Happy New Year from all of us at Leighton Moss; we hope you had a fabulous time celebrating over the festive season. Our Robin Robin trail is still running until the 10 January, so if you’re after elongating the holidays then why not head down with your little ones this weekend for the last of the Christmas cheer?

The New Year is the prime time to get excited about birding again. If, like us, you’re itching to get…

At this time of year (well, from October onward to be honest!) we get asked a lot about starling murmurations.

When will they be here? What time do they arrive? Where's the best place to see them?

Of course there is nothing quite like the sight of tens of thousands of starlings wheeling in unison over the reserve at dusk and this amazing show is a truly memorable experience for all those who witness it. The problem…

Please note our Christmas opening hours... 

The visitor centre, shop and cafe are open 9.30am - 4.30pm daily with the following exceptions:

Christmas Eve: 9.30am-3pm
Christmas Day: CLOSED (inc nature reserve, all hides and paths).
Boxing Day: 9.30am-4.30pm

New Year’s Eve: 9.30am-3pm
New Year’s Day: 9.30am-4.30pm

Despite some cold and misty days, there has been lots to see on and around the reserve in recent days…

With calmer conditions in recent days the reserve has been a joyous place to explore. As water levels drop, the dabbling ducks have returned en masse and diving duck numbers including pochard, goldeneye and tufted duck have increased across the site.

Our resident otter family also seem to prefer the current weather and water levels and have been putting in lenghty appearances most days; Lower and Causeway hides are the…

It’s been a wild week for weather but despite being blasted by Storm Barra, our paths are all still accessible without wellies. The wintering wildfowl are giving us plenty to view from the hides so there’s still lots of birding to be had on a drizzly day. As with the past few weeks, numbers of overwintering dabbling ducks are growing, with impressive numbers of teal, gadwall, pintail and shoveler seen on most…

We've certainly had all kinds of weather to contend with here in recent days; from the ferocious winds courtesy of Storm Arwen last Friday night, to a sprinkling of snow earlier this week, to glorious sunny frosty days and a touch of light drizzle! On the whole, Leighton Moss's wildlife doesn't seem to have been put out too much by these constantly changing conditions and visitors have been enjoying some of the best…

As we'd expect at this time of year, the spectacular starling murmurations are swiftly replacing bearded tits as the main focus for many of our visitors. Activity around the trays has of course dwindled but a few beardies may still be seen as they come to gather grit over the next couple of weeks or so. But the real starts of the show at the minute are the aforementioned starlings and their pre-roost displays. With…

It's been a funny old couple of weeks weather-wise - we've had periods of dark days with lots of rain, and consequent path-flooding in parts, and we've seen glorious bright, calm days when the reedbeds glow an autumn gold. Thankfully the water levels have dropped a fair bit now and so the majority of the site is accessible without the need for wellies. At the time of writing, the path to Lower Hide is still submerged…

We’re delighted to be partnering with Netflix and Aardman on Robin Robin, a half-hour, stop-motion, festive story for the whole family, about a young robin trying to fit in. It’s debuting on Netflix on 24 November – get the date in your diary! To celebrate, we’re inviting you to join exclusive Robin Robin-themed adventure trails right here at RSPB Leighton Moss nature reserve this Christmas season…

As the clocks go back and we edge ever closer to winter, there is a tangible change on the nature reserve. The bearded tits are still visiting the grit trays, though less regularly (due in part to the rather wild, windy and wet conditions we've endured of late) and the red deer stags are still trying to impress the hinds, though the fervour is somewhat reduced. But there is a distinct late-autumn feel, as the leaves…

For many visitors October at Leighton Moss is synonymous with two key natural events; the first, the commencement of bearded tits using the grit trays and second, the red deer rut.

