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Leighton Moss Guide
 
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Peak Number of Adults seen :- 23
Peak Number of Nesting Pairs :- 9
Nests Predated/Abandoned :- 14
Chicks Hatched :-9
Chicks Surviving :-4
Bed and Breakfast near Leighton Moss
Site designed and maintained by Jim Shepherd. Avocet Photos by Keith Kellet
Sightings to Date

15th July:- 9am, One Avocet on the Allen Pool. The EM Pool is nearly dry and the majority of the Avocets have probably flown South so it seems to be a good time stop updating this page! I will be back next year with an Avocets 2007 page. Watch this Space!

14th July:- 9am, Two Avocets on The Allen Pool. It seems that after the upset on the 12th some of the birds flew to Leighton Moss, (an Avocet was seen feeding on the Lilian Pool later that day)!

13th July:- A day away in Windermere and Troutbeck. No reports of Avocets on The Pools today on the LDBWS Website!

12th July:- 1.30pm, as I approached the Allen/EM Hides almost every bird on The Pools flew off in panic. On reaching the EM Hide the birds were coming back to the EM Pool but there were no Avocets among them! A Raptor had just flown past! There were no birds on the Allen pool, (water was being pumped from a nearby gulley to top up The Pool).

11th July:- 9.30am, Twenty One Avocets on the EM pool plus Two Chicks! The Cows have walked all over the Allen Pool so the Avocets have moved to the EM Pool. Where the remainder of the birds have gone is not known, (there are no suitable pools nearby because of the drought).

10th July:- 11am, Fifteen Avocets on the Allen Pool plus Eight Chicks. There were a total of Twenty Eight Avocets on the Pools earlier in the day, (LM log).

9th July:- A day away with Lancaster Fellwalkers, see Link

8th July:- 8.30am, Twenty Avocets on the EM pool plus Eight Chicks. The nest on the Allen Pool has been Predated/Abandoned, it was intact yesterday morning!

7th July:- 11am, Twenty Five Avocets on the Allen Pool plus Eight Chicks.

6th July:- 8.15am, Two Avocets on the EM Pool plus Twenty Three on the Allen Pool and Eight Chicks. No Rain here as yet!

5th July:- 1.30pm, Twenty Three avocets on the Allen Pool plus Eight Chicks. The EM pool is drying up fast, (there has been no rain here as yet). The sitting bird on the Allen Pool is still looking happy and there should be a result in the next fortnight.

4th July:- 8.30am, Twenty Four Avocets on the Allen Pool plus Eight chicks, (Four of whom are from another site).

3rd July:- 12pm, Two Avocets on the EM pool plus Twenty on the Allen Pool and Eight Chicks, (four of which are visitors). The nest on the EM Pool has been Predated/Abandoned. The sitting pair on the Allen Pool are doing well.

2nd July:- 9am, Two Avocets on the EM Pool plus Four almost adult chicks. Twenty Three Avocets on the Allen pool plus Four home bred chicks! There was a report earlier in the day of Thirty Three Avocets, (this would include the Eight Chicks). Things are very volatile at the moment with much coming and going of Avocets so I have not changed the stats above although the "Nests Predated/ abandoned figure is probably an underestimate as this is only the nests that I am sure were Predated/Abandoned, "there were probably many more"!

1st July:- 10am, Two Avocets on the EM pool plus Twenty two on the Allen Pool and Eight Chicks. Four of the Chicks belong to a visiting family. There are sitting birds on the EM pool but unfortunately they are situated 100yrds from the nearest water! The Cows have invaded the EM Pool again and frightened most of the birdlife away!

30th June:- 10.30am, Seven Avocets on The EM pool and One Chick. Nineteen Avocets on the Allen Pool plus Six chicks. On a return visit in the afternoon there were Eight Chicks on the Allen Pool Four of which were visitors. The situation is very fluid at the moment with birds coming and going from nearby feeding areas and other sites!

29th June:- An away day in the Yorkshire Dales! There is a report of Twenty Six Avocets on the EM Pools on the LDBWS website (this number will include the Four chicks)!

28th June:- 2pm, Two Avocets on the EM Pool (these are the sitting birds) plus Twenty two on the Allen Pool and Four Chicks.

