Where to Watch Birds in North West England and the Isle of Man

This book should certainly win an award for the number of authors listed on the cover. Seven have replaced the two of earlier editions, while the area covered has also expanded to include the Isle of Man. North-west England is here defined as Cheshire, Cumbria, Lancashire, Merseyside and Greater Manchester.

Altogether 91 sites are featured, with 81 from the mainland and 10 from the Isle of Man – an increase of 21 from the second edition, which was published in 1997. Each site is given a number, and for some there are ‘sub-sites’ within a main area; for example, site 73, Delamere Forest in Cheshire, has seven sub-sites listed as 73a-g.

As with previous editions, each site account features a short history, details about the habitat and the species to be found. The length of these sections varies from site to site, depending on the abundance of habitat and species. These are followed by access arrangements, best times to visit and directions, with a small map and sometimes a line drawing. Landranger map numbers are given for many sites, and some have Ordnance Survey grid references.

This third edition claims to have updated and revised its predecessor. The first thing I do with a site guide is check the areas that I know best to see if the information is correct, so I turned to Seaforth Nature Reserve and Crosby Marine Park. It was interesting to see that the area location map on page 119 had my local patch in Liverpool situated just south of the Ribble Estuary alongside the M6 in Lancashire! The access information for Seaforth had been updated, but with more careful checking or just a phone call, mention could have been made of breeding Reed Bunting and Reed and Sedge Warblers in the new reedbed. On the site map there is a hide marked overlooking the saltwater pool when there isn’t one, but one overlooking the Long Bank isn’t marked.

Information for other sites I checked was more accurate, with details for Marshside RSPB, Marton and Martin Meres, Leighton Moss RSPB, Moore NR and Pennington Flash all correct. Road directions to these sites were accurate and easy to follow, apart from Martin Mere which only had a local map. Once again, however, there is no mention of the reserve at Inner Marsh Farm, something which may interest RSPB members! 

A quick check of the text for the region’s main seawatching site at New Brighton proved to be accurate, with good advice regarding timing of visits and possible species, but birders hoping to visit Bromborough Tip for gulls will be disappointed, as it closed some years ago – a missed fact, or just laziness?

Another test for the guide came when my pager reported Black-winged Stilts at Neumann’s Flash – I always struggle to find the Cheshire Meres and Flashes. I scanned the index for the site, but despite being a popular location for Cheshire birders, it wasn’t listed. Closer investigation revealed that it was indeed included, but as per the 1997 edition under site number 60, Marbury Country Park and Witton Lime Beds; it was not listed as a sub-site, just in the general text and map, so it does not appear in the index. This is no use to anyone unless they are local and know what to look for.

I tested the book a final time by going to Audenshaw Reservoir to dip on Alpine Swift. The directions were correct and so was the access – I couldn’t get in because I didn’t have a permit!

Despite these criticisms this could be a useful book to own, and should help many birders find listed sites in the North-West.


Tech spec

• Where to Watch Birds in North West England and the Isle of Man by Allan Conlin, Dr J P Cullen, Pete Marsh, Tristan Reid, Chris Sharpe, Judith Smith and Stephen Williams (third edition, Christopher Helm, London, 2008).

• 287 pages, many line drawings and maps.

• ISBN 9780713664218. Pbk, £18.99.

Available from Birdwatch Bookshop

First published in Birdwatch 192:51 (June 2008)