An impromptu club visit to WWT Slimbridge took place on Monday, February 24th.
Six club members (Tracy Onions, Nigel Goode, Bea von der Haar, Stephen Lander, Graham Porritt and Kevin Doyle) were able to make the journey on a day that started overcast and showery but soon became bright and warm. Slimbridge is always a pleasure to visit and this occasion was no different. We arrived at the reserve as it opened its doors at 9:30, booked in, and headed out to the right of the main building towards the hides leading to the Estuary Tower. This section took us nicely up to lunchtime and the inevitable visit to the cafe.
After lunch we headed in the opposite direction to the hides leading to the Kingfisher hide. From the Kingfisher hide we headed to the final hide at South Lake. Leaving South Lake around mid-afternoon we headed home having had a great day birding with some standout sightings. Slimbridge rarely disappoints!
The following species were seen:
| Whooper Swan | Bewick’s Swan | Mute Swan | Black Swan | Pintail Duck |
| Wigeon | Shoveller | Tufted Duck | Teal | Shelduck |
| Redshank | Ruff | Dunlin | Blcak-tailed Godwit (South Lake) | Avocet (South Lake) |
| Little Stint (Tower Hide) | Lapwing | Oystercatcher | Curlew | Common Snipe (South Lake) |
| Spoonbill (singleton, South Lake) | Kingfisher (1 male, 1 female) | Russian White-fronted Geese (fly-by) | Greylag Geese | Canada Geese |