27th June:- 10am, Seven Avocets on the EM Pool plus Four almost adult Chicks. Twenty Avocets on the Allen Pool plus Four Chicks. There was a pair sitting on the EM Pool plus the Four sub adult chicks with an adult guarding them and Three more adult birds. There seems to be an annual event where an adult bird accompanied by Four Chicks arrives at about this time of year, just where these early breeders come from I have never discovered???

26th June:- 11am, Ten Avocets on The EM pool plus Sixteen on the Allen Pool and Four Chicks! However on close inspection at least Three of the birds on the Allen Pool looked to be last years young! There appears to be an Avocet sitting on the EM Pool and another on the Allen Pool, how successful they will be this late in the season is doubtful.

25th June:- 10.30am, Two Avocets on The Flood plus Seventeen on The EM Pool plus Four on the Allen Pool and Four Chicks. Briefly for no more than Fifteen minutes there were Seven Chicks on the Allen Pool, the visitors then flew off! It appears that birds from nearby sites (e.g. Marshside) are making exploratory flights before they actually leave to go "Down South"!

24th June:- 11am, Seven Avocets on the EM pool plus Sixteen on the Allen Pool and Four Chicks. The first full house since the 12th June, I do wonder where they have been the last Twelve days. The chicks seem to spend most of the time resting!

23rd June:- 12pm, One Avocet on the EM Pool plus Seventeen on the Allen Pool and Four Chicks + One Sub adult. One of the adult birds was on further scrutiny a near adult and is much to old to be One of the Chicks seen on the 23rd May and is probably from another Colony!

22nd June:- 10am, Fourteen Avocets on the EM Pool plus Four on the Allen Pool and Four Chicks. The Four Chicks were seen to fly today for the first time!

21st June:- 2pm, Thirteen Avocets on the EM Pool plus Three on the Allen Pool and Four Chicks. The missing birds are probably sheltering somewhere from the blustery gale force winds!

20th June:- 9am, Twelve Avocets on the EM Pool plus Six on the Allen Pool plus Four Chicks. John Wilson saw Twenty adult birds in the afternoon.

19th June:- 10.30am, Sixteen Avocets on the EM Pool plus Two on the Allen Pool plus Four Chicks.

18th June:- Nine Avocets on the EM Pool plus Nine on the Allen pool, plus the Four Chicks. These Eighteen birds seem to be the core of group.

17th June:- Three Avocets on the EM Pool plus Fifteen on the Allen pool plus Four Chicks. The younger pair of chicks have not been seen for some time either by myself or the Leighton Moss staff so I must assume that they have not survived! I would be happy to be proven wrong however!

16th June:- Seven Avocets on the EM Pool plus Eleven on the Allen Pool. The Four Chicks have been moved to the Allen Pool. The Cows are rampant again, feeding on the bank between the EM Pool and the Allen Pool and in the process destroying a Kingfishers nest!

15th June:- A day away Rambling in the Keswick area.

14th June:- 1 to 1.30pm, Fifteen Avocets on the EM pool plus Two on the Allen Pool. Four three quarter grown Chicks visible on the EM Pool. And now for the good news, Six Chicks were seen by Leighton Moss staff on the 12th of June! So it looks like they have survived but cannot be seen from my Clifftop Viewpoint!

13th June:- 9 to 10am, Twenty Avocets on The Flood plus One on the Allen Pool. Four Chicks found. The Flood is nearly dry and all the birds have deserted it. I will try for a few more days to find the missing Two Chicks.

12th June:- 10 to 11am, eventually Twenty Three Avocets on the EM Pool. The Four eldest chicks were walked through while I was there to The EM pool from The Flood, (The Flood is nearly dry). I could not find the Two younger Chicks today but they may be feeding in a gulley as these still have some water! The Elecric Fence tape has blown away about 50 yards, the plastic poles are still there. All the Avocet nests have been deserted.

11th June:- A day away with Lancaster Fellwalkers see Link

10th June:- 9.30 to 11am, Eight Avocets on The Flood plus Fifteen on the EM Pool though mobile. Still Six Chicks. Then the farmer turn up with an assistant and starts erecting an Electrict Fence around the Three nest sites. He then tries to drive the Cows back through the gate into the Allen section of the marsh. However he frightens the leaders and they all go back to the Water Trough. The Farmer then goes back to the Farm? in the Land Rover. As I left One of the birds had found It's nest and was sitting, another seemed unable to find It's nest and the third never came near to look! There was no power to the Electric Fence up to 11am.

