Has Wild Isles inspired you to get out and see a Starling murmuration for yourself? Huge Starling murmurations, and the fact that Starlings are regular chatty garden visitors, can give the impression that they’re thriving. But Starlings are one of the fastest-declining birds in the UK: their numbers fell by 53% between 1995 and 2018. They were added to the UK Red List of Conservation Concern as far back as 2002.
Yet urban nature experiences, like winter Starling murmurations, are often closer than you think, and at the RSPB, we’re committed to making reserves as welcoming and easy to access as possible. Everyone belongs in nature and we need everyone to help us protect it if we are going to protect our Wild Isles. Find out how you can start your nature journey with us at RSPB Leighton Moss.
Murmuration of Starlings. Image Credit by Ben Andrew
What nature spectacles can I see at RSPB Leighton Moss?
Easily accessible from Manchester and Lancaster (via Silverdale railway station), RSPB Leighton Moss offers amazing nature spectacles such as booming Bitterns in spring and murmurations of Starlings in the winter skies. It is an award-winning visitor attraction and nature reserve set in the Arnside and Silverdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
In February Bitterns can be heard tuning up, ahead of the peak booming season through March and May. Spring sees breeding Marsh Harriers, performing aerial skydances, along with the return of singing Sedge and Reed Warblers.
Bittern. Image Credit: Ben Andrew
Another must-see are the secretive Bearded Tits, which group together in the Autumn to gather grit from the trays along the causeway. The reserve’s nine-metre high ‘Skytower’ viewpoint offers a far-reaching bird’s eye view of the landscape and give a real sense of the scale of this fantastic wetland reserve.
Barn Owls are a highlight too, though not always easy to see, while Little Egret, Great White Egret and Grey Heron are easy to spot and fun for beginner wildlife enthusiasts, as well the garden birds coming to the feeders, such as Bullfinch, Marsh Tits, and Dunnocks.
Starlings return around November time, when we start seeing them gather in large groups roosting together and larger numbers are usually seen in January and February.
This is a land of reedbeds, mudflats, coastal marsh and saltwater lagoons, all set against the shores of the nearby Morecambe Bay. Explore a little further and you’ll find pockets of woodland and limestone grasslands. The huge wetlands and reedbeds are where to spot nationally important breeding populations of Bearded Tit, Marsh Harrier, Reed Warbler and Bittern, whilst the coastal marsh attracts flocks of waders including Avocet, Black-Tailed Godwit, Oystercatcher, Curlew, Redshank and Dunlin. If you’re lucky you might also spy some of our resident otter family.
A jewel in the crown of Lancashire, the reserve is a designated Site of Special Scientific interest, and Leighton Moss and Morecambe Bay is one of the most important places in the country for nature and home to the largest reed bed in North-West England.
A visit to Leighton Moss is a great way to connect to nature with year-round with family events and trails, pond dipping and school visits available and we can’t wait to welcome you here.
An Award-Winning Welcome
Our RSPB team at Leighton Moss look forward to welcoming you and here are just a few of the things we’re doing to help make your visit special:
How can I get to RSPB Leighton Moss?
Connecting to nature has benefits for both physical and mental wellbeing, and even if you don’t live near to a RSPB Reserve, there are plenty of ways to connect to the Nature on your Doorstep - https://www.rspb.org.uk/get-involved/activities/nature-on-your-doorstep/garden-activities/connect-with-nature/
If you want to help the Starlings in your garden, you can find out how to create a cosy home for them here