A Christmas Trip to Slimbridge

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.

Russian White-fronted Geese with Lapwing

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. 

Ridgway's Cackling Goose with Canada Geese

Ridgway's Cackling Goose

Ridgway's Cackling Goose

Ridgway's Cackling Goose

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. 

Pintail

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. 

Common Cranes

Common Cranes

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. 

Bewick's Swan

Bewick's Swan

Bewick's Swan

Bewick's Swan

Bewick's Swan

Bewick's Swan

Bewick's Swan

A Great Day Out at Slimbridge

With a week of annual leave and no real plans we decided to pay my sister and brother-in-law a visit in Bristol via a trip to Slimbridge on February 12th.

We left Plymouth later than planned and got caught up in a few traffic snarls along the way but we arrived at Slimbridge just before midday on a mild and mostly sunny day before David carried on to nearby Gloucester for a look around antique shops while I enjoyed some Slimbridge birding.

I started off in the Martin Smith hide where a Jack snipe has occasionally been showing well for a while now and sure enough it was there but all I could see of it was a brown and cream blob hunkered down in the green grass. Fortunately other birds were showing very well - Bewick's swans, white-fronted geese, 2 buzarrds, golden plover, lapwing, black-tailed godwit, ruff, dunlin, redshank, curlew, wigeon, teal, shoveler, shelduck, pintail, greylag geese, mallard and tufted duck with 2 common cranes seen flying over.

Jack Snipe

Wigeon

I carried on along the path towards the Holden Tower, visiting the Robbie Garnett hide and Stephen Kirk hide along the way where I managed to get much better views of the Bewick's swans, white-fronted geese and ruff out on the flooded Tack Piece field.

Bewick's Swans with Pintail and Wigeon

Bewick's Swan with Teal

Ruff with Lapwing

Pintail

There were 6 juvenile Bewick's swans amongst the adults and there was much calling and displaying going in the mild and sunny conditions as the birds begin to prepare for their migration back to Siberia.

From the Holden Tower in a surprisingly strong and biting wind there were 7 common cranes feeding out on the saltmarsh including 1 juvenile bird along with Canada and barnacle geese. A few skylark were also noted along with 2 oystercatcher and a pair of peregrines buzzing around and perching on fence posts or mounds of vegetation on the ground.

Barnacle Geese

I moved to the side of the hide overlooking the Tack Piece where I was sheltered from the worst of the wind and watched 1 of the peregrines cause complete chaos amongst the waders as it unsuccessfully chased a golden plover before moving on. A lone fieldfare feeding close to the hide was a surprise and I picked up a small flock of linnet feeding in the grass but they were too distant and flighty and mobile to pick out a twite amongst them which has been seen here recently.

Fieldfare

The lapwing, dunlin and golden plover on the Tack Piece continued to be nervous and flighty and I picked up a small falcon flying high overhead before landing in the top of a tree - a female merlin, my first sighting of one at Slimbridge. It sat in the tree top scanning around before launching into flight and dropping down low to the ground in a fast flapping flight interspersed with wings tucked in, putting up the waders, linnets, starlings and skylarks feeding out amongst the grass as it rocketed across the field. Unfortunately I lost track of it amongst the melee and I never refound it and despite the distant views it was a nice surprise to see.

Back to the Martin Smith hide where the Jack snipe was still mostly hidden amongst the grass although 5 common snipe were much more showy. The Jack snipe would occassionally wake up and show its head and bill very well before doing a few bounces and settling back down to sleep with its bill tucked under its wings. Eventually it was spooked by a moorhen passing by and it moved off amongst the grass bobbing away before it was totally lost from view - not quite the views I had hoped for but nice to see none the less.

The peregrines continued to buzz over the Tack Piece putting up the feeding birds although they didn't appear to catch anything but it was time to move on to the Rushy Pen for the feeding session with the WWT warden. I had planned to visit the In-Focus shop overlooking the Rushy Pen to have a look at the telescopes but it had closed by the time I got there so I enjoyed watching the birds on the Rushy Pen instead, watching the Bewick's swans flying in to feed on the grain including a second winter bird still  unusually showing patches of pink on its yellow and black bill.

