The RSPB Community

Beardies and bitterns and Board members, oh my!

Annabel Rushton — Tue, 21 May 2013 13:37:00 GMT

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

Alasdair Grubb — Thu, 16 May 2013 14:52:00 GMT

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!

Alasdair Grubb — Tue, 07 May 2013 16:33:00 GMT

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

kevin — Fri, 03 May 2013 15:56:00 GMT

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!

kevin — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 18:38:00 GMT

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?

Siobhan RSPB — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 12:28:18 GMT

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!

Siobhan RSPB — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 15:24:13 GMT

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

Annabel Rushton — Sat, 13 Apr 2013 18:10:34 GMT

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!

Annabel Rushton — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 14:43:00 GMT

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!

Alasdair Grubb — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 12:10:00 GMT

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!

A very special morning...

Alasdair Grubb — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 14:51:19 GMT

The changing of the clocks last week made a 4.30am start all the more difficult this morning as I set off for the weekly bittern watch with the stars still out! But my efforts were certainly rewarded with some fantastic bittern behaviour at Barrow Scout fields!

On my arrival at the usual listening point a group of nine bar headed geese along with four snow geese flew overhead towards Leighton from the salt marshes. A good start...... but not quite what I was here for.....

Finally around 6.00am two bitterns appeared above the reedbed....result!!!! The first was being pursued by another and eventually dropped down into the reeds close by while its pursuer headed off to the far side of the pool. The individual closest to me then began booming, after which it flew off to where the other bird had landed. Both appeared at the edge of the pool, stood together for 30 seconds, one individual then jumped up then both birds disappeared into the reeds...Wow!!!! What an encounter!

Image by Andy Hay (rspb-images.com)

This is really exciting news for Leighton Moss! Interactions such as these can be a positive indictor of breeding behaviour. Such sightings will mean more early starts on the horizon for myself and the team as we track the presence of bitterns across the reserve. But encounters like this really do make it all worth while!

In other news, Kev had 7 marsh harriers this morning (all in the air at once!), and we've got over 40 avocets down on the saltmarsh scraping our nests and mating.

Isn't Leighton Great!

Sno worries here!

kevin — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 10:15:53 GMT

Well despite the rest of the country suffering with weather likened to the high arctic, we have managed to remain snow free! The weather is actually quite nice,(cold but dry) and the surrounding roads have managed to evade the troubles the remainder of the country have had to endure.

So how has our wildlife managed with the slow starting spring? Well sightings have been good, spanning from the salt-marsh over to lower hide.

On the main reserve bittern sightings have been superb! The frequency and numbers of reports indicate at least three birds on the reserve (three bittern that is, obviously there is more than three bird species in general). Whilst having a wander out myself on Tuesday I was fortunate enough to witness two bittern flights, one from Grisedale hide and the second from the ditch outside Grisedale!

These two birds were different in colouration to the one I saw a few days earlier at Barrow scout field, which was a noticeably dark plumaged bird.

Hopefully as many of these superb reed bed specialists as possible will remain. The prolonged strong easterly winds have certainly stemmed the usual migration of a lot of species, deciding to sit tight at the moment rather than flying head on into gale force winds.

Stand out sighting of the week was a white stork in flight over the Eric Morecambe pool heading north west, but unfortunately it didn't hang around. The origins of this magnificent bird are unknown, as they have been known to have escaped for collections rather than being a genuine migrant. Never the less a fantastic sight that must have been.

Also down on the salt-marsh our avocet numbers have increased to a peak count of 38, hopefully still more to arrive and fingers crossed for another amazing breeding year. They have been kept company by 2 spotted redshanks and some great numbers of both teals and wigeons as well as the stunning pintails and goldeneyes too.

On the main reserve it was great to see some otter sightings once more, with reports coming from Lilian's hide and Lower hide as well.

