It had been a year since my last visit to Leighton Moss and the Silverdale area.  My main aim was to see the Duke of Burgundy butterfly which appears in May and June at the Gait Barrows Nature Reserve.  I tried last year and we were sent in the wrong direction.  The weather did not help too that day. 

On arrival we were greeted by a Garden Warbler.  We were given a tip-off where the butterflies could be found, by a photographer not the Garden Warbler of course.  On arrival we spotted the first Duke of Burgundy sunning itself on a plant and giving great views.  I couldnt believe how easy this was.  I tried 3 times before but to no avail.  We saw maybe 5 other specimens and other butterfly species such as Brimstone, a possible Small Pearl Bordered Fritillary, Green Veined White and Large White, Red Admiral, Peacock, Orange Tip, Small Tortoiseshell, Brimstone and a moth species Speckled Yellow.

Next stop was Warton Crag Nature Reserve to see 2 more species of butterfly Dingy Skipper and Small Pearl Bordered Fritillary.  It was not long before we saw both of these species but the latter did not settle at all.  The Dingy Skippers were skittish and there could have been over 20.  It was nice to walk to the top and managed to see 2 Peregrines, a Raven family and 2 singing Lesser Whitethroat near the top.  The views over Morecambe Bay and towards the Pennines were fantastic.

Next we moved onto the Morecambe and Allen Hides where the highlights were a Little Gull, Avocets with chicks, a Pochard.  The Black headed Gull colony seemed thinned out and the reason was scattered around.  There were at least 30 dead Black Headed Gulls because of bird flu. 

On to the main reserve at Leighton Moss and straight to the café of course.  I ordered a date flapjack and a toffee slice.  Phil ordered a toffee slice and some type of chocolate fudge cake.

After refreshing at the café we went straight to the  Sky Tower and just underneath in a clearing were 100 plus Black Tailed Godwits feeding.  Once again there appeared to be an aura of emptiness.  An eerie silence that was only punctuated by the few Black Headed Gulls that were present.  It was not the same. The raucous cacophony of the Black Headed Gulls was dimmed.  Numbers of waterfowl seemed low with Gadwall, Mallard, Shoveler, Shelduck, Tufted Duck, Pochard, Teal all present.  We could see Marsh Harriers hunting around the reserve.  On we moved to the Grizedale and Jackson Hides and outside the former were 2 Red Deer feeding very close to the hide.  The Goat Willow had shed a lot of seeds and turned the land and water under the trees white.   We walked to the Causeway Hide and sat and watched 16 Swans when Phil caught the site of 3 Bitterns in the air chasing each other.  The dreariness was now interrupted.  From the expected direction but without warning flew an Osprey and it was a bit confusing where to look.  3 Bitterns chasing each other or Osprey?  The latter came closer so it took my attention anyway.   Reed Warblers, Sedge Warblers and Cettis began to sing again as the afternoon waned. 

It wasnt a bad day and we realized no Marsh Tit had been seen at Leighton Moss by either of us.  Thankfully they were seen at gait Barrows and entering a nest hole at Warton Crag.  We had walked about 15km so that may have digested some of our double cake helping.  The list of birds seen were as follows:-

Mute Swan

Canada Goose

Greylag

Shelduck

Mallard

Gadwall

Shoveler

Teal

Pochard

Tufted Duck

Pheasant

Great Crested Grebe

Little Grebe

Cormorant

Bittern

Grey heron

Little Egret

Marsh harrier

Peregrine

Buzzard

Osprey

Water Rail (heard only)

Coot

Moorhen

Oystercatcher

Avocet

Lapwing

Redshank

Black Tailed Godwit

Curlew

Great Black Backed Gull

Herring Gull

Lesser Black Backed Gull

Black Headed Gull

Little Gull

Feral Pigeon

Woodpigeon

Swift

Skylark

Sand Martin

House Martin

Swallow

Meadow Pipit

Pied Wagtail

Dunnock

Robin

Song Thrush

Blackbird

Garden Warbler

Blackcap

Reed Warbler

Cettis Warbler

Sedge Warbler

Willow Warbler

Chiffchaff

Goldcrest

Great Tit

Blue Tit

Coal Tit

Long Tailed Tit

Bearded Tit (heard only)

Treecreeper

Magpie

Jay

Rook

Jackdaw

Carrion Crow

Raven

Starling

House Sparrow

Chaffinch

Linnet

Siskin

Goldfinch

Greenfinch

Bullfinch

Reed Bunting

Surprising omissions were Great and Green Woodpeckers, Nuthatch, Whitethroat, Mistle Thrush, Collared Dove, Sparrowhawk.  Unidentifiable moth species and some fungi species added.  Not sure if the artificial sweetener would help when 2 cake slices were eaten.    

-- Edited by sarfraz on Sunday 4th of June 2023 11:34:20 PM