Pintail

Bewick's Swans

Bewick's Swans 

Bewick's Swans 

Bewick's Swans 

Bewick's Swan with Mallard

David duly arrived to pick me up and we drove back to Bristol to spend the night at my sister Vik's and brother-in-law Nik's and the next morning at breakfast it was fun to watch the antics of 2 very chunky looking grey squirrels stuffing their faces on my sisters bird feeders along with nuthatch, robin, great spotted woodpecker, coal, blue, great and long-tailed tits, blackbird and magpie.

After spending the morning in Clifton admiring the suspension bridge across the Avon Gorge while visiting the nearby observatory with its camera obscura it was time to drive back to Plymouth but it had been a very enjoyable trip away - Slimbridge is always a great days birding and it was lovely to catch up with Vik and Nik.

Swans and Stints at the Years End

After a crappy couple of weeks at work including Christmas Eve and Christmas Day I felt in need of a Christmas treat and decided a visit to the WWT reserve at Slimbridge was in order. I had a look at the train times and prices and almost changed my mind - £78 return for the train ticket plus taxis and entrance fee on top! After I had gotten over the shock I had a look on the Tickety Split website and managed to whittle down the cost of the train fare to £38.50 travelling on exactly the same trains but having to buy 3 separate tickets - Plymouth to Taunton return, Taunton to Bristol return and Bristol to Cam and Dursley return - how utterly ridiculous.

The journey to Slimbridge went seamlessly with no hitches and I arrived at the ticket office at Slimbridge at 10:30am. It was a cloudy and breezy day with occasional sunny spells but it wasn't too cold and I decided to start off at the Rushy Pen where I immediately found a few Bewick's swans loafing around including 2 juveniles.

Bewick's Swans, Rushy Pen

Onwards towards the Holden Tower and from the hides the Tack Piece was well flooded and covered in birds - wigeon, teal, pintail, shoveler, mallard, mute swan, Bewick's swan, curlew, lapwing, golden plover, redshank, tufted duck, dunlin, Canada goose, greylag goose and shelduck all busily feeding away until a peregrine dashed in like a rocket putting everything up. Eventually the birds resettled and I managed to find 7 ruff, 16 white fronted geese and 2 little stints amongst the flocks with a distant view of a common crane feeding in fields behind a hedge - I was very pleased to see the little stints after missing out in the autumn and it was strange to see them in December but there have often been wintering birds at Slimbridge in recent years (I saw 2 birds here in January 2015).

Ruff with Redshank, Lapwing and Shelduck, Tack Piece

Little Stints with Curlew

Pintail

Pintail

Pintail

Greylag Goose with White Fronted Goose

Greylag Geese with White Fronted Goose

Greylag Geese with White Fronted Goose

Greylag Goose with White Fronted Goose

White Fronted Goose

White Fronted Goose

Greylag Geese with White Fronted Goose

Greylag Geese with White Fronted Goose

A look from the South Finger hides and Zeiss Hide added 2 buzzards overhead, 7 snipe roosting amongst the large number of lapwings and golden plovers out in the fields and a feeding flock of barnacle geese out on The Dumbles to the days list along with a pair of brown rats looking very well fed as they scavenged below the bird feeders in the bushes.

Before catching my taxi back to Cam and Dursley railway station I had a final look at the birds on the Rushy Pen before leaving and I enjoyed watching the Bewick's swans feeding and demonstrating with each including a ringed male bird that is 17 years old called By Brook.

Lapwing, Rushy Pen

Bewick's Swan

Shelduck

Bewick's Swan

Bewick's Swan and Coot

Bewick's Swans

Bewick's Swans

Bewick's Swan

Jackdaw

Teal

By Brook the Bewick's Swan

By Brook - WWT Data Screen

Unfortunately the return journey wasn't so smooth with my train from Cam and Dursley to Bristol being delayed. Annoyingly I watched the train I was meant to catch from Bristol to Plymouth whizz through Cam and Dursley station on its way to Bristol with my late train eventually arriving behind it instead of before it. I then had an hours wait at Bristol for the next train to Plymouth, most annoying as I could have spent another hour at Slimbridge but never mind, it had still been a great day out and my final year list total is now an impressive 208.