Last year gave us the first record of breeding Cetti's warblers on the reserve, and these fantastic songsters have been in evidence in the area around Grisedale hide, and also down the causeway by the ditch.

Good numbers of duck species remain on the pools and foraging snipe continue to perform in front of both Lilian's and Tim Jackson hides.

The ever impressive marsh harriers remain as a trio with surely the next few weeks bringing more of these superb raptors back to the reserve.

The fields to the right of the Grisedale trail have been excellent for wintering redwings and a flock of around 30 have been seen. Migrants coming the other way (as apposed to getting ready to leave), have been few and far between but an overdue chiffchaff has been in song down the path to Lower hide.

So with the weather looking snow free here at least why not come down to the reserve and enjoy the array of wildlife!

Introducing Siobhan.............

Annabel Rushton — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 16:03:13 GMT

It's that time of year again when our wonderful interns fly the nest and move onto exciting new jobs. Our fabulous Jone Ayres has been an amazing asset to Leighton Moss since she arrived from Coombes Valley in October. I will miss her big beaming smile, her enthusiasm and her hilarious bird imprressions, but wish her all the luck in the world in her brand new role as Community Officer at our Mull of Galloway reserve.

So, this means there's a new kid on the block. Introducing......Siobhan Fearon, our newest Visitor Officer intern. Siobhan is in the last throws of an FdSc in Ecology and Conservation Management at Myerscough College and will be here volunteering full time for the next 6 months before moving on to Old Moor until next March. Siobhan started just over a week ago and has settled in really well. She will be in the visitor centre on Mondays, Tuesday afternooons and Saturday afternoons so make sure you say hello!

You'll be hearing from her on here and our Facebook and Twitter soon, so watch this space! If you would like to find out more about our internships in general, click here

A smiley Siobhan getting a VIP welcome from our mallards (copyright Annabel Rushton)

Breaking the ice!

Carol Bamber — Tue, 26 Mar 2013 14:53:00 GMT

Some of the fabulous 37th Bradshaw Brownie pack at RSPB Leighton Moss (c Carol Bamber)

My first ever, independently posted blog for the Leighton Moss forum! At last! We had a great visit last Sunday by 37th Bradshaw Brownies from Bolton who were staying at the SilverHelme Scout & Guide activity centre a short walk from the reserve. The day was cold, like they all seem to be recently, but the girls were well wrapped up and had a great day staying for four hours. We explored parts of the reserve, bird watched from the hides and played outdoor games. It was great fun.The highlight was breaking the ice on the pond to have a go at pond dipping from our specially built platforms. I was amazed by the variety and size of creatures that we found.

Karen Hood, Tawny Owl, after the visit said 'The whole programme was well-planned, enthusiastically delivered and very informative' - what a great customer review! Thank you Tawny Owl.

If you would like to bring a youth group to the reserve or you know someone who is involved with a Brownie, Guides, Beaver, Cub or Scout group and maybe interested in a visit, please send them my way.

Carol Bamber, Education Officer 01524 703015 or carol.bamber@rspb.org.uk

37th Bradshaw Brownies enjoy pond dipping at RSPB Leighton Moss (c Carol Bamber)

Help us to help swifts!

Annabel Rushton — Sat, 23 Mar 2013 16:04:42 GMT

Swifts are one of the iconic birds of the summer, flying thousands of miles each year, visiting us for a brief time to breed. Their numbers are declining for reasons not fully understood , but changes to their traditional nest locations are likely to be a major factor . If you are passionate about swifts and would like to be involved in a project to assist in their conservation please join us for this free event on Thursday 11 April at 7.30 pm

Ian walker from Swift Conservation will give a brief talk on swifts and their conservation and this will then be followed by a discussion on how to establish a swift conservation project in the AONB and surrounding area.

For further information contact : Jacqui Fereday at Leighton Moss 01524 703010 or Peter Moreton on 01524 762043.

Swift (copyright Mike Langman rspb-images.com)

Members' Weekend-will you be there?

