I had originally planned to visit Slimbridge at the beginning of the year to see the wintering Bewick's Swans but never managed to get there before they departed on their migration back to Siberia in February.
With the Swans returning to Slimbridge in November I planned to visit then but COVID and lock down came along and pretty much put paid to that. However a brief window of opportunity presented itself and so I took it and headed off for a visit on Saturday 19th December.
Slimbridge is in Tier 2, the same as Plymouth, and it has taken measures to be as COVID secure as much as possible. The hides have limited access and masks must be worn inside them which I found irritating as my glasses and optics kept steaming up but that is just how it is. There is also Avian Flu about, not an issue for people but dangerous to the birds and so there were detergent foot mats dotted about to sanitise peoples footwear as they wandered around the collection and the wild areas.
It was a "Meet Santa" Christmas weekend in the restaurant which meant no cup of tea and cake for me and the site was overrun with families with young kids but they mostly kept away from the wild areas. As annoying as it was it is obviously an important income stream for the WWT in what must have been a tough financial year for them. It was also interesting to see that a lot of work has been done and is being done to the site to develop and enhance the bird collection with new buildings including a large aviary being constructed ready for the coming spring.
I started my visit at The Peng Observatory where I immediately found a few Bewick's Swans resting and feeding out on the lake including 3 juvenile birds. One of the adult birds was sporting a leg ring and a satellite tracking neck collar as part of the ongoing study to try and prevent their population declining even further.
Onwards to the Zeiss hide where assorted and distant geese were feeding out on the marshes and so I walked down to the Kingfisher Hide for a closer view. A small and dark looking goose feeding amongst the Canada Geese flock caused some excitement but with better views it looked like a Canada x Barnacle Goose hybrid. More interesting was the Russian White-fronted Goose flock feeding in a stubble field close to the hide with some Greylag Geese before they flew off out onto the marsh but it was nice to get some close views of them for a change.
A small adult male Peregrine was seen buzzing a larger female juvenile Peregrine resting on the ground out on The Dumbles and I found the distant flock of feeding Barnacle Geese out on the marsh too when news went out that the (Ridgway's) Cackling Goose had been found on The Tack Piece and so I headed there for a look.
From the new Estuary Tower (my first time there) the 3 birders already present quickly got me on to the bird feeding out amongst the (Greater) Canada Geese flock, a noticeably smaller and darker looking bird although a little distant. It's origins are unknown, it is unringed and is not a species commonly kept in collections but it should be wintering in California and not Gloucestershire if it is indeed a wild bird. I knew very little about the new Canada Goose taxonomy and so it has been a very informative bird too as well as an attractive one.
The Tack Piece was full of water and packed full of birds with Bewick's Swan, Russian White-fronted Geese, Pintail, Shoveler, Wigeon, Teal, Shoveler, Shelduck, Mallard, Redshank, Curlew, Dunlin, Golden Plover, Lapwing, Black-tailed Godwit and Greylag Geese all seen. A few Ruff were noted too including a distinctive white headed bird. A Buzzard was noted feeding on a bird carcass on the ground and a Raven also flew over cronking.
A group of 4 Common Cranes flew over and landed out on the saltmarsh to feed, 3 birds were sporting the coloured leg rings of birds released at Slimbridge but one bird was unringed and of unknown provenance.
I had a final look at The Rushy Pen from The Peng Observatory before heading home and I enjoyed some time just watching the Bewick's Swans along with a Snipe and Pochard and Tufted Duck, a nice end to an enjoyable day's birding in these increasingly weird times as Christmas looks like it is about to be cancelled due to COVID.
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