Dennis,
We are like ships in the night, that's the second time that we have been at Leighton on the same day and missed each other.

An exceptional 5 hours birding at Leighton today.

Within 5 minutes of leaving the car park I was watching a Bittern and a Water rail beside the reeds about 60m left of Lillian's hide. Another Bittern walked across the ice right in front of the hide.
On the path to the Grizedale hide was another Water rail and I could hear Bearded tits deep in the reeds and they eventually flew up into the open and I briefly saw flying towards the Lillian hide. A single Little Egret was at the Grizedale hide and not much else.
A walk down the causeway to the grit trays, I only had to wait for a couple of minutes when 3 Bearded tits turned up. One went on the tray and had coloured rings different to the bird Dennis saw and the other two stayed at the edge of the reeds. Excellent views
Three more Bitterns were at the Public hide and some photographers from Scotland who had never seen a Bittern before got some cracking shots.
Apart from the usual, other birds seen were;
4 Marsh tits on the feeders
2 Buzzards
Sparrowhawk
5 Jays


-- Edited by Dave Thacker on Wednesday 29th of December 2010 09:56:48 PM

Mark Rigby wrote:

---

sid ashton wrote:

---

cracking birds in a great natural location.

---

I agree, cracking birds! Not too sure about the 'natural' location? Man-made quarry?

---

I meant natural as in rocks and bushes as opposed to bricks and mortar

Dennis I too also make a point of calling at the Crag whenever I am up there - cracking birds in a great natural location.

Yes Dennis, that new male Peregrine has been around for a while now (my post 28th October) - good news

-- Edited by sid ashton on Sunday 19th of December 2010 11:00:51 PM

I popped back to the RSPB shop this afternoon on way home from Heysham. Saw a single Marsh Tit whilst still in my car, then took a little walk down the road and was treated to a wonderful Waxwing spectacular I counted 125 at one point, but I suspect there were more like 150-175, as they were pretty flighty at times drifting between several sets of berry trees. I watched them for about 30 mins stripping a berry tree only 5m away from me!?!?

They were also making plenty of trips down to the ground to drink from a puddle on the side of the road. Really interesting watching them sip water and then with a fancy flick of the head taking the water back.....

Called in at morcambe bay before leighton to try and take advantage of the high tide:

57 species seen

Highlights 10.15 - 11.00:

Blackwits and barwits
Golden plover
knot
eider
pintail
little egret

Highlights 11.30 - 2.30pm

Leighton Moss:

Peregrine from public
siskin in alders near lillian's
snipe
pintail
gadwall
pochard
goldeneye
wigeon
shoveler
tufted duck
greylag geese
buzzard
kestrel

I thought i'd had a good day, but someone had seen bearded tit, cetti's warbler and otter (crossing the path) from the causeway! Makes you feel sick doesn't it?





-- Edited by Joey Eccles on Sunday 21st of November 2010 08:34:31 PM

-- Edited by Joey Eccles on Sunday 21st of November 2010 08:37:14 PM

Up to 6 bearded tits on the grit trays at 10am. Flock of about 30 fieldfare over.

Good numbers of pochard, shoveler, wigeon, teal and coots, plus smaller numbers of moorhen, gadwall, two goldeneye and three pintail from Lillian Hide.

Little egret from the Griesdale Hide, plus a red deer stag and two hinds showing well.

Reports of a great grey shrike on the path towards the Allen Hide, but I didn't see it unfortunately Huge numbers of redshank from the hide, plus a few godwits and little egrets. Three curlew flew overhead on the walk back to the car.

Sunday. Good views of Hen Harrier from Lilians hide.

-- Edited by David Duncan on Monday 25th of October 2010 12:40:39 PM

Popped in here today with my birding class.
Shoveler
Pintail
Golden Eye f
Snipe
Spotted Redshanks
Green Shank
Couple in the Public Hide with Dyson the Duck

Watched a Merlin chasing a Kingfisher
Kingfisher lived to tell the tale

Simply a terrible news about the Peregrine last week

Called in at Warton Crag this evening on the way back from a good day at the Moss,first time i've never seen Peregrine there.Very sad.

Dennis atherton wrote:

---

very sad news from leighton moss,

The male resident adult Peregrine falcon from warton cragg was chasing a teal across silverdale road and both the teal and the peregrine collided with a car and died, a very very sad loss of one of these superb birds

---

I have been watching the Peregrine pair at Warton Cragg for a number of years - a sad end indeed. Can we be certain it was the Warton bird - was it ringed?

