Burton Mere Wetlands celebrates 1st birthday

A busy weekend for our members, so after our big event at the cathedral on Saturday, why not have have more cake and a relaxing visit to BMW on Sunday!

RSPB Burton Mere Wetlands, on the Dee Estuary, is inviting people to help celebrate its first birthday by offering free entry this weekend ( 22 - 23 September).

Over the past 12 months almost 30,000 people have visited the nature reserve, which was opened last year by BBC wildlife presenter Iolo Williams, and visitors have enjoyed the many wonderful sights and sounds the reserve has to offer, including regular sightings of  kingfishers, common lizards and dragonflies.

During the celebration weekend there will be a number of free family activities, including guided walks (from 11am), mini-beast hunts and pond dipping. A local wood art workshop has also donated wildlife-inspired items for sale over the weekend.

RSPB staff and volunteers will be on hand to provide advice on the many 

different kinds of wildlife, pointing out birds, dragonflies, butterflies and much more. Special homemade birthday cakes will also be on offer for visitors.

Colin Wells, RSPB Site Manager, said: “The weekend is set to be a wonderful celebration of our first year. It’s always really satisfying to see people of all ages getting close to nature and seeing wildlife they may never have come across before. We see more and more wildlife around the reserve all the time, and it’s fantastic that so many people are able it to share it with us.”

Austin Morley, a volunteer at RSPB Dee Estuary said: “There is so much on offer at Burton Mere. Whether you just want a relaxing walk and a peaceful picnic or fancy seeing how many different birds and butterflies you can spot, there’s something for everyone.

“Only recently, three new species were spotted on the reserve that have never been seen before: a Devon carpet moth, a white-letter hairstreak butterfly and a red-veined darter dragonfly. Visitors coming to the site over the weekend may be lucky enough to see marsh harriers.”

Burton Mere Wetlands is open daily, with the reception building open  from 9.30am until 5pm. The reserve is just 10 minutes from the M56, off the A540 (Chester High Road). Entry is normally £4 for adults (concessions £2), £6 for a family and £1 for children.

Please phone 0151 353 8478 for times, details and a full programme of activities and times alternatively email deeestuary@rspb.org.uk or www.rspb.org.uk/burtonmerewetlands.