The Richard Smith remains a top wetland, and there are winners and losers for #Wales ' migratory and wintering waterbirds - all known thanks to 1000s of Wetland Bird Survey volunteers.

Plus a round up of recent sightings in #NorthWales in Andrew Forgrave. 📷Bob Garrett.

birdnotes.wales/blog/dee-estua…

Love this time of year when the waders are turning to S/pl. Blackwits look superb but knot, Grey Plover and dunlin not quite there yet. Orange flag Grey Plover ringed at Altcar in 2018. These were all at West Kirby this morning

A great few days at Meols (Wirral) reading Knot colour rings with @tonyormond (Merseyside Ringing Group) Since Friday we've read at least 70 flags from Norway, Iceland, Canada, the Wash, NE Scotland, Netherlands as well as Knot ringed locally at Hoylake, Ainsdale and Altcar.

Over 6,500 hectares of #RSPB -managed habitat makes our Dee Estuary reserve one of the largest protected #wetland sites in the country.

Mind-boggling numbers of some globally-threatened #bird species make this area their winter home.
#WildlifeConservationDay

📸Josh Robertson

OVER 10% OF ALL WILDFLOWERS NATIVE TO BRITAIN FOUND ON HOYLAKE BEACH!!!!

After checking the data (twice), there are some 171 of the 1692 wild plants native to Britain now recorded on Hoylake beach, excluding non-native species and bryophytes. WOW.

76 years of counting #waders
Annual 'thank you' to Wetland Bird Survey counters who monitor what's happening to birds on UK estuaries and wetlands.
🎂 Article from 4 Oct 2017 🎂 wadertales.wordpress.com/2017/10/04/wet…
Another blog that uses WeBS data:
wadertales.wordpress.com/2021/03/23/wad…
#shorebirds #ornithology

An unusual & enthralling bird’s eye view of the immaculate Dee Estuary saltmarsh for #WorldHabitatDay .

Statistically the fourth most important #wetland in the UK & a priceless home to internationally important populations of a range of wildfowl & wading #birds .

📸Josh Robertson

Oct Dee Newsletter now out deeestuary.co.uk/news.htm with article about the amazing increase in Pinkfeet numbers over past 12 years, also news of a good Cu Sand passage, Wirral's first Baird's Sandpiper and the usual bird news

Absolutely chuffed to relocate the #BairdsSandpiper this afternoon a few hundred yards east of lifeboat station Hoylake/Meols after I was stuck Hilbre Bird Obs over tide it flew just before I arrived! Superb find by Sean O'Hara - thanks for the shout👍 1st record for Wirral💥

Fancy being part of the Wetland Bird Survey team?
Thousands (literally) of birdwatchers will be counting #waders & other wetland birds today (or over the weekend).
Why? See this blog:
wadertales.wordpress.com/2017/10/04/wet…
Joint BTO RSPB Science JNCC project

Colour-ring readers will enjoy this wonderful blog from Richard Smith (Richard Smith - Dee Estuary)
deeestuary.co.uk/news0923.htm
He makes a huge contribution to our understanding of movements of #waders #shorebirds
#ornithology

Sep Dee Estuary Newsletter now online deeestuary.co.uk/news0923.htm with news of 2K juv Knots at Hoylake, an unusual number of adult Cu Sands at Meols, a total of 80 colour ringed birds recorded from 14 species in Aug and a massive 6350 Bl-tailed Godwits in one small field!

5,800 Black-tailed Godwits at Caldy (Wirral) and just a five minute walk from where I live. They flew in at around 7.30am and didn't leave until 3pm.

A record July count of Black-tailed Godwits for the Caldy (Wirral) Godwit field this morning with 4500. A nicely coloured juv among them, first of the year here. As usual colour rings very hard to find, only found 4. 😟@jengill3 @richarddufeu @merseysideRG

Great to see the Black-tailed Godwits back at Caldy (Wirral), and I had 3,600 this morning. Some were busy feeding in a wet field this afternoon - the ringed bird was ringed on the Swale (Kent) in 2017. @jengill3 Pete Potts #godwits

Lucky to be on site RSPB Burton Mere Wetlands when news broke of this superb sub adult Night Heron found by local Stan Skelton.. Another great bird for this superb reserve & only my 2nd ever on #Wirral . Well done Stan 💥💥💥

After a long-awaited windy spell after dry weather, Hoylake’s dunes are growing again! On top of rocketing numbers of species across this 2km stretch of early sand dune, it must be one of the most extensive examples of this incredibly rare habitat type in Britain! Gorgeous 😍🌱