Birding Group Visit to Leighton Moss : 11th October 2016
Birding Group Visit to Leighton Moss : 11th October 2016
At this time of year the birding group likes to go to Leighton Moss as it is at this time of year that the resident Bearded Tits turn from insect eaters into seed eaters. This change
necessitates the ingestion of grit to aid in the breaking up of the seed in the bird’s gut. At Leighton Moss they put out grit trays for this purpose and these often attract the birds, especially in the mornings. It has to be said that two years previously we had seen them eschew the grit trays and favour the grit on the path instead. We saw a large group of them ingesting “path grit” before but would we be so lucky this time ?
As it happens we did not have to wait too long before a single, splendidly plumaged, male bird to appear and we got very good views of it before he disappeared. Unfortunately that was the sole Bearded Tit we saw this time despite looking for the best part of an hour. The problem is that they start at the grit trays earlier than we tend to arrive there. To get good views of a number of them we probably have to be earlier. Having said that, though, you can never predict how they will behave on any given day. This day we were obviously lucky to get this one late staying bird.
At the – newly-renovated – Public Hide the scene was largely of Common Teal and some Wigeon. There were a few Gadwall and we also saw a small group of Snipe flying – a theme that seemed to carry on all day as I kept seeing small groups flying around. We were not able to see the possible cause of their flightiness until much later in the day.
Lilian’s Hide was pretty quiet with more Gadwall and Mallard and some Shoveler and perhaps fewer Teal and Wigeon. On the woodland walk where the recumbent log is often seeded, there were small birds too-ing and fro-ing including Nuthatch, Treecreeper and Marsh Tit as well as all the usual birds.
Down at the Grisedale Hide things picked up a bit with a pair of Great White Egrets accompanying the ten or so Little Egrets. There were more Teal and smaller numbers of other ducks and, again, I saw a small group of Snipe flying off towards the tree line. A single Redshank pottered about on the mud. The Tim Edmonson hide was pretty much the same but Teal far outnumbered anything else. Before leaving for the estuary we paid a quick return visit to Lilian’s Hide where we got a glimpse of more Snipe flying and a possible cause – a nice Marsh Harrier cruising the reedbed looking for its lunch !
After lunch we headed off to the estuary hides which are much changed at the moment. The pond in front of the Allen Hide had apparently leaked all its water recently and had had to be fixed. No sooner had that been done that the water outside the Eric Morecambe Hide leaked so there was no water there at all – and no birds either !
At the Allen Hide there were some Shelduck and numbers of Lapwing and Redshank. We spent a long time looking at a single wader who could easily have been a Curlew Sandpiper but also may have been a Ruff. A solitary Redshank was trying to look like a Spotted Redshank. But, in general, it was a bit of a poor showing from a coup[le of hides that are usually very productive.
Hopefully by the time we go back there they will have fixed the pools. I think it is their intention to do so before the winter high tides wash it all away !
Bird Sightings : Leighton Moss : Public Hide
| Mute Swan | 10 |
| Gadwall | 6 |
| Eurasian Wigeon | 30 |
| Mallard | 20 |
| Common Teal | 300 |
| Grey Heron | 1 |
| Common Moorhen | 1 |
| Common Snipe | 4 |
| Carrion Crow | 50 |
| Bearded Tit | 1 |
| European Greenfinch | 1 |
Bird Sightings : Lilian’s Hide : xxx
| Gadwall | 60 |
| Eurasian Wigeon | 30 |
| Mallard | 60 |
| Northern Shoveler | 30 |
| Common Teal | 100 |
| Eurasian Marsh Harrier | 1 |
| Common Moorhen | 2 |
| Common Coot | 4 |
| Common Snipe | 6 |
Bird Sightings : Leighton Moss : Environs
| Common Pheasant | 6 |
| Marsh Tit | 1 |
| Coal Tit | 4 |
| Great Tit | 6 |
| Eurasian Blue Tit | 8 |
| Eurasian Nuthatch | 1 |
| Eurasian Treecreeper | 1 |
| European Robin | 4 |
| Eurasian Blackbird | 1 |
| Dunnock | 1 |
| Common Chaffinch | 8 |
Bird Sightings : Leighton Moss : Grisedale Hide
| Eurasian Wigeon | 30 |
| Mallard | 30 |
| Northern Shoveler | 20 |
| Common Teal | 200 |
| Great Egret | 2 |
| Little Egret | 10 |
| Common Redshank | 1 |
| Common Snipe | 4 |
Bird Sightings : Leighton Moss : Allen Hide
| Common Shelduck | 8 |
| Grey Heron | 1 |
| Little Egret | 3 |
| Northern Lapwing | 30 |
| Common Redshank | 30 |
| Ruff | 1 |
| Lesser Black-backed Gull | 1 |
| Carrion Crow | 20 |
| Common Starling | 30 |