Leighton Moss

Red deer

The day promised to become a bit brisk with the tail end of Storm Thingy hitting us this afternoon so I thought it prudent to be close to a railway station for a speedy exit. Thus it was I got an old man's explorer ticket and headed for Leighton Moss.

It was a cloudy and damp morning. As the train approached Silverdale Station I could see that the pools at the coastal hide were very high. A few mute swans cruised around with a lot of teal and mallard and a small bunch of wigeon.

Leighton Moss was very quiet, perhaps a dozen people about besides a small class of very well-behaved children. Consequently it was a very enjoyable walk even though it was pouring down.

From Lilian's Hide 

The water was high at Lilian's Hide, as it turned out to be everywhere else. Half a dozen black-headed gulls called from where they were sitting on sticks, mallards dozed, a raft of coots and gadwalls drifted midwater and a pair of dabchicks fished in a corner of the reeds. A passing red admiral reminded me that they are tough little buggers. I could only find the one pochard and was surprised to not find a single tufted duck.

Walking to the reedbed hides 

I walked down to the reedbed hides. Most of the small birds were keeping under cover out of the rain. Most of the creaks and squeaks were from tree limbs or my knees and the shaking and twitching of leaves was due more to raindrops than birds. Robins fussed about the edges of the path. Great tits and blue tits rummaged about in ones and twos. The nearest to a mixed tit flock I found was a pair of goldcrests with the usual pair of marsh tits deep in the willows at the bend of the path, all of them heard more than seen.

Red deer

I hadn't yet sat down at the Tim Jackson Hide when four red deer strolled out to graze on the far bank.

Cinnamon teal x shoveler (left) and shoveler

The pool was busy with gadwalls and shovelers. A few teal and mallards dozed at the sides and a couple of wigeon hid in the crowds over by the reeds. The drake cinnamon x shoveler hybrid was showing well. Some of the shovelers still had greyish heads and white crescent on their faces as they hadn't yet moulted out of eclipse plumage but none had the oily blue-grey head of the hybrid duck.

Shovelers

It was a bit late to be expecting to see bearded tits on the grit trays on the way to the Griesdale Hide but that didn't stop me looking just in case. A young Cetti's warbler managed to almost complete a snatch of song. At the hide the pool was littered with shovelers and teal and cormorants loafed in the trees.

Marsh tit

Walking back the marsh tits and goldcrests showed very well in the willows by the path.

The rain was heavy, the wind was getting up and the afternoon trains were looking dicey with two cancellations already listed. I had time to go over for a brief look at the Causeway Hide, any more was pushing my luck.

From the Causeway Hide 

Cetti's warblers sang along the causeway and a mixed tit flock of long-tailed tits, blue tits and chiffchaffs bounced about in the willows. The pool was lapping at the causeway and was occupied by a dozen mute swans, half a dozen cormorants and an otter which looked to be having a giddy time of it. All the ducks looked to have retreated to the drains and smaller pools.

Drowned willows with a full complement of ferns, mosses and lichens

I got the Manchester Airport train which was cancelled under us at Preston. I didn't fancy trying to cram myself into the train back to Manchester from Blackpool so took a leisurely route back via Colne, Burnley and Todmorden.