Highlights of today's High Peak RSPB trip from 09:30-16:00

3 Bittern sightings, all in flight. 2 Bearded Tit, 2+ Waxwing, ringtail Hen Harrier, 2 Water Rail, 5 Marsh Tit, 3+ Marsh Harrier, 40+Siskin, Lesser Redpoll, 100+ Fieldfare, 30+Redwing, Peregrine Falcon, 30+Pintail, 5 Common Snipe, 3 Treecreeper, Nuthatch, 3 Goldcrest, 20 Teal, Raven.

Morning visit
Highlights:

Morecambe and Allen pools:
1 Spoonbill
2 Great Egret
Numerous Little Egret
Good numbers of Avocet with quite a few chicks
20+ Black-tailed Godwit
3 Cettis Warbler
Approx 30 Black-headed Gull carcasses in the colony - bird flu victims

Main reserve :
2 Osprey together on two separate occasions giving excellent views
2 Marsh Harrier - pair
1 Buzzard
2 Bearded Tit
Bittern booming frequently but none seen
6 Marsh Tit
Lots of Cettis Warbler heard and a few seen
Plenty of Reed and Sedge Warblers but numbers seemed lower than normal.
Just 3 Swift and a handful of Swallows

Overall some good sightings but everything did seem quieter and small bird numbers seemed low

Mike Chorley wrote:

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It's come a long way! .....or maybe just from Martin Mere lol Looks like a New Zealand Shoveler.

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That duck has been there for quite a while (at least since mid-2021) and I believe it has come from a collection near the Grange-Over-Sands area. It was identified as a hybrid: A Cinnamon Teal x Northern Shoveler. Personally, I couldn't quite see the resemblance of the teal, but I've checked it out myself on the net.

Hope this helps.

Ta!

I also got this yesterday from lilians..

5^th Feb 2023

   A sharp frost overnight slightly held up mine and Bob K`s departure from Whitworth, picking up Craig B in Rawtenstall and heading over Grane. Our plan was to try to see the Hawfinches in the Eaves Wood area that had been seen the day before. We called at Conder Green, Pine Lake and headed for Gait Barrows, we had a nice walk around as the sun came out but it was a bit chilly, the Hawfinches were not heard or seen!

 

Leighton Moss which was rather busy and no room on the carpark for us, the female Ring necked Duck from Lillian`s Hide was seen along with some very smart Pintail ducks. A Marsh Harrier was patrolling the marshes looking for its breakfast. We called at the feeding station were a close Marsh Tit was seen, a walk along the boardwalk towards the public causeway revealed a further 3 Marsh Tit`s. One of my silly comments came out saying We wont see any Bearded Tits near the grit trays but of course I was wrong! They were heard, then seen fairly close up in the middle of the day, quite a nice treat for us that. At the public hide a couple of Great White Egret`s were seen then a distant Otter was seen swimming across the width of the lake, another nice treat for us all. News of a juvenile or 1^st winter Russian White fronted Goose nearby was acted upon and good views of this species were had as it fed along with some Pink footed Geese.

-- Edited by Ian McKerchar on Wednesday 8th of February 2023 07:36:04 PM

8.00 - 14.00hrs

Sunshine, -6*c and 99% of the water iced over made for great conditions to look for Bitterns and Otters this morning. 

First Bittern seen as the sun rose up 50m from the Causeway hide and another three seen at the same time from Lillians hide. Another Bittern flew over the path to the Grizedale hide near to where 2m & 1f Bearded reedlings were taking grit from the trays. A small flock of six reedlings flew along the edge of the reeds in front of Lillians hide.

Also 4 Cettis warbler heard

3 Water rail

3 Marsh harrier

Great white egret 

 

 

-- Edited by Dave Thacker on Monday 12th of December 2022 05:47:21 PM

This is one of those trips that make you say "wow!" And will go down as one of my all-time favourites at Leighton Moss.

25th October, Trip 2 of 2 (After Marshside) with an incredible 73 species seen!!!

Early morning from 8am to 3pm. Highlights include:

1. Whilst scanning scanning from a hide, two Crows were foraging in the marshy grass. One purposely flew close to some Common Snipe to flush them (only went a few feet) However, when the crow started picking around where they were soon after, one other Snipe popped out briefly that looked different. I naturally quickly took a picture and couldn't believe my eyes: it was a Jack snipe.
2. I enjoyed watching the Bearded tits on the grit trays at 9-9:30am
3. Spotted redshank showed well from the Morecombe hide.
4. Found the Long tailed duck from the Lower hide.
5. Greenshank also showed well there X7.

