LANDROVER SAFARI

It turned out to be a beautiful summer's day for my second trip to Slimbridge this week. This time I was able to book a place onto the morning's Landrover trip into the reserve. 

I spent the first hour around the hides at Rushy Pen and along the Holden Walkway. The wood sandpiper wasn't around, but there were several green sandpipers,little ringed plover, a redshank, lapwing, grey and pied wagtail  as well as blacktailed godwit, and a few species of ducks and geese. 

green sandpiper

grey wagtail

lapwing

little ringed plover

redshank

At 11.30 we went out in the trailer behind the land rover. Although about 16 people can attend, there were only eight of us; a family of five, two ladies and myself. We had a driver as well as a guide on the trailer to keep us informed.  We drove through a couple of fields which are kept as grass on which wintering geese feed, and then up on to the sea wall ( a grassy bank).  Looking over the top we could see that it was high tide, thus our chances of seeing a variety of waders was reduced. However we picked out herons and little egret, shelduck, a group of over 100 curlew, several kestrels and a hobby and a roe deer with two calves. 

large group of curlew

high tide on the estuary

looking back from the trailer

We then drove through the reed beds and stopped, overlooking a lagoon, which   gave us sightings of little grebe, parent and young common tern, and cormorants. Throughout the trip our guides  had kindly lent binoculars to those without and set up a telescope for any one that wanted closer views when we stopped.  A bit further on we all got off and set about looking under some pieces of corrugated iron which were placed at intervals along the route. We found four grass snakes in total, which quickly slithered away before we had a chance to take any photos!  Apparently water shrews have been sometimes seen underneath them too but not today!

common tern and juv (below duck)

going to look for snakes!

We learnt about the origins of the Slimbridge WWT and also some ambitious plans for the next three years. 

Although not a great number of wildlife species seen today, it was nevertheless an enjoyable hour and a half, and costing only a fiver, is one I would  repeat.