Whooper Swan
New for 2011 is this innovative short break combining two of Britain’s great winter birding destinations. Our Solway Coast tour around the best sites in Dumfries and Galloway has been running since 2003, but we’ve decided to freshen it up this year by extending it to five days and including a days birding at the famous RSPB reserve at Leighton Moss in Lancashire. The Solway is a must for any birder during the winter months, and the excellent reserves at Mereshead and Caerlaverock allow great viewing of thousands of ducks, geese and swans on their wintering grounds, as well as estuaries brimming with shorebirds and huge wintering flocks of small passerines. Our full day exploring the superb Loch Ryan will surely be a highlight, as we seek all five grebes and three divers, sea duck, white-winged gulls and Black Guillemots. Raptors feature highly with Red Kite, Peregrine, Hen Harrier and Northern Goshawk all possible, and this is one of the few areas where the rare Greenland White-fronted Goose can be seen. Our additional day sees us head south and make an overnight stop in Lancashire on the doorstep of the brilliant Leighton Moss reserve, and this opens up more possibilities with Great Bittern, Pied Avocet, Bearded Tit and Marsh Harrier all likely. Why not come along and see why we think this offers the perfect winter birding break!
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Introduction
