Young marsh harrier - © Mike Malpass 

Young marsh harriers at RSPB Leighton Moss nature reserve in Silverdale have started to take to the air and are thrilling visitors with their playful flights. Swooping, diving and gliding, there is never a dull moment when watching a marsh harrier. You can see many of these brilliant birds over the summer months at Leighton Moss, from March to the end of August, when they will then embark on their mammoth journey to Africa for the winter.

Jen Walker, Visitor Officer, said “New wetlands need to be created to further increase marsh harrier numbers and to help other rare and threatened species such as bitterns as well as lots of other wildlife. The RSPB is working with farmers and other land managers to restore and create areas of wildlife-rich wetlands and other habitats as part of Futurescapes, our national landscape-scale conservation programme”.