Visitors interested in wildlife will find the Mersey Estuary area richly rewarding. Habitats range from field, hedgerow and woodland to heath and moorland, through to marshland, estuary and coast. This allows an unusually remarkable variety of birds, animals and plants to flourish - a total of 13 internationally important and 25 nationally or regionally important species of wildlife are regularly recorded.

Most of the inner Estuary is designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), as well as being a Ramsar site and Special Protection Area. In addition, Sefton's natural coast is a Special Area of Conservation (SAC) under the European Habitats Directive.

For the dedicated enthusiast, the area offers endless fascination. Equally, for the family simply seeking a day in the fresh air, it provides children with all the fun of playing on beaches, spotting squirrels or collecting shells to their hearts' content.

The keen birdwatcher will find the most spectacular attraction is the vast array of species which assemble during autumn and winter - together with the other estuaries of the North West, this is the second most important location in the world for migratory birds.

The Estuary supports large numbers of wildfowl and waders throughout the winter, including internationally important numbers of shelduck, teal, pintail and dunlin. It also acts as a valuable staging post for migrating birds in spring and autumn.

All round the area you can observe the flocks winging their way along the coast or study oyster-catchers, knot, dunlin and redshank scavenging in the sand as the tide ebbs. The Alt Estuary too is a location of international importance for wildfowl and wading birds.

Here you may witness such impressive sights as tens of thousands of knot flocking together or skeins of pink-footed geese flying out to roost on the mud flats in winter.

As water quality has improved and fish stocks increased, so fish-eating birds such as cormorant and great-crested grebe have become more frequent visitors. Kingfishers too can be found in the Upper Estuary.

Autumn gales can hold the promise of such exciting sights as Leach's petrel, little gull, various skuas and other seabirds blown from the Irish sea. The area has much to offer other wildlife lovers too.

The Sefton sand dunes are home to such rare, protected species as the endangered natterjack toad and the sand lizard, while at The National Trust Formby Reserve you'll find the rare red squirrel thriving - the reserve and surrounding pine woodlands are now designated as one of sixteen national red squirrel refuges in use.

Stroll the beaches of North Wirral or the Sefton coast and you're always sure to find something of interest, including crabs, shrimps and shells that include mussels and cockles.

The more natural conditions along the Sefton shoreline encourage invertebrates, including sandhoppers and white woodlice which in turn attract such predators as the natterjack toad and other mammals and birds. Inland, many interesting species of birds and butterflies can also be found - notably in the heathlands and woodlands scattered across The Wirral Peninsula and along Sefton's natural coast.

The coastal areas also provide a habitat for a number of rare plants, including yellowwort and bristly oxtongue. Today's conservation awareness promises a bright future for the Mersey Estuary.

The Mersey Basin Campaign and Mersey Waterfront are working in partnership with landowners, conservation groups and local communities to coordinate a range of initiatives to create or enhance wildlife habitats and improve the water environment throughout the river system, while the Environment Agency continues to work closely with United Utilities and industry to reduce pollution and increase biodiversity.

Meanwhile, on Sefton's natural coast much has been achieved by a partnership of land owners and local interest groups - the Sefton Coastal Partnership. This includes the National Trust, Natural England, Sefton Council, landowners etc. Through partnerships, these groups look at the preservation and regeneration of the whole coastal system, from sea to dunes, to woodlands, the habitat and species these support.