Annabel Rushton — Sat, 23 Mar 2013 15:35:17 GMT

It's almost that time of year again, your chance to get together with RSPB staff, volunteers and fellow member's from around the country for a good old chin wag. With a packed programme of inspiring talks, exciting excursions and some very special guests, there’s a lot going on at this year’s Members' Weekend. Running from 12-14 April, Member's Weekend is held at York University. Booking in advance is essential, so if you would like more information, or to book, phone 01767 680551, email claire.hoskins-blount@rspb.org.uk or click here

Black-browed albatross (copyright Grahame Madge rspb-images.com)

Wildlife update

kevin — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 09:30:00 GMT

Well first of all I would like to apologise for the lack of sightings updates. We have had a few technical problems, so hopefully they are now sorted.

One of the undoubted highlights at the moment has been our bittern activity. Sightings have been fairly frequent and quite wide ranging, with reports coming from Lilian's hide, Public, Griesdale and Tim Jackson hides. Our wardens have been out and about whilst most of us are tucked up in bed, listening patiently for a male bittern, and they have had great success with regular "grunting" being recorded.

Another of our star reedbed species are the marsh harriers, three birds that have remained throughout the winter months and are still present. All three birds were out enjoying the morning sunshine today, with a bit of interaction between two of them. Some more unusual sightings around the reserve have included a group of escaped Bar headed geese, these unique looking birds are usually resident in Asia, but as with other wildfowl species they can form feral populations. As their name suggests their appearance is quite distinctive, they are very pale in colour, with well.. black bars on their heads. (I bet they were up all night thinking of that name). Occasionally these birds have been joined by four snow geese of unknown origin too.

Back with the more familiar species, our avocet numbers have increased to 27 on the Eric Morecambe and Allen pools. Keeping our iconic wader company have been three spotted redshanks and a single greenshank. Numbers of duck remain in good totals with pintails and goldeneye very much in evidence on the salt marsh.

On the main reserve barn owl sightings have continued with lower hide the preffered location, and on route to hide has produced sizeable flocks of lesser redpolls and siskins, along the path to lower hide.

Some winter thrushes still cling on, with redwings reaching a count of around thirty birds in the field to the right of Griesdale trail. Kingfisher sightings have been good, with views both down the causeway dyke and on the salt marsh too.

Surely it is only a matter of days/ weeks before some of our spring migrants begin to arrive, it won't be long before the sound of chiffchaffs fill the air once more!

Recent Sightings - Spring is springing

Alasdair Grubb — Fri, 08 Mar 2013 17:03:56 GMT

The fantastic weather of the past couple of weeks has meant the whole reserve is looking brilliant! Spring is starting to gain momentum now, most of our resident birds are singing and we're awaiting the arrival of our migrants with baited breath (apparently ospreys have already been reported in the country!) Still no butterflies emerging, but we've had a good influx of avocet. I went out early this morning and counted 14. They seem to be pairing up already. Whilst I was down at the Eric Morecambe/Allen complex I had distant views of 4 snow geese and 7 bar-headed geese (most probably escapees), and I had fantastic views of a pair of kingfishers chasing each other around.

On the main reedbed, we've still got good numbers of the wintering wildfowl, which seem to be joined now with our breeding birds; species like gadwall, pochard and greylag are pairing up now. The Cetti's Warblers are singing their hearts out with 2 on the causeway and one near Grisedale hide (at least). One of our volunteers had great views of a displaying marsh harrier this morning too. At this time of year the males will do a "sky dance"; they will circle high in the sky until you can barely see them, then, with their wings tucked back, descend at a great rate, zigzagging as they go - a truly wonderful sight.

