The Dee and Thereabouts

Tag: birding

Down in the Woods

(Sunday 29^th March, 2026)

There was a south-westerly blowing this morning, although we escaped the worst of the gusts by virtue of being in the woods at Loggerheads Country Park in Denbighshire. It was still a bit chilly (8°C) but I think we’re all becoming accustomed to this topsy-turvy ‘spring’ weather. At least it was dry.

    Just as we joined the Leete path from the little stone bridge near the mill, we saw a Song thrush fly in and settle on a high branch of one of the trees upstream from us. We’ve seen both Song thrushes and Mistle thrushes in these woods over the years but we’re seeing them less and less as time passes – nationally, both are in decline.

    Nuthatches, on the other hand, have greatly increased their numbers since the 1970s and we often see them hopping up and down tree trunks, or flitting about filching nuts and seeds.

This Nuthatch used ‘diversionary’ tactics to conceal its food source…

Today was no exception and it is amusing to watch them fly from tree to tree, executing a sort of diversionary route – presumably to foil either predators or, more probably, to avoid revealing their food source to other birds. Mind you, there was little they could do once the Carrion crow discovered their source!

    …but the Carrion crow discovered it anyway!

Apart from the odd bit of hawthorn blossom here and there, the trees are generally free of any foliage (well, not counting the evergreens). But I don’t think it will be too long before everything begins to flourish. We noticed, for example, the aroma of wild garlic which reached us when the occasional gust of wind pushed through the woods. There is an abundance of garlic leaves to be seen on either side of the River Alyn, but no sign of the plant’s distinctive white flowers just yet.

False turkey-tail (we think!)

    There are other signs that spring (or should that be summer?) is finally on the way. We watched, transfixed as two Robins circled around us, flying close to the ground, disappearing then re-emerging from the undergrowth. Male and female Robins look very similar and are difficult to sex but, as neither of these birds was acting in the typical territorial mode that Robins usually display, we’re fairly confident that we were watching a male and female. One of them posed for the camera, as you can see below!

    We saw another pairing shortly afterwards: on a few of our visits to Loggerheads over the last few months, we’ve spotted a single Grey wagtail at various stretches of the river. Today we saw two together, although they’d separated before Stu managed to get a photograph of both of them simultaneously. It was encouraging to see though, and hopefully they’ll manage to breed successfully.

After last week’s success at Burton Wetlands, Stu managed to capture another Grey squirrel on film – it seems like they’ve finally grown tired of hiding from him!

The important stuff

Over to The Mill House café (Tŷ’r Felin) for a cappuccino each and a Blondie Jammie-dodger (Col) and Millionaire’s shortcake (Stu). Scrumptious!

03.04.2026
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
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
Goldcrests at Loggerheads

(Sunday 28^th December, 2025)

    Sometimes you just get lucky. We were just about to leave Loggerheads Country Park, in Denbighshire, and head home. Before we did so, we thought we’d take a last quick look from the little bridge opposite the We Three pub. Looking upstream, we caught glimpses of yellow as tiny birds darted around the lower foliage of a tall conifer. (Judging by the leaves, I think the tree is a cypress of some sort, but I’m not entirely sure). These birds were not easy to track but, looking through the binoculars, I could see that they were Goldcrests – the smallest bird in the British Isles and, in fact, Europe. These tiny birds are rarely longer than 9.5cm (3.7 in), with a wingspan no greater than 15.5 cm (6.1 in). On average, they weigh just 6g ( less than 0.25 oz) and are often described as weighing the same as a twenty-pence piece.

    Goldcrest

The Goldcrest has whitish-grey underparts, olive-green upperparts and two contrasting white wing bars, and a distinctive yellow crest on its head, from which it gets its name. The male has a smudge of orange running through the centre of its yellow crest, although this is not always visible: presumably it becomes so when it ‘displays’ during the breeding season. So, the Goldcrest in the photographs could be either male or female. And kudos to Stu – considering how active these birds were as they probed the cones and leaves for food – the photographs turned out really well.

