Highest tide at Slimbridge in more than 30 years
The River Severn estuary alongside the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust (WWT) at Slimbridge has risen to the highest level any staff and volunteers can remember since 1982.
The unusually high tide expanded the width of the Severn Estuary considerably ,with waters reaching out an extra half-mile right up to the bank that defends WWT’s buildings and waterfowl gardens against extreme events.
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But the water stopped rising nearly two metres below the top of the bank. Which meant hundreds of visitors to Slimbridge Wetland Centre had the chance to see thousands of wild birds like shelduck, white-fronted geese, lapwing, dunlin, wigeon and curlew who are benefitting from a temporary increase in their watery habitat. There’s a high number of birds around Slimbridge Wetland Centre at the moment – about 50,000 in total - including near-record numbers of golden plover, with about 4,000 in view. Check out the video to see some of the sights as the waters rose.
WWT’s Slimbridge Wetland Centre is often referred to as the birthplace of modern conservation – it’s where the late Sir Peter Scott based his research into migratory birds and opened a visitor centre in 1946 to give people the chance to get close to British wildlife.
Reserve Manager Dave Paynter said:
“We were a bit wary this morning as the river channel swelled to become a sea and was actually higher than us, with just the defensive bank in between.
“But it soon became clear the defence would hold. And we’ve had some of the best wildlife-watching conditions imaginable, with flocks of thousands of lapwing circling around us.
“WWT is about wetlands which aren’t just important for wildlife, they’re also important to people because they protect us from flooding. In our case, the wetland strip along the River Severn absorbs most tidal flooding so the defensive wall is only needed very occasionally.”
Writer Giles Diggle, one of the day’s visitors at Slimbridge, said:
“It’s been quite lively out there today. There’s been a full spectrum of weather patterns so visibility has been quite good at times and led to some spectacular sights. There’s also been a peregrine hunting over the reserve which has caused lots of activity.”
High tides are expected again tonight and early tomorrow morning, but they’re not expected to rise significantly higher so WWT Slimbridge Wetland Centre is aiming to remain open so that people have the chance to see so many birds in these conditions.
