Sightings and news to week ending 19 July 2026
Image- juvenile Little-ringed Plover (MJM).
Upcoming Events
Dragonfly Festival - 18 July - 3 September
The Urban Birder's 20th Anniversary: Guided Birding Walk - Tuesday 21 July
Guided Birdwatch Walk - Tuesday 4 August
Birding for Beginners - Wednesday 5 August
Summer Walkway
Fully open for the summer, from after 0815hrs to 1630hrs each day. Please allow time to return. Enjoy.
Butterflies!
It's a bumper summer for butterflies at WWT Slimbridge, 100s of Painted Lady and now 20+ Clouded Yellows about the site as well as many more species.
WeBS Count 19 July
| Barnacle Goose | 9 | ||
| Greylag Goose | 235 | ||
| Mute Swan | 57 | ||
| Shelduck | 157 | 64 juveniles or chicks | |
| Mandarin Duck | 1 | ||
| Shoveler | 11 | ||
| Gadwall | 237 | ||
| Wigeon | 1 | ||
| Mallard | 686 | ||
| Teal | 119 | ||
| Pochard | 4 | ||
| Tufted Duck | 78 | ||
| Little Grebe | 5 | ||
| Grey Heron | 14 | ||
| Little Egret | 5 | ||
| Cormorant | 10 | ||
| Water Rail | 2 | ||
| Moorhen | 87 | ||
| Coot | 95 | ||
| Oystercatcher | 16 | ||
| Avocet | 7 | ||
| Lapwing | 74 | ||
| Little Ringed Plover | 7 | ||
| Curlew | 101 | ||
| Black-tailed Godwit | 21 | ||
| Knot | 13 | 6 on South Lake, 7 on the Severn (all breeding plumage adults) | |
| Ruff | 18 | minimum, at least 3 Rushy, 4 Tack Piece, 15 Top New Piece and 3 South Lake but movement between scrapes possible. | |
| Sanderling | 3 | on the Severn off Middle Point | |
| Dunlin | 28 | first two juveniles of the year | |
| Snipe | 3 | Top New Piece | |
| Common Sandpiper | 1 | Tack Piece | |
| Green Sandpiper | 15 | scattered but 10 on Tack Piece | |
| Redshank | 29 | ||
| Spotted Redshank | 3 | ||
| Kingfisher | 2 | ||
| Black-headed Gull | 648 | ||
| Great Black-backed Gull | 4 | ||
| Herring Gull | 13 | ||
| Lesser Black-backed Gull | 7 | ||
| Common Tern | 5 | on the Severn | |
| Black Swan | 1 | ||
| Great White Egret | 1 | ||
| Crane | 12 |
Saturday 18 July
Bottom New Piece
16 Canada, 6 Greylag, 4 Barnacle geese, 6 Lapwing
Top New Piece
20 Lapwing, 1 Avocet, 1 Ruff, 5 Teal, Mallard family of 6
Rushy hide
2 Green Sandpiper, 6 Ruff, 81 Black-tailed Godwit, 2 Avocet, 2 Spotted Redshank, 3 Redshank, 1 Little Egret.
Tack Piece
1 Little Egret, 4 Green Sandpiper, 2 Redshank, 1 Common Sandpiper, 5 Ruff, 1 Reed Warbler, Swallows over and 4+ Yellow Wagtail over the Tack Piece, Greenshank
South Lake
5 Cormorant, 2 Green sandpiper 1 Common Sandpiper, 2 Black-tailed Godwit, 2 Little Grebe,1 Heron,4 Ruff,1 Oystercatchers, Lapachino Lapwing
Afternoon Safari
1 juvenile Marsh Harrier, 6+ Heron, 6 Curlew, 1 Redshank, 1 adult Crane with 2 juvenile, 1 Corn Bunting, 3 Roe Deer. Emperor, Brown Hawker, Common and Ruddy Darter.
