I’m back again with an update on the wildlife at RSPB Leighton Moss. It’s been a good week here, with plenty of sightings of the female smew, which has been spending a lot of time in Lillian’s pool, but has also been seen from Griesdale hide. It's a lovely bird, quite small, with a grey body and deep red head. The glossy ibis has been back too, seen on Sunday, Wednesday and Thursday. All sightings were in the usual area, the fields down near the level crossing, across the road from the saltmarsh. The green winged teal is still here too, regularly seen down at Tim Jackson hide.
There are plenty of geese on the reserve, the 3 snow geese were last seen on Sunday. There were also around 30 pink footed geese seen near the salt marsh hides on Wednesday, later seen flying over the Causeway.
Some visitors have made it out to Jenny Brown’s Point, which is particularly good around high tide. There have been sightings of eider ducks, goldeneyes, great crested grebes, red breasted mergansers, knots, kittiwakes, herring gulls and large numbers of oystercatchers, and curlew. Red breasted mergansers and greenshanks have also been seen from the Eric Morecambe hide on the saltmarsh.
The otters have not got quite so many mentions in the sightings book this week, last seen on the reserve on Monday at Lillian’s hide. But there have been more sightings of the red deer, the stag has been seen several times, usually at Tim Jackson and Griesdale hides. The bitterns have been flying around, seen at Lower hide earlier this week. The marsh harriers have also been seen flying low over the reeds on a number of occasions.
Other sightings on the reserve include redpoll and siskin on the path down to Lower hide, a kingfisher at the channel across the Causeway, 2 goosanders, 4 little egrets, 2 peregrine falcons and marsh tits.
Don’t forget to take part in the Big Garden Bird Watch this weekend, you can get all the information you need at www.rspb.org.uk/birdwatch We really appreciate every single person who joins in.