Iolo Williams talk, some tickets still available.

Booking Essential: Tickets for this event will be made available on the Wirral at; Lingham's, Gould's and Heswell Hall 

and also on line at the Cheshire Wildlife Trust website.

2017 Wirral Wader Festival

What a wonderful Wirral wader fest that was!

A big thank you to everyone who worked at, volunteered at or simply turned up at the Wirral Wader Festival this weekend helping to make it a very enjoyable event.

There was something for everyone.

Everyone enjoyed scooping up the benthos soup; it's amazing how many creatures live in the mud!

Artist in residence Hazel Thomson getting to work on her oil painting.

Up to the minute information on the comings and goings of the waders around the Wirral.

Magnificent scenery.

Informative posters.

Interesting talks

Informative static displays

Kids' painting competition

Secondhand book sellers

Guided walks by Alan and Ruth 

RSPB stand

Magnificent prizes in the tombola

Cheshire Wildlife Trust stand

RSPB pin badges stand

Wader Quest stand

Meanwhile the Dee Estuary Voluntary Wardens were out protecting the high tide roosts at West Kirby and Hoylake pointing out the birds and explaining why they were there to passers by.

There was also a walk out to Hilbre Island on both days which was greatly enjoyed by all those who ventured forth.

There was also an open drop-in event at Shore Cottage at the foot of Thurstaston cliffs and a static display of posters at Leasowe Lighthouse.

Leasowe Lighthouse

We were very sorry that Jen of Wave Worn Designs UK was unable to join us due to an accident. Thankfully she is not seriously hurt and we all hope she recovers from the incident soon. She was still generous enough to donate a pair of magnificently engraved glasses to help raise funds.

​Wirral's second Wader Festival

WIRRAL WADER FESTIVAL
programme of events

Wirral's wonderful waders. Photo: Sheil Ryde

Wirral Country Park Thurstaston Visitor Centre 

Saturday 1st and Sunday 2nd of October 10am - 4pm

Meet The Biggest Twitch Alan Davies and Ruth Miller 
of Birdwatching Trips

join them for a low-tide birdwatching on Saturday

Dee Estuary Voluntary Wardens 

information

Cheshire Wildlife Trust 

mechandising

Wader Quest 

merchandising and information

Newly released children's book Eury the Spoon-billed Sandpiper available

RSPB Burton Mere Wetlands 
optics and pin badges 

Live art demonstration by Hazel Thompson

Kids painting competition
Separate competitions Saturday and Sunday 

Two categories: 10 and under & 11-16 years

Category winners will win a pair of Opticron binoculars each day 
Others prizes for 2nd and 3rd places. 
Winners will be announced at 3:30pm on both days

Art events at Shore Cottage Studio 
(located on Thurstaston beach) 
Drop in sessions to make a wader card Saturday and Sunday, £5 fee.

Second-hand wildlife book sale 
Garrick Books
Ken Mullins books (Sunday only)

Wave Worn Designs; jewellery made from sea glass by local jewellery maker

Wader exhibit from the World Museum Liverpool

Crafting for families including a children's wader trail Collect the letters and win a prize

Four great wader talks (40-45mins)
Limited numbers of tickets available from reception
 BTO - Sat, 2:00pm
Wader Quest - Sat, 3:00pm
Matt Thomas - Sun, 2:00pm
Alan Davies and Ruth Miller - Sun 3:00pm

Creatures in the mud (aka benthos)
examining the creatures that live in the mud flats - Sat and Sun 1pm - 3pm

Tombola 
£1 a ticket the money goes to support Wirral Wader Festival
on the Wader Quest stand.

Films
showing all day in the theatre, between talks.

Low tide wader watches
 Sat and Sun
The muddy banks of the Dee are good for waders even at low tide.
Sat 2:00pm and Sun 2:30pm 

West Kirby - Cheshire Wildlife Trust Red Rocks Reserve
Sat 11am - 1pm 
Sun 11:30am - 1:30pm
High tide wader watch with the Dee Estuary Voluntary Wardens join them as they protect waders flocks on the beach.

Live wader roost webcam in the Wirral Sailing Centre car park, Dee lane.
There will be a chance to watch a live wader webcam with images from Little Eye Island.