Friday 17 July
Rushy
5 Black Tailed Godwit, 18 Ruff, 7 Redshank, 2 Spotted Redshank, 1 Avocet, 3 Tufted Ducklings without adult, mix of other duck, 2 Lapwing. Hummingbird Hawkmoth on Buddleia near the Peng
Dumbles
4 Curlew
Tack Piece
9 Yellow Wagtail, 1 Green Sandpiper, 6 Ruff, Peregrine, Greenshank
South Finger
Jay, Great Spot Woody, 2 calling Blackcap, juvenile Sedge and Reed Warblers
Top New Piece
1 Avocet, 5 Redshank, 7 Ruff, 3 Green Sand, 2 Juvenile Little Ringed Plovers, Common Gull
South Lake
7 Little Ringed Plovers (juveniles) , Greenshank, Black Tailed Godwit, 4 Green Sand, Cattle Egret, 52 Lapwing.
Large flock of moulting/loafing Gadwall and Tufted Ducks on deep lake
Goose House Ground
2 Roe Deer 6 Cranes
Summer Walkway
2 Fox
Mid Point
Little Tern, Yellow Wagtail, 75 Curlew, Great Egret, 2 Little Egret, 5 Oystercatcher, 2 Cranes, 5 Barnacles, 3 Green Sandpiper, 9 Ruff, Redshank, Great Spotted Woodpecker, 2 Yellow Wagtail, 4 Reed Warbler, Kestrel, 12 Swallow, Goldfinch and 3 Hares
Thursday 16 July
4X4 Photo Safari event some images below
Common Blue Butterfly
Severn Bore and Awre
Lapwing, Ox Piece
Kestrel (one of four).
Sedge Warbler
Tuesday 14 July
Middle Point
Adult Turnstone, 5 adult Sanderling, 12 adult Dunlin, 7 Common Sandpiper, 34 Curlew, 10 Oystercatcher, 94 Shelduck, 2 GBB Gull, a few each of Herring and LBB Gull and 300+ Black-headed Gulls on the rising tide. A juvenile Marsh Harrier (pictured below) flew North along the shore.
Estuary Tower
Five juvenile Yellow Wagtail, 2 Meadow Pipits, 10 Swallows feeding over, 4 Pied Wagtail, c30 Linnets, 2 Green Sandpipers in the drying scrape.
Pillbox Pool
Green Sandpiper, Little and Great Egret.
Tack Piece
Seven male Ruff, 5 Lapwing, 11 Green Sandpiper, 14 Teal, 31 Gadwall, 7 Mallard, a few Pied Wagtails, 2 Little Egret and Grey Heron.
Rushy Hide/Peng Observatory
Eight Ruff, 3 Spotted Redshank, 3 Redshank, 2 Oystercatcher broods of 1 and 3 Avocet.
Top New Piece
Nine Little-ringed Plover (2 adults), Green Sandpiper, 12 Dunlin, 2 Oystercatcher, c40 Teal, a few Shoveler and 5 Lapwing.
South Lake- adult and juvenile Little-ringed Plover, 8 Lapwing, 40 Teal and 150 Gadwall.
Monday 13 July
Duck Decoy
A male Lesser Emperor patrolling the north shore of the pond between House and North pipe.
Decoy Boardwalk
Male Scarce (Blue) Chaser from the Decoy boardwalk (MJM).
Top New Piece
Eight juvenile Little-ringed Plover, two Dunlin, Green Sandpiper, 2 Oystercatcher, 6 Ruff, juvenile Redshank and a few Lapwing but the scrape had been flushed by a raptor.
Rushy Hide
Spotted Redshank, Ruff, 3 Black-tailed Godwit, Avocet and Black-headed Gull families.
Middle Point
Two Common Sandpiper on the Severn and 31 Curlew on the Dumbles.
Tack Piece
Four Ruff, 11 Green Sandpiper, 2 Redshank, 7 Lapwing, 9 Teal, 19 Gadwall, 3 Grey Heron, 2 Pied Wagtail and a flock of Greylag. Martin Smith Hide- broods of Gadwall and Gadwall with Tufted Duck + a Fox.