The best news of the week has come from our mate Barry the bittern. Whilst out listening for booming on Tuesday morning, Richard (our assistant warden) heard a really strong grunting bittern. It wasn't in its usual place either. This time it was on Barrow Scout fields - one of our newly established reedbeds. It's the first time we've ever had and signs of breeding bitterns in these reedbeds so it really is fantastic news! Barrow Scout has been created over the past 10 years, specifically to encourage bitterns to breed there - finally our work seems to be paying off!

Whilst Richard was over at Barrow Scout, I was listening out at Silverdale Moss (another of these newly created wetlands). Although i was left bereft of bitterns, I was treated to the mesmerising spectacle of brown hares boxing! They were no more than 50m away from me battling it out; the male hare will try to mate with the female, but if she is unreceptive, she'll let him know about it by fending hi off with her fists!

Hope you all have a great weekend

Warden's Wanderings - What are all those nest boxes for?

Alasdair Grubb — Tue, 05 Mar 2013 17:28:00 GMT

I was out doing this last Thursday, and we've been inundated with enquiries in the shop: "What are those nest boxes for down on the saltmarsh?"... Here's your answer!

During January, I took a trip over to one of our other lovely reserves Old Moor. I've been before, but this time I was absolutely blown away by their "Tree Sparrow Farm" - they have a small area of grassland (not much bigger than my lawn), backing onto a thick hawthorn hedge (about 20m in length). The sheer number of small farmland birds they had there was unbelievable! Chaffinches, goldfinches, greenfinches, reed buntings, yellowhammers, bramblings and of course tree sparrows, all in great numbers – there must have been 100+ birds there! I suppose this is what farmland always used to be like (long before I was born unfortunately). Anyway, seeing this fantastic spectacle has inspired me to attempt something similar here at Leighton.

On the path down to the Allen and Eric Morecambe Hides, there is an open area of grassland on the right. It has been left fallow for many years now, so the grass is getting fairly rank and uninteresting. I went out and cut some areas (removing the cut vegetation to try and get a greater diversity of flowering plants). We’re going to start setting some seed down in these areas to try and attract more birds in too – our generous friends at Glasson Grain are donating this grain to us, so thank you very much to them for that!

We have also erected some nest boxes along the hedgerow too. This is in the hope that tree sparrows will take up residence. These cheery little characters were once a common sight throughout the farmland of England, but nowadays, I rarely see them (never at Leighton!). The reason for this decline is largely due to modern farming practices (increased efficiency means that there is less “waste” for small birds to feed on). Thankfully, there are payment schemes that compensate farmers financially for providing better conditions for wildlife, and the RSPB are working with these farmers, so they can target their efforts in a more structured way.

You can see that there are several boxes together. Thus is because tree sparrows are “semi-colonial”; they will nest alongside one and other in loose colonies.

Not so reserved

Adam M — Tue, 05 Mar 2013 09:02:00 GMT

There’s no doubting it, nature reserves are a great place for, well, nature. Leighton Moss is crammed full of flora and fauna, from bitterns to eels, from butterflies to flowers. It’s just so great to see how wildlife thrives on nature reserves.

However, we could very easily start to think nature lives on nature reserves and no where else, freeing up other land for other uses, such as development or farming. But nature would be ok as it only lives on nature reserves, right? Well actually, this would be something of a mistake. If we did this it would lead to the populations of species becoming isolated, living on little ‘islands’ of nature reserves, and this brings new dangers.

Just like with real islands, wildlife would struggle to move from one nature reserve ‘island’ to another. This means that if one nature reserve suffers a freak event, such as a fire or flood, and loses its population of a species, the chances are it would not be recolonised, leading to local extinctions. If this happens time and again across the isolated populations, it will lead to that species becoming extinct in the UK. You might think this is a dramatisation, but it has happened before, with species such as the large blue butterfly; extinct in the UK in 1979 (but now re-introduced). So isolating populations by having nature just on nature reserves would be a huge mistake.

But don’t worry, we’re helping to make sure this doesn’t happen. Due to the Lawton Review the government has funded 12 Nature Improvement Area (NIA) projects. These projects are focused on moving nature conservation into the wider landscape, avoiding the issues raised above.

