Leighton Moss

Rare moth found on Warton Crag

2013-06-15T15:37:16Z

We had an exciting email the other day from Pete Marsh, a local bird recorder saying that he had 'the moth equivalent to a lucky dip' up on our Warton Crag reserve. Pete had been going along with his butterfly net, swishing away and caught what could have been any old moth. It turns out though, that it was a Pseudoswammerdamia combinellamicromoth. How the heck do I pronounce that I hear you cry! Unfortunately, like most micromoths, there is no widely accepted common same for this little gem, so it is simply referred to by its Latin name (but then again Tyrannosaurus rex didn't have a common name, and look how popular they are!)

Pseudoswammerdamia combinella is much smaller than its lengthy name suggests, measuring 8 mm from head to wing tip. Although it is a very local species in northern Britain, Lancashire has about five records, the most recent being from Rainford in 2011. However it hasn’t been found in north Lancashire (north of the River Ribble) since the late nineteenth century so is a significant find for the area! Nice one Pete!

The larva feed in a dense but small web on Blackthorn, which we have lots of on our Warton Crag reserve.

If you'd like to learn more about moths in general, why not pop along to one of our Meet the Moths at the Moss events. The next one is Sunday 23 June, 10 - 11 am. Click here for details

Pseudoswammerdamia combinella by Pete Marsh

Check out these chicks!

2013-06-13T11:05:00Z

I’ve just had the most AMAZING morning. Very wet, but truly AMAZING!

We’ve just been to visit one of our marsh harrier nests in the reedbed. Not only that, but we installed our live feed camera there too, so you can watch it for yourself! (http://www.rspb.org.uk/reserves/guide/l/leightonmoss/webcam.aspx)

Getting in was a bit of a nightmare: First we had to make sure we knew exactly where the nest was. Thankfully one of our brilliant volunteers (Keith) has been studying them closely and was able to guide us in via walkie-talkie. Next, we had to ensure the adult birds were away from the nest (hunting) so they didn’t get spooked by our approach – a few times Keith radioed in to say “the female is on the approach”, and we’d duck down in a deer track until she passed. Some of the deer tracks were deeper than others though, and carrying lots of equipment out there put us off balance... needless to say, we went for a little unscheduled swim!

Image copyright Alasdair Grubb

Once we found it, we were in and out pretty quickly (I couldn’t resist getting a quick snap though!) There are five chicks in there, all looking pretty healthy, and the parents are regularly dropping food in. As you can see, some look much older than others. This is because marsh harriers (like most birds of prey) lay eggs “asynchronously” (with a couple of days between each egg). Therefore, they hatch at different times, and one chick is always going to be older, stronger and healthier than the others. This is a survival strategy for when food is scarce; the stronger chicks will dominate the nest and get first shout at any food.

Keep watching for the next couple of weeks. They’ll grow and grow, until its time to fledge! Even better than the webcam, come down to the reserve and sit in Lillian’s hide; you can watch the adults flying over the reeds with food, and then suddenly appear on the monitor!

Here comes the sun

2013-06-09T07:58:24Z

With all this fantastic sunshine we've been having, unsurprisingly, the wildlife is taking advantage of not having to hunker down like last 'summer'.

The avocet chicks at the Allen and Eric Morecambe pools are growing all the time, mooching about with their parents, learning how to use those impressive upturned beaks. There are also some large flocks of black-tailed godwits there too. These birds breed up in Iceland, but the ones that spend the summer here are the non-breeders. Look out for them in their rusty red summer plumage.

The path to the Allen and Eric Morecambe hides, as is the whole of the reedbed, is alive with the sound of warblers. Sedge warblers, reed warblers, Cetti's warblers (particularly next to Grisedale hide), willow warblers and chiffchaffs as well as grasshopper warblers and blackcaps (there's a lovely pair around the pond dipping area).

The marsh harriers are still performing their impressive food passes. These happen when the male brings in food for his young and hands it over to the female, who comes up off the nest and takes it in mid-air! There are 2 males and 6 females so plenty of action going on around the reedbed, seen from most of the hides.

