Leighton Moss Meet-up 2022

Really lovely photos Gaynor and glad we finally caught up after both being at opposite ends of the reserve when you arrived LOL. Great to see the views around the reserve and from the hides too so well done, gives a good idea of LM habitat along with those beautiful feathered residents you captured so well on camera. As Paul says, looking forward to the next pics.

I had a fantastic break away Hazy thanks to everyone I met and hope to meet again some day.  

So here are a few more - some of the many Coots on the water just in front of the hide and over to the trees where the Marsh Harriers seemed to like to cruise around looking for dinner, or just to play.

This was taken at 12.25

Blow me at 12.41 we had a visitor - so I had no chance to get ready for the flypast of the ..........

now don't laugh too much at the bad pic but at least it is a BITTERN,  

So to make up for the rotten shot here are some birds that sailed past nicely within my range, though of course the Bittern was also in range I was just too excited.

Dad and one babe, I think we heard the others had been predated.

Difficult to see these hidden in the reeds

A'h three

Or maybe more

Try again

and at last a good view

A few of the Marsh Harriers to come in a bit.

More lovely pics. Well done on the Bittern.

Here are a few of the Marsh Harriers, what a beautiful bird they are, and fabulous to see so many of them, almost enticing me to put my hand in pocket and get a bigger lens!!!!!!!!

If you look closely, really closely lol, you can see there are three on this photo and maybe passing food from the top one to probably youngster below.

Probably the best one

Cld be Reed Bunting

So now to Friday morning before we left for home

The Salt Marsh

Oy-oy

Beautiful Lapwing

Avocet sitting - quite a distance away

A coot a little nearer :-)

Something disturbed the gulls so I looked back to find the Avocet upright

Pleased to get a chance to see them (there were three) though not near each other as I haven't seen one before .

Egret - of which I have seen many!!!

To finish of course it has to be a Robin

We'll be back next year hopefully.

That's it folk, hope you enjoyed the ramble as much as I did, and the company was excellent.

More lovely pics. Nice to see that Tatty Robin has some new tail feathers coming through.

Hope your legs have recovered Gaynor, great to see these pics & looking forward to seeing more!

Edit:  Caught up now, more lovely sightings & pleased to hear how much you enjoyed your break!

Fabulous to see all the super pics from the meet-up... looks a great reserve. Thanks for sharing all :o)

Thanks everyone for sharing your fab pics, sounds like you all had a great time....I have now added LM to my places to visit.... ;-)

Great set of photos Gaynor capturing the magnificent birds around the reserve and wonderful getting the Bittern on camera as we didn't have a lot of warning as it sped past the front of Grisedale hide; really shows how large these birds are the wonderful plumage colouring. The mute swan with her cygnets had the awww factor big time and bonus to see the pretty Reed Bunting. Well done getting three of the Marsh Harriers (including the male) in the one photo. Always good to see the attractive Avocets on the salt marsh area along with the lapwings, vocal black headed gulls, l'egret and Oycs and the busy moorhen strutting its stuff across the mud. Thanks so much for your company Gaynor and all the fun we shared and for the lovely photos reminding me of what we did see; can't wait for next visit :)

Caught up with this thread now, glad you were all able to meet up. Very far away for me! Lovely pictures from your trip, thanks for sharing.