Image- Cattle Egret from Discovery Hide
Upcoming Events
Dragonfly Festival - 18 July - 3 Sept
4x4 Photo Safari - Wednesday 16 September
Greater Flamingo on the River Severn
A second calendar year greater flamingo has been sighted on the River Severn close to WWT Slimbridge Wetland Centre. Identified by her green ring ‘LHH’, the young female flamingo belongs to Birdland Park and Gardens, in Bourton-on-the-Water, from where she has recently taken flight and become separated from her flock. Working closely with our colleagues at Birdland, we are monitoring her movements and keeping them updated. She currently appears healthy, coping well and not causing a disturbance to other birds.
Seasonal habitat work, essential maintenance and farming
*Please note that you may encounter farming activity, seasonal habitat management, infrastructure maintenance or survey work around the reserve. This can include the use of machinery. We typically work in one area at a time with a large team to get the job done quickly and safely. We manage the other wetland areas to offer a quiet place to feed and rest, short-term localised disturbance is possible. Our birds simply move to another spot for a time and return once we finish. It's important to allow quiet during the evenings and very early mornings when birds are roosting so most work is carried out when a full team is on site between 0800-1630hrs.
This work is essential for biodiversity and the annual cycle of the reserve and to keep the place operational. It also allows us to keep views open to our scrapes and lakes following the breeding season.
Sunday 30 August
Middle Point
Middle Point/Dumbles foreshore- mostly flight views when spooked by Peregrine but five juvenile Curlew Sandpiper, 2 Little Stint, 215 Ringed Plover, 70 Dunlin, 4 Sanderling, Turnstone, Greenshank + c18 Avocet and 3 Great, 16 Little Egrets on Royal Drift wall. The Guillemot was again in the estuary basin over high tide, this time noted to the north off Saul Warth.
Pillbox Pool from Knott Hide
Water Rail in the areas with cut reed.
Estuary Tower
36+ Yellow Wagtail among the cattle, a few Skylark. Adult Peregrine on foreshore, juvenile on Severn. 2 Chiffchaff and 3 Reed Warbler in the copse below Hide. A Hobby was on the cross fence (only one cross fence, this divides the Dumbles from Lower Dumbles, not to be confused with the Middle Point fence).
Tack Piece
49 Teal, 2 Brown Hare.
Summer Walkway/Middle Point
Whinchat, 4 Stonechat, 2 Whitethroat.
Rushy Hide
Four Great Egret early morning (three pictured)+ 10 Snipe, 4 Greenshank, 3 Garganey, 3 Green Sandpiper, 2 Black-tailed Godwit, now 8 Spotted Redshank (6 non-breeding and two juvenile plumage), 22 Lapwing, 24 Ruff, 6 Shoveler, Little Grebe+ Teal and Gadwall.
Martin Smith Hide
Kingfisher, drake Wigeon (in eclipse), 24 Gadwall.
Saturday 29 August
Middle Point over high tide
Guillemot, Osprey, Grey Plover, Sparrowhawk, Little Ringed Plover, Whimbrel, 41 Black-Tailed Godwit, Greenshank, 2 Turnstone, 8 Curlew Sandpipers, 18 Sanderling, 3 Little Stint, Knot, 300 Ringed Plovers.
