It’s the weekend you’ve all been waiting for – it’s time for Big Garden Birdwatch! We hope you’re poised and ready to record the birds that land on your patch. Not only is it a rather fun way to spend an hour of your weekend, but the data collected is invaluable to conservation work. Last year, over 1 million people participated, a record which we are hoping to beat for 2022. If you need some last minute bird food to restock your stash then do come to the Leighton Moss shop and make the most of the Big Garden Birdwatch £20 Bird Food Kit. It’s also the last weekend to complete our Big Garden Birdwatch family trail; it’s the perfect way for children to get to know their garden bird species so ask at the Welcome desk to grab a trail sheet for £1. Whilst the spotlight might be on your gardens and local green spaces this weekend, we hope we can still tempt you out on to the reserve with our exciting news. Over the past few weeks, we have been watching the starlings fly over the reedbeds as they headed to roost elsewhere. Each evening, we have stood atop the Skytower, eagerly awaiting an indication of their imminent return. Well, it seems our optimism was not unfounded! Last week we updated you on the smaller numbers seemingly showing interest in the reeds at Island Mere. This Thursday evening saw the return of 30-40,000 starlings roosting in our reedbed after displaying over the reserve. We hope this means we’re in for the February full of murmurations that we have all been waiting so patiently for.
If you’re well on your way with your 2022 Leighton Moss checklist then keep your eyes and ears out for another tick! The stonechat is usually a fleeting visitor here at Leighton Moss, and this week a pair have been sighted having a quick pit stop near Grisedale hide. Their peak movement is usually throughout February and March, so hopefully this sighting will be the first of the few to opportunities to see them at Leighton Moss over the next couple of months.
Whilst over in the Grisedale hide, keep a look out for great white egrets. Once a rare visitor to the UK, a boost in the population in Europe and the changing climate has meant these graceful great whites are having great success. Here at Leighton Moss, we had our first thrilling record of a great white egret in 2004, and this year, we have five birds being regularly being sighted on the reserve. They can often be seen coming into the roost at a similar time to the starlings, making for a doubly exciting evening birdwatch. (Photo by Mike Malpass)
Much like previous weeks, our wintering wildfowl numbers are still high. Pochard and goldeneye reports are steadily increasing with the high water levels, whilst teal, shoveler, gadwall and pintail are seen daily from most hides. If you head down to the saltmarsh, then large numbers of wigeon can be seen dabbling away amongst the flocks of lapwings.
If you visited the reserve on Thursday, or kept your eyes on the social media channels, then you will have been aware that our warden and work party team spent the day litter picking down at the shoreline. As expected, much of the retrieved rubbish was plastic washed up by the tides. Amongst the debris, the team found a fifty year old glass bottle and an array of shoes! We’d like to say a big thank-you to the work party for their hard work and the impressive amount of litter that they managed to clear. If you are off to the saltmarsh to admire their handiwork from the hides then do keep your eyes out for the regularly reported barn owl which has been spotted hunting from the path in the morning and at dusk.
We hope that you enjoy the Big Garden Birdwatch bonanza this weekend, and if you visit Leighton Moss then feel free to pop your spots from the reserve in our Recent Sightings book in the lobby. Whilst you’re there, why not grab a What’s On leaflet to hear all about the fun-packed February we have ahead of us? Beth