Yesterday evening, an osprey flew in over Warton Crag and stopped off for some food. This has been a regular thing over the past few months. These stunning birds of prey catch fish down at Island Mere and the Public and Lower pools. Keep an eye out for them as they come plunging into the water, emerging with a slippery snack.

Over the past few days, a hobby has been regularly reported down at the Public and Lower hide end of the reserve. These gorgeous little falcons resemble a mini peregrine wearing red shorts and can be seen hunting for insects such as dragonflies over the trees.

Speaking of insects, the sun has brought out the butterflies, damselflies and dragonflies in abundance. Planting has begun in our new wildlife garden and large white butterflies and common blue damselflies are already enjoying their new habitat. Come and enjoy this new area with picnic tables and shaded wall seating as well as an abundance of fragrant plants.

With all this sunny weather, why not take the opportunity to go for a walk on our Warton Crag reserve. This local area of limestone grassland is a partnership project with us, the Lancashire Wildlife Trust, Lancashire County Council and Lancaster City Council each owning a patch. We manage our bit predominantly for some rare and unusual butterflies. The sun has been bringing out dingy skipper butterflies and green hairstreaks, not to mention speckled yellow moths galore. The early purple orchids are on the turn now, but the carpets of bluebells are stunning and the rock rose is beginning to come into flower.

State of Nature report

2013-05-28T10:55:00Z

Launched by Sir David Attenborough on 22 May, you may have heard about the State of Nature report in the media over the past week, but if not, or if you'd like further information, read on....

For the first time ever, the UK's wildlife organisations have joined forces to take a health check on wildlife in the UK and Overseas Territories. The report reveals that 60% of the species studied have declined in recent decades, with 1 in 10 species surveyed at risk of disappearing from our shores altogether. However the findings also highlight that targeted conservation has the ability to turn the fortunes of our wildlife around. Click here for details, highlights, and the full report.

Morecambe Bay by Mike Malpass

We're joining forces locally too, as part of the Morecambe Bay Wildlife Network. If you'd like to help us take part in a stock take of the wildlife we have in the area, why not pop along to Arnside tomorrow for the Bioblitz event. Click here for details.

Sunny Saturday Sightings

2013-05-25T15:41:00Z

Another glorious sunny day today! I don't know what we've done to deserve this, but we're not complaining!

There have been two kingfishers down at the Allen and Eric Morecambe hides over the past few days. If you're not sure of the difference between the male and the female, the male has an all black beak, whereas the female has a black top mandible (mandibles are the beak equivalent to lips) and an orange bottom mandible. The easy way that I use to remember it is that the females wear lipstick.

Also at the Eric Morecambe and Allen hides are the amazing avocets. 70 plus adults, many of which have chicks are very close to the hides, giving you great views of their distinctive, upturned beaks and black and white colouring.

Many of our migrant warblers are being heard and seen daily on the path to the Eric Morecmabe and Allen hides, including a noisy Cetti's warbler as well as the reed warblers, sedge warblers, willow warblers and chiffchaffs.

Up on the reedbed, we had a report of a broad bodied chaser dragonfly today, which is one of the first of the season! Butterflies such as brimstones have also been out enjoying the sunshine.

Male broad-bodied chaser by Andy Hay (rspb-images.com)

The marsh harriers continue to perfrom their fantastic aerial food passes whereby the males bring in food and hand them over to the females mid-air! With 2 males and 6 females on the reserve, the males are being kept very busy. Look out for them at Grisedale, Public and Lower hides.

A grasshopper warbler has been heard reeling on the path to Lower hide. Listen out for their distinctive sound, that you've guessed it, sounds just like a grasshopper. If you're down at Lower hide, also keep an eye out for a hobby, which has been reported a few times over the past few days, and also an osprey which puts in regular appearances.

The red deer come out and about most days at Tim Jackson and Grisedale hides.

Beardies and bitterns and Board members, oh my!