9th June:- 9.15 to 10am, Eight Avocets on The Flood plus Fourteen on the EM Pool plus One on the Allen Pool. Still Six Chicks intact but only Three birds sitting. The discrepancy in the nests abandoned and Peak nesting pairs is because some pairs have laid again and have lost a second brood. Can anybody tell me if there is another Avocet Breeding Site in the UK that has Cows regularly trampling on the Nests Every Year!

8th June:- 8.30 to 9am, Five Avocets on The Flood plus Seventeen Avocets on the EM pool plus One Avocet on the Allen Pool. The Avocets on The Flood have been disturbed by the Cows Paddling and most of them have moved to the EM Pool. There are still Six Chicks and Four/Five birds sitting, (very difficult to tell as the grass is so long).

7th June:- 1.15pm, Fifteen Avocets on The Flood plus Three on the EM pool plus Two on the Allen Pool. I could not find any Chicks, and could only find Three birds sitting. However due to the terrible light at this time of day this may not be of any significance!

6th June:- 11am, Fifteen Avocets on The Flood plus Eight on The EM Pool. Yesterday 40 Cows were allowed onto the Flood site, they have since done a walk around but so far have not damaged any nest sites. It seems The Farmer was asked 'Not' to allow them into this section as yet but there must have been some misunderstanding! There are still Six Chicks and Five birds sitting.

5th June:- 11.45am to 12.45pm, Twenty Three Avocets on The Flood, another Full House. Still Six Chicks and Five birds sitting. I saw Five Chicks within 10 minutes but the Sixth was very difficult to find.

4th June:- 9 to 9.30am, Twenty Avocets on The Flood though mobile. Six Chicks seen and at least Five birds sitting. The Flood and all the other nearby Pools are drying up fast. Twenty Three Avocets were seen today by Pete Crooks. So there is still a 'full house' present, although you can rarely find all the birds together in One place.

3rd June:- 9.30 to 10.30am, Eighteen Avocets on The Flood. Six Chicks seen. This is the first time since the 30th May that I have seen both families of Chicks! The Two Smaller Chicks have been hiding most of the time behing the grassy bank of The Pool. There was also a Ewe and Two Lambs today so there must be a hole in the fence somewhere!

2nd June:- 9.30 to 10.30am, Eighteen Avocets on The Flood. Only the Four eldest Chicks seen but the parent birds seem to be guarding another brood, but they were never in sight. (John Wilson has reported seeing Seven Chicks today)!!! While I was watching from The viewpoint I could see a Fox eating the BH Gull Chicks/Eggs on the Allen Pool.

1st June:- 11.30am, Eighteen Avocets on The Flood. The Two families of Chicks were found but as they were being brooded no count was made.

31st May:- 1pm, Eighteen Avocets on The Flood plus Six Chicks. There now appears to be Four birds sitting.

30th May:- 11am, Twenty Avocets on The Flood. There are still Six Chicks and Three birds sitting.

29th May:- 12.15pm, Fifteen Avocets on The Flood plus Three on the Allen Pool. Six Chicks, the first four to hatch are intact but the second have been reduced from Four to Two.

28th May:- A day away with Lancaster Fellwalkers see <Link>

27th May:- 8.30 to 9.30am, Sixteen Avocets on The Flood and environs plus One on the Allen Pool. I have not seen the nineth chick since the 23rd, at which time it was not looking healthy! The first Four chicks to hatch seem to be all intact but I could only find Two of the second hatch. The Three pair around the small pool seem to have settled down to incubate!

26th May:- Rain and Low Cloud, then 3pm, Twenty Avocets on The Flood and environs. It was a waste of time trying to find Chicks in the prevailing light conditions.

25th May:- 8.30 to 9.15am, Seventeen Avocets on The Flood plus One on the Allen Pool, Eight Chicks seen. There are now Three pairs on the grass surrounding a small pool near The Flood. These may be establishing nests or it is possible one of the birds is brooding the missing Nineth Chick? Later it seemed that a pair were nesting on the EM Pool! However this is speculative at the moment, (will they still be there tomorrow)?

