Sunday and any chance of finding a café with a spare table was clearly going to be difficult, so we repaired to Chez Col where we both enjoyed a chocolate mini-roll and an orange Kit-Kat each, washed down with a – dare I say it, as I made it – lovely cup of tea!

19.03.2026
A Different Perspective

(Sunday 22^nd February, 2026)

Over to Royden Park, Wirral this morning. The temperature was 13°C which felt almost tropical, considering that only a matter of days before it had been a very chilly 4°C. The wind (WSW) was light, only picking up later during the afternoon, so a very welcome change in the weather all round.

Gravity-defying Nuthatch

    As we set off from the car park, we saw a gravity-defying Nuthatch on a branch high above us. We watched, fascinated, as the bird demonstrated its acrobatic skill – It didn’t appear to be feeding so much as simply showing off! There was a certain exuberance in this behaviour, so perhaps it was just celebrating the sunshine and the climb in temperature too.

Hazel catkins

    We followed the path that skirts the edge of the walled garden where we saw several coppiced hazelnut trees with their distinctive yellow catkins.

Crocuses

There were other signs of early spring too: snowdrops and crocuses dotted the undergrowth here and there, while buds had started appearing on the branches of trees.

    We passed by the miniature railway and moved through the woods towards the Roodee Mere. As we slowly circled the mere, a troop of Long-tailed tits chattered loudly and excitedly as they leap-frogged from tree to tree. They disappeared as magically as they’d arrived, so no time for photographs I’m afraid!

    We heard a woodpecker but were unable to locate it visually. The largest of the three woodpeckers that breed in the United Kingdom, Green woodpeckers are regularly spotted in this area so we listened carefully for the ‘laughing’ sound that they’re known for (the old country name for the bird is ‘yaffle’), but we listened without success. Maybe another time.

From top: Canada goose; Mallards; Coot

    It’s at this time of year that birds begin to act a bit more territorially and we watched as a honking Canada goose ran across the water flapping its wings and chased away a pair of Black-headed gulls. We’re not sure why, really, as there were Mallards, Coots and Moorhens sharing the mere (though the Moorhens were hiding in the undergrowth, we could hear them)and the pair of Canada geese seemed unperturbed by any of those particular birds. The Black-headed gull is one of the smaller gull species, so shouldn’t really represent a threat. Perhaps it was simply because the gulls’ sudden aerial descent simply startled the geese. Shortly afterwards, the gulls returned unchallenged.

Canada goose drinking, having worked up a thirst chasing off the Black-headed gulls… (they returned later anyway!)

    What was noticeable is that the Black-headed gulls were just beginning to regain their summer breeding plumage: you can see the black colour (really a dark brown) starting to return to the face of the adult bird in the photograph.

Black-headed gull beginning to regain its summer plumage

    The Nuthatch that we witnessed looking at the world through a different perspective earlier had clearly made an impression on Stu: while he didn’t photograph Roodee Mere from an upside-down position, the image here might make you think he had! Certainly viewing things differently makes you think again about your surroundings and is particularly effective here, thanks in large part to the undisturbed clearness of the water.

Roodee Mere through a different perspective

The Important Stuff

After all these physical and artistic exertions, it was only fair that we rewarded ourselves with some suitable refreshments. So, a cappuccino each and a slice of Bakewell tart (Stu) and a slice of Carrot cake (Col) at The Courtyard café. Delicious!

25.02.2026
At the Old Baths

(Sunday 25^th January, 2026)

We’d had reports of Short-eared owl sightings at Parkgate, specifically in the area around the Old Baths, just beyond The Boat House pub. So, we parked up and scanned the marsh. Short-eared owls largely hunt during the day, particularly in the late afternoon. Today, unfortunately, was not our day for seeing any. (A Short-eared owl was seen and photographed that day – surprise, surprise, in the late afternoon! Ah, well. Maybe next time…)

    We may not have seen any owls, but we did see a couple of Marsh harriers and a Kestrel (all female): we were certainly in a good viewing spot.

Marsh harrier (female)

There were flocks and flocks of geese honking their way across and around the wide estuary sky. Many were Pink-footed geese and we also saw Canada geese and some Brent geese, although we didn’t get any clear photographs of the latter. (It was quite misty in the distance – as you can see from the photographs).

Canada geese

    Kestrel (female): she’s in the centre, to the right!

The kestrel hovered characteristically, before dropping down and settling on the post (which I believe was where our elusive Short-eared owl perched later!) This behaviour is well established in kestrels, particularly in the winter months when the birds want to conserve energy – hovering is what Kestrels are known for (‘windhover’ is the archaic name for the bird), but it’s generally a less-preferred hunting strategy than perching. Here, we do tend to see Kestrels hovering more because there are far fewer vantage points on the marshes – apart from the odd post, of course. They’re a joy to watch when they are hovering, head down facing the ground, while they make minor aerodynamic adjustments with their wings and fanned-out tails in order to maintain their position.

Kestrel using the post as a vantage point

    Kestrels are so keen-sighted that they can see ultraviolet light, which enables them to detect urine trails left by their prey! They’ll hold their position and then suddenly swoop – they’re wonderful to watch, but you can see that these actions do take up reserves of energy.

    While we still commonly see Kestrels over the marshes – more usually hovering – their numbers declined by 37% between 1995 and 2023[1], although it’s difficult to pinpoint a specific reason. Suggestions for the decrease in number include habitat loss through farming practices; secondary poisoning (through eating voles and mice that have consumed rat-poison); and their chicks being subject to predation from corvids and other birds of prey, such as Goshawks.

    It probably doesn’t help that Kestrels don’t build nests, preferring to take over those abandoned by other birds, or to use natural cavities such as tree hollows or cliff ledges – they’re not fussy, just so long as they don’t have to do any construction work themselves! The Kestrel population in the UK is being monitored jointly by BTO/JNCC/RSPB[2] as well as other bodies such as the Hawk Conservancy Trust.

Ghostly power station in the mist

    Eventually, we moved to the Donkey Stand at the opposite end of The Parade, where a third female Marsh harrier appeared flying low over the marsh. (It may possibly have been one of the two that we’d seen earlier at the opposite at the Old Baths). We also saw several Mallards and some Teal on the nearby stretch of water, but no photographs I’m afraid.

Marsh harrier (top right) near Donkey Stand

    Although I remember seeing a couple of Little egrets, I have no recollection of seeing this Great white egret below disturbing several Pink-footed geese, which Stu photographed. I must have been concentrating on something else! Talking of which…

Great white egret and Pink-footed geese

The important stuff

Over to Ness Gardens for refreshments. A cappuccino and a generous slice of Bakewell tart each. Very nice, and well-deserved!

[1] Information from Bird Trends Explorer, BTO data.bto.org/trends_explorer/?species=Kestrel

[2] British Trust for Ornithology / Joint Nature Conservation Committee / Royal Society for the Protection of Birds

01.02.2026