Wildlife walk at Red Rocks with Cheshire Wildlife Trust starting Saturday at 1:15pm and on Sunday 1:45 pm 
Meet at Wirral Sailing Centre car Park; CH48 0QG

Hoylake

High tide wader watch with the RSPB, Dee Estuary Voluntary Wardens and Wirral Rangers
Sat 11am - 1pm and Sun 11:30 - 1:30 pm
Meet at the RNLI station. 
Nine wader species are regularly seen. If you don't have a telescope there will be some provided.  

Sunset walk to Hilbre Island 
Saturday between 4:00 & 7:00pm 
Booking essential; £3 fee 
Join Wirral Rangers and Cheshire Wildlife Trust on a magical walk to Hilbre Island. 
Contact for details: wcp@wirral.gov.uk

Leasowe Lighthouse
Sun 1:00 to 5:00pm
Static display and guided tours

RSPB Burton Mere Wetlands
opening hours: 9:30am until dusk.
Free entry both days for non-members
with a Wirral Wader Festival sticker
Sun 3pm Wader Identification workshop

Where to find us: Thurstaston Visitor Centre
Wirral Country Park
CH61 0HN

West Kirby and Red Rocks Nature Reserve
Parking: Dee Lane and along the Promenade (south Parade) West Kirby CH48 0QG   
Stanley Road, Hoylake CH47 1HZ

Hoylake 
Parking: Hoylake Promenade, North Parade 
CH47 3AL

Leasowe Lighthouse
Parking: Leasowe Common car park, just past the lighthouse
CH46 4TA

RSPB Burton Mere Wetlands
Parking: on site 
CH64 5SF

Follow us: 

Wirral Wader Festival  

 @WirralWaderFest

Wirral’s Wonderful Waders!

The second Wirral Wader Festival will take place this October, with vast numbers of wading birds flocking to the borough’s unique coastline.

The Wirral peninsula is one of the best places in the UK to see wading birds in the winter months, feasting on the rich mudflats of the Dee and North Wirral shores. 

To celebrate this natural spectacle, Wirral Coast partnership has organised a busy programme of events for Wirral Wader Festival on the 1st and 2nd October.

Grey Plover, Sanderlings, Dunlins and Red Knots: Photo Ron Thomas

 

Karen Leeming, Chair of the Wirral Coast Partnership commented that: “Last year, the enthusiasm and ‘can do’ efforts of the Wader Festival Partnership delivered the first UK Wader Festival despite the adverse weather thrown at it by storms Abigail and Barney. It was very successful and by popular demand it will be held again this year. "The Wirral Wader Festival is a real community effort to showcase Wirral’s wading birds and a full weekend of events will take place at Wirral Country Park, Thurstaston visitor centre and at other coastal sites."

Wirral was approached to hold the first event of its kind in the UK in 2015 by Rick and Elis Simpson of Wader Quest. They came on a visit to view the remarkable efforts of the Dee Estuary Voluntary Wardens (DEVW) who protect the thousands of birds roosting on West Kirby and Hoylake beaches at high tide.

Wirral Wader Festival was created by DEVW with Wirral Council’s Coastal Rangers, Cheshire Wildlife Trust, the RSPB and Wader Quest.

Wirral Country Park in Thurstaston will host a range of activities and stalls for everyone from keen birdwatchers to those who would just like to know a bit more about local wildlife. There will also be children’s activities including a painting completion. 

Nearby Shore Cottage Studio, a family-run art centre located at the foot of Thurstaston cliffs, is also offering drop-in sessions that give families the chance to get creative.

There will be high tide watches to marvel at the knot and dunlin roosts on Hoylake beach and at Cheshire Wildlife Trust's Red Rocks nature reserve.  At West Kirby there will be live footage beamed direct from Little Eye, showing off the oystercatchers and curlews up close.

Leasowe lighthouse will host displays and tours of the historic building.

Cheshire Wildlife Trust will be holding guided walks around the Red Rocks SSSI nature reserve and Wirral Rangers will be guiding a walk to Hilbre Island.

More details here. 

2016 Wirral Wader Festival dates: 1st & 2nd October 2016

Common Greenshank by Rick Simpson