It doesn’t get much better than watching these fantastic birds swoop and dive above a glinting pool. The marsh harrier really does give us something to gawp at.
As part of our 50th year anniversary, we’ve been looking at some of the amazing wildlife highlights which make Leighton Moss what it is today – and what better bird to kick off spring than our faithful favourite: the marsh harrier!
These birds bring people in from far and wide. When the harriers are up and giving their stunning aerial displays at Grisedale hide, there’s always a bit of commotion. You can hear the flabbergasted gasps, the cameras snapping and the lenses zooming.
But what’s all the fuss about?
Photo courtesy of Chris Gomersall (rspb-images.com)
The marsh harrier is the largest of all the harriers, typically nesting in tall reedbed. They work up an appetite with their in-flight displays to attract a mate during breeding season. Although they like to eat small mammals and insects, up at the Moss, their favourite dishes include anything from black-headed gull chicks to baby moorhens.
So how do I spot one?
If you’re looking to the skies, you’ll notice a big difference between males and females – which doesn’t make things easy! Females are dark brown with a creamy-white crown, throat and forewing – juveniles look very similar. However, males have a grey head with white shoulders.
You’d think they were trying to confuse us!
Female marsh harrier by Chris Gomersall (rspb-images.com)
This year we have had three harriers overwintering with us at Leighton Moss – a male and two females. They have gravitated towards our Grisedale pool and taken a shot at their fair share of mallards! However, we’ve also been happy to welcome two new marsh harriers to the site. They touched down during the last week of March and have quickly resolved to make the Lower pool their territory.
The new male harrier is slightly unusual as it has a distinctly female colouring. His yellow head might cause some confusion even among the most accomplished birders, but around 6% of male harriers keep their juvenile plumage into adulthood.
So why are they one of Leighton’s biggest success stories?
The first ever breeding pair here was in 1987, and they raised three young. In 2013 we successfully fledged 14 youngsters from five females here onsite making it our joint best breeding year. This is remarkable when you think that in the 1980s, though harriers were a regular spring passage migrant at the reserve, their numbers had been vastly depleted due to persecution. At the low point at the end of the 1970s, there was only one pair in the country!
Thanks to the RSPB’s great work in creating new reedbed, marsh harrier numbers have soared again in recent years and there are now around 400 breeding females in the country.
Leighton Moss has the perfect habitat for these gorgeous birds and they really have flourished here in Lancashire. Come down today and you’ll see them gathering their nesting material – fingers crossed for another great breeding season ahead!
Writer, feminist and complete bird-nerd.