One such area is the Morecambe Bay NIA, which stretches from Fleetwood around to Ulverston, which of course includes Leighton Moss. We have a partnership, including organisations such as Cumbria Wildlife Trust, Butterfly Conservation and many more, who we work closely with to help make the whole area a fantastic place for wildlife. Through the NIA project, we can look at working around the edges of our reserves to make them bigger, through sharing knowledge we are managing reserves better, we are creating new areas of habitat on private land, as well as linking existing suitable areas together: bigger, better, more, connected. This is exactly what our wildlife needs if it is to survive, thrive and start reversing some of the declines we have seen in the last 40 years.

The nortern brown argus is one of the species that needs a well connected landscape to protect its population against isolation and declines.

The NIA projects are 3 years long and are a bit of a trial to see just how much benefit a landscape scale approach can achieve. So you’ll certainly be hearing much more about the Morecambe Bay NIA in the future, it is an incredibly exciting project and has the potential to offer our local wildlife so much.

Exciting sightings

JoneAyres — Fri, 01 Mar 2013 16:59:00 GMT

It's all getting busier here at Leighton Moss and it's high time we posted some more sightings - sorry for the pause since the last one.

I am going to start with the Saltmarsh hides because we've had some very nice news from there: three early avocets have been seen over the last couple of weeks. This is very encouraging news, though there haven't been any reports for a few days. The wardens were very quick to put up the electric fencing in readiness for protecting their nests against predators and we will probably see them (the avocets) again soon once they have settled back down. We had a bumper year last year with 48 successful fledglings out of 54 - a very high success rate - here's hoping for an even better season this year.

Still at the Saltmarsh and we are seeing large flocks of black-tailed godwits, around 300 of them. A green sandpiper as well as the more usual redshanks, spotted redshanks, greenshanks and dunlins are being reported regularly. A kingfisher and raven also seen today - I must get along there for a last look this weekend.

Lilian's hide was a very good place to take my breakfast this morning. It wasn't as sunny as the past few days which meant that you could see across the pool in all directions without being blinded by the bright sunlight. It was extremely busy with all manner of waterbirds. Coots, teals and tufted ducks of course, along with greylags, gadwalls, pochards, goldeneyes, a great crested grebe. It was all very entertaining and the goldeneye males have become a real favourite - they're so dapper and their head bobbing courtship displays make me smile. I won't try to imitate them again as I've had a stiff neck ever since the last time I tried. There have been plenty of black-headed gulls at Lilian's too, prospecting for nest sites and a more keen-eyed gull spotter has recorded a mediterranean gull today.

Griesdale and Tim Jackson's hides have been a good bet for a wide variety of ducks including shelduck, gadwall and one or two pintails. It's always worth checking the woodland at the fringes of Tim Jackson's hide pool - several red deer were seen there today.

Cetti's warblers are being heard both from the Causeway and from near Griesdale hide which is very promising and we hope for a second year of them breeding here. Reed buntings are also starting to make themselves heard across the reedbeds.and one of our local volunteers was lucky enough to catch sight of a female bearded tit this morning down the Causeway. It's always worth walking slowly along the trails and pausing by the wooded areas or gaps in the reeds - you'll more than likely catch sight of marsh tits, treecreepers and myriad other small birds, and maybe even a bearded tit or water rail.

Finally, of course, otters and bittern are seen daily (just not by me!). Come and have a look - it could be you next time!

See you soon.

Half term report... Welly well done everyone!

JoneAyres — Sun, 24 Feb 2013 20:18:56 GMT

Who knew how much fun was to be had from old wellies? Well, Annabel and I did for starters! And so did all the families that came along to Leighton Moss this past week.

Waiting wellies.