2013-05-21T13:37:00Z

It's been all go at the Moss this weekend, when we had the pleasure of a visit from our Board and Council members. It was a great opportunity for us to showcase all that Leighton Moss has to offer and they all seemed to thoroughly enjoy themselves. We certainly had great fun showing them all round.

As always, on the day, and over the past few days in general, the special wildlife here, really made the visit a memorable one.

We've been getting regular sightings of an osprey over the last few days, including just this morning, down at the Public and Lower hide end of the reserve. The deeper pools there are perfect for them to catch their favourite food - fish.

Speaking of fish, eel season is well under way. Our Warden David monitors their numbers on a daily basis as they come into the reserve through our eel trap. Eels are a really important part of the whole ecosystem here at Leighton Moss. They are a favourite food for species such as bitterns, herons and otters. They have an amazing life cycle whereby the adults spawn out in the Sargasso Sea, off the coast of America, and their young are brought across the Atlantic on the gulf stream. When they reach Morecambe Bay, they are about 40 mm in size and are see-through, giving them the name 'glass eels'. They swim up the main dyke that comes into Leighton Moss. We have a large sluice gate there, which helps us to control the water levels so we can manage the reedbed. This sluice is a barrier to the eels getting into the reserve, so we have eel ramps up the side of it, that they can shimmy up. They then drop down into our eel traps (which are simple holding jars) so we can count how many there are. We then empty them out onto the other side of the sluice, and they swim up into the reserve. Provided they aren't eaten, the eels will live here for 10 years, during which time they grow greatly in size, reaching around a metre in length. They then make the journey back across the Atlantic to the Sargasso Sea, where they spawn and die, and the whole cycle begins again. Fascinating! We have had some days so far, with up to 5000 elvers (young eels) in our eel trap.

Elvers by Ruth Watts

Elsewhere on the reserve, the marsh harriers are very active, with the males bringing food into the nests for the females. On Sunday, one group from the Board and Council visit were treated to the male bringing in a rabbit and handing it over to the female in mid-air (known as a food pass). We have 2 males and 6 females on the reserve, so the males are being kept very busy with 3 wives each.

Otter sightings have been on the up. One came out on Sunday morning at Lilian's hide, to the delight of one of the Board and Council groups (and to the relief of our Regional Reserves Manager who had been promising otter sightings). Otters usually start to become more active as we move into the summer, so head down to Lower hide on a nice evening with a picnic tea, and watch and wait.

The red deer are also becoming more active, being seen daily at Tim Jackson and Grisedale hides. They come out round the edges of the pools to graze and snooze. As Britian's largest land mammal they are difficult to miss when they are out, but as soon as they step into the reeds, they instantly disappear.

Bearded tits are pretty difficult to spot at this time of year, as they are nesting right in the heart of the reedbed. However, you can catch up with all the latest goings on at the nests, by watching our live webcam. The parents are regularly going in and out so you only have to wait a few moments to catch a glimpse of them. You can catch them either on our website, on our cafe screen, or in the screen in Lilian's hide. The bearded tit nestboxes (or wigwams as they are known) are made every year by our warden David. The long pole they are mounted on, allows us to raise the nestbox up if we have a wet summer, to avoid the nests being flooded.

Cetti's warblers are very vocal around the site, with particularly good views just before Grisedale hide. They may look like just another little brown bird, but they have a tremendous voice that strikes up as though someone has popped ten pence in a jukebox.

Cetti's Warbler by Liz Cutting (www.lizcuttingphotos.com)

A cuckoo has been spotted a few times over the past couple of days, not actually on the reserve, but just off it, in the fields next to the path to Lower hide. These lovely migrants who say thier own name, are a huge concern at the moment, as their numbers are declining rapidly. The RSPB and the BTO (British Trust for Ornithology) are working on a lot of research to find out where the problems lie.

Down on the saltmarsh, the avocets are a delight to see, with their fluffy chicks. They are nesting on the islands right in front of Allen hide, so be sure to get down their to check them out. A kingfisher has also been showing up there, using the fence posts as a fishing perch.

