It’s an early Sunday morning (very early) and I’m wide awake. So I packed my stuff and got out on the road. I could of keep it local but I thought I’d go somewhere I’d never been before.
I’ve seen that the Bearded Tits are showing well this time of year and the place to see them is RSPB Leighton Moss. The sat nav got programmed, my porridge was eaten, and I was on my way.
It’s not too much of a trek north for me and it’s just under an hour so I arrived at 8:15. I wanted to get there early because I’ve heard the best time to see the Bearded Reedlings is around 9:30-10:30. This would give me time to find the spot and get setup.
The Bearded Tits were right on time and they were a joy to watch. They are such striking-looking birds and I was hoping to photograph them in the classic pose of doing the splits between the reeds.
An hour or so had passed and I’d seen several waves of Bearded Tits arrive at the grit trays.
The bearded tits switch to eating reed seeds in winter in order to avoid migrating south like birds like swallows and warblers do. The birds employ a clever way to consume grit in order to make the incredibly tough seeds easier to digest.
Quick tips on getting that classic Bearded Tit pose.
- Setup before they are expected to arrive they aren’t there for long in the morning. 9-10 am is around the best time.
- Check the light source and get the best angle to see them straight on.
- Be courteous to other spotters and photographers. It’s important they get to see them as well.
- Observe the movement of the first Bearded Tits to arrive. This will help you frame a potential shot.
- Be patient and keep trying. It may take 3 shots it might take 100. Just persist.
- Use a Tripod and pre-focus on the reeds with the grit trays just out of shot on the bottom of the frame.
- It’s almost impossible to photograph them hand-held as it’s just seconds before they transfer from the reeds to the grit trays.
- Set your camera to the best continuous shutter mode
- Spray and pray!
Time to explore
It was getting to around 11 am and I thought I’d go have a look at the various hides at RSPB Leighton Moss.
I was very much impressed with the whole Nature Reserve. They have fantastic hides overlooking the water and the facilities are great. If you’ve not had a chance to go, I highly recommend it.
I even managed to tick another wildlife lifer shot off my list. I was very lucky to see and photograph a Snipe.
I also saw a Bittern flying across the water. I don’t do a lot of bird-in-flight photography and I simply wasn’t set and ready to capture it. Still, a wonderful and elusive bird to spot though.
Below are some of my wildlife photography shots taken throughout the day. I hope you enjoy:
Not my usual Sunday routine where I tend to stick to photographing the variety of wildlife I have on my doorstep, but a fantastic trip out non the less.
I’ll definitely be paying a couple of trips a year (especially in spring) to visit RSPB Leighton Moss. There is still half of the nature reserve I didn’t get around to seeing.
Would you like to see more of my photography?