Well it might have been a touch damp here over the past couple of days but the wildlife has not failed to impress all those who have donned their waterproofs and ventured out.
The otters are enjoying the amount of water on-site and have regularly been playing out in the back of the pool at Lilian's hide and also at Public hide. They are often associated with an early start, but today there was one out at Public hide at 9 am and two out at Lilian's hide at 12.30 pm!
There are four marsh harriers around the reserve, with great views from Public and Lower hides today. They fly fairly low over the reeds, hunting for tasty treats such as voles, small birds and even frogs!
Our most secretive residents - the bitterns, have been appearing more and more over the past few weeks. Autumn and winter are the best times to look out for this shy bird. We are joined by bitterns from mainland Europe at this time of year as it is milder through the colder months, so you have the best chance of spotting one. Look out for them around the pool edges. There have been lots of sightings from Lilian's, Public and Lower hides over the past few days.
Ever popular at this time of year are the starlings. Up to 50,000 are coming in to roost every evening from 3 pm. They are not great fans of wet weather so tend to go straight into the reeds on rainy days, but pick a fine evening and you should catch them swirling across the sky. Alternatively, why not come here at first light when they all go up together. This fabulous photo was captured by our Assistant Warden Alasdair yesterday morning, as the starlings all took off together. They disperse out into nearby fields and towns in the day and then all come back together at night for safety in numbers.
Good morning! (Alasdair Grubb)
Wet weather might not be favoured by many of us, but there are certainly some of our winter visitors who enjoy the rain - the ducks. This time of year is great for spotting a whole variety of different ducks here at Leighton Moss and Morecambe Bay nature reserve. Wigeons, teals, tufted ducks, pintails, gadwalls, goldeneyes and the ever present mallards are certainly not put off by the weather. We are also joined today by a female long-tailed duck at Lilian's hide. We have had up to five scaup from Public hide too, reported several times this week. A female goosander has been deligting visitors at Lilian's hide today as well. If you'd like to know more about identifying ducks, why not book a place on our Birding for Beginners course on Sunday 24 November. Details here.
Male goldeneye by Ben Hall (rspb-images.com)