Birding Group Day Out to Leighton Moss RSPB 18th October 2011
Birding Group Day Out to Leighton Moss RSPB 18th October 2011
Although the day started out pretty wet and looking a bit grim, by the time we got to Leighton Moss RSPB the day had picked up a little and although it remained very variable, the weather managed to keep dry whilst we were there. We thought we stood a bit of a chance of seeing Bearded Tits as there had been reports of them particularly near the grit trays on the Avenue so we headed off in the direction of the Public Hide first. Although we did not manage to see any Bearded Tits we did have one or two highlights.
You frequently get good sightings of Hen Harriers at Leighton Moss and today was no exception with good views from the Public Hide, The Grisedale Hide and Tim Jackson Hide. We saw at least two different Harriers but it wasn’t possible to tell if there were, in fact, more. Another highlight was the appearance of a Peregrine over the reeds at the Grisedale Hide which caused general panic and sent all the other birds up into the air in a fright. We only managed to see it swoop past once before it seemed to go down into the reed bed. Additionally there was a single Spotted Redshank seen from the Eric Morecambe Hide and a Snipe at the Grisedale Hide as well as a Pintail from the Public Hide.
We also saw a Red Deer stag lying in the grass behind the ponds at the Tim Jackson hide.
Bird List : Public Hide
| Species | Count |
|---|---|
| Mute Swan | 3 |
| Mallard | 20 |
| Northern Pintail | 1 |
| Common Teal | 30 |
| Tufted Duck | 6 |
| Great Crested Grebe | 4 |
| Great Cormorant | 1 |
| Grey Heron | 1 |
| Eurasian Marsh Harrier | 2 |
| Common Coot | 150 |
| Northern Lapwing | 20 |
| Common Greenshank | 4 |
| Common Redshank | 6 |
| Black-headed Gull | 1 |
| Great Black-backed Gull | 1 |
| Carrion Crow | 1 |
Bird List :Lillian Hide
| Species | Count |
|---|---|
| Eurasian Wigeon | 1 |
| Tufted Duck | 4 |
| Common Coot | 200 |
Bird List : Feeder Station etc.
| Species | Count |
|---|---|
| Common Pheasant | 8 |
| Eurasian Common Moorhen | 1 |
| Willow Tit | 3 |
| Coal Tit | 10 |
| Long-tailed Tit | 6 |
| Chaffinch | 50 |
| European Greenfinch | 6 |
| European Goldfinch | 1 |
| Common Bullfinch | 4 |
Bird List :Tim Jackson Hide
| Species | Count |
|---|---|
| Eurasian Wigeon | 30 |
| Northern Shoveler | 30 |
| Common Teal | 100 |
| Eurasian Marsh Harrier | 2 |
| Common Coot | 150 |
Bird List : Grisedale Hide
| Species | Count |
|---|---|
| Mallard | 20 |
| Northern Shoveler | 40 |
| Common Teal | 100 |
| Tufted Duck | 6 |
| Great Cormorant | 1 |
| Eurasian Marsh Harrier | 2 |
| Peregrine Falcon | 1 |
| Common Coot | 30 |
| Common Redshank | 200 |
| Black-tailed Godwit | 1 |
| Common Snipe | 1 |
Bird List : Allen Hide
| Species | Count |
|---|---|
| Common Shelduck | 2 |
| Little Egret | 4 |
| Northern Lapwing | 20 |
| Common Redshank | 20 |
Bird List : Eric Morecambe Hide
| Species | Count |
|---|---|
| Common Shelduck | 2 |
| Gadwall | 12 |
| Eurasian Wigeon | 20 |
| Northern Shoveler | 50 |
| Common Teal | 100 |
| Tufted Duck | 30 |
| Little Egret | 6 |
| Spotted Redshank | 1 |
| Common Greenshank | 3 |
| Common Redshank | 50 |
| Eurasian Curlew | 1 |
| Black-tailed Godwit | 1 |