Dumbles
8+ Yellow Wagtail, 1 Linnet, 3 Chiffchaff, 1 Cettis Warbler. 4 Stonechat and 1 Whinchat on cross fence. 9 Little Egret, 4 Cormorant, 2 Great Black Back Gull
Top New Piece
Bittern, 4 Shoveler, 31 Gadwall, 2 Little Grebe, 3 Tufted Duck, 42 Black-Tailed Godwit, 8 Little Egret, 1 Spoonbill, 131 Teal, 4 Ruff, 32 Avocet, hundreds of Ringed Plover with a mix of Dunlin, 1 Little Stint
Rushy Pen
2 Garganey, 3 Greenshank, 1 Little Egret, 1 Great Egret, 3 Snipe, 4 Redshank, 5 Spotted Redshank, 1 Green Sandpiper, 14 Lapwing, 120+ Black-tailed Godwit
Tack Piece (from Martin Smith)
1 male Kingfisher, 1 Garganey (3rd bird), 2 Wigeon, 1 Great Egret, 2 Shoveler, 4 Teal, 6 Gadwall, 4 Reed Warbler (2 juvenile)
Tack Piece (from Robbie Garnett hide)
Hobby, 8+ Golden Plover, 26 Lapwing, 24 Teal and 1 juvenile Little-ringed Plover
South Lake Discovery hide
155 Black-Tailed Godwits, 7 Ruff, 1 Redshank, 1 Green Sandpiper, 5 Cormorant, 14 Gadwall, 94 Teal, 25 Shoveler, 6 Pochard, 33 Tufted, 1 Little Grebe, +Greylags, +BH gull, House Martins feeding
Pillbox pool
23 Little Egret, 2 Great Egrets, 1 Grey Heron
Friday 28 August
South Lake
1 Snipe, 177 Black-Tailed Godwits, 6 Ruff, 129 Teal, 22 Shoveler, 12 Gadwall, 5 Cormorant, 6 Lapwing, 19 Tufted Duck 1 Pochard
Rushy
6 Spotted Redshank, 4 Greenshank
Knott Hide
15 Little Egret
Summer Walkway
2 Yellow Wagtail, 2 Stonechat
Mid Point
55 Curlew, 2 Oystercatchers, 19 Little Egret, 5 Pintail, 15 Teal, 110 Shelduck, 300+ small waders, mainly Ringed Plover with Dunlin + few Sanderling. Also Little Stint & Knot. 140 Black Head Gull
Top New Piece
23 Avocet, 16 Black-tailed Godwit, 6 Lapwing, 505 Teal, 15 Pintail, 3 Green Sandpiper, 13 Shoveler, 1 Spoonbill, 2 Ringed Plover, 2 Greenshank, 13 Ruff, 1 Common Sandpiper
Kingfisher Hide
61 Greylags, 81 Barnacle Geese plus Ross’s and hybrid all on Bottom New Piece.
Thursday 27 August
Top New Piece
Spoonbill, Common and 3 Green Sandpiper, 2 juvenile Dunlin, 2 Little-ringed Plover, 7 Ringed Plover, Greenshank, 35 Lapwing, 20 Black-tailed Godwit, 5 Snipe, 13 Ruff (one adult), 150+ Teal, 10 Shoveler, 2 Grey Heron.
South Lake
Eleven Ruff, 100+ Black-tailed Godwit, Green Sandpiper, 70+ Teal, 3 Pochard, 30 Tufted Duck, flock of Coot, Teal and Shoveler.
Estuary Tower/Middle Point
Dumbles foreshore over high tide- 32 Curlew, 24 Ringed Plover, 8 Bar-tailed Godwit, 17 Knot in flight, a few Yellow Wagtails with the cattle and Stonechat and Sedge Warbler at the point.
Rushy Hide/Peng Observatory
Three Little Grebe, Great and Little Egret, Grey Heron, 30 Gadwall, 3 Ruff, Spotted Redshank, 3 Redshank, 3 Lapwing, Snipe.
Martin Smith Hide
Garganey and Wigeon on the pool.
Wednesday 26 August
Martin Smith Hide
The Garganey and a drake Wigeon again.
Tack Piece
Water Rail, Greenshank, 6 Ruff, 3 Little-ringed Plover, 16 Lapwing, 68 Teal, Little and Great Egret, 2 Sedge Warbler, a few Sand Martins among the Swallows, 20+ Pied Wagtails. A Water Rail in the reeds below the hide. Spotted Redshank, Kingfisher.
