With thanks to Annabel Rushton at RSPB Leighton Moss and Morecambe Bay nature reserve for sharing her blog with visitlancashire.com.
I
am delighted to be writing my first guest blog for Visit Lancashire as I have
some incredibly exciting news. RSPB Leighton Moss and Morecambe Bay nature reserve near Silverdale is going to be the home of this year’s series of BBC Autumnwatch! We are getting incredibly
excited and cannot wait for filming to begin so we can showcase all that
Leighton Moss and the surrounding area has to offer wildlife lovers of all
ages.
So why were we chosen? Well there are several reasons really. RSPB Leighton Moss and Morecambe Bay nature reserve is home to a wealth of wildlife all year round, and autumn is a particularly great time to spot some of our most special creatures. Seeing as we are also set within the beautiful Arnside and Silverdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, there is also no shortage of stunning scenery surrounding us. Add to that the fact that we are on the edge of breathtaking Morecambe Bay and on the fringe of the Lake District, you can see how the whole package makes for great TV.
So here are some of the highlights of what is already here, and what you can expect to see on your screens at the end of the month:
Morecambe Bay is particularly famous for its mud, and it is this that attracts around a quarter of a million waders every year. Autumn is a time of migration (the theme of this year's Autumnwatch series) and around the Bay, huge flocks of black-tailed godwits and oystercatchers can be seen. Head down to our Eric Morecambe and Allen hides to see them, or take a stroll round Jenny Brown's Point. Huge great swirling flocks of knot are also a great treat over the Bay at this time of year.
In the reed bed, the over-wintering ducks are building in numbers. On Lilian's pool there is a huge variety including pintails, teals, shovelers, gadwalls, wigeons and not forgetting a firm favourite-mallards. Some of these birds spend the whole year with us, but many have recently arrived from further north in places like Scandinavia where they breed.
The red deer rut is well underway. You can hear the stags most mornings from about 7 am, bellowing and roaring at one another across the reserve, and striking up again at dusk. I often hear them as I leave of an evening at about 6.30 pm.
Of an evening there at the moment, there are a few hundred starlings putting on a mini display above Barrow Scout Fields. These are likely to be British starlings, and over the coming weeks into November, their numbers will swell up to around 100,000 as they are joined by others from Europe that have come to spend the colder months here.
Up until two years ago, it was unheard of for marsh harriers to spend the winter at Leighton Moss. They arrive from Africa in spring, breed here, and then usually head off in August/September time. However, for the third autumn in a row, we have marsh harriers on the reserve, four to be precise. They are seen daily around the reedbed flying low over the reeds or perching in the scrubby trees.
Of course October is the best month to see one of our most elusive residents-the bearded tits. They are appearing most mornings at the grit trays on the causeway from around 7.30 am till about 10 am. You can also catch them on our live camera.
A few people have asked whether we will be open as usual throughout the filming of Autumnwatch and the answer is of course yes, so please do come and see us. The programme itself will go out live at 8 pm from Tuesday 29 October to Friday 1 November, presented by Chris Packham, Michaela Strachan and Martin Hughes-Games, so don't forget to watch out for your favorite reserve on telly!
Keep up to date with all the goings on on our website, our Twitter and our Facebook
Annabel Rushton
Marketing Officer
RSPB Leighton Moss and Morecambe Bay nature reserves
Image: Starling Roost at RSPB Leighton Moss November, copyright Andrew Holden
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