Pictures to show you at last!

The entrance to the new hide:

Inside: The large windows let in lots of light...

It has a bay window too:

A family of greylag geese with four goslings seen from Tim Jackson hide on Monday morning 21/05/12:

Can't I write this blog outside? It's a beautiful day here at Leighton Moss! The sun's out and the air feels warm. Walking along the Griesdale trail I hear warblers on fine form and see the insect life is coming out in force. Willow trees are releasing their tiny seeds on fluffy parachutes and the sunlight catches them as they float on a gentle breeze. It's like walking through a spring wonderland! Ahhh! Anyway, I've had to come back indoors now to tell you about the highlights of the sightings over the last few days...

If you had been around Public hide or Lower hide early yesterday morning  (19 May) then you may well have seen a couple of ospreys over the water as they hunted for fish. About 8 am one of them made a catch then flew off towards the Kent Estuary. The other osprey hung around until 8:30 am then moved on too.

Otters have been making an appearance again. Two were seen from Lower hide at some time on Wednesday (16 May) and then very early on Friday (18 May) morning, 6 - 6:30 am, four otters were seen from the Public hide. Today (20 May) a visitor saw one from Lower hide at 9 am. Early morning is the best time to spot them though we have had past sightings reported at various times throughout the day.

One of our elusive and rather quiet bitterns was spotted flying around our new Tim Jackson hide on Friday (18 May) about 10:25 am. It flew from behind the hide then went left to right in front of the hide and dropped down into the reeds behind some dead trees. Thank you Ken Harrison for writing this one in our sightings book :-)

Little babies everywhere springing up like daisies! Ducklings at Lilian's, goslings at Tim Jackson's and ten nests of avocets down at Allen hide contain 27 new balls of fluff between them! I also saw a great tit taking some food into one of the nest boxes on the Griesdale trail this morning and heard the chicks cheeping inside. Aww!

Doesn't nature make you want to get outside? It sure does for me! I'm off now! :-)

Join us on an early morning guided walk to learn how to pick out the different bird songs in the woodland and around the reedbeds. You will be given tips on identification and advice about birdwatching. No experience necessary. After the walk you can enjoy a bacon or veggie bap and tea or coffee served in our cafe at 10 am (included in the price).

Booking and payment in advance is essential. The cost is £8 (RSPB members £6).

Time: 7:30 am - 10 am. Choose either Saturday 26 or Sunday 27 May.

See you bright and early!

Also this weekend is our Binoculars, Telescopes and Digi-scoping demonstration weekend - 10 am - 4 pm, Saturday and Sunday

Get some hands on advice about binoculars or telescopes and have the chance to try them outdoors. This weekend will have a special digi-scoping expert on hand and you can also book a private appointment to try digi-scoping on the reserve by phoning 01524 701601. Free admission to this event.

An osprey has been seen over the reedbed this weekend, particularly on Sunday when sightings were reported from Lilian's, Griesdale and Public hides. Leighton Moss continues to be used as a stopping off point for these birds to fish as they continue their migration north.

A sparrowhawk has been spotted near Griesdale hide. It probably had its beady eye on one of the many warblers of which there are quite a few species being spotted around the reserve: listen out for reed warblers, garden warblers, Cetti's warblers, sedge warblers and whitethroats. A whitethroat is often reported being heard on the path to Allen hide.

Somebody with a keen eye reported seeing a bearded tit flying over the path to Griesdale hide! That's a lucky sighting, they are difficult to see as they are usually well and truly hidden in the reeds. It's only when one flies above the reeds that they are spotted. Having one fly over the path that you are on is as good as you are going to get for seeing one out in the open at this time of year.

The avocets down on the marsh have chicks! So far only two families have hatched. One family has two chicks and another has three chicks. They are only a few days old and are surviving the cold wet weather so far. We're all hoping the weather will be kind to them. There are potentially many more chicks to hatch yet as there are about a dozen nests.

A sighting of a bittern was noted in our sightings book, it was seen somewhere from the path beyond Lower hide. We don't have any more details on this. If you are out and about on the reserve please let us know what you have seen. You can note it in our sightings book. Give us details of where the bird or other creature was. For example, was it flying over or was it in the water? In the trees or on the edge of the reedbed? You can also write on the large map on the wall by the sightings book. The more details we know, the better a picture we get of the daily movements of wildlife on the reserve.

Many thanks!

Get a special look behind the scenes at our local RSPB and National Trust Reserves.

Meet at Wolf House Gallery on Hollins Lane, Silverdale. From here the National Trust ranger will guide you to a hidden away flower meadow, rich in insect life, where you can see and hear its buzzing wildlife at its best this time of year. Travel through a normally closed off area of limestone pavement woodland down to the sea cliffs with wide vistas and birds on Morecambe Bay.

Back at Wolf House you can enjoy a delicious  home-made lunch before you join the RSPB Leighton Moss warden for the afternoon. You will then take a walk around picturesque Jenny Brown's Point before stopping off at Eric Morecambe and Allen hides to do some wader watching. Finally, you will take a behind the scenes look at one of our newest areas of reedbed, Barrow Scout Fields.

This event is recommended for adults and young people over 10 years old. Part of the walk will be strenuous and on uneven terrain. Booking and payment in advance is essential. Please telephone Leighton Moss visitor centre: 01524 701601. The cost is £20 (£18 for RSPB members) and this includes lunch.