Transatlantic Tourist Returns
The first Saturday in October brought a seasonal mix of warm sunny spells but also very much a taste of autumn beginning to flex its muscles, not least in the blend of wildlife on show as I visited the Arnside and Silverdale stretch of reserves. I started at Leighton Moss RSPB for my first full visit since reopening and spent fifteen minutes watching the comings and goings at the birdfeeders behind the visitor centre. By far the most abundant visitors were coal tits with half a dozen or so stocking up on the seed. Usually quite low down the pecking order at the bird-table, in the absence of great and blue tits they were definitely making hay on this occasion. They were joined by goldfinch , chaffinch , dunnock and an occasional marsh tit . Given their almost-identical appearance it's very thoughtful of marsh and willow tits to have pretty strict geographical zones in this part of the country. The scarce willow tit is very much a local speciality around my home location but here at...