Other Highlights include:
Grey wagtail
Fieldfare
Redwing
Mistle thrush
Great white egret
Goosander
Little grebe x3
Stonechat x2
Kingfisher close.
Raven
Siskin
Marsh tit
Nuthatch
Peregrine
Marsh harrier
Cettis warbler
Goldcrest

Oh, and a brief glimpse of a Tree sparrow, though was slightly concealed by the shrub branches, but the black spots on its cheeks really stood out to me.

Ta!

-- Edited by Richard Thew on Wednesday 26th of October 2022 09:32:12 AM

Sabine`s Gull at Jenny Brown`s Point, Lancashire. 10/7/22

   News of a Sabine`s Gull at Leighton Moss on Wednesday 6<sup>th</sup> July seemed a little strange for the time of year and lack of rough weather at sea. But the bird remained and a small trip to see it was arranged. Myself, Bob K and Kevin C left a sultry Whitworth around 7-30am all duly clad in shorts for the occasion. We reached the very narrow road down to Jenny Brown`s Point and luckily slid into one of the few parking spaces available, about an hour later. We saw Rob D who told us the bird was still present, first time I have seen Rob since the memorable visit to Kent for the Eleonora`s Falcon. The gull was sat on a large sandbank at about 100 yards distance, we all thought, hope it comes closer. Which it eventually did and landed about 30 yards away and began feeding along the shoreline. The bird had somehow lost its right leg and maybe a toe from its left leg, could have been a hungry predator, Killer Whale etc after a quick snack! This made the birds feeding habit difficult as it had buoyancy issues, but seemed to be getting plenty to eat. Lots of Black Headed Gulls, Oystercatcher`s were around this area and the views over Morecambe Bay were sublime.

   At Leighton Moss we enjoyed a coffee and a cake for myself and a browse through the second hand bookcase. We walked around the reserve and enjoyed views of around five Marsh Harriers, some recently fledged birds, so they have had a successful breeding season. It was very quiet otherwise on the reserve, a Hobby and Bittern had been seen, but not by ourselves. We headed out to the Allen and Eric Morecambe hides and met Mark or Ginger, a fellow birder from years back who told us there is not much happening out there. We saw that there was very little water in both pools, so not many birds! We watched in awe as a Grey Heron caught and eventually swallowed quite a large Eel, this lasted 10 full minutes and the Eel could be seen in the heron`s neck still alive. Time for home we all thought at this stage.

Dave O.

 

I went with 2 others on the 21st of May - we had more or less everything Steve had minus Spoonbill, Bearded Tits, Sparrowhawk and Tawny Owl but we did have Garden Warbler, Osprey.  We heard neither Whitethroat species and missed the Garganey seen earlier.  

Leighton Moss is nice but I don't feel it as much as I did 10 years ago.  I am not sure why.  Also post-lockdown the cakes have changed.  They are still good but whatever happened to the excellent range they had before 2020 - Orange Drizzle, Lemon Drizzle, Marbled Cake and so much more!  This is the second time I have been and noticed the pre-lockdown range missing.  There is this very chocolatey chocolate orange cake which is good.  They had Avocado and Courgette cake, Spiced Apple cake.  I had a scone with cream and raspberry jam instead.  

YESTERDAY'S TRIP (WEDNESDAY)

My family wanted to visit, so I'd thought I'd join them to give my support and see what's changed. Time was more limited, but managed 57 species. And highlights include:

Bar tailed godwit x33 (after 20 years of visiting Leighton Moss, this is the first time I've finally seen Bar tailed godwits here. They were amongst a flock of Black tailed godwit.
Mediterranean gull x2 adults
Knot
Dunlin
Avocet in good numbers.
Nuthatch showed at last minute.
Treecreeper
Marsh tit
Goldcrest also showed last moment.
Stock dove
Wren (showing off) - Flickr picture
Cettis warbler
Jay
Willow warbler
Meadow pipit (many passing over on migration)
Swallow
Sand martin
Marsh harrier

Ta!

As we were in the area yesterday we called in at the reserve to be greeted with the news of two Garganey from Lilians Hide, off we walked and we could see a male asleep he was in such a position in front of the other that we make out a small amount of the other bird.

There was no sight nor sound of Reedling, Bittern or Cetti's Warbler for us but the two latter had been heard earlier in the morning, we were hoping for hirundines but again not to be.

We did connect with the obligatory Marsh Tit and Nuthatch on the way to the Lower Hide.

No breakfast here today as we had called in at Beetham Nurseries earlier, well worth it and the cakes looked delightful....but even this fat lad has a limit.

7.45-9.45am

Along the causeway,

3 Marsh harriers,

3 Bearded tits not at the first set of trays but at the 2nd set further down the Causeway at 9.15am

2 Great Black-backed gulls,

4 Wigeon,

4 Shoveler,

5 Common Snipe,

Water rails heard x2,

Plenty of the usual ducks.

