Hide & Seek!

I was overdue a look in at Leighton Moss, in any case there had been a 'goodie' there the day before....so on Thursday off I went.

Marsh Harrier. Pete Woodruff.

From the Causeway Hide, 2 Marsh Harrier seen, a female was perched in a distant tree, and a male hunted over the far side. There was easily a three figure number of Sand Martin hawking over the mere, and a small number of Swift, a Great-crested Grebe had a single juvenile, whilst 2 Buzzard and a Sparrowhawk soared high up, an Emperor Dragonfly was patrolling below the hide window.

At the Grisedale Hide, up to 160 Black-tailed Godwit, 4 Little Egret, and a Black-tailed Skimmer seen. From the path here I saw 2 Nuthatch and heard one in the car park soon after.

At the Allen Hide, 6 Avocet included one sat on a nest in the midst of a Black-headed Gull colony....didn't seem a good idea to me. An Oystercatcher had one young, and the only other wader on the pool was a Redshank and a lone Shoveler. I heard a Chiffchaff from the path and heard another in the car park.

Spoonbill.

Spoonbill Leighton Moss RSPB Reserve 23 June. Pete Woodruff.

Two Spoonbill were on the pool from the Allen Hide, and some excellent news from the RSPB Reserve at Fairburn Ings in the Aire Valley, is that a pair of Spoonbill are breeding there as a first for Yorkshire and at any RSPB Reserve in England.

Caspian Tern. 

Caspian Tern. Chris Batty. 

A Caspian Tern was seen at Leighton Moss last Tuesday evening at 6.15pm and showed well all the following day until the evening when it apparently flew off into the sunset never to be seen again, it hadn't waited for me....well it wouldn't would it!

In over 50 years, Leighton Moss RSPB Reserve has a decent past record for the Caspian Tern with six now to it's credit....

25 July 1966

14 August 1966

2 August 1973

13 August 1979

16 July 2005

20 June 2017

Thanks to Chris for his photograph of the Caspian Tern at Knott End on the Fylde Coast 2 July 2007, and to Brian for the header Common Tern.