Bearded Tits

 I had a couple of first time experiences yesterday in that I made use of the good weather and some unexpected free time to head off to RSPB Leighton Moss in Silverdale. That was the first of my firsts because although I have been a member of the RSPB for some time and former colleagues at work had advised me many times that I should visit I had never been to Leighton Moss before.

It is an amazing wetland habitat with so much to see, there were red deer, egrets, various wildfowl species, marsh harriers, and more dragon flies that I have ever seen at one time before. At one point I was watching a great egret feasting on dragonflies by picking them off reeds and snatching them from the air with such precision.

The second of my firsts was to see a pair of Bearded Tits, or Bearded Reedlings as they are also known. I had been told there were two potential sites where I might be lucky enough to spot them although they tend to be more active at the beginning and end of the day so there was no guarantee that I would spot any. Leaving one hide I was told by some other visitors that they had just seen three of these wonderful birds and told me where I should look. When I arrived there were two other photographers who were also on the lookout but they had not seen them yet and one had been waiting over an hour so I wasn't very hopeful.

I was determined not to give up too quickly and after a little while I spotted a male on the reeds at the edge of the clearing, unfortunately it was obscured by the reeds so there was no photo op, I could at least say that I had seen one and that for me was quite exciting. It was also enough to make me stop around a little longer and see if it ventured into a better spot. I was not disappointed and finally I was able to capture a few shots of this stunning male Bearded Tit. They are a little soft because of the distance being pretty much at the effective range of my 100 - 400 mm lens. The guy next to me was using a 200 - 800 mm lens and the difference between his images and mine was noticeable and left me with a touch of lens envy, however I am happy with the shots I was able to capture and my first sighting of these wonderful little birds was a real treat making the journey to Leighton Moss well worth it.