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| Leighton Moss |
A day out at Leighton Moss while the sun was shining (and the trains between Manchester and Silverdale were running pretty much to time unlike the rest of the network).
Plenty of ducks on Lilian's Hide: teal and mallard close to the hide, wigeon, shoveler and pintail on the far side of the pool with a few tufted ducks and goldeneye, and a couple of dozen gadwall peppered about. All were momentarily spooked as a marsh harrier flew over then settled back down quietly. A nice surprise was a bittern suddenly flying up out of the reedbed and flying a few yards before disappearing whence it came.
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| Drake teal singing |
There were more marsh tits about than I've seen so far this year, which comes as a bit of a relief as I'd started worrying about that. The alders between Lilian's Hide and the Hideout hosted a small flock of siskins.
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| Marsh tit |
I didn't get to see any bearded tits or Cetti's warblers this time, though there were two singing Cetti's, one on the causeway and one in the new reeds by the boardwalk.
From the Causeway Hide the first thing that struck the eye was a large raft of coot and gadwall. There were a few mute swans and a large group of mallard but not much in the way of diving duck besides a solitary duck goldeneye. On the little island — which seems to be getting smaller each time I visit — a couple of cormorants and a great black-backed gull made a couple of lapwings look a bit nervous.
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| Coot |
A mixed tit flock at the bottom of the causeway was mostly long-tailed tits and blue tits with a marsh tit tagging along for company.
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| Long-tailed tit |
A large flock of fieldfare, accompanied by a few blackbirds and redwings, was scattered round the visitor centre and the trees by the golf course. The field between the visitor centre and the railway line seemed to be the place most favoured by redwings. A few of the fieldfares jostled with a flock of starlings for the pick of the apples in the orchard.
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| Fieldfare |
Just as I set off for the train home it started raining, which was nicer timing than usual.
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