Leighton Moss Weekend - 28/29th June

DATE: Sat 28th -29th June 2014
WEATHER: Warm and Sunny

Our 23rd Wedding Anniversary and we spent a fantastic weekend in Silverdale. We stayed at the Silverdale Hotel, recently under new management, hopefully they will find their feet soon. The Hotel itself was OK, it was clean, food was great although way too much on your plate.

We spent two days at Leighton Moss and only saw a fraction of the site, day one we made the 50 meter journey to the Feeding station and the Lilian hide after a relaxing stay it was time to go for out late dinner.

Sunday we nipped down to the Shore and sat in bright sunshine for a while looking across the bay, Lesser Black Backed Gulls and Black Headed Gulls having a few tiffs, Oystercatchers keeping themselves to themselves.

Then back to Leighton Moss and this time we ventured further afield to to the hides further round, first the Tim Jackson Hide and then Grisedale Hide about 1.5Km from the visitors centre.

Amongst the birds at the Grisedale Hide magnificent Red Deer, very nice to see.

Day 1 - Bird List

Blue Tit, Great Tit, Coal Tit*, Pheasant, Magpie, Mallards, Bullfinch, Chaffinch, Blackbird, Robin (adult and Juveniles)

Coot, Moorhen, Canada Geese, Gadwall, Heron

Highlight of the day was the Marsh Harriers - Male/Female and young hunting.


Day 2 - Bird List

As Above plus, Pochard (watching the female teaching very buoyant chicks to dive, very funny them bobbing straight back up),Little Egret, Greylag Geese, Shoveler, Moorhen with chicks that were that small they looked like they had just hatched, never seen anything so tiny on the water, Cormorant, Tufted Duck, Marsh Harrier again, Treecreeper, Nuthatch, Coot with very very young chicks, Reed Warbler, Whitethroat.

Heard and  could never find Gold Crest.

Photo's to follow (Slight technical issues)