WWT Slimbridge 5th February 2020

by Peter Hanscomb

Another wildlife Wednesday , and just for a change it’s off to Lower Moor Farm nature reserve.  Except this wasn’t any ordinary day , Lower Moor turned out to be closed for work on the car park. Never mind , the weather had improved and I had a plan B, a little bit more of a drive so it’s off to the WWT site at Slimbridge. Now Slimbridge is a familiar location , definitely not a regular haunt, I guess I have not visited here for a couple of years. Only one problem , upon arrival at the car park I had the sudden realisation that having driven over an hour , I didn’t have any money with me ! Opps.

In my haste packing the car I had only taken my Amex card with me , and as it turns out Slimbridge do not accept Amex , still a quick call back to Wild HQ and my super hero wife came to the rescue , paying for an annual membership via the inter web, emailing the details to my mobile phone and hey presto…….I’m in not only do I have access , I’m now a member !

So I’m not really set up today for photography on the hoof , I’d expected to be in a hide but any day out with the camera is better than a day in the office ! And I do have my challenge 2020 to  think of . 200 different birds , and it took a right hammering today.

So in no particular order , on today’s menu of visual treats,

Slovonian Grebe, Black throated diver, Whooper swan , lots of Greylag goose , Shelduck , Teal , Goldeye , Pochard , Tufted duck , Eider , Avocet , Lapwing , Redshank , Ruff , Pied wagtail ad Jacdaw. So 16 more ticked of the list and now a total of 46 birds !