After an unusually mild October, frosty mornings arrived with the beginning of November and we’ve felt a real seasonal shift on the reserve. Bearded tit sightings are becoming less frequent; after spending October guzzling up grit to aid seed digestion, they now tend to retreat back into the reedbed. However, as mentioned in Ruth Parke’s blog, last year they did make appearances on the grit trays up until February – so catching a glimpse of them throughout winter isn’t impossible! From Lower and Causeway Hides, the long tailed duck is still showing well – often joined by groups of up to four otters, playing in the water and on the fringes of the reedbed. Occasional reports of jack snipe from Lower Hide have been mentioned over the past couple of weeks – these birds are notoriously difficult to see, but can be loyal to certain feeding areas, so do keep your eyes peeled. (Otter photo by Steve Brown)
Starlings have taken over as the main point of conversation at Leighton Moss. We start getting lots of enquiries about the timings and whereabouts of the starling murmurations now, but unfortunately, it’s quite tricky for us to give a straightforward answer. Historically, we could’ve always expected to see the biggest murmurations in November and December. In the past few years, the starlings have taken a more laid-back approach to punctuality, with the biggest murmuration on the reserve last winter happening in February. However, starlings were still present on site Autumn, with c60,000 birds roosting in the reedbed during November, despite not murmurating before they settled down for the night.
Last night, Friday 4, a few thousand birds heading down to roost were visible from the Skytower! Just as they settled, a hungry marsh harrier cruised overhead, and sent them into a frenzy. We hope this starling action continues to build over the coming weeks, so do stay tuned! The best advice if you’re anticipating seeing a murmuration is to follow our social media channels. We will be keeping our Facebook and Twitter updated most days, with a weekly round up published on our blog.
Speaking of mild Octobers: a highlight of the week has been a verified first sighting of pallid swift at Leighton Moss. One visitor, Nigel Maitland, got a swift surprise on the reserve last Friday, 28 October, as he saw a very distinct scythe shape flying overhead. Luckily, Nigel managed to snap a pic so that we could get an ID on this bird. Usually, the common swift leaves the UK to overwinter in Africa around August, but we’d had multiple reports of swifts on site that October day. The odd timings of these sightings sent murmurings that this could be a pallid swift. Pallid swifts have a more southerly range than their common cousins, so are seen departing their breeding grounds later in the year. Around the country, an influx of pallid (and other unidentified species of) swifts were being reported. This is an unprecedented occurrence – sightings of pallid swifts in Britain are usually few and far between. However, a very mild late October in Europe has created low pressure system and some unusual southerly winds seem to be blowing these migratory birds off course.
Without photographic evidence, common and pallids are very difficult to tell apart, but thanks to Nigel Maitland, we now have the first confirmed pallid swift sighting at Leighton Moss. (Photo to right) If you do have any unusual sightings at Leighton Moss, then please do report back to the Welcome desk or our social media channels! Your information from your visit is invaluable for our records and can help us to get a better understanding of unprecedented events – like this of the pallid swift. Let us know what you see when you’re next at the reserve!
Beth