For many of our visitors a new year means a blank page to start a new list of birds for 2017. And anyone looking to get their list off to a good start this month might want to take advantage of the brilliant array of birds currently at Leighton Moss.
Mid winter might seem a bleak time of year in many aspects, but it can be one of the busiest seasons at the reserve. Migrants are still pouring in, searching for the plentiful food on offer, from apples in the orchard to alder trees in the sensory gardens. A flock of around 100 siskins has been enjoying the winter supplies, moving along the path to Tim Jackson and Grisedale hides and around the woodland at Lilian’s hide. Fieldfares are also a highlight at the moment, with many feeding in the orchard at and along the path to the boardwalk.
If the lure of fieldfares takes you down towards the boardwalk, also look out for a pair of stonechats that are frequently using the field next to the boardwalk to forage for winter sustenance. The beautifully striking male often sits high on tufts of grass or bramble, making him an easy target to spot. Slightly duller, but just as beautiful the female will never be too far away.
Male stonechat by Ben Hall (rspb-images.com)
A wander through the sensory garden wouldn’t be complete without a quick stop at the woodland feeding station, where a fantastic variety of garden birds are busily taking advantage of the seed feeders. Nuthatchs, bullfinchs, blue tits, chaffinches, wrens, blackbirds, dunnocks, collared doves, coal tits and even the odd marsh tit will provide a great start to any year list.
The pools in front of causeway hide and lower hide are still very busy with ducks, another great place to tick off a brilliant number of species in one fell swoop. Pintails, gadwalls, shovlers, mallards and teals dabble in good numbers, along with the odd tufted duck diving in the deeper water. Coots and moorhens provide more variety on the water in front of Causeway hide, along with mute swans and greylag geese.
Tufted duck by Ben Hall (rspb-images.com)
With enough patience there is a good chance of spotting some of the more elusive residents that call Leighton moss home at this time of year. Bitterns have been sighted from the left of the Causeway hide as well as from Lilian’s hide over the last couple of days. There are at least four individuals on the reserve at the moment, so it really is a fantastic time to come and add this jewel of a bird to your new year list.
Bitterns aren’t the only elusive resident being seen regularly at the moment. Water rails, reside in excellent numbers at Leighton Moss, with around 140 pairs counted this year, they are much more numerous than many visitors realise. Look out for these little water birds around the fringes of the reedbed particularly from the causeway and from the dykes on the path to Tim Jackson and Grisedale hides. Other birds to watch out for skulking around the reed fringes are grey herons and snipe, great to see from anywhere on the reserve. As are marsh harriers, of which there are three individuals regularly hunting over the reedbed and pools across the Moss.
Snipe by Andy Hay (rspb-images.com)
If your visit takes you through until dusk, you might be rewarded with number of fantastic wildlife spectacles. Tens of little egrets stream across the evening sky to roost on the trees in front of Lower hide, they have also been joined by two great white egrets on the past couple of evenings. Starlings have also been dancing across the reedbed in large winter flocks before settling down for the night, usually around Lilian’s or Girsedale hide.
Starting a “year list” might not be everyone’s top priority, but taking advantage of the fresh air and beautiful landscape should fit in well with most New Year resolutions. There is also plenty of wildlife other than birds to see at Leighton Moss. Otters are being sighted almost every day from the Causeway, Lower and occasionally at Lillian’s hides, as well we red deer from Grisedale hide, and cheeky stoats along the causeway.
Or if making a list sounds like fun, you might want to start with counting your garden birds. RSPB Big Garden Bird Watch takes place from 28-30 January, click here to order your pack today!