The reserve is alive, with the sound of warblers

2013-05-16T14:52:00Z

The sun has been shining (well in between the odd shower, but it's certainly a start). Apologies for the lack of recent sightings updates in the past week, we've been having some technical difficulties, that are hopefully resolved now.

Down at the Eric Morecmabe and Allen hides, a little gull has been regularly spotted for the past few days. The black-headed gulls don't seem to like it very much, but it isn't taking them too seriously. The avocet numbers are totalling 73 now and there are chicks hatching out all the time. Get yourself down to Allen hide for close up views of these beautiful birds and their fluffy young. As the emblem of the RSPB, they represent a great success story. They were extinct as a breeding bird in the UK by the 1840s, due to loss of their wetland habitat. However, during World War Two, when the East Anglian coastline was purposefully flooded for defences, a very small number of them returned. The RSPB immediately sprung into action to protect the area, first at our Havergate Island reserve and then our Minsmere reserve, both in Suffolk. Since then, their populations have grown phenomenonally and can now be seen on many sites around the UK. Leighton Moss is a great place to see them in spring. For winter avocets, you can't beat our reserves at Blacktoft Sands on the Humber or Arne in Dorset.

On the path to Eric Morecmabe and Allen hides, the warblers have been putting on a full concert, with sedge warblers, reed warblers, whitethroats and lesser whitethroats all being heard, as well as a Cetti's warbler and a grasshopper warbler. You will also catch these lovely summer visitors on Leighton Moss itself, with a Cetti's warbler being seen and heard reliably on the path just before Grisedale hide.

The marsh harriers continue to wow us. The females are now settled on their nests, so the males are bringing them their meals. Look out for their spectacular food passes - where the males give food to the females in mid-air, before she then carries it back down to the nest.

Marsh harrier food pass (male above, female below) by Ben Hall (rspb-images.com)

The red deer are frequently out at Tim Jackson and Grisedale hides, as well as the bottom of the causeway and the path to Lower hide. As Britain's largest land mammal, they are truly spectacular to see. The hinds (female red deer) are heavily pregnant at the moment as they will begin to give birth next month. Their spotty, bambi-like calves are fantastic to see gabolling round the reserve in July and August.

As you walk along the paths on the reserve, you will notice that some of our stunning wildflowers are emerging, adding splashes of colour as you stroll along. The lesser celandines and wood anemones in the woodland are particularly lovely at this time of year. The lady’s smock is also putting on a great show all over the reserve. Look at the petals closely and you may see the tiny orange eggs of the orange tip butterfly.

Warden’s Wanderings – First avocet chicks hatch!

2013-05-07T16:33:00Z

Yes – brilliant news! Our first avocet chicks of the year hatched out this morning! Three little beauties with one more following shortly after the photo was taken.

Image copyright Alasdair Grubb

But why were we out there disturbing the birds in the first place? They are, after all, a “Schedule 1” bird (which means you need a licence to disturb them during breeding). Well, it is part of an ongoing study into predation of breeding waders on our saltmarsh: lapwing, oystercatcher, ringed plover, redshank and avocet. Historically, we’ve had problems with predation of both eggs and chicks from primarily foxes and crows. In order to quantify the effect of both species ,we monitor their numbers closely and, if predation occurs, try to ascertain “who done it”. The easiest way to do this is to place data loggers in the nests:

Image copyright Alasdair Grubb

These loggers monitor the temperature in the nest; it’s warm when the bird is incubating, and cools down when either the eggs hatch or it is predated). By looking at the time of predation event, we can identify the culprit; if it occurs at night it was a fox, if it is day time, it is most likely to be a crow – simple! As mentioned in a previous blog, we’ve erected an anti-predator fence to keep foxes out, so hopefully, this will not be an issue for the avocets. Further out on the saltmarsh though, where lapwing, redshank and oystercatcher breed, they are still vulnerable to foxes.

The islands on Allen pool are also packed with black headed gull nests and one oystercatcher nest. (Image copyright Alasdair Grubb).