24th May:- 1 to 1.30pm, Fifteen Avocets seen on The Flood. Only Four Chicks seen but as the viewing conditions could only be described as horrendous this means nothing. The adult birds seem to be trying to find a more sheltered spot and some have moved to a nearby small Pool. I could not find a sitting bird!

23rd May:- 9 to 10am, Fifteen Avocets seen on The Flood. The last nest from the first group has hatched One Chick making a total of Nine Chicks seen. There now appears to be only One bird sitting. The new chick is very difficult to see as it spends at least 90% of the time being brooded! I have just learned from the L.D.B.W.S site that John Wilson saw the new chick plus Eighteen adults yesterday evening. It would seem from this that some of the adults are feeding elsewhere then coming in to roost at night!

22nd May:- 10.30 to 11.15am, Twelve Avocets on The Flood. There are still Eight Chicks, which are difficult to find as they spend so much time being brooded because of the cold weather. I don't know where the remainder of the adults are, they are either feeding nearby or have left the area altogether (time will tell).

21st May:- 9 to 9.30am, Twenty Avocets on The Flood plus One on the Allen Pool. Eight Chicks again today. There appeared to be only Two birds sitting today but I will confirm tomorrow if possible. One of the sitting birds is overdue for a hatching!!!

20th May:- 11.30am to 12.30pm, Sixteen Avocets on The Flood plus One on the Allen Pool. Eventually I saw Eight Chicks today the first Four obviously much larger than the second group.

19th May:- 9 to 9.30am, Fifteen Avocets on The Flood plus two on the EM Pool plus One on the Allen Pool. There are at least Three birds sitting one of which is of the original group so should hatch soon! The surviving Chicks are being brooded and fed in a channel behind an island so are impossible to count. The chicks are being kept in a sheltered spot out of the cold blustery wind! Good news from John Wilson, The first Four Chicks Have survived and the nest I thought was abandoned has raised Three Chicks. I have not been able to see the chicks properly since the 17th May but John has another viewpoint and is able to see them! I have adjusted the count at the top of the page. There should be more chicks soon!

18th May:- 8.30 to 9am, Sixteen Avocets on The Flood plus One on the EM Pool. Only Three Chicks found, however the gusty gale force wind and blinding Sun did make viewing difficult. Also there are signs that more nests are being established!

17th May:- 1.30pm, Sixteen Avocets seen on The Flood plus two on the EM Pool plus Two on the Allen pool. There are still Four Chicks which have walked around to the other side of the pool since yesterday. Still Two birds sitting.

16th May:- 10.15 to 10.45, Twenty Three Avocets on The Flood plus Four Chicks. Sometime over the weekend one of the nests has been abandoned. The Nineth pair have also abandoned their nest site. There are now only Two birds sitting! There may however be attempts to resit?

15th May:- 1pm, Twenty One Avocets on The Flood. The Chicks are being brooded to protect them from the persistant Rain. I'm not going to the Allen pool to check on the lone Avocet as I'm suffering from an acute case of Rambleitis from yesterday!

14th May:- A day away with lancaster Fellwalkers see <link>

13th May:- 10.30 to 11am, Fifteen avocets on the flood plus Four on the EM pool plus One on the Allen pool. There were Four Chicks clearly visible today but only for a few minutes in each hour. They spent most of the time being brooded by one or the other of the parent birds. The Nineth pair were seen vigourously defending their domain today from Ten other Avocets,(probably the ones that have been raided).

12th May, Part Two:- 11.30am to 1pm, At least Three Chicks seen, One parent is still incubating the other Guarding the Chicks. Yet another nest appears to be minus One of the parents so the remaining bird is trying to incubate and run back and forth to the water, I am doubtful whether this clutch will survive. There are now Four pairs sitting.

12th May:- 8.30 to 9.30am, Seventeen Avocets on The Flood plus Three on the EM pool plus Two on the Allen Pool but mobile. Since yesterday morning Four nests have been abondoned, I'm not sure whether they were predated but it seems likely! The nineth pair's breeding success is also looking doubtful (I will observe for One more day). There is another nest that appears to be hatching young, so far I have only seen a dead chick being taken out and dumped!

