Magic few hours

Unknown said:

On our way to a 'twix xmas' break in Grange over Sands we stopped off at Leighton Moss on 27th Dec and despite the atrocious under foot icy conditions we enjoyed a tremendous and unforgettable few hours. This was our first visit to the reserve but we were imediately made to feel welcome and given all the latest bird news by the volunteers in the reception. First off we headed to Lilian's Hide some 100 yards away however after passing through the car park area we were greeted by about 30 waxwings feeding on the hawthorn and guelder rose? We moved on to the hide to imediately view a bittern in classic stance against the reeds this bird was then joined by another bittern that landed on the waters edge giving us fantastic views of these birds that we had only had fleeting glances of at some of the Norfolk reserves. We also had views of a water rail from the hide and must thank the kind gentleman who allowed us to view the bitterns through his scope. We then moved on to the Public Hide on the causeway and although no more bittern or waxwing were seen we saw fieldfares, redwings, marsh tits, tree creepers, goldcrest and a 'ringed' robin which the lady in the reception said was probably married! (the old ones are the best).

At Grange over Sands we saw twite on the sea front and on the 30th  we walked along Humhrey Head where we saw around 30 more waxwings and 1000's of waders forming vast flocks out in the bay. I presume these would have been knot

Hello Trevor, thanks for providing us with an exceptional list of brilliant sightings when you visited Leighton Moss on 27th December. Great that you saw so much and had a fantastic time. Really enjoyed reading your blog. Come back and see us soon.

Best regards

Alison Greggans (Volunteer Visitor Information Officer)