It’s been another scorcher of a week in Silverdale, but the beating sun hasn’t deterred the wildlife (or, indeed, the visitors). The emergence of dragonflies and damselflies has brought about regular sightings of Hobbies, feasting in flight over the pools. Ospreys are seen fishing multiple times per day as the adults provision for hungry chicks. Views of Otters are becoming more regular; after a few months…

We’ve had a double dose of telly appearances over the past few weeks! If Leighton Moss featuring on Painting Birds with Jim and Nancy Moir wasn’t enough glitz and glamour for you, then we hope you caught us on Susan Calman’s Grand Day Out last night on Channel 5. For the fifth episode of the series, Susan explored Lancashire and Morecambe Bay; her love of Eric Morecambe brought her to Leighton Moss for…

It’s been a scorching start to June, and there have been some sizzling sightings to match. Since our previous blog was posted, visitors in Grisedale Hide were treated to stellar views of a Squacco Heron (Wednesday 24 May)! Squacco Herons are a real rarity in these parts, with the last bird recorded in Lancashire 93 years ago, and only the second ever in the county. Visitor, Jeanie Lazenby, shared her photo and encounter…

(Image by SkyArts)

We are delighted to hear that RSPB Arne will be hosting BBC Springwatch this year, airing next week (from Tuesday 29 May) – it's been ten years since the Watches first visited RSPB Leighton Moss but our team still look back on it with fond memories. If you cannot wait to watch our southern sister site in the spotlight, then fear not! Leighton Moss has got its very own moment of glitz and glamour…

The reserve is a hive of activity at the moment; the wildlife is busy and bustling! Birds are in the throes of breeding season – some of the freshly arrived Spring migrants, like Sedge and Reed Warblers, can be heard singing throughout the day to attract a mate and stake out territory. Similarly, Grasshopper Warbler has been heard singing along the Causeway, while Lesser Whitethroat has been seen on the path beyond…

It’s a week to go until Dawn Chorus Festival 2023 and our headlining acts are well underway with their sound checks! On Monday 24 April, a Lesser Whitethroat was another addition to Leighton Moss’s springtime Warbler ensemble. These birds are secretive, and this individual was heard singing on the path beyond Lower Hide deep in the woodland. Around the reserve, Grasshopper Warblers have been heard throughout…

It’s been a week of glorious sunshine here in sunny Silverdale, and the wildlife has performing! Visitors have been leaving the reserve with a full complement of sightings – Bitterns, Bearded Tits, Marsh Harriers, Otters, Avocets and Ospreys are just some of the species on their Leighton list.  As Bitterns are becoming more territorial and are in the throes of courtship, they’re being sighted in flight more…

The sounds of Reed Warblers filling the reserve is a sure sign that Spring has well and truly arrived, and on Wednesday 12 April, we had another exciting addition to the building ensemble.  A Grasshopper Warbler was heard singing in the morning, from the path toward Grisedale and Tim Jackson Hides at the point where the trail forks.  These birds can be tricky to spot, as their ventriloquial song carries far in still conditions…

Well, what a bumper fortnight it has been at RSPB Leighton Moss! It’s been full steam ahead for our Spring arrivals.  The reserve has been filled with the song of Chiffchaffs for the past few weeks, and now the chorus has been joined by Blackcap and Willow Warbler song. The first Reed Warbler in the area was heard on the evening of Friday 7 April, closely followed on the main reserve at Leighton Moss on Saturday 8…

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. 

The air is thick with anticipation at RSPB Leighton Moss as visitors (and the team!) await spring arrivals. Sand Martins are one of the earliest birds to return to the UK, reaching our shores in late February/early March. Despite the beginning of the week being peppered with snow showers, the temperature warmed and reached double figures as we approached the weekend, and with this came the first sighting of Sand Martins…

Despite the imminent cold weather which is due over the next few days, spring feels like it has arrived at RSPB Leighton Moss -  marked by the first avocet arrivals. The first bird was spotted down on the saltmarsh on Wednesday 22 February, and since then, it’s been joined by at least seven other individuals. The Allen and Eric Morecambe Pools are currently holding a lot of water, so keep your eyes out on the muddy edges…

At this time of year, we see an influx of visitors who are hoping to hear bittern’s boom.  As the breeding season approaches, the males begin to boom: an act to stake out their territories. Each bird’s boom has its own idiosyncrasies -  distinct enough that our warden team can distinguish individuals just by listening! This gives us a good indication of how many males we have on site. So far, the team believe…

