| Visitors to Heswall Golf Club may be surprised to see beside them on a footpath adjoining the fifth fairway, a group of people, facing the estuary with their backs to the course, carrying binoculars and telescopes. These birdwatchers are here to see the thousands of over-wintering birds that are forced to fly up the Dee estuary searching for roosting sites to avoid the high equinoctial tides. The Club is fortunate to adjoin this salt marsh, which is owned by the RSPB and is considered to be so important for its flora and fauna that it is not only a SSSI (a Site of Special Scientific Interest) but also a Ramsar Site (Convention on the Wetlands of International Importance) and a SPA (a Special Protected Area under EC Bird Directives).
Every winter over 80,000 birds, as well as 30,000 duck and wildfowl, are drawn to the estuary for the abundance of food such as worms, snails, other crustaceans and invertebrates. These birds are escaping from the frozen winter conditions on their breeding grounds in Iceland, Greenland or in the Arctic. At least 12 species of waders or ducks are present in such numbers that they are recognised as being internationally important. The sight of a cloud of Redshank or Knot wheeling to avoid a predator such as a Peregrine Falcon, a Short-eared Owl or a Hen Harrier never fails to thrill any birdwatcher, whether they are experts or not. The birdwatchers are also on the lookout for rare species of bird amongst the flocks.
The Club benefits because some of these birds find sanctuary on the course and use the five ponds, which also support fish and frogs. Selective planting of trees and the clearing of ponds have seen a marked increase in the number of breeding birds, particularly summer migrants that arrive from Africa and Southern Europe. Those parts of the rough which are neither mown nor cultivated, encourage the growth of a wide variety of flowering plant species which in turn attract butterflies, dragonflies etc. In addition they provide a sanctuary for foxes, brown hares and other animals. The fact that the course is so close to the sea, giving it a milder climate, and also that it faces southwest, has encouraged such development of plant life.
The ecological benefits are shared with those who visit the course. In addition to the coastal path, two footpaths bisect the Course. The Wirral Country Park, a linear path created from the site of a disused railway line and the first designated Country Park in Britain, crosses the course and is a haven for wildlife, whilst the third footpath gives access to the Estuary for local residents across the course.
The Club is proud of its privileged position in the environment on Wirral and by course management encourages its preservation and growth for the benefit of members and visitors.
By Peter Poole, member of HGC
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A Short-eared Owl
A Flock of Knot over the Estuary
Photographs by
kind permission of
Steven Round
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