11th May:- 9.00 to 10am, Twenty Two Avocets on The Flood. The nineth pair seem to be about to settle to incubate. The single bird that was on the Allen Pool yesterday has joined the Three newcomers to sort out the pairings for this season.

10th May:- 1.30pm, Eighteen Avocets on The flood plus One on the Allen Pool.

9th May:- 10am, Seventeen Avocets seen at The Flood plus One on the Allen pool. Eight pairs sitting. The Nineth pair appear to be defending a territory on The Flood!

8th May:- 10am, Sixteen Avocets on The Flood plus Three on the Allen Pool. One pair and a single on the Allen Pool (the pair don't seem to have made up there minds which pool to favour), or if they are going to breed this year!

7th May:- 9am, Eighteen Avocets on The Flood plus One on the Allen Pool. The water level on The Flood is noticable lower now. There could be a hatching within the next Two weeks!

6th May:- 9.30am, Sixteen Avocets on The Flood plus Three on the Allen Pool. There was One pair plus a single on the Allen pool which adds up to Nine pairs and a single! There is the possibility of another nesting pair! This is the third day with a "Full House" which is unusual.

5th May:- 10am, Fifteen Avocets on The Flood plus Four on the Allen Pool. There appeared at first to be two pairs on the Allen Pool but later one of the pairs split up.

4th May:- 10am, Eleven Avocets on The Flood plus Eight on the Allen pool. There appeared to be two definite pairs on the Allen pool plus two more pairs that were fighting to sort out who was with who! I know these figures don't add up but this is how it appeared at the time!

3rd May:- 1pm, at least Twelve Avocets on The Flood plus Four on the Allen Pool. The bright sunlight on The Flood makes an accurate count impossible. The broody birds are all present and correct!

2nd May:- 10.30am, Seventeen Avocets on The Flood. The Eighteenth bird is very dificult to find. Another windy cool day.

1st May:- 10am, Twelve Avocets "seen" on The Flood, but typical Bank holiday weather (cold, wet and windy).

30th April:- A day away with Lancaster Fellwalkers see Link

29th April:- 9.0am, Sixteen Avocets on the Flood plus One on The EM pool plus One on the Allen Pool. Much better viewing conditions today, another pair broody and the off duty birds trying adjacent Pools to stock up on food.

28th April:- 11am, Fifteen Avocets seen on The Flood. Impossible viewing conditions at this time of day due to the bright sunshine! I kept watch till High Tide and there was no flooding of "The Flood" Pool so the breeding programme is carrying on as normal. There are no abnormally High Tides forecast for May!

27th April:- No Car today, I will try to assess the damage done on the flooded Salt Marsh tomorrow!!!

26th April:- 1.30pm, Sixteen Avocets seen on The Flood. The missing birds will still be in the area but are difficult to spot at this time of day.

25th April:- 12.30pm, Seventeen Avocets seen on The Flood and Two more pairs have settled down to raising the next generation! Hopefully their work will not have been in vain come the High Tides of the 28th!

24th April:- An away day watching the Bassenthwaite Ospreys!

23rd April:- 9.30am, Eighteen Avocets on The Flood, yet another broody pair found.

22nd April:- 9am, Eighteen Avocets on The Flood, more broody pairs. Hopefully there will be light winds on the 28th!

21st April:- An away day at Ullswater!

20th April:- 9.30am, Eighteen Avocets on The Flood. One definite broody pair, several others are likely.

19th April:- An away day in The Forest of Bowland.

18th April:- 11am, Eighteen Avocets seen on The Flood. One of the pairs is definitely broody! Let's hope it doesn't get swept away with the 10 metre plus tide on the 28th of April!

17th April:- 9.30am, Nineteen Avocets on The Flood.

16th April:- An away day with Lancaster Fellwalkers.

15th April:- 9am, Seventeen Avocets on The Flood. There are extra birds in since yesterday which has caused some friction. There appears now to be Eight pairs and a single? John Wilson saw Eighteen Avocets this morning!!!

14th April:- 9.30am, Fourteen Avocets on The Flood. Very difficult viewing conditions with sun and choppy water. It's still cold up here on the Cliff!

13th April:- 11.15am, Ten Avocets on The Flood plus Four on the Allen Pool. The birds were very mobile today and seemed to have forgotten all about breeding, perhaps the near gale force winds and blustery showers every few minute had something to do with it!!!

