An interesting day at Leighton Moss

Leighton Moss is a bird reserve in north west England. Of course there are lots of birds to see, but many other species too (which is why I'm posting in this gallery - even though there are some birds included).
I always start at the scrapes at the coastal end of the reserve because the hides face east, so the light is best in the morning. Unfortunately there wasn't much to see there, but I spotted a nice sedge warbler from the path.

NIKON D200    ---    300mm    f/7.1    1/250s    ISO 100

The main area is a large reedbed, with some open water and surrounding scrub and woodland. Our swifts have just returned from Africa and there were a large number hawking over the reeds and water. I couldn't resist the temptation to try a few shots: this is the best (but not very good).

NIKON D200    ---    300mm    f/7.1    1/1000s    ISO 250

I was lucky that someone pointed out this four-spotted chaser dragonfly (Libellula quadrimaculata) to me.

NIKON D200    ---    300mm    f/5.6    1/250s    ISO 100

The hides near the entrance all face west, so I always wait until the afternoon to visit them. There weren't many birds near the Griesdale hide - but I was surprised to see red deer. I knew that some deer live in the reeds, but I had never seen any before.



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A grey heron was stalking through the reeds near the next hide. Eventually it emerged.

NIKON D200    ---    300mm    f/5.6    1/160s    ISO 100

After watching tufted ducks mating from Lilian's hide (see Collective Shoot), I was walking back when I saw this bunny rabbit in the picnic area. I suspect that he was scavenging for leftovers, but he was remarkably tame.

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There's nothing very rare or spectacular in these shots, but they made for an interesting day.

Alan

 

Thanks Paul. I'm glad someone noticed this post. I thought the bunny would get people going. I really like Leighton Moss and I recommend it for photography, provided you're willing to shoot the range of things that you can see. I'd like to get the know the whole area better as the countryside around Silverdale is beautiful.

Thank you. I agree completely. The problem is that when you shoot more you have to spend more time on the computer sorting out the photos :smile:

Alan