Both these spectacles are relatively easy to see and photograph, if one puts the time in and understands some of the behaviour of the two species. The 'beardies' will visit the trays most days, preferring calm, bright conditions - so, do not…

The prolonged dry spell finally came to an end last week and we've seen quite a lot of water in recent days. Of course, we'll need a great deal more for it to make much of an impression on the vast wetland landscape of Leighton Moss! That said, the once-totally dry Eric Morecambe Pool now looks much more enticing for mud-probing waders and dabbling ducks and I'm sure the coming weeks will see a welcome return of those…

The autumn wader fest continues here at Leighton Moss, despite (and indeed because of) the diminishing water levels! The Eric Morecambe Pool remains water-free while the Allen Pool has at least been topped up by last week's high tides. As a consequence these pools are a beacon for passing shorebirds and we have seen counts of up to six spotted redshank, 16+ greenshank (including a striking leucistic individual - pictured…

It's certainly been a period of change here in the last week or so; one minute it's cracking the proverbial flags, the next it's overcast and muggy. And there is now more than a hint of autumn across the landscape here in the Arnside and Silverdale AONB. Leaves are starting to fall, the reeds are changing colour, the evenings are a little cooler and every day, dusk approaches that wee bit sooner.

Of course…

While the dry spell continues and the water levels continue to drop, there's very much a hint of autumn in the air. It's getting a little chillier in the mornings and an increase in the number of wildfowl and waders across the reserve is noticeable. Lillian's hide continues to provide excellent views of hundreds of black-tailed godwits along with smaller numbers of redshanks, as well as both great white and

While it's not exactly been blistering summer weather of late, we still have pretty low water levels across the reserve due to a relative lack of rain. This has resulted in Lilian's Pool providing the perfect place for hundreds of black-tailed godwits which have been roosting and feeding here, providing visitors with fabulous views. These impressive waders can be heard chattering away as one approaches the hide…

As we head into autumn, the reserve landscape and its inhabitants are changing on an almost daily basis. Moulting wildfowl can be seen loafing on the water (providing some fun identification challenges!) while coot families actively gather in numbers to feed on floating weed. As water levels remain low across the site we are seeing (and hearing!) large flocks of black-tailed godwits in front of Lilian's Hide, often flanked…

Late summer is always a brilliant time for wader watching. Whether you're on the coast or an inland reservoir there's always something going on, as post-breeding birds funnel down through the UK in search of suitable feeding and roosting sites as they head southward. Of course as numbers of commoner species such as dunlin, curlew, black-tailed godwit and redshank build up there's always the chance that you'll come…

We are delighted to announce that after carrying out some essential work, we have re-opened Lower Hide! 

As many of you know, Lower Hide is the oldest standing viewing structure on the reserve and following some severe flooding incidents in recent years it had deteriorated somewhat. We were able, pre-pandemic, to keep the central section of the hide open but once social distancing became an essential consideration there…

The weather may been a little mixed in recent days but it hasn't stopped our visitors from enjoying some fabulous moments here at Leighton Moss!

The continued emergence of young marsh harriers has been a real treat and at the time of writing at least four young, three from one nest and one from another, are eagerly exploring their surroundings. With a minimum of three active nests we can certainly expect to see more…

The big news this week involves the appearance of our first fledging marsh harrier!

This is always a rather tense time for us here on the reserve; how many youngsters will have survived to leave the nests? Each year we watch with anticipation, knowing roughly when the first birds should emerge from the reedbed. Of course there are many factors that can influence the success, or otherwise, of any nesting bird; weather conditions…

As the breeding season continues apace, we are seeing ever-increasing numbers of youngsters around the reserve. The pools are now home to pochard ducklings, crimson-headed coot-lets, mute swan cygnets and greylag goslings and an array of other fluffy nippers guaranteed to solicit the occasional 'oooh' or 'aahhhh' from visitors. The marsh harriers and bitterns are busy feeding their hungry broods - it will…

After what can only be described as a rather grim spring, we are finally seeing some major improvements in the weather. And that has to be good news for nature! We all know that cold, wet spells during the breeding season can be catastrophic for many birds and animals so a warm and dry period should bring some much needed relief. Also, the change should benefit insects which will of course help those other creatures that…