12th April:- 1.30pm, Fourteen Avocets on The Flood. At least Two of the pairs seem to have found a nest site?

11th April:- 12.30pm, Still Fourteen Avocets on The Flood. After a very wet morning the paired birds are mostly resting.

10th April:- 11am, Fourteen Avocets on The Flood. Only Six pairs for certain one of which is estranged from the main group.

9th April:- 10am, Fourteen Avocets on The Flood. There appears to be Seven pairs today?

8th April:- 10.15am, Nine Avocets on The Flood plus Five on the Allen Pool. The weather can only be described as horrendous, there were many better days than this in the past winter!

7th April:- 9.15am, Eight Avocets on The Flood plus Six on the Allen Pool. There appears to be Six pairs now, very mobile and they could be seen on any Pool. The Path to the EM Hide is now open! A Razorbill at the Public Pool today, very unusual!

6th April:- 12pm, Nine Avocets on The Flood plus Two on the EM Pool. A very wet rainy day! However there was a House Martin over the Public Pool today with Six Swallows.

5th April:- 1.30pm, Eleven Avocets on The Flood. There are still Four pairs and Three singles. I am told that you still need Wellies to get to the EM Hide. I have not been to the EM/Allen Hides since the 28th of March, all observations are from the Crag Road Viewpoint.

4th April:- 9am, Eight Avocets on The Flood plus Three on the Allen Pool. Things are gradually getting back to normal after the floods. There were Four pairs and Three singles seen today.

3rd April:- 12pm, Eight Avocets on The Flood. Mostly sunny with short rain/hale/sleet or snow showers. You still need wellies to get to the EM Hide.

2nd April:- A day away with Lancaster Fellwalkers see Link. However John Wilson saw Nine Avocets today!

1st April:- 9.30am, only able to find Five Avocets on The Flood today!

31st March:- 10am, Ten Avocets on The Flood. More flooding today but not as bad as yesterday, the tides are slowly reducing in height now.

30th March:- Ten Avocets were seen at 8am on The Flood be A N Other, John Wilson saw Eleven Avocets just before the High Tide. The only thing visible at High Tide was part of the Sea Wall around the Allen Pool!

29th March:- 1.30pm most of The Salt Marsh if flooded (high tide), Five Avocets found on the few strips of dry land available. It will probably take at least a week for the water levels to return to normal. Meanwhile Avocets may be difficult to find!

28th March:- 9.45am Twelve Avocets on The flood, a full house! Be warned that 10 metre plus tides on the 29th/30th/31st March and the 1st of April are likely to flood the Salt Marsh, the Eric Morecambe/Allen Hides (may) be closed and the Car Park flooded!

27th March:- 8.45am, Eleven Avocets on The Flood, there are probably Twelve but I had to abandon the watch due to rain/fog and sometimes both together.

26th March:- 9am, Ten Avocets on The Flood, there had been Two birds on the Allen Pool earlier in the day. 3.30pm, Eight on The Flood, Two on the Allen Pool! The Male Marsh Harrier was seen from the Lilian Hide, almost certain it is the breeding male from last year!

25th March:- A day away, however John Wilson saw Twelve Avocets today. There was also a male Marsh Harrier seen by Keith Kellett mid afternoon.

24th March:- 11am, Ten Avocets on The Flood all sheltering from the cold eastly wind behind the railway line! No sign of Spring here today.

23rd march:- 9.30am, Five Avocets on The Flood plus Five Avocets on the Allen Pool. The wanderers have returned! There were Thirty Avocets seen at Marshside RSPB today!

22nd March:- 1pm, Eight Avocets on the Allen Pool. There can be no accurate count on The Flood because of the blinding sunlight at this time of day, however it was noted that there were a large number of Blacktailed Godwit feeding on this Pool!

21st March:- Much the same as yesterday, Three pairs plus Two singles. One of the single Avocets makes occasional flights to the Allen Pool for a change of diet? A late Spring, last year there were Marsh Harriers and Sand Martins about at this date!

20th March:- 11am, Eight Avocets on The Flood. There are probably still Ten Avocets in the area but you would have to get up very early to see them!

19th March:- A day away with Lancaster Fellwalkers see <Link>

18th March:- 9.30am, Six Avocets on The Flood.

