A visit to WWT Slimbridge is a completely unique experience from one month to the next. In the summer months breeding birds are in full swing and the first waders are returning from the Arctic. In the cold winter months the reserve is a hive of activity for migrants such as Bewick's swans and you stand a good chance of catching a glimpse of a short-eared or barn owl.
Here's what you can expect to see and when to help with planning your visit...
Winter
- In December you can see large numbers of white-fronted geese and Bewick’s swans
- Commentated wild bird feeds take place on the Rushy at 4pm and can be watched from the Peng Observatory
- At dusk starlings can be seen doing their amazing acrobatic displays over the grounds
- Bittern can be spotted from the Zeiss Hide
- Enjoy the winter spectacle on the Tack Piece
- During January winter bird numbers are usually at their peak with up to 30,000 wild wintering ducks, geese, swans and waders
- Expect to see garden birds on the feeders at the Kingfisher Hide and the Willow Hide. Also water rail can usually be seen under the feeders
- Bewick’s Swans start to leave the site from February
- In February the first spring migrants begin to return; typically oystercatcher and avocet
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- Sand martins and swallow arrive in March time
- Mediterranean gulls have become regular spring migrants and may breed in the future
- In March the common cranes display and begin nesting
- White-fronted geese leave the site
- From April cuckoos arrive
- Kingfishers begin prospecting nest sites and start laying around April time visible from the Kingfisher Hide
- Warblers begin to breed during this season
- During May migrating birds pass through including grey plover and whimbrel
- Expect to see lapwing and redshank chicks
- Towards the end of May kingfishers may hatch depending on when they started incubating, visible from the Kingfisher Hide
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- Ducklings, goslings and cygnets appear throughout June across the site
- Crane chicks hatch
- In June green sandpiper arrive marking the start of the birding autumn
- Warblers breed during June – sedge warbler, reed warbler are all busy in reed beds in the 100 Acre and South Finger
- The dragonfly season starts in June
- Look out for grass snakes particularly if you go out on a wild safari and a wild otter if you are really lucky
- Kingfishers may be on their second broods in July
- Migrating birds arrive including ruff with their wonderful breeding plumage, green sandpiper, wood sandpiper and curlew sandpiper. The Rushy and the Tack Piece are the best areas to see them.
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- In August see warblers from the Estuary Tower
- Teal start arriving back for winter
- Dragonflies are also busy in August, including brown hawker, emperor, migrant hawker and ruddy darter
- Migrating birds are passing through including waders, osprey, marsh harrier and there is potential for rare birds
- In September the common crane chicks fledge
- Additional migrants arrive and pass through the site, particularly juveniles
- In October you’ll see the arrival of redwings and fieldfare
- White-fronted geese begin to arrive
- Snipe can often be seen from the Martin Smith Hide
- Golden plover arrive and can be seen from the Estuary Tower Hide
- Towards the end of October and beginning of November the Bewick’s swans arrive after their long migration from Arctic Russia
- In November pintail, pochard and wildfowl numbers increase
- Short-eared and barn owls can be seen in November time
- Numbers of Bewick’s swans start to increase depending on the weather conditions
