leighton moss

[dunlin]

After going to leighton moss more times than i can remember i called today and got my first sight of bearded tit on the public road. within 20 mins id seen four.The weather was foul it rained most of the day

what is it about birds that makes you want to stand in the rain getting soaked but still leaves you with a smile on your face?
regards mark..

[PMG]

....... I get like that about a lot of things - fungi also does it for me - I can get a really big grin on when its something I've wanted to see for years

Talking of LM I had the highlight last week of prob in excess of 35 years of visits I sat on the roadside to see how the starling roost was doing this year (having turned up at 3pm nice and early to grab the only bit of parking my old camper would fit in to be off the road) and just sat and waited and waited ....... and overlooked the water and watched the tufted. The water level was extremely high after sev days of continuous rain ........ the Little Egrets were arriving - I counted at least 45 and I think there were more than that!

The starlings began streaming up the reserve as soon as the sun went - a couple of biggish flocks came over the hillside and swooped over the top of the camper with 'whooshing' wings. While looking out over the reedbed with binocs I caught sight of a bittern flying from the far side of the water to 'my' side and for some prescient reason I thought immediately 'otter' ....... the tufted then went 'daft' and began jumping out of the water and jumping under ....... so I searched frantically along the bottom of the far reeds and sure enough a little head with rounded ears was swimming by and heading into the ditch on the far side of the island! Just before it disappeared it dove and that familiar rump and tail came up and down ........ Chuffed or what?!
Within seconds of this I heard familiar calls and a party of Bearded Tits - about 8 went 'pinging' past left to right over the nearest reedbed before plunging out of sight!!

So in the space of 3.5 mins I had seen every speciality of Leighton Moss - distantly thro binocs and not a phoptograph taken - but who cares - it chuffed up what was supposed to be a relaxing break away from the cares of home and had actually up to this point been an unpleasant incarceration in 6ft of caravan space ............ bucked me up no end

Pauline

[Sprout]

pauline, i wonder if that was one of the the days we were there? as we went into lower hide, an rspb warden and another chap sitting in there were glued to their binocs and said they'd just been watching an otter. we sat down and waited....and waited....and waited. nothing
the warden answered some of our questions about bearded tits though - catching them, ringing them, etc. all very interesting.
i couldn't agree more with you dunlin, barely notice the rain do you? the more we get into all this birding stuff, the more we're enjoying it. i barely stopped smiling the day we saw the bearded tits and the bittern

[rossy]

well seems to me everyone whos been to leighton moss come away satisfied in one way or another. the wardens explained to me about the beardies and the one thing they dont want is rain . it can have a terrible outcome on numbers whilst breeding . that is why the rspb build the nest boxes and place them so when the water level rises they dont flood the nest as when the birds build low down in the reeds. the grit trays also help during bad winters hopefully to sustain numbers as food for the birds isnt plentiful. rossy.

[PMG]

Originally Posted by Sprout

pauline, i wonder if that was one of the the days we were there? as we went into lower hide, an rspb warden and another chap sitting in there were glued to their binocs and said they'd just been watching an otter. we sat down and waited....and waited....and waited. nothing
the warden answered some of our questions about bearded tits though - catching them, ringing them, etc. all very interesting.
i couldn't agree more with you dunlin, barely notice the rain do you? the more we get into all this birding stuff, the more we're enjoying it. i barely stopped smiling the day we saw the bearded tits and the bittern

Dunno Sprout - I can't remember which day I was there - poss the Tues 3rd? The trouble with rain is its perfectly poss to continue birdwatching esp with all the decent specialist clothing available these days - the thing I find imposible is to carry a load of photographic gear, keep it dry and manage to have it ready for use at a moments notice ........ and if the camera and gear isn't going then neither am I - cos I know I will see something which I could have photographed and no stuff with me ........ and I couldn't bear that!!!! Hahahaha! I didn't set off around the reserve as I expected the public path and definitely the rear path to be well underwater and I only have leaky boots (tho I have been eyeing up decent wellis on the web this morning!!) maybe next time I will get around the reserve ..........