February is off to a booming start! At least two bitterns have been heard tuning up on the reserve, warming up ahead of a staking out their territories in the coming weeks. They can often be heard in the morning, but their croaks and wheezes are becoming now more prominent throughout the day. The peak of their booming happens between March – May, so hopefully this is just the beginning of what will be a very exciting…

We may be in the depths of winter but a walk around Leighton Moss is a reminder that January isn’t always bleak! Scarlet elf cup are beginning to bejewel the damp floors of the reserve, while skeins of pink footed geese “wink wink” overhead. Our Senior Site Manager, Jarrod Sneyd, saw a single chiffchaff sat in the trees on Wednesday: while these warblers are mostly summer migrants, a warming climate…

With a slight increase in temperatures over the weekend, RSPB Leighton Moss is currently defrosting!  Last week was a winter wonderland on the reserve -  the pools were frozen over, providing visitors with fantastic views of otters out on the ice and water rails scuttling across the paths. Marsh harriers have been displaying the first signs of pairing up – one female has been rather vocal; often seen perched on a post,…

If you weren’t yet feeling festive then we are sure the frosts of the past week will be getting you into the merry mood! As December arrived, the temperature plummeted – here in Silverdale we are reaching highs of one degree throughout the day. Consequently, the pools are frozen solid and the leaves underfoot are making a satisfying crunch. Despite being a little chilly, it’s a fantastic time to be out on the reserve…

Bitterns, bearded tits, marsh harriers, starlings, otters…

The list of regular wildlife sightings at Leighton Moss this week reads like a programme of the reserve’s headlining acts! The notorious bittern reported over the past few weeks is still treating us to its starring performance; it can often be seen (no binoculars needed!) in the reed stubble in front of the Causeway Hide. As many visitors have noticed…

It’s the moment we have all been waiting for! The starlings are back roosting at RSPB Leighton Moss. Over the past couple of nights, these birds have been arriving on the main reserve in their thousands. The first two evenings, the starlings headed pretty rapidly into the reedbed upon arrival. On Friday 25, c50,000 birds performed a real showstopper, staying up in the air for about fifteen minutes, dancing over…

We spend lots of time telling visitors how elusive and secretive bitterns are, however, one particular bird on the site has been enjoying smashing stereotypes over the past week and delighting visitors by feeding right in front of Causeway Hide!  Lurking in the edges of the reeds, and sometimes walking directly in front of the hide, this has proven to be a treat for photographers – please do tag us in your social media…

After an unusually mild October, frosty mornings arrived with the beginning of November and we’ve felt a real seasonal shift on the reserve. Bearded tit sightings are becoming less frequent; after spending October guzzling up grit to aid seed digestion, they now tend to retreat back into the reedbed. However, as mentioned in Ruth Parke’s blog, last year they did make appearances on the grit trays up until…

What an exciting week on the reserve! Autumn migration is in full swing; redwings have arrived en masse in the past few days, feasting on berries to refuel after their long flight from Scandinavia. Their ‘seep seep’ calls can be heard overhead, and large groups have been seen roosting in the willows on the reserve. Starlings have also been seen flocking together in the evenings, as the wintering populations…

In this week's post, we hear from Ruth - a senior lecturer and social scientist - who began volunteering with the RSPB after the pandemic. In previous posts, we have discussed John Wilson and his immense contribution to conservation through his bearded tit studies.  When Ruth spoke to warden Nick about where her research skills could be made most useful, Nick suggested an extension of these studies. This week, she…

Misty mornings, crunchy leaves, skeins of pink-footed geese overhead - it can mean only one thing! October is upon us. Bearded tits are the stars of the show throughout the autumn. On a calm and sunny day, they visit the grit trays rather reliably, generally between 9am-11am.  The “beardies” transition their diet from insects to seeds as the seasons change, and the intake of grit aids their digestion. The grit trays also…

Long, balmy days seem to be behind us; there’s a chill in the air and the reedbed is turning golden. Visitors are beginning to catch glimpses of the elusive bearded tits on the grit trays -  a sure sign that autumn is upon us!

Marsh harriers had been notably absent in previous weeks; post breeding season sees them disperse and we all eagerly await the return of the overwintering birds. One female has been sighted regularly…