Conservation

The Ribble estuary

What are we doing?

Dave Taylor (volunteer) showing people birds on Southport Pier
Dave Taylor (an RSPB volunteer) showing people birds on Southport Pier

At Lytham St Annes is our Ribble Discovery Centre and shop - the RSPB's gateway to the north shore of this world-class estuary.

Here, we help to inspire thousands of people, including local residents and visitors, about the wonderful wildlife that the area supports.

The centre is open all year, staffed by a full-time centre manager, an information assistant and three field teachers, thanks to funding from United Utilities and Fylde Borough Council. An army of volunteers also gives invaluable help, ensuring the centre is a great place to visit.

'The mudflats... are an important part of our educational facilities and are used by thousands of schoolchildren every year'

Right next door to the centre is Granny’s Bay, where you have an excellent opportunity to see and experience all the wildlife that the estuary has to offer. The mudflats, which are exposed at low tide, are an important part of our educational facilities and are used by thousands of schoolchildren every year. 

Working with Fylde Borough Council and others we plan to develop an exciting interpretation project and nature trail from the bay, around Fairhaven Lake, back to the centre. 

Part of the internationally important Ribble Estuary, our Marshside reserve near Southport has some of the best lowland wet grassland in the North West of England. It is an important refuge in winter for pink-footed geese, wigeons, black-tailed godwits and golden plovers. In spring, it provides nesting places for lapwings and redshanks, which are declining elsewhere in the UK.

New opportunities

We hope innovative plans for a new RSPB reserve at Hesketh Out Marsh on the south side of the estuary will recreate valuable estuarine habitat and provide a natural flood defence as part of the region’s response to climate change impacts. 

Subject to planning permission, the project will see us working with the Environment Agency to deliver one of the largest managed coastal realignment project in Europe and 168 ha of estuarine wetland habitat – saltmarsh, saline lagoons and muddy creeks – that will provide improved habitat for breeding waders on the southern shores of the Ribble Estuary.

The scheme will also bridge an existing gap in the route of the Lancashire Coastal Footpath in its Preston to Southport section and provide an exciting opportunity to view the wildlife of the estuary.

We also proud to be a key player in the development of the Ribble Estuary Regional Park, which will create a new landscape for wildlife and people and deliver economic opportunities in the region.

Black-tailed godwits - special birds of the Ribble

For several years, RSPB volunteers, staff and members of Fylde Bird Club have mounted a 24-hour vigil over the nesting godwits on Newton Marsh, near Freckleton.

In 2005, two nests successfully produced chicks and as many as five youngsters were seen on the marsh. 

In the past, black-tailed godwits in this area have been targeted by unscrupulous egg thieves who view eggs of rare birds as trophies to be collected at whatever cost. Even the threat of a prison sentence fails to deter some people from committing this kind of crime. Having the volunteers on duty 24 hours a day acts as a deterrent, giving the eggs the opportunity to hatch.

A refuge for farmland birds

The farmland surrounding the Ribble Estuary is important for species such as lapwings, tree sparrows and corn buntings, which have declined significantly nationally over the last 25 years. 

New farm grant schemes allow farmers the opportunity to incorporate wildlife-friendly management within their farm business. We have a number of projects around the Ribble which are helping farmers to take advantage of these payments. For more information please contact our Preston office on, 01995 642253.

Key funders

We would like to thank the main funders for the Ribble reserves: 

  • Ribble Discovery Centre: United Utilities and Fylde Borough Council
  • Newton & Freckleton Marshes: United Utilities, Ibstock Cory Environmental Trust, The Harry Dunn Charitable Trust and The William Dean Countryside & Educational Trust
  • Marshside: Mersey Waterfront Regional Park, Mersey Waste Holdings Ltd, The Robert & Evelyn Maud Hall Trust and The Edward Sharples Charitable Trust
  • Aren't birds brilliant! at Marshside - Cory Environmental Trust in Britain
  • New habitat creation on the Ribble - North West Development Agency      

Last modified: 10 January 2006

Nature reserves