It's a little while since I last visited Slimbridge due to the recent lockdown and in the meantime Slimbridge has had an influx of winter visitors. In particular Bewick Swans are now present and number over 50; there are also pintails and golden plover, white fronted geese and a few pink footed geese.
At the Rushy Pen, there were still a good number of birds present after their morning feed. The sun was low in the sky and the early morning light cast a yellow glow on the birds there. Fourteen Bewicks were still there, the rest having already relocated to other parts of the reserve.
I followed the path along the Holden walkway as far as the Estuary Tower, stopping off at the hides on the way there, Two water rails were intermittently feeding at the Willow hide, and I stayed to watch them for a while. I made my way to the top of the Estuary tower which is open air and gives a great view of the reserve. Greylag and Canada geese were easily seen, and I could just make out a few pink footed geese in the next field. A cackling goose (i'd never heard of one, apparently it looks like a small canada goose) was said to be present but with a large flock of Canada geese which couldn't be seen at the time I was looking. I did see a bar-headed goose in flight, but not the barnacle or white fronts as they were feeding in distant fields. From the Zeiss hide I added peregrine and golden plover to my year list.
After an enjoyable morning, I stopped off briefly at the village of Frampton on Severn, to see if I could locate the regular roosting Tawny Owl in a particular tree. I parked alongside the village green and took the footpath past some allotments and then turned left and over a stile. In the field there is a particular oak tree which has some holes made from where branches had once been, and in one of these near the top of the tree, a tawny owl has its favourite roosting spot. I had tried several times unsuccessfully to see it, but today it was present so another tick for the year.
Birds on the Rushy Pen in the morning sunlight
Bewick Swan
Pintail
Redshanks
Water rail emerging from the reeds
Frampton Tawny Owl
Peregrine Falcon
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