Black-headed Gull

We dropped in at RSPB Leighton Moss on the way home from Northumberland today. Arriving in the rain, we decided on lunch first and we were pleased to see it brightened up considerably whilst we were tucking into brie and cranberry ciabattas. 

The first hide we visited gave us some nice light and a few ducks, but nothing out of the ordinary, so we moved on to Grizedale hide which is where you can normally see Marsh Harriers. Unfortunately as we were between hides, the rain started again and we thought we were going to get stuck in the hide for ages. It was fun watching the birds cope with the rain - literally water off a duck's back! 
Thankfully, the rain soon blew over and the sun came out again along with a nice flyby from a female Marsh Harrier and then a Sparrowhawk - lovely to see.

We moved over to the Causeway hide where there were lots of gadwall and cormorants and black headed gulls perched on the posts. This one was doing an arabesque I think! 

Thanks for all the stars, hearts and lovely comments whilst I've been away. I will start my catch-up tomorrow.