17th March:- 10.30am, Eight Avocets on The Flood plus Two on the Allen Pool.

16th March:- 9am, Six Avocets on The Flood, plus Two on the EM Pool, plus Two on the Allen Pool! There appears to be Four pairs plus Two singles at the moment.

15th March:- 1.15pm, Four Avocets on The Flood plus Two on the Allen Pool.

14th March:- 10.45am-11.15am, during a brief respite from the incessant Rain, Two Avocets on The Flood plus Three on the Allen Pool. Two of the Allen Pool birds then seemed to pair up and the odd one flew to The Flood. The situation is very fluid at the moment and the viewing was not helped by a mist which persisted all day! John Wilson saw Nine Avocets This Morning!

13th March:- 9.45am, Three Avocets on The Flood plus Two Avocets on The Allen Pool. The Flood birds are probably the same Avocets seen on the 9th March. The Two birds on the Allen Pool were chasing off the large flock of Black Tailed Godwit present! Twenty Seven Avocets reported today at Marshside RSPB (Birdguides), perhaps we may get some of these birds at LM soon?

12th March:-Snow, Snow, Snow.

11th March:- 10am, still only the single as yesterday. There are probably more Avocets out there on the Bay/Estuaries nearby.

10th March:- 10.15am, a single Avocet on The Flood. Could this be "The Wild Rover" last seen on the 1st of March? Still present at 2pm.

9th March:- 8.45am, Three avocets on the EM Pool, 9.15am, the birds flew to the Allen Pool had a short swim then flew off in a N.E. direction. 1.30pm, again Three Avocets on the EM Pool. The Avocets were in the section of the EM Pool closer to The Flood, see Link

8th March:- 1pm-2pm, no Avocets found. There have been no reports of Avocets all day! They may still be in the area? But I have not seen any reports of Six Avocets elsewhere!

7th March:- Six Avocets seen by John Wilson at 8am. The Six birds were still present at 1pm on the Allen Pool but not feeding. Will they stay? There are still Four birds at Marshside RSPB.

6th March:- 11.30am, perfect viewing conditions but in spite of a good search of the Marsh no Avocet. There should be more Avocets arriving in the next few weeks, I will update if there is any news!

5th march:- An away day with Lancasterfellwalkers see Link

4th March:- There is now Four avocets at Marshside RSPB, it would seem quite likely that the LM bird has rejoined it's mates at Marshside.

3rd March:- 10am, still a frozen wasteland where the saltmarsh used to be very few birds of anykind Will try again on the 6th of March.

2nd March:- 10am, All pools frozen over no sign of Avocet. 1pm, (High Tide) Very little dry land visible on the Salt Marsh, no Avocet found.

1st March:- 1pm, Most of the Saltmarsh and Pools flooded. Avocet found trying to feed just offshore of One of the few remaining grassy islands.

28th February:- 11am, No change. The High Tide has not reached the Breeding Pools today.

27th February:- Midday, still a single bird on The Flood. There are Ten metre plus tides forecast for the next Four days. However no strong westerly winds are forecast so hopefully the flooding will not be too bad.

26th February:- 10.15am, a single Avocet on The Flood. It must have been sheltering yesterday, out of sight!

25th February:- No sign of the Avocet today, it may be in a gulley trying to keep out of the biting wind or perhaps has flown South. I will continue with this when there is another sighting!

24th February:- No change from the 22nd of February.

23rd February:- No change from yesterday.

22nd February:- A single Avocet on The Flood at 2.45pm, will it survive the 10+ metre tides forecast for 28th feb and the following three days! Icy cold nor-east wind today.

21st February:- A single Avocet on The Flood at 11.30am, viewed from the Crag Road viewpoint. Possibly one of last years young, but I would have to get a closer view to be sure.

20th February:- A single Avocet on The Flood at 1.45pm, this bird was seen around midday on both the EM and Allen pools. There is a strong possibility that Three of the birds seen on the 18th have gone to Marshside RSPB.

19th February:- An away day with Lancaster Fellwalkers, however there was a reliable report of One Avocet on the Allen pool early morning. There are also Three birds at RSPB Marshside.

18th February:- Four Avocets reported on the Eric Morecambe Pool, 12.38pm (RBA)

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