Leighton Moss ramble

It was a glorious autumnal day in the Silverdale area. We parked the car at Crag Foot (near the car park for the saltmarsh hides at Leighton Moss), and walked up the hill, through Grisedale Wood towards Yealand Conyers. From there we dropped down past Leighton Hall, crossed the causeway at Leighton Moss (which was so flooded that one of us had to give the other a piggy back - guess which one got wet feet), and then we sat on a sunny bench overlooking the reedbed, with socks and boots hanging from a barbed wire fence in a forlorn attempt to dry them out.

Then we walked over Silverdale golf course, through Woodwell, past the Wolf House Gallery at Silverdale and on to the Giants Seat on Jack Scout (near Jenny Brown's Point). Here we sat for a while and took in the wonderful views over Morecombe Bay. Finally we went around Jenny Brown's Point, past the shoreline chimney and across the saltmarsh back to the car.

Can there be a more varied walk anywhere? We took in ancient woodland, reedbed, limestone headland, huge seascape and saltmarsh.

Small birds were quite abundant, or perhaps they were just easier to hear and more visible due to the good weather and especially calm conditions. We saw several Chiffchaffs, a couple of Blackcaps, a couple of Marsh Tits and lots of Goldcrests, Treecreepers, and various tits. At Leighton Moss we saw Bearded Tits and a Marsh Harrier.


Leighton Moss from Grisedale Wood and Morecombe Bay from the Giants Seat at Jack Scout.

Rainford Mosslands

Pink-footed Goose 2000 Dairy Farm Road, 800 Old Coach Road
Chiffchaff 1 Dairy Farm Road
Lapwing 100 Dairy Farm Road


Clare's Moss, Old Coach Road and Pink-footed Geese in Dairy Farm Road. This was about 1/3 of the flock that was visible, and then there was a flock of similar size just out of view (I saw them land so I know they were there!). Perhaps 2000 is an under estimate.

Eccleston Mere

Blackcap 2 males
Siskin 15
Goldfinch 50
Bullfinch 1 female
Treecreeper 1
Skylark 20 overhead flying south west in small groups
Meadow Pipit 5 overhead flying south west in ones or twos
Swallow 2
Little Grebe 1 juv.
Teal 1 female
Buzzard 1
Jay 2


Sometimes I think it's easy to overlook that which is on your doorstep. Eccleston Mere is a 20 minute walk or a 5 minute bike ride from my house, and yet at times it seems as nice as anywhere. The western shore of the mere has been really good over the past few weeks and on a nice sunny morning like today it's a pleasure to be there.

The hedge on the right of the photos really catches the morning sun, and it's full of a variety of trees and shrubs, including Sycamore, Ash, Hawthorn, Elder, Guelder-rose, Bramble, Honeysuckle and Alder. The sunny aspect of the hedge attracts a variety of birds, including at the moment roving flocks of small birds which include Blackcaps, Chiffchaffs, Blue Tits, Great Tits, Long-tailed Tits and a variety of finches and thrushes. Meanwhile the Alders on the shore of the mere attract Siskins and Goldfinches.

At the southern end of the western shore there is a fen habitat with a wonderful variety of plants, that is dominated by the beautiful Slender-tufted Sedge Carex acuta. This is a favourite haunt of dragonflies and damselflies, including the impressive Brown Hawker, and the ditch which runs below the hedge and the adjacent Alder carr attracts Willow Tit and in most winters Water Rail and occasionally Woodcock and Snipe.

The western shore is also the best place to see bats at the mere in summer and autumn. Noctules and pipistrelles fly along the path and hedge, whilst Daubentons fly low over the water, almost appearing to pick insects off the surface.


Elder is a beautiful bush I think. The berries are a favourite food of Blackcap at this time of year. This species changes its diet from being insectiverous in the summer to eating berries in the autumn and winter, and this habit has allowed it to change its migratory patterns so that many birds from Central Europe now over winter in Britain rather than flying south to Africa. The advantage to the bird is that they don't have to migrate as far (with all of its associated dangers) and therefore get back to the breeding sites earlier and in better condition than the birds which go to Africa. Interstingly, I'm not sure that British Blackcaps have ever been proven to over winter in Britain.

Eccleston Mere

Chifchaff 4
Coal Tit 1
Treecreeper 1
Siskin 10

It's amazing how many Chiffchaffs you can "hweet" out of a bush! No amount of "tek"ing could produce a Blackcap though....

ABT in Birdwatch

This months edition of Birdwatch magazine has a short article on Septembers American Black Tern at Eccleston Mere / Prescot Res, and even comes with a postage stamp size photo of yours truely!

To pish, hweet or tek

For years I've tried unsuccessfully to pish birds out into the open. This a trick which some birders swear by. You can either put your lips together (like you're about to kiss somebody) and suck air in through them to make a squeeking noise, or you can smile with your lips together and then move you lips slightly and make a peeshing noise (peesh, peesh, peesh). It's supposed to work particularly well for some American passerines, and apparently can work for crests, tits and warblers in the UK. It's never worked for me though.

However, over the past few days I've been trying hweeting and teking (copyright C.Davies). I don't know if other birders do this or if it's just me going insane, but by whistling a "hweet" (i.e. mimicking their call) I've found that I can attract Chiffchaffs out into the open. Likewise today, I managed to apparently attract Blackcaps by putting my tongue on the top of my mouth and making a "tek" noise to imitate their call. It really seems to work. Now if I could just work out how to attract a White's Thrush, I might be able to make a bit of money out of this........

Rainford Mosslands

Hobby 1 Dairy Farm Road
Pink-footed Goose 800 Dairy Farm Road, 500 Old Coach Road
Chiffchaff 1 Berrington's Lane, 1 Old Coach Road
Blackcap 1 female Berrington's Lane
Buzzard 1 Old Coach Road, 2 Dairy Farm Road
Siskin 1 heard Old Coach Road
Swallow 3 Old Coach Road
Lapwing 100 Dairy Farm Road

The Hobby was a fantastic sight. I first noticed it because it put up all of the Lapwings and Starlings, but then I watched it as it soared high into the sky and eventually came right over my head. Then it headed off over the pine trees in Dairy Farm Road, before stooping down in classic Hobby fashion towards an unseen prey, before finally landing in the woods. This is the latest Hobby I have ever seen.


The photo is of course rubbish, barely reconisable as a bird, but believe me, it is a Hobby!

Red Admiral

A couple of photos of a Red Admiral that was in my yard this afternoon. I love the colours.

Eccleston Mere

Chiffchaff 2
Blackcap 1 female
Siskin 20
Goldfinch 100
Tufted Duck 4
Jay 2
Treecreeper 1
Bullfinch 2 (male and female)

Rainford Mosslands, Old Coach Road

Pied Wagtail 150+ Clare's Moss
Pink-footed Goose 3000
Swallow 5
Jay 4

The Pied Wagtail flock is becoming quite an impressive sight in the field with the cows on Clare's Moss. I'm really only seeing the Pink-feet in flight. They roost on Simonswood Moss, which is mainly out of view. I can just see the tops of their heads, but mainly they're flight views at the moment. So far I haven't found a flock on the ground which is viewable.

Eccleston Mere

Chiffchaff 2
Blackcap 1
Siskin 10
Tufted Duck 5
Buzzard 1
Pink-footed Goose 500 distantly over Catchdale Moss