Image: Wikimedia Commons
October at Marshside — The Month Everything Arrives
5 October 2025
October is the month I look forward to most. The summer is over, the Little Terns have left for West Africa, and something changes in the air. By the second week of October, the first skeins of Pink-footed Geese are arriving from Iceland and the winter is beginning. There is no better month to be at Marshside.
The first geese
The first Pink-footed Geese usually appear in the second week of September, in small groups. By early October numbers are building and by mid-October the estuary holds tens of thousands. The peak is typically late October to November, but October is when the excitement builds — you're watching the arrival happen.
Go at dawn on a clear October morning. Stand on the sea wall and listen. The geese come off the estuary in long skeins, calling constantly, heading for the fields. The noise is extraordinary for something you have to stand quite still to hear coming.
Wader passage winding down
Autumn wader passage peaks in August–September, but October still produces birds. Curlew Sandpiper and Little Stint numbers drop off, but the scrapes at Marshside still hold good numbers of Dunlin, Ringed Plover and the later passage species — Ruff, Jack Snipe and the first Snipe of autumn.
October is one of the better months for scarcer waders — Pectoral Sandpiper, Long-billed Dowitcher and Buff-breasted Sandpiper have all been found at Marshside in October. Check the scrapes carefully.
Winter wildfowl arriving
Teal numbers build through October, with the British breeding birds supplemented by arrivals from the continent. Wigeon, Shoveler and Pintail all increase. By late October the lagoon composition is shifting decisively from autumn to winter character.
The first Goldeneye of autumn can appear in late October. Check the deeper parts of the lagoon.
Other October highlights
Marsh Harriers are still regular in October before most move south. Merlin — small, fast falcons — arrive from the uplands and can be seen hunting the saltmarsh edge. Peregrine is regular year-round but October often produces spectacular hunting attempts on the goose flocks.
Stonechat is a conspicuous bird of October — newly arrived birds from the north perch on fence posts and bramble tops along the sea wall path. Goldfinch flocks work the seeding thistles and ragwort.
A practical note
October weekends at Marshside get busy when word gets out that the geese have arrived in numbers. Weekday mornings are quieter. The car park on Marshside Road is small — if it's full, park up the road and walk down.
Bring layers. October weather on the sea wall is variable. The wind off the estuary is cold on clear days and the hides provide some shelter but you'll be outside for most of the time.
About the author
Ed
Ed has been walking the Sefton Coast since the 1980s. He keeps a yearly bird tally, owns more waterproof jackets than he'd care to admit, and has strong opinions about which hide has the best light in the morning. Retired geography teacher. Still gets up at five.