Leighton Moss

Female shoveler

Thought I'd take advantage of the cool, rainy weather to do a quick repeat visit to Leighton Moss. It turned out to be a good idea, a good day's birdwatching, a lot less irritating than last week and all the trains ran on time (a Monday miracle!).

More Winter ducks had come in, including a handful of goldeneye on the Lilian's Hide pool. The majority of the rest were shovelers and teal but there were also plenty of mallards and wigeon, a few tufted ducks and half a dozen pintail.

Away from the marsh hides waders were in short supply except for the dozen or more snipe around the Griesdale Hide. Water rails were making a racket in the reeds and a couple of them came out into plain sight for a moment before skittling back where they came from. Three reedbeds held mixed tit flocks, including treecreepers, nuthatches and goldcrests, and there were the usual raiding parties on the feeders by the "Hideout." Just the one marsh tit, though, and that only fleetingly.

Three marsh harriers showed well and I could hear but not see a soaring buzzard.

A mixed flock of goldfinches and siskins were feeding high in the alders by the path between the "Hideout" and Lilian's Hide. No redpolls yet but they must be due soon.

Leighton Moss

Male marsh harrier

Common snipe

Common teal

The recent bad weather has knocked the reedbeds about a lot

Taking advantage of my Old Man's Day Ranger ticket I took the train to Barrow to do a bit of Morecambe Bay coast watching while there was still some daylight. Low tide so it was mostly black-headed gulls, little egrets and pied wagtails on the salt marshes and distant specks that may have been ducks of some sort but it's a nice ride when the trains are running.