13th January 2013, Leighton Moss

Despite the cold and chilly weather we had decided on a drive over to Leighton Moss on Sunday, breakfast taken and car packed we were on the road before nine and arrived over there just after ten o'clock.

This place never disappoints and straight away a lovely blackbird posed for the camera..

This was soon followed by a robin and a blue tit as we made our way down to the nearest hides..

The icy temperatures had a lovely effect on the reed heads..

Unfortunately most of the waters by these hides were frozen so sightings from them were scarce but we did spot some snipe..

Staff and visitors scatter bird food on some of the fallen tree trunks to encourage birds into view, we were lucky to be in the right place at the right time as several lovely birds visited for a meal.

A treecreeper..

A male chaffinch..

And a nuthatch..

When we did find a hide were birds were visible on the open water we spotted a canada goose and some shovellers..

Time for a break for lunch for us and then we took the longer walk down to the lower hide..as we reached the hide sleet began to fall, not much at first but it became quite heavy for a while. As luck would have it a marsh harrier appeared when the weather was close to its worst..

A robin appeared in a tree close to the hide, it was almost demanding its photograph was taken!

Conditions worsened and the marsh harrier appeared again, obviously it needs to feed..

A lovely teal sailed into view..

Not the greatest day but still worthwhile, sightings had been good but now it was getting really cold and being sat motionless in a hide is not the best way of keeping warm! Walking briskly back to the centre and the car park I paused for another robin shot..

A quick check on the feeders area showed not much apart from a rascal grey squirrel!

A trouble free drive home thankfully, despite the weather the roads were clear:-)

RSPB Leighton Moss, 1st July 2012

Rain continues to thwart ambitions of  a decent walk near home, today was no different with a damp start to the day and the promise of thundery showers later in the day. A check of the weather forecast for other areas disclosed some promise of brighter skies to the west, RSPB Leighton Moss then!

We endured a pretty miserable drive over there with mist, rain and squally winds all meaning concentration was vital. As we neared Carnforth the skies magically brightened and by the time we parked up some sun although weak was starting to break through.

The first sights at the feeders were comical first a pheasant doing a little grooming and then a grey squirrel found its way inside a feeding cage much to the bemusement of some magpies!

Out in the hides the birds were distant and there was little to see initially, a lovely red deer hind broke cover to feed in the rich grasses though.

We set off to try our luck in another nearby hide, a group of fellow visitors were peering at something by the edge of the path and we took a peek...a shrew scurrying to and fro, never still these little creatures are so hard to get a clear shot of.

There is a thriving marsh harrier population here and sightings are common, the light was not great when I took these, a little quicker shutter speeds would have much appreciated!

Wandering back to the car for refreshments we spotted this damselfly, not sure which sort is is though, any suggestions would be appreciated:-

After the mornings female marsh harrier sightings we were delighted to get a close view of the male as he hunted over the reed beds, poor light again but a lovely sight.

What do snails do when they are resting? Not a question I ask myself everyday I must admit! This one had taken a liking to the underside of a leaf.

We decided to take a look at the Allen and Eric Morecambe hides which are a short drive away, a check at the feeding stations first though and a pair of juvenile blue tits followed by a group shot of chaffinch, greenfinch and bullfinch.

Avocets and little egrets were in close view when we reached the Allen Hide, the stunning elegance of the avocets is mesmerising.

The little egrets with their pristine white feathers are eye catching too and a very welcome sight.

A long distance shot past a watching oystercatcher shows a mixed flock of sandpipers and black tailed godwits, this concluded another super day at RSPB Leighton Moss for us. Next week we will be in the Lake District, reports to follow.