The north-west region is blessed with a wide range of habitats – from large estuaries, reedbeds, lakes and reservoirs to upland moorland, and with it contains some excellent and renowned birding sites, such as Morecambe Bay, the Ribble, Mersey and Dee Estuaries, some of which hold tens of thousands of waterbirds, many in internationally important numbers providing incredible spectacles for visiting birders. Away from the coast, there are also other well-known sites like Leighton Moss, Woolston Eyes, Pennington Flash and Martin Mere hosting local speciality species such as Willow Tit and breeding Black-necked Grebe.

As a birder growing up in north-west England, there were many sites I would visit on regular occasions, and although I have lived in East Anglia for the past 25 years, I still make the effort to visit some of these sites when I’m up the area seeing family. The previous incarnation of this book was an invaluable resource for a young, keen birder looking for places to go and this new updated book includes even more sites with a greater amount of detail on what to expect to see, and directions on how to get there, including what3words and grid references.

Where to Watch Birds in Northwest England contains a comprehensive review of the region's significant birdwatching sites (and many lesser-known sites like my old local patch where a visit list of 15 species constitutes a good day!), providing all the information needed to get the most out of each site. This guide is an indispensable resource for any birder who lives in, or just visits, this bird-rich corner of northern England.

Reviewed by

Neil Calbrade