    Goldcrests are actually quite a common bird in the British Isles, where resident birds are joined by migrant birds from Scandinavia during the winter months, although neither of us had actually seen them ‘live’ before. And despite our climate becoming warmer, Goldcrests are still susceptible to the cold: they can ‘burn off’ a lot of body weight overnight when the temperature drops, even when they huddle together. It had been a cold night – and it didn’t climb above 5°C for the whole of the morning – so probably these Goldcrests were replenishing lost energy.

Dipper about to submerge itself

    Earlier in the morning we had seen a White-throated dipper – in fact we traced it to a couple of different spots along the River Alyn. Over time, we’ve noticed that Dippers seem to favour the faster-flowing white water of the river. This one first performed its characteristic bobbing dance, before submerging itself in the river in search of food. Very entertaining!

Dipper showing white eyelid feathers as it blinks

Grey wagtails also hunt in areas of the river where there is fast-running water, but though both species’ territories overlap, somehow they’re both able to share the river’s resources without too much disputation, as far as we can make out. We often see both species out and about at the same time, as we did today.

Grey wagtail on the roof of the mill house

The Grey wagtail flew off before it could be photographed although it – or perhaps another wagtail, we can’t be sure – appeared a little later on the roof of the old mill which is the one in the picture. While some birds are camera-shy, the same can’t be said of our old friend the Robin: a born star that just loves being photographed!

Robin posing for the camera

The important stuff

The Mill House café (Tŷ’r Felin) provided us with much needed sustenance after all that hard work. A cappuccino and a Chocolate Biscoff each soon restored our equilibrium!

30.12.2025
At Heswall Beach

(Sunday 21^st December, 2025)

    This morning, we went across to Heswall Beach on the Wirral side of the Dee Estuary. The car park at the bottom of Riverbank Road was deserted when we arrived, which may have been down to the weather: although it was dry and the temperature was a reasonable 8°C, there was an easterly wind making its presence known. And this wind was sufficiently icy to keep people indoors, apart from one or two brave souls.

    Black-headed gull on waymarker…

…later dethroned by a usurping Carrion crow

Anyway, there was a single Black-headed gull (in winter plumage) which seemed impervious to the weather and spent a good deal of time perched on top of the red waymarker on the beach. (Well, I’m referring to the wooden structure that resembles a lampshade, which I’m guessing is some sort of waymarker or indicator – and on which the gull seemed quite content until it was later dislodged by a pugnacious Carrion crow).

   Little egrets

There were some Little egrets mooching about along the channel several metres out and several Carrion crows foraged individually here and there. At one point, a Marsh harrier emerged briefly from the thin mist and quickly disappeared inland.

Pink-footed geese

We saw several Pink-footed geese nearby. These were resting on the ground about 30 metres out but every now and then they’d take off – presumably to their roosting place. Pink-footed geese are used to the cold conditions of Iceland and Greenland but spend their winters in the United Kingdom. They are known to be wary birds so it’s probable that we inadvertently disturbed them with our presence. In fact, we saw quite a few geese flocks flying across the estuary although most were too far away for us to establish which species they were. As we’ve mentioned elsewhere in the blog, the area is vast, and today this vastness seemed to be emphasised by the general quietness.

    Heswall Beach – as you can see, the wildlife was having a duvet day

After an hour or so, we decided to call it a day: the wildlife just didn’t seem to want to drag themselves out today, and we couldn’t blame them really. So we headed back towards Chester Road and detoured via Boathouse Lane to Parkgate. Here, we again saw geese flocking over the Dee Estuary – well, I did, while Stu drove. It was a nice little diversion before we eventually arrived at the Ness Gardens café. And it’s always a joy driving through these roads and lanes and seeing the old sandstone buildings which are characteristic of the area.

The important stuff

As we headed towards the Ness Gardens café, which is officially The Botanic Kitchen, we were serenaded by a Robin that was singing loudly from a small tree at the side of the path. (Blimey, they make some noise considering their size). Once we were inside though, and this will hardly surprise our regular readers, we each consumed a cup of cappuccino and a slice of Bakewell. Lovely!

26.12.2025