We have more good news to share with you this week! We have reopened both Lilian's and Causeway hides!
There are of course, strict social distancing guidelines in place regarding the use of the hides and there is plenty of information in and around the hides to make things clear. The staff at the Welcome desk will also provide all the relevant detail when visitors arrive on site.
It was great this week to see that three marsh harrier chicks have now fledged from the nest near Lilian's Pool. The youngsters have been stretching their wings and getting to grips with the very fact that they can fly; watching the frantic flapping activity of the young birds whenever an adult comes in with food is a wonderful sight to see!
The great crested grebes on Causeway have ended up with just one chick but it's growing at an astonishing rate and all being well is big enough now to avoid capture from the great black-backed gulls or harriers. We have also spotted fledged pochards this week and even some newly hatched broods of tufted duck and mallard - the nesting season isn't quite over for some birds!
Family parties of bearded tits continue to be heard and occasionally seen along the Causeway while the scrubby and woodland areas are positively jumping with fledged marsh tits (pic by Mike Malpass), blackcaps, willow warblers and a host of other typical species to be found at Leighton Moss. It's also worth spending some time at the feeders by The Hideout - we're seeing lots of bullfinches, greenfinches, chaffinches and, on some days, siskins coming to take advantage of the bounty of easily-accessible food.
As always, we encourage you to follow us on Twitter and Facebook to ensure that you get the most up-to-date information regarding what's going on at the reserve. We hope to see you soon!