A nice day and a day off for both Phillip and I so we decided Leighton Moss was arranged. Headed straight to the Sky Tower and from it we spotted Marsh Harriers floating over the reeds, Pochards diving on the water body and Red Deer across the fields and and in the reedbed. The reed beds were alive with the sound of Reed Warbler and Sedge Warblers and with the explosion of the less common Cetti's Warbler. Next stop we went to the Grizedale and Tim Jackson hides and one of the surprises was Phillip finding a frog! We had arrived late so just after 1pm we decided to lave lunch and then tea and cakes. Phillip had chocolate fudge then followed by a lemon slice whilst I opted for the raspberry and almond slice after a 10 minute think!
We made a trip to the Public Hide and then the Lower hide. At the Public Hide a Little Gull was pointed out to us. I questionned if there was 1 and then later I was told there were 2 indeed of the same age. They hawked insects over the water somewhat like Terns in flight. On the way we heard Water Rail squealing and Bearded Tits pinging. At Public Hide an Osprey was visible feeding on a fish in a dead tree. Phillip picked up the Little Gulls again which had disappeared as they fed over the water body and the a Bittern in flight as it flew from left to right.
Good news for Leighton Moss was the fact that Pied Flycatchers bred successfully on the reserve for the first time in 40 years. Could this be the first lowland Lancashire breeding record of this species in decades also? A couple of Marsh Tits were seen too.
A stop at the Public Hide on the way back and Phillip found a Bittern on the edge of the reedbeds. It was icing on the cake! A relaxing day but a bit lacking in the sense of birds overall. It wasn't a great day for photographs and number of birds on the waterbodies was low. Birds seen:-
