Guide · Wildlife Silverdale
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Leighton Moss, on the edge of Silverdale just south of the Lake District, is the largest reedbed in north-west England and one of the finest wetland nature reserves in the country. It is run by the RSPB, it has its own railway station almost at the entrance, and it holds birds that most visitors to Britain have never seen and may never see anywhere else — the bittern, the marsh harrier and the bearded tit among them.
It is not in the Lake District National Park. It sits in the Arnside & Silverdale National Landscape on the Lancashire border, around forty minutes from Kendal — which is exactly why it works so well as part of a bespoke wildlife day: close enough to combine with the southern Lakes, different enough to feel like another world.
A reedbed is a scarce habitat in modern Britain, and a large one is scarcer still. Leighton Moss's reedbeds, meres and marsh support a set of specialists that simply cannot live anywhere else. The bittern — a secretive, superbly camouflaged relative of the heron — breeds here; in spring the males produce their extraordinary booming call, a sound more like someone blowing across the top of a vast bottle than anything you would expect from a bird. The marsh harrier, once reduced to a single breeding pair in the whole of Britain, hunts low over the reeds through the spring and summer. The bearded tit — not really a tit at all, but a small, long-tailed, tawny bird found only in reedbeds — moves through the reed heads in small pinging flocks.
Otters are seen regularly from the hides, particularly early in the day. Red deer live in and around the reserve and are often visible from the tower. And in late autumn and early winter, Leighton Moss hosts starling murmurations — tens of thousands of birds wheeling over the reeds at dusk before dropping in to roost.
The reserve is threaded with level, well-made paths linking a series of hides overlooking the meres — comfortable, sheltered viewing whatever the weather is doing. The Skytower, a viewing platform above the reedbed, gives a completely different perspective: the scale of the reedbed only really makes sense from above.
A separate pair of hides — the Eric Morecambe and Allen hides, named after the comedian, who was a keen birdwatcher and took his stage name from the bay — overlook saltmarsh pools closer to Morecambe Bay itself, and are the place for wading birds: avocets in season, redshank, greenshank and, in passage periods, much else besides.
Spring (March–June) — booming bitterns, displaying marsh harriers, breeding avocets on the saltmarsh pools. The reserve at its liveliest.
Autumn (October–November) — starling murmurations begin, wildfowl numbers build, red deer are in rut in the surrounding country.
Winter — huge gatherings of ducks on the meres, murmurations at dusk, and the reedbed in its bleached winter colours. Quieter, and the hides come into their own.
Bearded tits and otters are possible year-round; early morning is best for both.
Is Leighton Moss in the Lake District?
No — it is just south of the National Park boundary, in the Arnside & Silverdale National Landscape, around forty minutes' drive from Kendal. It combines naturally with the southern Lake District in a single day.
Will I see a bittern?
Hearing one in spring is a reasonable expectation; seeing one takes patience and luck, as they rarely leave the reeds. The RSPB staff and volunteers in the hides know where the recent sightings have been.
Is it accessible?
Leighton Moss is one of the most accessible major reserves in the north of England — level paths, boardwalks and hides designed for wheelchair users. Check the RSPB's own site for current details.
Leighton Moss works beautifully as part of a bespoke wildlife day with the southern Lakes or Morecambe Bay. Tell us what you'd like to see and we'll build the day around it.
No — it sits in the Arnside & Silverdale National Landscape on the Lancashire border, around forty minutes from Kendal.
The bittern, the marsh harrier and the bearded tit, among other reedbed specialists rarely seen elsewhere in Britain.
The largest reedbed in north-west England, a scarce habitat in modern Britain.