News
Breeding bonanza update
"Look at our lovely eggs". Two greater flamingos tend to their wooden eggs the same as they would incubate their actual one. The real egg gets given back to them as soon as it shows signs of being ready to hatch. Some
13 May 2014
Great Reed Warbler - new for Slimbridge!
Great Reed Warbler - 1st reserve record, third for Gloucestershire. Male singing initially at the back of the Top New Piece but moved along ditch and relocated to the Knott Hide. It sang and showed here to 1230 at least. We have arranged special late open
13 May 2014
Out on the reserve today
Great white egret - 1 (Reedbed hide towards the summer walk) Avocet - 58 (first two broods have hatched from the Lyle hide) Little ringed plover - 2 Main observatory Cuckoo Sedge warbler
13 May 2014
Wildlife sightings for 13th May 2014
2 Black - Necked Grebe - main lake 2 Little Ringed Plover - wader scrape 1 Common Sandpiper - main lake 1 Yellow Legged Gull (2nd summer) - main lake 2 Mandarin - main lake 1 Whinchat - main lake in front of observatory 1 Buzzard - circled site Please not
13 May 2014
Today's Sightings
Wader Lake/Time - AM/Tide - Mid Avocet -12 Lapwing - 8 + 2 chicks Oystercatcher - 6 Little Ringed Plover - 2 Common Tern - 21 Black Headed Gull - 14 + 7 chicks Shelduck - 6 Gadwall - 6 Shoveler - 5 Grey Heron - 36 Saline Lagoon Grey Wagtail - 1 Shelduck -
13 May 2014
Mandarin ducks take to the trees to nest
Paul Steven’s weekly Wildlife Sightings column appears in the Chichester Observer, the Littlehampton Gazette, the Bognor Regis Observer, the Shoreham Herald and the Worthing Herald. A least one pair of mandarin ducks are nesting in the large willow tree
12 May 2014
Garden Warbler new for the year
The first Garden Warbler of the year seen from the Janet Kear Hide today. Many Common Swift feeding over the reserve today. Three Little Ringed Plover on the Mere this morning. A 1cy (first calender year) Mediterranean Gull was on the Mere with Black-head
12 May 2014
Latest Sightings
Whooper Pond Mute Swan 1 Oystercatcher 2 Folly Pond Shoveler 2 Shelduck 4 Oystercatcher 2 Black-tailed Godwit 3 Swallow 20 House Martin 20 Gadwall 2 Avenue Tower Oystercatcher 2 Black-headed Gull 18 Lapwing 20 Gadwall 3 Teal Pond Little Grebe 2 Mute Swa
12 May 2014
Today's highlights
Two glossy ibis have been seen from the heron hide today. Other highlights include little gull, 3 Mediterranean gull, 210 black tailed godwit, greenshank, 6 cetti's warbler, 2 whitethroat, 2 lesser whitethroat, 2 sedge warbler, 7 reed warbler, great spott
12 May 2014
Today's Sightings
Wader Lake Avocet - 12 Redshank - 4 Shoveler - 6 Gadwall - 4 Mallard - 34 Coot - 1 Heron - 52 Shelduck - 16 Lapwing - 10 Oystercatcher - 4 Tufted Duck - 20 Common Tern - 18 Saline Lagoon Shelduck - 3 Canada Goose - 2 Hawthorn Wood Bullfinch
12 May 2014
Wildlife sightings for 12th May 2014
6 Mute Swan cygnets - wildside 1 Mandarin - flew over main lake 1 Kestrel - male, hunting over wildside 1 Little Ringed Plover - scrape 2 Lapwing chicks - scrape. Also a pair of very vigilant adults in the middle of the marsh, suggesting another brood the
12 May 2014
World Migratory Bird Day
This weekend is World Migratory Bird Day it is an annual awareness-raising campaign highlighting the need for the protection of migratory birds and their habitats. Highlights today include: Great white egret - flew past the main observatory 110 swifts ov
11 May 2014
Today's sightings - lots of Avocet chicks
Holden Tower Avocet - at least ten chicks on the scrape. Lapwing 8 males/3 females/4 chicks on the Dumbles Peregrine 1 Great Skua (Bonxie) on the estuary 0930-1020 at least. Gannet 1 adult seen at 0600 on the estuary Common Tern 2 fishing at low tide Sand
11 May 2014
Wildlife sightings for 11th May 2014
2 Mandarin - world wetlands 1 Peregrine - male flew low over marsh 1 Common Sandpiper - scrape 1 Ringed Plover (Tundra race) - main lake 3 Swallow - main lake Please note, the number of Sand Martins nesting has dropped over the last couple of years
11 May 2014
Today's Sightings
Weather: Light cloud with sunny intervals. Time: AM / Tide Level: Mid. Wader Lake Common Tern - 14 Avocet - 12 Shelduck - 16 Tufted Duck - 31 Shoveler - 4 Gadwall - 6 Oystercatcher - 4 Lapwing - 10 Grey Heron - 36 Wader Lake Footpath Pied
11 May 2014