Yesterday was a fitting end to what has
been another very good birding year. Trips to Estonia and Mull and some very
good lifers and county ticks (Ferruginous Duck, Little Bittern, Caspian Gull,
Collard Pratincole and many more) have been the highlights as was the trip to
birdfair and being part of the winning 2014 Northumberland Winter Bird Race
team.
Yesterday I had a trip out with Cain, Gary,
Ewan, Andrew and Rachel to Leighton Moss. On the way we stopped at Sizeurgh
Castle in the southern Cumbria. Loads of Chaffinch, Gold and Greenfinch,
Nuthatch and Bullfinch were briefly joined by one Hawfinch in the car park but
the presence of a cat was making everything flighty. More worrying was the
presence of a Grey Squirrel!
We arrived at a cold and icy Leighton Moss
and walked along the reed bed surrounded path to the lower hide. Bearded Tit
and Water Rail called tantalisingly out of view close by in the reeds on the
way. A pair of Marsh Tit were working there way through the trees and the
worlds most tame Robins and Pheasants ate dog biscuits from our hands!
From the Lower hide we had great views of a
male Peregrine resting in a dead tree before flying around a bit. From the main
hide at least 2 Marsh Harriers were in view but unfortunately no Bitterns
showed.
We spent the last hour or two of light in
the Eric Morcambe hide. Around 4 Little Egrets were on the marsh including two
fighting birds whose awful vocals could be heard across the marsh. A Marsh
Harrier was quartering the area; a Sparrowhawk sat patiently on a fence post
and a Peregrine also hunted. This alerted the attention of a flock of Lapwing
that took to the sky to avoid an attack. They looked amazing silhouetted against
the setting sun.
Our
last treat of the day was a Kingfisher that flew past the hide and settled on a
post outside the hide. It then began to hunt on the unfrozen water before attempting
to smash through the ice.
