The world was a very different place in 1964. The average house price was under £4000, a pint of milk cost 9d and a Ford Cortina – the last word in stylish family motoring – would set you back about £600.
All of those have seen huge rises since then, but none of them has seen the same sort of increase as the RSPB’s Leighton Moss reserve. The numbers there have really taken flight.
The charity leased 120 hectares on the fringe of Morecambe Bay that year and in its first 12 months it welcomed 365 birdwatchers, which would have been the equivalent of one person a day if it hadn’t been a leap year.
In 2023, 90,000 people visited the reserve and even more are expected this year as it marks its 60th anniversary.
Leighton Moss has grown in other ways since 1964, too. It’s now more than twice its original size and it supports much more wildlife these days.
Among much else, the site is an important habitat for otters, avocets, bearded tits, marsh harriers, egrets, red deer and the elusive bittern.
It was the presence of rare and endangered species – Britain’s loudest bird and part of the heron family – in 1964, which led the RSPB to take on the lease of Leighton Moss, with the aim of enhancing their breeding numbers.
At the time, protecting this reedbed-reliant bird was a top priority for the organisation – and it remains so today. When Leighton Moss opened, bitterns were under serious threat in the UK, because, among other factors, of the intensification of agriculture.
Like many wetlands in the UK, the land at Leighton Moss had been drained for agriculture prior to World War One. The area had been historically known as the golden bowl, due its prolific production of cereal crops. The land eventually stopped being drained in the early 20th century and the site gradually returned to its natural wetland state and soon became a haven for wildlife.
Leighton Moss’s first warden, a local birder himself, John Wilson, was tasked with auditing the flora and fauna of the land and managing the reedbed to sustain its suitability for bitterns. Reedbed is a scarce habitat and requires consistent habitat management to prevent its natural regeneration into woodland.
During the 1990s, bittern populations reached an all-time low in the UK, with only eleven individual males recorded, about a quarter of these birds were recorded at Leighton Moss. With more wetlands being created throughout the early 2000s, the species made a remarkable recovery but continued to decline at Leighton Moss.
New conservation techniques were introduced including dynamic reedbed and water level management and in 2020 the installation of a hydrological cell bed, isolating parts of the reserve, allowing water levels to be independently operated, creating variety, and improving habitats for eels too – an essential food source for the bittern. Nine years later, a pair of bitterns bred once again at Leighton Moss in 2018.
Spring of 2023 was a bumper year for bitterns in the area, with nine males booming at Leighton Moss, with four nests confirmed, establishing territories in the reedbed. As well as benefiting biodiversity, wetland restoration is vital for the fight against climate change.
Jarrod Sneyd, the senior site manager at RSPB Leighton Moss, said: ‘I’ve been coming to Leighton Moss since I was eight years old. I’ve seen the reserve grow and deliver so much more for wildlife and people in the time I’ve been coming here.
‘We’ve added more biodiversity to the landscape, whether it’s through reedbed creation, taking on and managing areas of limestone woodland and grassland, protecting parts of Morecambe Bay, or working in partnership to purchase a wet grassland site for lapwings.
‘From leasing 120 hectares at Leighton Moss in 1964 we now own or have rights on over 2000 ha of land. When the reserve was first leased there were no bearded tits and marsh harriers here. They are now a common sight.
‘Avocets, the RSPB emblem, only established themselves as a breeding bird here in 2001 and in 2023, the numerous pairs raised over 30 young. From a welcome shed in the 1970s to a large visitor centre with cafe and shop now, people can relax and watch wildlife from one of seven viewing structures.
‘Nature is in crisis and as a flagship RSPB site at the heart of the Arnside Silverdale National Landscape, we have a pivotal role in reversing wildlife declines in the area and building support for the changes that need to happen.
‘It’s all about partnership, recognising the value of nature and working with other landowners and farmers; seeing the value we all bring to the managed landscape and the natural economy, ensuring people can make a living and be part of growing wildlife.’
And he added: ‘In another 60 years, I dream of more habitat, more people enjoying it and more people contributing to the local economy, managing for food and wildlife to benefit all. We’ll continue to help create wildlife corridors and connections within a larger landscape.
‘Everything we do in the future needs to involve partnership working. We see ourselves energising around a bright future for people and wildlife as a collective within the Arnside Silverdale National Landscape partnership and with all the landowners and farmers.
‘It is thanks to our members, visitors, and funding partners that we have made it to 60. And only by driving positive change in conservation can we secure a brighter future for both wildlife and local communities for the next 60.’
rspb.org.uk/leightonmoss
Local hero
The Society for the Protection of Birds was founded in 1889 years ago by Lancaster-born Emily Williamson after she was denied membership of the men-only British Ornithologists’ Uniion. Her aim was to ban the use of endangered birds’ plumage in fashion. The Royal charter was given in 1904 and the Plumage Act of 1921 banned the import of exotic feathers.
A campaign is underway to raise money for a statue of Emily. Designed by Eve Shepherd, it will stand in the garden of Emily’s former home, The Croft, in Didsbury’s Fletcher Moss Park. To donate, or find out more, go to emilywilliamsonstatue.com.