Whilst watching the birds return to their nests, we had cracking views of a female kingfisher (presumably her partner is incubating her nest somewhere) and had great views of a little gull (coming in to summer plumage). A Cetti’s warbler was deafening us just outside the hide, both whitethroat and lesser whitethroat were visible on the path and we could hear the grasshopper warbler reeling from the car park.

In other non-bird related sightings, I went for a walk up Warton Crag in my shorts yesterday. Saw lots of butterflies (first green hairstreak of the season) and even a large red damselfly. I stupidly wore my shorts, which attracted the first tick of the season! (I thought about including a photo of this, but you’ll be glad to hear I’ve thought better of it). The flowers were lovely too; primrose, cowslip, strawberry and this early purple orchid (to name but a few)

Image copyright Alasdair Grubb.

Spring Predictions

2013-05-03T15:56:00Z

Sometimes, just sometimes, wildlife it seems can be predicted!

At the end of the last blog post I included some wildlife highlights to look out for in the coming week. And for once the wildlife obliged!

Firstly a stoat was spotted bounding down the path to lower hide, scurrying around with their slinky bodies in search of a meal. Slightly larger than their close relative the weasel they are best identified by the black tip to the tail of the stoat, which is lacking on the weasel. Other predictions mentioned came from our feathered friends, the arrival of two garganeys at Grisedale hide was a welcome sight. The drake is a stunning duck with beautiful colouration and a very prominent white stripe above the eye, (click on the name to find out more). They make a fantastic journey like a lot of our spring migrants, arriving from Africa to breed in the UK. Another returning migrant that was somewhat predictable for this time of year was garden warlebrs, a rather plain looking warbler with a beautiful flutey song. Their song is incredibly similar to their cousin blackcaps which we have also had around in increased numbers. One was seen down the path to lower but also outside Grisedale hide in the trees by the ditch.

Another predicted bird (admittedly I was about 3/4 months late with this one) was a green winged teal. This American vagrant has been spotted on and off mainly from the Tim Jackson and Grisedale hides, they can be incredibly elusive as they drift in and out of the channels of water. They are remarkably similar to our usual Eurasian teal, except that the standard horizontal white stripe on the side is actually vertical on the green winged teal at the breast side.

The sunshine brought a mini outburst of butterflies with brimstones, peacocks and small tortoiseshell all visible throughout the reserve. Bumble bees zip around the emerging flowers, and the foliage is staring to look a little greener and more like it should in spring.

The sights and sounds of spring at Leighton Moss are starting to get into full swing, the sound of reed warblers and sedge warblers seems to explode from every suitable spot. And along the trails of wooded areas the sound of chiffchaffs and willow warblers brightens any day! Other migrants reported have been wood warblers by the feeding station and one previously down the path to lower hide a few days ago.

Our marsh harriers have been very active, nest building and even the remarkable spectacle of a food pass witnessed on a few occasions. This is a real treat to witness, the male bird will call and fly above the nest site, the female responds by flying up from the nest and spinning upside down to catch the food the male drops down to her! Another superb bird of prey that frequently visits has been ospreys, they regularly use the pools at Public and Lilian's to catch fish before carrying it off high and dodging the attacking gulls on route.

Tim Jackson hide has been a very good location for red deer, if you scan the reed edges they are usually lazing around at the back, and often wander out into clear view.

Down on the salt-marsh a lot of sightings have replicated what was on the previous post, with avocets still doing well in fantastic numbers. Joining these iconic birds has been a curlew sandpiper, mainly viewed from Eric Morecambe hide consorting with redshanks. A couple of almost full summer plumaged spotted redshanks have been around too, check out their colour by clicking on their name.

So what are this weeks predictions to come and look out for?

Well depending on what the wind decides to do will determine how quickly or how many birds are able to migrate.

There should be an increase in swifts sightings with bigger numbers certainly due around now. A lot of the flowers along the trails should start to reveal their colours a lot more too.

And for some rather ambitious predictions not out of the realms of possibility and to look out for in your local area too, are migrants such as wrynecks and more into the next couple of weeks red backed shrikes.

The latter two predictions are less likely around the reserve but you never know!! But make sure you are outside in your local area at this fantastic time of year, and of course come and enjoy the wildlife here at Leighton Moss!

