Autumn Migration and Passage Visitors
As the school summer holidays end, it’s hard to believe we’ve had a summer this year! We appear to have skipped straight from spring to autumn. Hopefully the weather outlook is set to improve for a while, starting from this weekend! Some birds have already started their migration southwards, but as we move into September you will notice the transition as our summer visitors may overlap. This also means we may be lucky enough to have some rare visitors stopping off for a rest on their journey. Why not come on over to RSPB Leighton Moss and catch the last of our summer visitors and the arrival of some of our winter residents. See if you can spot something unusual, stopping off for a rest and a feast before continuing. Bird migration is one of the wonders of the natural world. Find out more about what makes birds fly thousands of miles and how they find their way by clicking on this Migration link.
Just a reminder that our Binocular and Telescope Open Week is finishing on Sunday. Come along and try out our wide range of binoculars, telescopes and accessories and find something that suits your needs and budget. Ask questions and get impartial advice from our friendly team, with no obligation to buy. Try brands such as RSPB, Viking, Swarovski, Leica, Zeiss, Kowa and Nikon. No need to book, just come along.
On the main reserve a female Pintail has been spotted down at our Lower hide along with Water Rails, Otters (we think there are 2 separate adults, one with one young and another with two) and lovely Tufted Ducks with ducklings. At both Causeway and Lower hies, we’ve had some amazing views of Osprey fishing and Hobby’s hunting low across the pools. We’ve had a few visits over the last two weeks from up to three Cattle Egrets on the Causeway pool island too. At Lilians pool we have three young Little Grebe showing well and a few Shovelers have arrived back for winter.
Photo Credit Hobby by Steve G Brown
With the recent high tides and high winds over at the Eric Morecambe complex we’ve seen a few of the waders dropping into the Main Reserve. Black-tailed Godwits, Knot and a Ruff were spotted at Lilians, Grisedale and Tim Jackson Hides. In other sightings one of our regular visitors has seen some lovely Hawthorn Shieldbugs at different stages of growth and a Black-tailed Skimmer. Although the Black Tailed Skimmer is common this is the first one Chris has seen this year!
Photo Credit Ruff Image by Jarrod Sneyd
Photo Credit Hawthorn Shieldbug by Chris Pickering
As the nights are now starting to draw in why not come along to our next Dusk Discoveries-Wildlife Walk on 6 September at 18.45pm - 20.45pm. Experience the magic of Leighton Moss at dusk on this relaxing evening guided walk. Listen to the ‘dusk chorus’ and we will try and spot bats, deer and other special summer wildlife in the twilight! Suitable clothing should be worn. Pre-booking is essential.
Our live interpreter Dave has been out and about on the reserve again, here is Dave’s Live Interpretation report for Thursday 22 August. It really gives you a good sense of what it's like walking around the main reserve, especially if you’ve not visited before or have never been to a wetland reedbed.
“An afternoon start meant that I missed a wet and windy morning. As I was walking towards Grisedale hide a bright sun was breaking through ragged clouds. Everything looked greener, particularly the swaying sea of reeds with their purple-brown flower heads. At Grisedale hide a birder tells me it’s been quiet but as we’re chatting, he gets distracted, just a hundred yards ahead an Osprey flies out of a dead tree. It passes really low and close to our viewpoint. We watch it intensely as it searches for prey for about 10 minutes. The birder remarks that he has been watching birds for years and that was probably his best view! A few minutes later I am in Tim Jackson hide and a couple come in excited. They say they have just had their best ever view of deer. A hind and her fawn stood at the edge of the reeds just a few yards from them. It’s funny how those quiet days sometimes turn out.”
Photo Credit Osprey by Jarrod Sneyd
Following the work the wardens carried out on the Eric Morecambe and Allen pools earlier this month (more details in previous blog.) We’ve been delighted to see plenty of wildlife back on the pools despite some very high tides pushed in by extremely high winds which meant that the pools went from being pretty much empty a few weeks ago to being very, very full last weekend. The water levels have settled down now and we’ve seen plenty of birdlife including Curlew, Ruff, Teal, Black-tailed Godwits, Goosanders, Avocets (plus some older chicks) and many other usual suspects such as Redshanks and Knot around at this time of year. Who knows what will turn up as a lot of the birds migrate from their summer breeding grounds to their over-wintering sites. Lots of birds call in on Morecambe Bay en route, it’s a bit like motorway services for migrating birds!
Want to find out more about waders? Come along to our Wading Birds for Beginners at RSPB Leighton Moss Guided Walk on 1 September at 7.30am to 9.30am - Autumn is a busy time for Wading Birds on Morecambe Bay. Join our friendly and knowledgeable guide Andy Chapman for an inspiring session where you will learn how to identify wading birds out in the bay. The walk is for those who enjoy birds and nature and wish to take their knowledge of nature to the next level. Please be aware that this walk will start at the RSPB car park on Morecambe Bay on New Road, Warton, Carnforth LA5 9RZ. Pre-booking is essential.
In other sightings around both the main reserve and the Eric Morecambe Complex there have been a few reports of Kestrels and Marsh Harriers as well as some of our smaller feathered friends, Linnets, Cetti’s Warblers, Meadow Pipits and Skylarks. The Red Deer continue to show well at Grisdale and Tim Jackson coming very close to the hides at times.
Check out our Events page for upcoming events you might want to book onto in advance!
Don’t forget our next Nature Tots event is 11 September 10.30am - 11.30am
See our friendly Welcome Team on arrival for Pond Dipping Kits or Family Trail Quiz sheets.
We look forward to seeing you very soon.