Estuary Tower
Spoonbill, Greenshank, Common Sandpiper, Avocet and 2 Ruff on Top New Piece. Yellow Wagtails among the cattle on Dumbles, Green Sandpiper on Long Ground Pool. Five Pintail and a Wigeon on the Severn wit the Shelducks, a Gadwall and 2 Shoveler flew upriver.
Middle Point
Three Stonechats.
South Lake
110 Black-tailed Godwits, 14 Ruff, 1 Common Gull, 2 Green Sandpipers, 5 Snipe and Cattle Egret.
Top New Piece
Spoonbill, 60 Black-tailed Godwits, 4 Green Sandpipers, 6 Ruff, 1 Greenshank, Barnacle Goose, Peregrine, Little Grebe, Avocet
Dumbles
4 Cranes
South Finger Walkway
Willow Warbler, 3 Southern Hawker Dragonflies, 2 Roe Deer
Bottom New Piece
60 Barnacle Geese, Ross' Goose, 3 Egyptian Geese
Afternoon Wild Safari
Whitethroat, 4 Stonechat, Buzzard, Marsh Harrier, Hobby, Crane family, Great Egret, several Clouded Yellows.
Tuesday 25 August
South Lake
205 Black-tailed Godwit (41 juveniles, also long-staying colour ringed dark green over black L + orange with 2 black hoops R and a second ringed bird with a yellow darvic) also 14 Ruff, Snipe and Green Sandpiper on the waders scrape. Cattle Egret, 3 Pochard, 100 Teal, flocks of Coot, Shoveler and Gadwall, 2 Common and 10 Black-headed Gulls, 8 Cormorants.
Middle Point
Harbour Porpoise feeding in the Severn to the North. Stonechats on the fences. A flock of five drake Common Scoter drifting in on the tide but flew off back downriver.
Martin Smith Hide
Garganey with Mallard on the pool.
Tack Piece
Green Sandpiper, 3 Ruff, 3 Little-ringed Plover, Shelduck, 34 Lapwing, 8 Golden Plover, 12 Teal, juvenile Spotted Redshank.
Top New Piece
Spoonbill, 2 Avocet, Green and Common Sandpiper, juvenile Dunlin, 5 juvenile Ruff, 7 Black-tailed Godwit (5 juvenile), Yellow Wagtail, adult and juvenile Cattle Egret flew through, 3 Grey Heron, 150 Teal, Little Grebe, Reed Warbler.
Monday 24 August
Estuary Tower
Four juvenile Turnstone, adult Grey Plover and 10 Little Egret on the Severn, Green Sandpiper and 4 Cattle Egret in the Long Ground Pool (two pictured from 23 August).
Middle Point
At least 3 Stonechat in the reedbeds. 14 Turnstone on the Severn + 200 distant small waders- Ringed Plover and Dunlin.
South Lake
Three adult Ruff, c100 Black-tailed Godwit, 2 Snipe, 2 Green Sandpiper, 8 Lapwing, Cattle Egret, c70 Teal (Garganey also here yesterday) 4 Common, 10 Black-headed and 9 Herring Gulls.
Rushy Hide
Six Spotted Redshank (including a juvenile), 15 Ruff (3 juvenile), 2 juvenile Greenshank, 3 Redshank, 18 Lapwing, Little Egret, flocks of Teal and Gadwall.
Tack Piece
Six adult Golden Plover, 12 Lapwing, Green Sandpiper, 3 juvenile Little-ringed Plover, 7 juvenile Ruff, 3 Redshank, 2 Snipe, 3 Yellow and 21 Pied Wagtail, Kestrel chasing a Sparrowhawk who was chasing the wagtails, 30+ Teal and 5 Shoveler.
Top New Piece
Spoonbill, 10 Avocet, 15 Lapwing, 4 juvenile Ruff, Black-tailed Godwit, 3 Egyptian Geese, Ross's and Snow x Bar-headed Geese with 99 strong Barnacle Goose flock, 14 Pied Wagtail, 100 Teal, 6 Shoveler, Meadow Pipit, 3 Grey Heron.
