Leighton Moss

Female marsh harrier

After a couple of days' cool and very wet weather and not a lot of exercise I thought it prudent to take the opportunity of a decent looking day for a gentle toddle round Leighton Moss. I got myself an old man's explorer ticket, took the train to Lancaster and the minibus to Silverdale, which was an interesting meander taking the M6 to Carnforth then weaving past the fringes of Carnforth Marsh and the reedbeds on the other side of the line to the coastal hides.

Blackbirds, robins and chaffinches sang at the station. It was one of those visits where the songscape was a constant companion, the components varied but the noise was always there. Goldfinches twittered in the hedgerow as I walked round to Leighton Moss and blue tits bounced around in the trees. A couple of green woodpeckers have been showing well on the field between the railway line and the visitor centre so I had more than my usual quick scan round. Blackbirds and mistle thrushes hunted the field margins, woodpigeons foraged in the grass and a squirrel dug up a cache of hazel nuts but no woodpeckers.

Chaffinches 

Bullfinch

I had a quick nosy at the Hideout. Chaffinches monopolised the feeders until a pair of bullfinches turned up. Robins, dunnocks and spadgers flitted about. The big surprise was a Cetti's warbler singing from the top of one of the bushes before flitting over to sing in the apple trees by the visitor centre. I added to my album of "there was a warbler there a moment ago" photos 

Black-headed gulls 

On the way round to Lilian's Hide, chiffchaffs and willow warblers were singing in the trees and water rails squealing at each other in the reeds. The hide was fairly busy so I didn't stop long. Black-headed gulls clustered on the nesting rafts making a lot of noise but no attempts yet at nesting. A dozen tufted ducks drifted about in front of the hide, a few teal dozed on the islands and two greylags cruised opposite ends of the pool. Over on the far side of the pool a pair of great crested grebes swam about each other with a lot of flirtatious head-flicking. I was watching them when I noticed lots of ducks fly out of the reeds over by the causeway. The reason soon became apparent; a male marsh harrier floated over the reeds, rose to greet a female coming the other way then disappeared into the reeds. I could see one of the great black-backs on the nest on the osprey platform way over by the Griesdale Hide. I'd seen another flying over the road as I walked in. Further out yet, and much higher, a buzzard was mobbed by jackdaws before flying over into Griesdale Wood.

Male marsh harrier 

Male marsh harrier 

Female marsh harrier 

I walked into the reedbeds checking the fields as I walked along but seeing only blackbirds, squirrels and molehills. Chiffchaffs, nuthatches, wrens and chaffinches sang in the trees, Cetti's warblers and wrens in the reeds, a flock of curlews called as they passed by. A work gang of volunteers were repairing the path at the corner where the floods of Winter had washed away so much of the hardcore.

Shoveler
For some reason I find it difficult to get a straight picture of a drake shoveler, in most lights that green head photographs almost black.

Chiffchaffs, willow warblers, a reed warbler and another Cetti's warbler sang along the path to the Tim Jackson Hide while gulls and greylags called as they flew overhead. There were a dozen shovelers loafing on the pool at the hide, you had to look hard to find the pairs of teal and gadwall. A pair of coots were nesting right in front of the hide, one sitting and one adding yet more material to the nest.

Coot

Coots nest-building 

I'd lost count of the number of Cetti's warblers I'd heard by the time I got to the Griesdale Hide. Along the way I spent a while trying and failing to see the reed warbler singing in the reeds amongst the drowned willows. The hide was very busy so I only stayed long enough to see that both of the great black-backs were asleep by the pool now, a little egret was stalking the reed margins and a few lapwings were loafing with the shovelers and teals well away from the gulls.

Willows

I walked back, reed warblers and chiffchaffs, willow warblers and Cetti's warblers, wrens and robins, a mistle thrush, a song thrush and backing vocals by black-headed gulls and greylags. Long-tailed tits, chiffchaffs and blue tits bounced about in the willows. I couldn't find the usual pair of marsh tits and I hadn't seen or heard any coal tits or great tits. I had another look over the fields to see if I'd have any luck with the woodpeckers but it wasn't my day for them. A great tit came over to see what I was up to and a treecreeper flew into the tree by my side, luck plays a huge part in the birdwatching day.

Every time I shuffled round the tree to get a profile photo of this wren it shuffled round to face the other way.

I nearly got him though.

I had one last, unsuccessful scout round for marsh tits and headed back to the station to catch the minibus back to Lancaster. A male marsh tit sang from the top of the wall by the road then flew into the tree in the golf club car park to pick up where it left off. Nice things do happen sometimes.