Dee Estuary – a slice of the Mediterranean
As Spoonbills recolonised Britain, they soon found their way to the Cheshire coast and discovered a habitat perfect for their needs. They had been present in the area before then, however; one bird was recorded in 1859, sadly because it was shot, and there had been occasional sightings since the 1960s. But it was in 1996 that a colony of six birds first became established at Frodsham Marshes, not far from Runcorn in the Mersey estuary, and they’ve been around ever since.
Today, perhaps the area’s most reliable place to see them is Burton Mere RSPB. Spoonbills first nested here in 2017, and have returned each year since. In recent years, they have even been joined by an assortment of similar birds. In 2019, the Cheshire coast played host to an extraordinary array of herons, egrets and Spoonbills, with five species all nesting at once. Joining the resident Grey Herons, the Spoonbills and the Little Egrets (which re-established a population in the 1980s), was the Great White Egret and the Cattle Egret.
As if that wasn’t enough, there are also around 10 pairs of the once rare but now increasing Mediterranean Gull. This abundance of exotic species led to an influx of birdwatchers from around the country, and a rather amusing nickname.
“We’ve been dubbed the ‘Costa del Dee’ by some visitors, who are enjoying seeing the birds from a special watchpoint that we have created to allow for better views,” said Graham Jones, site manager at Burton Mere Wetlands RSPB. “It is absolutely staggering to see five different heron species making their home here. Grey Herons nest here each year, but Little Egrets only colonised the UK in the late 1980s and have been breeding here since 2005. For them to now be joined by the much rarer Cattle Egrets, Great Egrets and Eurasian Spoonbills is even more astonishing. If the birds all breed, it will be extraordinary and cause for additional celebration in our anniversary year.”
The land on which the reserve sits was once a part of the Dee estuary, where the River Dee completes its almost 70 mile journey from the mountains of Parc Cenedlaethol Eryri (the Snowdonia National Park) to a wide estuary on the south of the Wirral peninsula and the north coast of Wales. It was first acquired by the RSPB in 1979, and has since grown considerably. Today it’s roughly the size of 6,000 football pitches, making it the fifth largest RSPB reserve in the country.
After first gaining ownership of the site, the RSPB transformed the arable fields into rich, wet grassland with lagoons and shallow scrapes that has created a home for wide range of birds. The reserve regularly hosts large populations of Avocets, Redshanks, Black-tailed Godwits, and has even treated regular visitors to sightings of Short-eared Owl, Marsh Harrier and the nationally-threatened Hen Harrier.
A small, hand-planted reedbed has contributed a number of species, including rare Bitterns, elusive Cetti’s Warblers and beautiful Bearded Tits, which bred on the reserve for the first time in 2019.
With the breeding season well underway, it looks to be another successful year for Cheshire’s exotic visitors. Great White Egrets and Little Egrets have both re-established colonies, with hopefully much more to come, just in time for reserves to reopen.
So, if you find yourself in the market for a bird friendly stay-cation this late summer, consider a few days in the company of a range of exotic species on our very own Costa del Dee.