Pauline

[dunlin]

Originally Posted by PMG

....... I get like that about a lot of things - fungi also does it for me - I can get a really big grin on when its something I've wanted to see for years

Talking of LM I had the highlight last week of prob in excess of 35 years of visits I sat on the roadside to see how the starling roost was doing this year (having turned up at 3pm nice and early to grab the only bit of parking my old camper would fit in to be off the road) and just sat and waited and waited ....... and overlooked the water and watched the tufted. The water level was extremely high after sev days of continuous rain ........ the Little Egrets were arriving - I counted at least 45 and I think there were more than that!

The starlings began streaming up the reserve as soon as the sun went - a couple of biggish flocks came over the hillside and swooped over the top of the camper with 'whooshing' wings. While looking out over the reedbed with binocs I caught sight of a bittern flying from the far side of the water to 'my' side and for some prescient reason I thought immediately 'otter' ....... the tufted then went 'daft' and began jumping out of the water and jumping under ....... so I searched frantically along the bottom of the far reeds and sure enough a little head with rounded ears was swimming by and heading into the ditch on the far side of the island! Just before it disappeared it dove and that familiar rump and tail came up and down ........ Chuffed or what?!
Within seconds of this I heard familiar calls and a party of Bearded Tits - about 8 went 'pinging' past left to right over the nearest reedbed before plunging out of sight!!

So in the space of 3.5 mins I had seen every speciality of Leighton Moss - distantly thro binocs and not a phoptograph taken - but who cares - it chuffed up what was supposed to be a relaxing break away from the cares of home and had actually up to this point been an unpleasant incarceration in 6ft of caravan space ............ bucked me up no end

Pauline

Hi pauline
Ive yet to see the otters in fact ive never seen one any where. I did have a near miss on the river severn a few years back, one had been seen half an hour before i arrived.
I spent a bit of time up at leighton this year well at warton crag to be precise and had some great views of the peregrines fetching food back and feeding there young.
I also went up in late spring to watch the marsh harriers and was surprised to see an osprey that decided to stop and do a bit of fishing. I believe it hung around for three days.
leighton moss is a great day out and somewhere i never tire of visiting.
regards mark.......

[Goatboy]

Originally Posted by dunlin

After going to leighton moss more times than i can remember i called today and got my first sight of bearded tit on the public road. within 20 mins id seen four.The weather was foul it rained most of the day

what is it about birds that makes you want to stand in the rain getting soaked but still leaves you with a smile on your face?
regards mark..

Harumph!!!!


I was beginning to think the Beardys at Laighton Moss were an urban myth. I've struck out so many times there. Good job there's plenty of other stuff to see. Last week I got the Snow Geese, a Bittern and a Hobby.

Glad you got to see them Dunlin guess I'll just have to keep trying.

[captaincarot]

we've been to leighton moss 3 times this year. never seen any of the beardies or the bittern.

this will not stop us from oing back as it's alovely place and we always see masses of other stuff.

the starlig roost on thursday was really good and extremely noisy.

[diggleken]

Great place!
I cant quite match Pauline, around 32 yrs been going there I reckon, I remember the spoonbill in the late 70's as a first for there - never disappoints - even on not many bird days, its always a calming pleasure.
4 Bitterns in one day plus beardies is my highlight, plus the deer of course - one Bittern took off from a yard in front of my face, kid you not, in the public hide - great camouflage, but saw it just blink before it saw me and went!
Most times its a big day out, checking tides before the event, planning, then Heysham outfalls, harbour, morecambe front, the bay from hest bank and then on to Leighton, all hides and then the woods there, maybe silverdale woods plus the lakes near the motorway..............
Tired now just thinking of it.
Did I really do all that in a day? Plus a 150 mile round trip. Memories, but I'm more relaxed these days.
Cheers
Ken

[ChrisJB]

I too have been going to t' Moss for years and seen some top notch stuff, but am still waiting to see my first bearded tit there. I always hear them 'pinging', but never see them. Sigh.

Regards, Chris