Nice to meet you yesterday Joey. Forgot about the single common sandpiper too

Black tern still present. High tide last night flooded fields fom eric morcambe. Water a bit high for waders. Other than the usual redshanks and black tailed godwits in high numbers was greenshanks. 3 curlew. 6 snipe. Single spotted redshank. 2 curlew sands. Single green sandpiper. Kingfishers male and female flying about. No sign today of great egret or little stint.

Eric Morecombe with some help locating from full hide
2 little stint
kingfisher
curlew sandpiper
gt egret
few little egret
large flock BT Godwits
curlew sandpiper
lots of widgeon
redshank
lillians
herd of red deer
public hide
bearded tits
buzzard
stoat
report of otter from lower hide
report of juv marsh harrier
report of pine martin

Four Bearded Tits [two pairs] showing very well this morning 7.30 til 8am. On the grit trays and in the surrounding reeds as well as in flight over the causeway. I was chatting to a very pleasant chap who helps with the recording of them and they peaked at several hundred birds until a severe crash in around 2000 and are now recovering. 17 individual birds had been recorded at the grit trays yesterday. Apparently some people don't like to see them with all their colour and BTO rings but to my mind it is more important to know how the population is going than to worry about some colourful photos!

Marsh harrier sat on what looks like an old coots nest for last hour from public hide giving good views just sun bathing and preening

Marsh harriers seemed to of moved on now, 3 black terns today from lillians and public hide doing the rounds, 4 curlew sands from eric morcambe with 2 dunlin, 1 spotted red and the usual redshanks, greenshanks and black tailed godwits, 2 bearded tits on grit trays though still a bit early yet, best in october for seeing on trays eating grit and changing diets, 1 sparrowhawk from eric hide landed on posts giving good views and also kingfisher knocking about, large flocks of little egrets mainly from eric m hide with a few on the main res, around 100 roosting at nights now i was told by rspb warden

No sign of ospreys or spoonbills today

Are you sure you had Willow Tit - mainly Marsh Tits at Leighton Moss.

3 osprey on island mere area today, also spoonbill seen though not by me also nice healthy numbers of the usual redshank and black tailed godwit, greenshank,

Single spotted redshank from eric morcambe, kingfisher on posts, 1 curlew sandpiper by me but more reported in the area

Further along at Hest bank near teal part morcambe a superb perigrine flying low across the water and scaring everything hundreds of oystercatchers, bar tailed godwits, 1 wheatear and a few dunlin, 30 ish curlew

Edit, Black tern also doing the rounds at leighton moss veiwing from lillians and also from public hide today

-- Edited by Dennis atherton on Saturday 11th of September 2010 06:50:51 PM

5/09/10 sunday
late post
2 greenshank
2 marsh tit
1 tree creeper
7 redshank
50+ blacktailed godwits
7 buzzards
8 little egrets
1 juv little grebe
lots of sandmartins ,swallows and house martins
no harriers but 4 lovely red dear and a calf .
several willow warblers and chiff chaffs about an all the usual ducks

3 peregrine an 1 kestrel up at crag

Popped in to the Eric Morecombe hides on way home frmo Heysham. Pretty quiet considering it was just after the high tide, but the following seen:

Little Egret 15
Great White Egret 1
Wigeon 40+
Teal 100+
Greenshank 1
Spotted Redshank 1
Redshank 100+
Lapwing 1000+
Black-tailed Godwit 300+
Curlew 8
Chiffchaff 2
Willow Warbler 3
Whitethroat 4

The chiffchaffs and willow warblers were tagging along with a long-tailed tit flock on approach to the hides. The GW Egret was in flight over the marsh, seen flying towards Jenny Brown's point direction whilst I was on the path, I've not seen one for a while, so lovely to catch up with this species again, cracking big yellow bill extending from a tightly tucked in head!?

Fantastic seeing the Harriers and Peregrine!!!!

Pitty Sizergh Castle didn't throw up anything interesting though.

Hi Dave. I was in the hide too. I missed seeing you. That was excellent sering the pereigrine chasing all the godwits.
Saw just the same as Dave with the only addittion of seeing 3 marsh harriers at one point.

Dave Thacker wrote:

---

11am- 3pm

Grizedale hide
Plenty of Godwits



5 Redshank
2 Greenshank
5 Little Egrets
2 Marsh harriers [adult female and juv]
Peregrine chasing the godwits
5 Buzzards
Willow warbler
Sparrowhawk

Along the Causeway
Marsh harrier [f]
5 LT Tits

Public hide
30+ Redshank
2 Spotted Redshank
14+ Greenshank
Peregrine chasing Teal then tried for a Coot
2 Buzzards

---

There was a nice collection of waders roosting on the small island in front of Public Hide mid-morning today - 9 common redshank, 1 spotted redshank, 7 greenshank, 6 black-tailed godwits, 2 green sandpipers and 2 common sandpipers!