Bearded delights!

2013-04-24T18:38:00Z

Well with April fast approaching it's end our wildlife is just getting started! This has to be my favourite time of year, with the sound of bird song, the croak of frogs and the rustling in the reeds all adding to the wonder of spring.

One of the undoubted highlights of this season is the emergence of new life, a lot of our birds begin nest building and a lot of species have eggs or indeed chicks. One of these species with chicks is a specialist of RSPB Leighton Moss, bearded tits. These fascinating birds are unique reed-bed stars and you can follow how one of our nests is getting on via our live camera from the main Leighton Moss page. This camera link is available to view from home or alternatively live footage is also being streamed directly to the screens in our cafe. This particular nest has three chicks at present, so you may be lucky enough to catch a glimpse of the adults popping in and out with food. A couple of lucky visitors were fortunate enough to capture some photos of some water rail chicks down the causeway! What a treat!

In keeping with the flow of new arrivals, a fantastic selection of migrant birds have arrived recently, and the air is filled with the sound of chiffchaffs, willow warblers, reed and sedge warblers and even a reeling grasshopper warbler has been vocal in the reeds on the path to Grisedale and Tim Jackson hides. There are no prizes for guessing how this long distance migrant gets it's name, with a very dry rattling sound likened to a.. yes you've guessed it a grasshopper. Whizzing over the water catching flies, a good selection of hirundines search for food and feed on the wing. With swallows, sand and house martins and even the odd swift being reported frequently.

On the other end of the size spectrum our marsh harriers total seven birds with two males being kept busy looking after the females and their nests. And they will certainly get a lot busier over the coming month's with hopefully plenty of young to feed. Raptors have been well represented recently and visitors have enjoyed almost daily visits from ospreys. These fantastic pale birds often hover at a great height before plummeting into the water to capture fish. Over on the salt marsh a Merlin has been reported on a few occasions, these diminutive falcons will swoop around in search of smaller prey, showing off their speed and precision. Staying with the salt marsh and sightings here have been superb too. The avocets numbers have tipped over the seventy mark with many on nests on the islands. Other waders around this area have included over 1,400 black tailed godwits.Many are in breeding plumage, a beautiful brick red colour, and they will gather in large flocks before the majority will depart north (Iceland mainly). Some non-breeding birds and first summer individuals may remain and spend their summer enjoying the sights and sounds of Morecambe bay. Two greenshanks have also lingered down this area and a common sandpiper has been bobbing around in front of the Eric Morecambe hide. Listen out for cetti's warblers in this area too and the sound of whitethroats and their cousins lesser whitethroats as they sing from the bramble and scrub.

Back on the main reserve early mornings have produced some good otter sightings, mainly from the public hide although one decided to disturb the ducks on the water at Lilian's hide just the other day. The back path down to lower hide has been good for red deer with a group of 8 strolling around in the thickets.

This area at the bottom of the causeway is also the best area for listening out for bitterns, we have had a male continuing to boom from this area. Just to let everyone know we also had a ring ouzel reported near the estates pheasant pens, this is in fact a blackbird with extensive white breast colouring!

So there we have it! My top tips for things to look out for over the next week or so are: Bumble bees, they should start to beeee seen more regularly (get it?? bee, brilliant) as it hopefully gets warmer. Look out also for stoats along the paths and trails as they search for a tasty meal. And on the avian front keep an eye out for garganey on the pools and around the edges, garden warblers along the path to lower hide and maybe even an optimistic hobby or wood warbler, although the latter are in decline and are testament to why we need to help our migrating birds. If you are not a member why not pop in and see me on the reserve and I can tell you a little more about how you can help make a difference!

Wondering what to do at the weekend?

2013-04-19T12:28:18Z

Hello there!

A lovely day event is taking place this Sunday 21 April:

The RSPB have a partnered up with Ullswater Steamers, to create a wonderful tour that includes: A farm visit and about the farming community at Ullswater. Also includes a private bird cruise with the RSPB to identify the new migratory arrivals in Glencoyne!