For anyone thinking of visiting the reserve, the Bearded Reedling have been showing very well from the Grizedale Hide grit trays. Usually early morning. I arrived at 8.15 and they put in an appearance from 8.30 for one and a half hours.

The downside yesterday, with the good weather, was that the reserve was very busy and difficult to get seats in certain hides, so much so that I cut my visit short and left at around 2pm.

Other highlights were scores of Black-tailed Godwit in front of Lillians Hide with many others seen from Allen Pools. Here, also, were four Greenshank and a Spotted Redshank amongst hordes of Common Redshank. Around half a dozen Red Knot had also been present from Lillians.

Had another trip whilst I can still travel safely enough.

Todays highlights out of 58 species seen:

Saltmarsh...
Spoonbill x2
Golden plover (a site first for me)
Spotted redshank x1 adult in winter
Redshank close
Snipe x2close
Dunlin
Black tailed godwit
Avocet (quite a few juveniles and a few adults)
Ruff x3 inc 1xJuvenile
Curlew x2

Main reserve.....
Marsh tit
Treecreeper
Nuthatch
Swift
Little grebe
Shoveler
SParrowhawk x2 (in a minor dispute in flight)
Greenshank

A number of waders from the Saltmarsh even made their way onto the Lillian Hide pool.

08.15/11.15 weather overcast.

After yesterdays success at Crowden we arrived on site to a booming Bittern which continued until we left, it even competed with the local shooters.

At least three Water Rail were heard but not seen.

A single Marsh Tit showed near Lower Hide along with a pair of Marsh Harrier.

Lots of Chiffchaff very busy and vocal. One male Blackcap sighted and the usual species.

The feeders were as usual very busy.

A good few hours spent enjoying the scenery the reserve was not very busy which made for easy social distancing, good to be back.

11.00-16.00 (Highlights)

Eric Morecombe Complex :

1f Merlin, 1m Marsh Harrier, 4 Avocets, 2m+1f Goosanders, 1 Greenshank, 1 Whooper Swan and surprisingly

just 1 Little Egret. One of the numerous Oystercatchers here appeared to be already brooding.

Main Reserve :

4 Great White Egrets, 2f+1m Marsh Harriers (Male seen displaying), 1 Whooper Swan, 12 Snipe, 1f Goldeneye,

1 Buzzard, 4 Little Egrets (One seen eating a chunky Tench around 10 inches long), 3 Marsh Tits, 1 Great Black Backed Gull,

1 Kingfisher and 1 Nuthatch (They are apparently quite irregular here).

A fantastic and brilliant trip with many surprises.

With 64 species seen and an extra 5 heard but were too shy to show themselves.
8am - 4:30pm

The morning started well at the saltmarsh with these highlights....

Stock dove in flight
Avocet - 1 juvenile
Greenshank- 19
Knot - 1
Dunlin - 3
Ruff - 1 juvenile
Snipes
Wigeon - 3
Shoveler - 1 drake in eclipse
Osprey
Linnets
Swift - 9

The best bit was along one of the paths and I got talking to a guy about cettis warbler when one showed incredibly well .... in full view ..... and on the ground!!! What are the chances of that!

After my traditional lunch and ..... cake and custard... I walked around the rest of the reserve which produced....

Marsh tits showed really well today
As did a nuthatch - which a 1st time I've seen these actually on the ground!
Buzzard - 2
Little grebe - 9
Treecreeper
Reed warbler - 2
Redshank - 250+ and totally pasted the island from the causeway hide despite having a few cormorants on it. Difficult to pin a number as I can't see the depth of it.

The best bit was..... wait for it......

A bittern which I spotted fairly close and in the open. Some in the hide expressed great surprise so obviously a buzz of excitement began!

Everything ran like clockwork today and I can only say if you log onto my flickr page later tonight, you can get a sence of the excitement and thrills on how I felt today!

Ta!

Further investigation by playing with the contrast and colours, the red tab looks more like it reads "CAL"

After mainly doing insects on my local patch I fancied a day out so popped up to Leighton Moss today, and to the Morecambe Pools in particular. From the Allen Hide the Pectoral Sandpiper that turned up on Sunday was still showing really well, pretty close in. Also on the pools were a Greenshank and a Little Ringed Plover as well as inumerable Black-tailed Godwits and Redshank. Next I headed to Eric Morecambe Hide where 3 Spoonbills were showing well too, albeit in the middle distance and asleep most of the time as is their wont! After lunch I headed up Arnside Knott (I'd forgotten how hard a climb it was up the slippy gravel tracks in scorching sun!). But the interest was more insect than ornithological.

