WWT Slimbridge 24th April 2014
WWT Slimbridge 24th April 2014
On the first day of our holiday to Somerset and Hampshire we stayed over at the village of Slimbridge. We didn’t have too much time by the time we got there so we drove straight up to WWT Slimbridge before checking in at the Tudor Arms hotel. Went straight to the Martin Smith hide where we saw a Crane sitting on a nest and the partner further out in the fields beyond. The sitting bird rose at one point and looked to be turning an egg.
A Common Gull was the only other notable feature from this hide. Otherwise it was a lot of Graylag Geese a lot of Jackdaws and a lot of Shelduck.
We went over to the Discovery hide overlooking the south lake and there was another Crane sitting on a nest and a partner bird wandering along the grassy patch at the far side of the water. The best sighting, though, was that of a Little Gull that we watched for a long time as it swooped down onto the lake picking flies from the surface of the water. This was a life tick for us and it was a particularly good one with prolonged and detailed views of the characteristics of the tern-like gull. There were also a few Ruff but not in such fine breeding plumage as we had seen last month at Martin Mere. A final flourish was provided by a Kingfisher darting past the hide and disappearing into the distance.
Bird Sightings : WWT Slimbridge
| Species | Count |
|---|---|
| Greylag Goose | 30 |
| Canada Goose | 10 |
| Mute Swan | 6 |
| Common Shelduck | 20 |
| Gadwall | 6 |
| Mallard | 20 |
| Common Teal | 1 |
| Tufted Duck | 30 |
| Common Pheasant | 1 |
| Great Crested Grebe | 1 |
| Great Cormorant | 4 |
| Little Egret | 1 |
| Eurasian Common Moorhen | 8 |
| Common Coot | 2 |
| Common Crane | 4 |
| Northern Lapwing | 2 |
| Eurasian Oystercatcher | 8 |
| Black-tailed Godwit | 1 |
| Ruff | 3 |
| Black-headed Gull | 60 |
| Little Gull | 1 |
| Common Gull | 1 |
| Herring Gull | 1 |
| Lesser Black-backed Gull | 2 |
| Common Wood Pigeon | 30 |
| Eurasian Collared Dove | 4 |
| Common Kingfisher | 1 |
| Great Spotted Woodpecker | 1 |
| Eurasian Magpie | 4 |
| Eurasian Jackdaw | 40 |
| Rook | 50 |
| Carrion Crow | 4 |
| Barn Swallow | 12 |
| Northern House Martin | 10 |
| Great Tit | 4 |
| Common Blue Tit | 4 |
| Northern Wren | 1 |
| Common Chiffchaff | 4 |
| European Robin | 2 |
| Eurasian Blackbird | 4 |
| Common Starling | 1 |
| Chaffinch | 1 |
| European Goldfinch | 2 |
| House Sparrow | 2 |