More information can be found here:
http://www.ullswater-steamers.co.uk/events/day.php?month=4&year=2013&day=21

Cost: £14, (RSPB Members £12), children half price.
Please book in advance to avoid dissapointment.

Regards,

Siobhan

A "tail" of Arctic terns and one little gull!

2013-04-18T15:24:13Z

Here is a little update of our recent visitors today at Lilian's hide! Around 15 Artic terns have appeared! These beautiful birds can be distinguished with their long tail streamers, locally named 'sea swallows'. They are white with a black cap and are the ultimate long distant migrants visiting the UK in the summertime and heading back to the Antarctic for the winter.
Amongst this crowd is a little gull, this little chap (or chapess), can be seen moving in a rather distinct way, they have an erratic, buoyant zigzag flight, and juveniles have a black W shape across their upperwings while in flight.
On top of that we have had sand martins the smallest European hirundines (martins and swallows), with dark brown upper parts and dark under wings contrasting with otherwise pale under parts divided by a distinctive dark chest bar.
We also have a few swooping swallows whom are extremely agile in flight and spend most of their time on the wing and glides while feeding.

Saturday Sightings from Siobhan

2013-04-13T18:10:34Z

I took a walk down towards Lillian’s hide this morning, listening to dominating sounds from arguing black headed gulls. I wandered over to our moth trap, and met some of our volunteers recording what species had been found, and they shared some fun facts with me. One of the moths, a common Quaker, acquired its name in the 18th century, when Quakers wore long brown coats, that were similar in appearance to the moth. Another moth, a Hebrew character, that was also surveyed, has black markings that look like Hebrew writing! You never know when these questions may pop up in a pub quiz. There was also oak beauty, early grey and yellow horned (I did not find out about these, maybe one of you moth enthusiasts already know?)

I continued on to Lillian's hide, and saw a buzzard, a goldeneye, and many black headed gulls arguing over nesting spaces. One of our visitors informed me that he had spotted a heron in a tree! They do roost in trees, but you don't see them doing it that often here, so that was a bit of a treat!

Throughout the day, other people have also had some great sightings. At Lower hide, a pair of otters were seen splashing around at about 8 am. What a great way to start someone’s day with a sight like that! Down at the saltmarsh from our Eric Morecambe and Allen hides 2 swallows were seen, long with chiffchaffs - great little warbler, who says its name. Oystercatchers, kingfishers, and 40 avocets, were also seen there this morning!

Our marsh harriers have been putting on an excellent display at Public hide, with the females seen carrying nesting material. A very obliging osprey sat in a tree around lunchtime, with visitors being able to see it from both Lilian's and Grisedale hides. Then another one turned up fishing at Island Mere!

Some of the first reported willow warblers were seen and heard on the path beyond Lower hide. Similar in appearance to chiffchaffs, these little warblers have a song that is like a descending scale.

Please note, that if you are planning to visit tomorrow morning, and are coming through Carnforth or Warton, that a section of the road will be closed by the level crossing, until 10 am. Therefore, you will need to arrive via the route from the A6 (through Yealand Redmayne).

Avocets galore and more!

2013-04-12T14:43:00Z

We are very excited that the avocet count on the saltmarsh pools has risen to 54! Given the success we had last season with 48 young ones fledged from 19 pairs of adults, we look set for similar this year. Pop down to the Eric Morecambe and Allen hides to get close up views of this iconic emblem of the RSPB.

The marsh harriers continue to delight visitors with their acrobatic displays above the reedbed. We have 5 females and 2 males, so sightings are very regular. Several of the females have chosen to nest at the Public and Lower hide end of the reserve, so that is a good spot to head to for views of them.

On your way to Lower hide, have a stop and a listen at the bottom of the causeway...that sound like blowing over the top of an empty glass bottle is our male bittern. Early mornings and afternoon/evenings are the best time to hear him. His distinctive sound shows other males where his territory is, and lets the ladies know where to find him.

