My plan was to firstly visit the newly opened Estuary Hide. Surprisingly it was not that busy but it is a beautiful hide, and the views from the open air top are stunning. There was no wind today but I guess a winter's day could prove very bracing.
I checked out the Willow hide and watched a pheasant wading through the water, though I did not get a glimpse of the water rail that had been around earlier.
Bitterns have been regularly reported from Slimbridge so I made my way over to the Zeiss hide, where some rides have been cut amongst the reed bed for easier viewing. As I waited, I overheard another visitor enquiring about bitterns; he was told that in all probability there was one currently on view at the next hide along.
So guess where I headed next?! And as I entered the hide and managed to find a seat right at the end, the bittern was indeed showing very well indeed, making its way along the edge of the reed bed! Several people could be heard phoning their friends in other parts of the reserve to let them know but as they did so the bird vanished amongst the reeds, so on arrival they were greeted with the inevitable 'You've just missed it!'
Although it was still only 2.45 pm, I didn't wait much longer to see if it reappeared, as I wanted to visit a couple of other hides and then leave in good time to get home.
estuary hide
newly arrived Bewick swans
house sparrow
pintail
pheasant
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