It’s been something of a mixed week here weather-wise. And that of course, impacts on the wildlife and how it can behave. Prolonged spells of rain will keep certain birds skulking out of sight while others are totally unfazed by it, and some are actually even easier to see. In the latter camp are Sand Martins, Swallows and particularly Swifts – as the clouds descend so too do many of the insects that make up their favoured ‘aerial soup’ and hordes of birds can be seen skimming low over the reedbeds and meres. Quite a sight!
In between the showers, we’ve had some lovely bright warm spells too and the birding has been excellent. Bitterns continue to perform exceptionally well, being seen multiple times daily while Ospreys and Hobbies drop by regularly enough to be pretty much guaranteed if you spend time on the reserve. Our Marsh Harriers have been active and this week we saw the first fledged youngsters. At the time of writing certainly two, and probably three, have been seen stretching their wings and trying out their new flying, and often to the amusement of onlookers, landing skills.
Out on the saltmarsh things have remained busy with visitors to the Eric Morecambe and Allen hides being rewarded with regular sightings of Spoonbills. These fabulously exotic-looking birds are almost a summertime special here at Leighton Moss these days, with numbers fluctuating each year. So far we’ve had up to seven Spoonbills present, though two or three is more usual. But the Spoonbills were briefly outshone by an even rarer visitor on Jun 21, when a lone Cattle Egret paid a brief visit to the coastal pools. Seen by just a few lucky observers, the diminutive egret played cat-and-mouse during its afternoon stay and was last seen winging a retreat to the south in the early evening.
When not distracted by long-legged white birds, visitors to the hides were also able to enjoy good numbers of Black-tailed Godwits, Bar-tailed Godwits and Avocets, along with the odd Greenshank, Common Sandpiper, Redshank and Oystercatcher. A couple of smart Mediterranean Gulls, still in breeding plumage have also been seen a number of times, in amongst the more numerous Black-headed Gulls.
As we’d expect on those warmer days, the dragonflies are a real treat and several species can be seen around the reserve. Look out for Brown Hawkers, Black-tailed Skimmers, Emperors and Broad-bodied Chasers, among others.
Otters continue to delight visitors and can turn up just about anywhere. This week alone they have been spotted at Lower, Causeway, Lillian’s and the Eric Morecambe pools. And of course mid-summer can always bring a surprise, especially in unsettled weather, so do please report any sightings that may seem out of the ordinary!
Jon
Spoonbill pic by Jarrod Sneyd