The past few days have been great for spring arrivals. 20+ sand martins and swallows have been seen over the reedbed. These lovely visitors have flown all the way from Africa to breed here, so make sure you help out by not blocking up existing nest sites in the eaves and porches of your houses. The best time to catch them here is early morning and evenings when the insects are out in forse, providing a tasty treat.

Speaking of spring arrivals, we've had stunning views of an osprey this afternoon fishing for 20 minutes at Isalnd Mere Pool at the Public and Lower hide end of the site) from about 3 pm. We've had regular visits over the past couple of weeks. Island Mere is the favoured spot for them to fish.

As well as an abundance of birds, Leighton Moss is home to lots of other special wildlife too. An otter has been seen at Public hide, and up to 8 red deer have been seen at the bottom of the causeway and the path to Lower hide.

Swallow copyright Chris Gomersall (rspb-images.com)

Leighton is Booming Brilliant!

2013-04-09T12:10:00Z

I suppose you’re getting tired of hearing about my spectacular wildlife experiences at Leighton… This one is pretty exciting though. My blog last week revealed that we have, at last, a really strong booming bittern. I was over the moon. However, the news just gets better and better:

A couple of days after my Barrow Scout experience, David, our warden, heard another bittern from the causeway at Leighton! Two booming males! This hasn’t happened at Leighton for 10 years – brilliant news. This is all very exciting, but then I got a phonecall from Annabel on Saturday afternoon:

“Al, it’s me. I’ve just had a bittern booming at 12.30 on the causeway! Then it did it again and again. It’s been doing it all afternoon! Then we could hear it crackling about in the reeds – right close to us! Then one came out and had a drink, closely followed by another! This one was the male! His chest was massive! They stood there and had a drink RIGHT IN FRONT OF US!”

Image copyright Chris Gommersall (rspb-images.com)

Even over the phone, I was jumping up and down in excitement. I was planning on coming to the reserve anyway that night, but thought there’s no way I can better that – can I?

I was coming in to watch for “gull calling” bitterns. This is a flight that they do either as a pre-migration ritual or, in the case of breeding birds, female mating behaviour. They circle around in the sky making a call that sounds very similar to the sound a gull would make. It is thought that migrating birds circle much higher (about the height of a 5story building and higher), whereas breeding birds circle much lower.

For most species, migration has been delayed over the past few weeks by this strong, cold, easterly wind, but finally a westerly was forecasted for Saturday . With this in mind, we predicted that some birds might take this opportunity to leave, and a few of us went out, positioned all over the reserve, to monitor the behaviour. None of us could have predicted quite what happened next though – possibly the most amazing wildlife spectacle I have ever witnessed.

Image copyright David Tipling (rspb-images.com)

At about 8 o’clock, I heard the first bird go up,which was soon joined by another. The two of them circled up and up, calling as they went, for about 10 minutes, before they headed off east as pin pricks in the sky. I thought this was probably it, as you usually only see a couple in any one evening, but after another 10 mins, I heard another in the sky. Then another. Then another! They just kept on coming! At one point there were 5 bitterns in the sky at once! It was absolutely spectacular – so many that I couldn’t count them all! (Thankfully, there were 4 people stood on the causeway, so they managed to get a good idea on numbers). Over all we had at least 8 gull calling birds in the sky. Five that definitely migrated east, and two (low fliers) that we think stayed down. Who would have thought we had this number of birds in the reedbed – they’re so secretive!

I should also mention that as all of this was going on in the sky, I heard the rushes moving to my left. Couldn’t see anything, but they were moving. All of a sudden, an otter pops out onto the path almost within touching distance!!! I froze! He looked at me, then trotted off, slipped into the water and swam off up the main dyke. I thought “What on earth have I done to deserve this!”

Image copyright Brian Howson - I had my camera round my neck, but was too excited to fuction properly!

The bittern is still booming at more sociable hours – He was heard over the weekend, and this morning at about 8am on the causeway. Alternatively, head down there at dusk to listen and watch for any more gull callers - Rachel (our intern) had an otter encounter to rival mine last night: she was sat on the causeway bridge and it swam right underneath her!