News

What To See At The Waterfront In Winter

Source: Widnes Waterfront

Estuaries are marvelous places to visit in winter. The mixture of dramatic skies, varying colours of light and ever changing weather mean that anything can happen!
A visit to Wigg Island or to the new walkway on Widnes Warth at low tide will reveal different types of birds who are using the estuary for both feeding and for roosting. Herring and Black-headed gulls are quite common at most times of the day, with the darker winged Lesser Black-backed gull standing out at a distance.
Cormorants can be seen, statuesque, on the mudflats in the middle of the estuary, or feeding in the faster channels looking for fish and eels. They may be competing with the occasional grey seal that also fishes in the estuary in winter. One was seen off Pickerings Pasture on the 20th November, and there is no reason why they cannot be seen from Spike Island or Wigg Island.
Smaller wading birds such as the Redshank can be seen running rapidly along the sides of the mudflats, but are perhaps more noticeable once they fly off with a strident piping sound. The estuary between Runcorn and Widnes is also a winter home to over 300 Canada Geese. This bird regularly flies between the two sides, looking for seeds in the saltmarsh grasses.
If you prefer to find out more about the wildlife at Widnes Warth, please contact the Borough Council’s Wildspace Officer. For further details, please phone 01928 583905.

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