Birdwatching at Shorefields Nature Park, New Ferry, Wirral

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New Ferry Shore Merseyside 4 The Liverpool waterfront is the backdrop to this little-known site on the Mersey estuary, explains Martyn Jamieson.

NOTES

1 Turn right at the Great Eastern pub, park on the road and walk across grassland (Shorefields) to the clifftop (grid ref: SJ 342 856). 2 Public car-park at slipway, junction of New Ferry Road and The Esplanade (SJ 339 861).

To Birkenhead and Liverpool (via tunnel)

FACILITIES

Pubs and shops nearby. RSPB and rangers organise birding events – details and tide times available from Wirral Country Park Centre, tel: 0151 648 4371.

PUBLIC TRANSPORT

Frequent Merseyrail trains to Bebington station (within one mile); New Chester Road and New Ferry Road are bus routes. Tel: 0151 236 7676.

BEST TIMES TO VISIT

August to April – any time except big high tides when the site is totally flooded.

KEY BIRDS

Nationally-important numbers of Black-tailed Godwit (up to 800) and Pintail (250). Commonest waders are Dunlin and Redshank (1,000 of each); also Curlew, Ringed Plover, Turnstone, Knot, Lapwing, Shelduck, Grey Heron and Cormorant. There is a large gull roost – look out for Mediterranean, Ring-

0

Rock Ferry station

1 mile

New Ferry Road

Bebington station

Great Eastern pub

To Ellesmere Port and Chester Bromborough Dock

From the A41 just south of Birkenhead, take the B5136 New Chester Road. In New Ferry, turn towards the river (east) into New Ferry Road. billed, Glaucous and Iceland Gulls. Peregrines are regular.

BIRDING TIPS

Birds feed close in, but can be disturbed by dog walkers. Watch out for Ravens flying to landfill site immediately to the south – also the best place for gulls. Grey Wagtails feed in stream at southern end of Shorefields.

OTHER SITES NEARBY

Shorebirds at Dee estuary sites (six miles), woodland birds at Dibbinsdale LNR (two miles) and Eastham Country Park (2.5 miles, Go Birding Oct 2001). ■ Martyn Jamieson is the Head Ranger for Wirral and leads wildlife tours for the Field Studies Council. Martyn Jamieson

FURTHER READING Where to Watch Birds in Cumbria, Lancashire and Cheshire, J Guest & M Hutchinson (Helm). The Mersey Estuary, Mersey Estuary Conservation Group. Wirral Ranger Service website: www.wirral.gov.uk/er CLUB CONTACTS Cheshire and Wirral Ornithological Society, David Cogger, 113 Nantwich Road, Middlewich, Cheshire CW10 9HD. Tel: 01606 832 517. Wirral RSPB Local Group, Martyn Jamieson, Wirral Country Park Centre, Station Road, Thurstaston, Wirral CH61 0HN. Tel: 0151 648 4371. MAPS OS Explorer 266, OS Landranger 108. Maps available from The Map Shop, 15 High Street, Upton upon Severn, Worcester WR8 0HJ. Tel: 01684 593 146. LATEST SIGHTINGS Birdline North West. Tel: 09068 700 249. TOURIST INFORMATION Birkenhead. Tel: 0151 647 6780. COUNTY RECORDER Tony Broome, 4 Larchwood Drive, Wilmslow, Cheshire SK9 2NU. Tel: 01625 540 434.

START AND PARKING

LOCATION DETAILS

1 d A4 Roa ter hes wC Ne

DISTANCE/TIME/ACCESS

One mile of riverside path provides good viewpoints out over the mudflats. Shorefields, at the southern end, is a public open space. Allow two hours. To

avoid disturbance, please keep off the shore itself.

Be bin gt on Ro ad

F

OR THE birdwatcher, the highlight of this site is how close the feeding birds can be. A short walk gives excellent views of a variety of species. The importance of New Ferry shore was overlooked until it was threatened by a proposed marine lake development; environmental impact studies ‘discovered’ the area was a feeding ground for nationally-important numbers of birds, leading to SSSI designation in 2000. This shoreline was the last resting place of Brunel’s leviathan, ‘Great Eastern’, which was broken up here in the 1880s, fitments finding their way into the local hotel!

New Ferry Shore is a nationally-important site for waders, including Black-tailed Godwit. GO BIRDING In association with

BIRD WATCHING NOVEMBER 2003

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