Seasonal guide · November – February
Winter Wildfowl on the Sefton Coast
While the Pink-footed Geese dominate the winter headlines at Marshside, the lagoons and scrapes hold a consistently good selection of wildfowl from November through February. Teal are usually present in the hundreds. Wigeon, Shoveler and Pintail are regular. Goldeneye and Smew turn up in cold weather. It's not showy in the same way as the goose flighting, but it rewards patience and a proper look.
The regular species
Teal are the most numerous dabbling duck — typically 200–500 birds on the main lagoon from October. Small and fast in flight, they lift off suddenly and wheel in tight groups. The green eye-stripe and yellow undertail of the drake are good marks; females are brown and easily overlooked.
Wigeon arrive in October and numbers peak November–January. The rusty-brown head and yellow forehead of the drake is distinctive. They often graze on the saltmarsh in large flocks — the whistling call is one of the characteristic sounds of a winter marsh.
Shoveler — the spatulate bill identifies them at any distance. Usually a few dozen on the lagoon. They feed by sieving the water with the bill just submerged, moving slowly in circles.
Pintail are among the most elegant ducks. Long tail feathers on the drake, a clean chocolate-brown head against a white neck stripe. Numbers at Marshside fluctuate — ten birds is typical, occasional larger flocks in cold weather.
Cold weather movement
Hard winters bring birds down from the north and east. Smew — small, striking sawbill ducks — turn up on the lagoons in freezing weather. The males are white with black markings ('cracked ice'), females are grey-brown with a rusty cap. Any cold snap is worth a visit.
Goldeneye appear most winters in small numbers. Goosander are irregular but possible. Long-tailed Duck occasionally appears on the sea off Formby during easterly winds.
Diving ducks
Tufted Duck are year-round on the main lagoon, numbers increasing in winter. Pochard — the round-headed, red-eyed diving duck — can be present in reasonable numbers. Both species are easy to overlook but worth checking for the scarcer diving ducks mixed in.
The lagoon at Marshside is shallow and the diving ducks tend to concentrate where the water is deepest — usually the central area visible from the main hide.
Going beyond the ducks
Winter mornings at Marshside are rarely just about wildfowl. The saltmarsh holds Water Rail — you'll hear them more than see them, a squealing call from the vegetation edge. Jack Snipe are present through winter but require specific conditions to see — muddy areas in low sun, and patience.
Short-eared Owl hunts the marsh in winter, usually late afternoon. They're not guaranteed but a winter visit without scanning the marsh edge at dusk is a missed opportunity.
Quick reference
Practical tips
- ▸Morning visits give the best light on the lagoon from the main hide
- ▸Cold spells bring unusual species — worth visiting after a hard frost
- ▸Wigeon can often be heard before you reach the hide — a whistling call from the marsh
- ▸Check the saltmarsh edge carefully for Jack Snipe and Water Rail
- ▸Late afternoon in January: scan for Short-eared Owl over the marsh
- ▸Postcode: PR9 9PH · Free entry
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.