Spent today, between 10.00 and 16.00, dry bright, warm and sunny, here and also at nearby Warton Crag.  Leyton Moss:  coal tit, house sparrow, tree sparrow, blue tit, great tit, pheasant, crow, collared dove, cettis warbler, sedge warbler, garganey, mute swan, bullfinch, song thrush, pochard, coot, canada goose, robin, blackbird, sedge warbler, reed warbler, great crested grebe, little grebe, chiffchaff, chaffinch, mallard, magpie, nuthatch, swallow, swift, wren, marsh harrier, greylag goose, gadwall, teal, great black backed gull, cormorant, black headed gull, buzzard, little egret, bearded tit, blackcap, avocet, oystercatcher, shelduck, shoveler, wood pigeon, black tailed godwit, ruff, willow warbler.

-- Edited by Paul Beachcroft on Sunday 5th of May 2019 06:11:18 PM

-- Edited by Ian McKerchar on Sunday 5th of May 2019 07:33:42 PM

-- Edited by Paul Beachcroft on Sunday 5th of May 2019 07:58:18 PM

Saturday March 16th

The March trip of the Stockport Birdwatching Society was a keenly-anticipated visit to Mid Wales. However the terrible weather forecast suggested that driving a coach around some narrow country lanes in a howling gale might not be entirely sensible. A change of plan saw us divert to Leighton Moss to try and make the best of things.

This early in the year it was interesting to see plenty of the reedbed with the reeds much lower and various cleared areas due to some habitat management. It looks very much like viewing opportunities for Bearded Tit are being targeted, which makes sense. The water levels were extremely high and it was tough going at times, but the hides did a great job of keeping the wind and rain at bay and I still managed 49 species. It was a day for savouring what you could and I actually enjoyed being in the Causeway Hide for an hour or so when normally I am too impatient to sit still. We had some great views of Marsh Harriers interacting in the air and very close Little Grebe and Pochard going about their business. Highlight though was a close Water Rail that showed very well.

Back around the feeders behind the visitor centre the constant activity was great to watch with very close Marsh Tits and a typically quixotic Cetti's Warbler. It was tricky to see in the wet but I got one cracking view. There were another couple singing elsewhere on the reserve. One thing that I chuckled about was failing to see a single Heron species on the reserve, never mind a Bittern. I saw a couple of Little Egrets on the golf course as we left but who goes to Leighton Moss and doesn't see a Grey Heron? Crazy.

A few plucky individuals checked the saltmarsh and recorded expected waders like Avocet and Black-tailed Godwit but it was not really wading habitat on the main reserve. Hopefully the weather and conditions will be a bit kinder for the next trip in April, which is set for North Cave and Blacktoft Sands. Anyone interested in getting involved on the trips should look at the website here: http://stockportbirders.blogspot.com/

8:30 - 5pm A great day With 62 species seen and 4 others heard. Highlights include:

Great white egret (from the train at the Saltmarsh)
Little egret
Bittern (i spotted this in flight and its been over 10 years since my last Bittern at Leighton moss!)
Goldeneye
Pintail
Pochard
Red breasted merganser
Shelduck
Pink footed geese
Cettis warbler
Goldcrest
Song thrush
Bearded tits (2 seen by chance)
Little grebe close
coots - 6 pairs of which were locked in battle (Two pictures now on flickr)
Snipe
Black tailed godwit
Avocet
Curlew
Dunlin
Oystercatcher
Marsh harrier
Great black backed gull
Marsh tit (showed well)
Great tit on the hand (honest!- wasnt a robin)
Rook
Fruitcake with custard
Treecreeper
Reed bunting

High tide was impressive to see all the marsh behind the banking flood and this has raised the water levels on the Saltmarsh itself.

(No sign of some regulars too such as bullfinch and grey heron).

Heard one were - water rail, skylark, green woodpecker and a raven.

Ta!!

Picture is cettis - record shot.

-- Edited by Richard Thew on Friday 22nd of February 2019 11:01:28 PM

12.30-17.00

Eric Morecombe Complex

1 Great White Egret, 2 Little Egrets, 3 Greenshanks, 3f Goosanders, 1m Pintail, 6 Dunlin and 22 Curlew.

Lots of Redshanks and Black Tailed Godwits. A few Skylarks were chasing each other along the edge of the saltmarsh.

Main Reserve

1m+1f Marsh Harrier, 13 Snipe, 9 Pintails, 2 Marsh Tits, 12f+2m Goldeneye and 1 Water Rail.

Around 5pm a spectacular Starling murmuration took place above the level crossing.

A couple more hours spent this morning in the causeway hide at Leighton Moss.  Marsh Harrier and Kestrel both chilling in separate trees, a Cormorant unsuccessfully tackling a large fish for a good few minutes, Mute Swans, Grey Heron, Moor Hen, Coot, Teal, Lapwing, Robins, Chaffinch, Bullfinch..... oh and an Otter fishing......