Marshside RSPB reserve

Marshside is a wetland nature reserve run by the RSPB beside the Ribble estuary, 2 kilometres north of Southport town centre. It forms part of the larger Ribble & Alt Estuaries Ramsar site and the Ribble Estuary National Nature Reserve. The land is flat, open and intersected by drainage ditches and shallow pools. Two bird hides stand on the reserve, the northernmost called Sandgrousers’ Hide which also serves as the visitor centre. Three viewing screens are placed around the site for closer looks at wildlife. The reserve draws huge flocks of pink-footed geese from Iceland each winter together with wigeon that travel from Siberia. In warmer months avocets and lapwings nest and raise their young on the wet grasslands. In 2019 the RSPB added Crossens Inner Marsh, an adjoining area of wet grassland, to extend the reserve’s habitat. The mix of saltmarsh, freshwater pools and grazing meadows supports a wide variety of birds throughout the year. Visitors walk along level tracks that lead to Sandgrousers’ Hide and the viewing screens. From the hide they can watch flocks of geese and wigeon on the estuary mudflats. In summer the raised screens give views over nesting avocets and lapwings on the marshes. The open landscape offers wide skies and distant views across the Ribble estuary to the Lancashire coast.