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No doubt many of you are already aware of what happened on Sunday afternoon, but for those who are not so local I’m sure you’ll be saddened by the news that a large area of the saltmarsh on the estuary went up in flames. Staff and volunteers from the reserve joined firefighters in a bid to...

Needless to say, Rhian's excited proclamation - upon the arrival of our first avocet of the year in mid-February - that spring was here, was a little premature. Since then we've had plenty more snow flurries, frozen pools and lots of gratitude for the stove in our reception hide. However, we've...

Soon nearly 8 million seabirds return to their breeding grounds on the UK’s coast and our seas will be alive with squabbling guillemots, groaning puffins and graceful fulmars. Whilst not a truly coastal reserve, the Dee Estuary is home to a sizeable black-headed gull colony and a variety of...

"The problem with gulls is that they all look the same", is a sentence that I commonly hear. Many different gulls look similar, and experienced birders learn to look for the subtle differences between species for proper gull identification. With the high degree of hybridization among gulls...

If you have a few days at home with the kids or grandchildren, then make a beeline for Dee! There is plenty of fun to be had this half term at RSPB Burton Mere Wetlands with loads of activities and events for children. Kids will be delighted to take part in the events that will teach them all about...

Tonight at 8pm on Stargazing LIVE, BBC 2 you can see a stunning short clip of around 10 seconds long of a stunning starscape taken by one of our very own volunteer Ron Thomas. You might never have thought about photographing the night sky before, but if you ever find yourself in a location with little...

Hedgehogs are the gardener's friend, munching their way through those pesky slugs and snails. Sadly, it's estimated that a quarter of the hedgehog population has been lost in the last ten years. Snoozing hedgehogs will be in for a treat as Burton Mere Wetlands are holding a make your own hogitat...

Its not only Team GB that have enjoyed a record haul of gold this past few weeks. Team Dee Estuary have four golds at the moment in the form of golden headed marsh harriers, not something I have experienced before here. As this excellent picture from Andy Davis shows they can easily be seen from...

Wednesday 15th August, Saturday 8th September and 13th October 2012 With previous sightings including long-tailed skuas, peregrine falcons, osprey and Atlantic grey seals, there’s always a sense of excitement on these cruises. We’ve teamed up once again this year with Mersey Ferries...

Last night a regular visitor found a pectoral sandpiper feeding in front of the Marsh Covert hide which means that we are just one away from the magical 30 wading birds barrier . To put this in context the "RSPB Handbook of British Birds" only lists 34 wading birds in its main section with...

If you believe the wading birds then perhaps it is ... or is it? Not many people know this but long distance migrating waders actually start returning to their wintering grounds in June! The evidence is clear here at Burton Mere Wetlands too as several spotted redshanks are present in full summer...

Have you got what it takes to become RSPB’s Dee Estuary’s first ever intern? The new RSPB visitor centre at Burton Mere Wetlands has welcomed thousands of visitors through its doors since it opened in September and now the visitor demand is so high that they need your help. A special...

"Seconds out, round two..." should be the cry as the ruff at Burton Mere Wetlands are duking it out! Don't worry though as their version of the duking it out is actually more of an showy dance. These fascinating birds become rather odd-looking at this time of year as their breeding hormones...

With exactly one week to go before our first Parkgate high tide event of the year, there is much excitement in the air as numerous phonecalls, emails and enquiries begin to ask the familiar old questions. Where is the best place to go? What is the best time to be there? What is the best day to come?...

Late stayers at Burton Mere Wetlands have seen the (phenomenal) little egret roost receive a couple of new lodgers over the past few weeks - two great white egrets! Several reports of great white egret at Parkgate led the staff here to carefully examine everyone of the 200+ little egrets that come...

Dear All, If you have been down to Parkgate recently you may have been surprised to see a few changes to the landscape...... Through a joint project with Cheshire West & Cheshire Council, Neston Town Council, The Parkgate Society and the RSPB has been carrying out some habitat works on the...

A 13-tonne excavator has begun a large-scale project to naturally reduce the numbers of biting insects at Parkgate on the Dee Estuary. Parkgate is an amazing place for wildlife with nature lovers coming from miles around to see the dramatic high tide spectacles. However, not all of the wildlife is...

Staff and volunteers from the Dee Estuary reserve took part in the innaugural Clair House Cup, a 6-a-side football tournament to raise money for local charity Claire House Hospice ( www. claire - house .org.uk/ ). The Summer Festival details can be found at www.clairehousesummerfestival.com Having...

Water vole’s odd hairdo puzzles experts... A water vole with a distinctive difference has been caught on a hidden camera at RSPB Dee Estuary nature reserve on the Wirral. This curious cutie has a Mohawk-style white stripe on the top of its head, leaving experts scratching their own heads...