The beginning of March has brought us many bright, albeit blustery, days. A walk down the Causeway is now accompanied by an overture of (almost) booming bitterns – at present, there seems to be six individuals rumbling in the Silverdale reeds, a promising start to the season. The results of last week’s fish survey showed a particularly high number of eels on site this Spring, which will hopefully provide a banquet for the boomers and their babies in the coming months. (Bittern picture by D Mower)
Wildfowl movement is particularly noticeable at the moment. Earlier in the week, we had our highest count of pochard for this winter, with thirty-eight birds on the Causeway Pool. It appears that the diving ducks that over-wintered around the local area are now all on the move as they begin their migration but are enjoying a quick pit stop on the pools at Leighton Moss before they set off for their journey northward. Do keep your eyes peeled for any rarities and let our Welcome desk know if you happen to stumble upon any scarcer spots. Speaking of which, there’s plenty of wigeon all about the site, but one bird has cause confusion amongst our visitors at the tail end of last week. An American / Eurasian wigeon hybrid has been spotted down on the saltmarsh, looking much like an American wigeon but with some distinguishing features that indicate it isn’t quite purebred.
The Eric Morecambe and Allen hides are showing plenty of exciting signs of Spring. The avocets’ arrival has been enticing visitors down to the saltmarsh, with the numbers now reaching the mid-thirties. They can often be seen scattered amongst our rapidly increasing group of black-tailed godwits – a population which fluctuates throughout the year, but pre and post-breeding season usually brings about an abundance of birds. The pools are currently holding host to around 800 visitors before they depart to their new territories, with a handful of non-breeding birds remaining in Morecambe Bay throughout the summer months. The rowdy black-headed gulls are causing quite the commotion as their breeding colony establishes, making for a rather lively atmosphere down on the saltmarsh.
On the main reserve, Lilian’s Hide has been providing visitors with endless entertainment. A pair of great crested grebes in their full summer finery are beginning to display and nest build toward the back of the pool. A jack snipe has been sighted on a couple of occurrences at the fringes of the reeds, probing at the mud alongside its more common cousins. With the morning view from the Skytower regularly awash with golden light, the air is now thick with anticipation at Leighton Moss. Marsh harrier pairs can be seen frolicking in flight above the reedbed, displaying bonding behaviour as breeding season fast approaches, and seemingly enjoying the windier weather. As the balmy breeze begins to blow in from the south, we can soon expect the arrival of some of our summer migrants. Last year, the first sand martins made an appearance in mid-March so we are now all keenly looking out for our first spring sighting. In the coming weeks, we will be keeping an ear out for chiff-chaffing, and other accompanying calls of our array of warblers joining the Cetti’s song. Why not book on our Birdsong for Beginners walk at the beginning of April to get your ear attuned? (Sand martin picture by J. Sneyd)
The Silverdale starling murmuration will soon be coming to crescendo. It’s been an awe-inspiring display over the past month, but as we welcome our summer migrants to Leighton Moss and Morecambe Bay, the starlings will soon be due to depart. Make sure to catch up with the social media channels before your visit and with the Welcome desk on your arrival to catch the best view of the finale! If you’re interested in learning more about the hows and whys of the mysterious murmurations then why not head on over to Lancaster Litfest event with our very own Jon Carter and published starling photographer, Darren Andrews on 16th March at the Storey. Book now on Litfest’s website! Beth