Autumn is here on the Dee Estuary
Hello everyone and welcome to our September newsletter, the first one of the autumn. If you follow us on our social channels you will know that we have already started talking about the autumn and winter migrations and the arrival of our wonderful waders and waterfowl that call the Dee Estuary home over the autumn and winter months. You will also have seen that we are very excited that the glorious mudflats of the Dee Estuary and other estuaries all around the UK and the Isle of Man are finally getting the attention they deserve thanks to the ground-breaking Blue Carbon Mapping Project and their new Blue Carbon Report that was released earlier in September. You can learn more about the mud as our Senior Project Officer, Emily, shows you around the mudflats of the Dee Estuary on our Instagram channel.
We’ve had a busy month and below are just a few of the highlights from the team but we aren’t slowing down so read all the way to the bottom for our upcoming events and we hope to see you all soon.
The Our Dee Estuary Team.
Wellbeing – the Our Dee Estuary approach
Being near nature, taking part in outdoor activities such as walking, or simply sitting and spending time in the outdoors and being connected to nature are all things that are shown to improve our wellbeing.
This summer Our Dee Estuary has had two coastal connection days, led by Rachel Barker from Rise and Wild, where we have learnt how to become more attuned to the environment we’re in, to slow down and take in the sights, sounds and smells of the surrounding nature and how to use this going forward with community groups.
We have also had two outdoor yoga sessions with YogaSmiths at Wirral Country Park. Gently moving our bodies as a community as the sun slowly set and the flow and ebb of the tide could be heard whilst looking out over the estuary.
These sessions allowed different people from all different areas of our local community to come together and enjoy time in nature, on the Dee Estuary, and to become more in tune with how they were feeling and their own bodies.
This couldn’t have been achieved initially without the help from the amazing and experienced instructors we had at these sessions and the use of the beach and the country park.
There is something everyone could take away from these sessions. From feeling more relaxed, having fun through to having an idea of how to practise mindfulness and coastal connection at home or with their own community groups.
Thanks to Rachel Barker from Rise and Wild for delivering the coastal connection sessions, YogaSmiths for delivering the yoga sessions, the coastal rangers at Wirral Country Park for helping to organise the events and to SeaChangers for funding all these activities.
Severn Estuary Partnership visit The Dee Estuary
One of the things that makes the Dee Estuary such a fascinating place to work is the fact that it sits right on the border between the nations of England and Wales. It creates an amazing opportunity to share and streamline work and policy across a national border. To succeed in this, we always try to learn from and support colleagues who have similar experiences. Our Dee Estuary recently hosted a visit from three members of the Severn Estuary Partnership (SEP) team. The Severn Estuary also sits across the national border flowing into the Bristol Channel between Southwest England and South Wales.
We began with a visit to Flint Castle where we climbed the great tower which opens up a fantastic panorama of the Dee Estuary. The SEP team commented on how amazing it was to be able to clearly see key landmarks on the other side of the water. The Severn Estuary is much larger than the Dee and is the UK’s second largest estuary.
From here we took a stroll along the Wales Coast Path taking the opportunity to share experiences of working in partnerships and the common barriers when working across a border.
On the second day we arose early enough to make the hike out to Hilbre Island, another ideal spot to breath in some fresh sea air and get a sense of the Dee Estuary. We saw lots of wildlife here including grey seals taking to the water from Hoyle Bank with one even braving the choppy waters at the tip of the island to come and check us out.
Finally, another chance to chat and idea swap over a well-earned lunch. From this visit we took away the knowledge and reassurance that there is a growing emphasis within the environmental sector on understanding the interactions between land based and marine based work. To look at the whole landscape, source to sea. Understanding that what happens inland has a direct influence on our marine environments, and that nature does not observe country borders in the same way we do.
History and Heritage Day at RSPB Burton Mere Wetlands
It is the second year Our Dee Estuary have partnered with the RSPB Burton Mere Wetlands on their Heritage Open Day. This year we were inside due to the heavy rain but that didn’t dampen our spirits! We could see the Burton Promontory Fort from the Visitors Centre and we still had plenty of interesting artefacts and information to share with visitors.
Here is an extract from the RSPB’s History Fact Sheet about the significance of Burton Point: “The RSPB’s purchase of Burton Point Farm in 1988, to provide an access to the developing reserve as well as an operational base for the site team, brought Burton Point and the hillfort into the RSPB’s safe hands. The landmark has been dated to around 200BC and was scheduled as an Iron Age promontory fort of national importance in 1995. Whilst similar to Iron Age forts found on the rocky coasts of Cornwall, Wales and the Isle of Man, it is the only example of this type in this area of England. The fort may also have served as a high status homestead during the post-Roman period.”
We were joined again by Howard Williams, an archaeologist and lecturer from Chester University who joined Gina, an RSPB volunteer who has a passion for history and heritage. The Our Dee Estuary has a group of history and heritage volunteers who have collected stories and information about all sorts of history and heritage from around the Dee Estuary which we shared with people on the day.
Thanks to everyone who braved the weather to come and see us and to the team at RSPB for hosting this great event.
Photo Credits: Paul Naylor, Our Dee Estuary, Wirral Country Park, RSPB Burton Mere Wetlands, Hampshire Wildlife Trust.