We've been giving wellies the make-over treatment in a big way, starting with welly blinging when we went wild with paint and glitter, fabric and stickers. Next up was welly bird feeders (read the previous blog for full details)

Finally on the welly scene, we moved on to turning wellies into planters. First, drill some drainage holes through the sole, next add a layer of gravel to help drain the compost, then add the compost and plant some snowdrops, heathers, primulas or violas. Result - a bootiful display.

The fun didn't stop there and we continued with nestbox making sessions on Friday. Both sessions were fully booked and the Education room was filled with the deafening sound of a dozen hammers bashing away. That's 24 splendid des-reses ready for some of the local blue tits and great tits, or perhaps a nuthatch family or even pied wagtails. If you're reading this and you took part on Saturday then I hope you'll let us know if your nestbox is occupied this season.

If you haven't time to make a nestbox, don't forget that you can always buy one from our shop at Leighton Moss!

Half term fun - making welly feeders!

Annabel Rushton — Wed, 20 Feb 2013 17:49:17 GMT

We've had a great afternoon today, recycling old wellies and turning them into welly feeders! Several families came down to join in the fun at our drop in session between 1-4 pm. Check out how we got on....

Concentrating hard :) (taken by Stuart Knowles)

The finished product :) (taken by Stuart Knowles)

Well done to all the children who took part, we hope you had as much fun as we did!

For those of you at home, if you'd like to find out how to make your very own welly feeder, check out this Blue Peter style video from our friends at RSPB Burton Mere Wetlands

Tomorrow, we'll be recycling old wellies in a different way - by creating welly planters! Why not come along - don't forget to bring your old wellies! (check out our what's on section for details)

Warden's Wanderings - Avocet Fence

Alasdair Grubb — Mon, 18 Feb 2013 16:54:00 GMT

Two blogs in a week?! Crazy! Today was absolutely beautiful out there. This weekend, we had our first avocets arrive – this gets me really excited, as one of my favourite jobs through the summer is to monitor these wonderful birds.

Over the past few years we’ve erected an anti-predator fence around Allen pool – and that was today’s job! It’s just a four strand electric fence (the type that farmers often use to fence their cattle), but it has worked excellently – every year we’ve done it our numbers of fledglings has increased (last year we fledged 48 birds!) Although it doesn’t keep out aerial predators, it does exclude foxes, and keeps the nests and chicks safe (so long as they don’t wander out!)

We did disturb the pools for the whole day (sorry to any visitors we may have caught out), but this is an essential job at this time of year now, and here’s to another fantastic year for breeding avocets at Leighton.

(Image copyright Alasdair Grubb)

Thinking Big for Nature - Arnside Volunteer Day

Annabel Rushton — Mon, 18 Feb 2013 16:51:00 GMT

Now I don't want to jinx anything, but the weather here is blooming marvellous at the moment! If you're looking to get outside and do your bit, why not join in with Arnside Volunteer Day. As a Morecambe Bay Wildlife Network partnership event, it is being brought to you by the RSPB and a whole host of our conservation friends including the Arnside and Silverdale AONB, Butterfly Conservation, Cumbria Wildlife Trust, National Trust, TCV and the Woodland Trust.

The event is taking place this Wednesday (20 February) from 9.30 am-3.30 pm and involves volunteering opportunities across 4 sites in the AONB: Arnside Knott, Grubbins Wood, Dobshall Wood and Far Arnside. The work will be practical conservation work to improve the habitats of nationally important butterflies, birds and flowers that live in the area. You don't need to book, you just meet at 9.30 am at Arnside Youth Hostel. It is suitable for adults and children over the age of 12 if accompanied by an adult. You should wear outdoor clothing and sturdy footwear and take your own lunch and a hot drink. The end of the day will involve celebrating your achievements back at the Youth Hostel with tea and cake!

For more information, contact our Community Officer Tania Crockett by email: tania.crockett@rspb.org.uk or by phone: 01524 703013.

Northern brown argus butterfly - one of the many species to benefit from this work (copyright David Mower)