Leighton Moss...

Called in at Leighton Moss this morning, and joined the RSPB. The guy at reception wasn’t used to anyone joining voluntarily, without first being worked over with the rubber truncheon. I heard a Cetti’s Warbler, my first this year (even though it’s one of the few warblers which stay here all winter). There were plenty of ducks on the water: pintail, teal, wigeon, pochard, tufted duck, shoveler, gadwall and mallard, all in breeding plumage. A pair of great crested grebes chased a pair of little grebes away. The best sighting was a snipe, just a few yards away, amazingly well camouflaged against the reeds. Other birds included reed bunting, marsh harrier, buzzard, cormorant and a flock of pink footed geese. The wetland scene looked good in the harsh spring light, though it was still very chilly…