I paid a late Spring visit to Slimbridge this afternoon where, as expected, the breeding season is getting well underway. On the Rushy Pen, a crane was sitting on its nest, whilst from the Zeiss hide I watched a pair of Cranes feeding in the long grass, their recently hatched youngster(s)' heads occasionally popping into view.
Also on the Rushy, avocets and black headed gulls were nesting, and a pair of little ringed plovers, whose nest was being protected from predators by a wire cage placed over it by the Centre staff. Whilst watching, a pair of jackdaws came close and both parents ( out of the cage) were feigning injury in order to entice the jackdaws away.
At various sites on the Centre, I came across families of greylag geese, with their broods of goslings. I also saw one family of Canada geese, a coot chick, but oddly enough, no mallard ducklings!
From the Discovery hide I saw an oyster catcher and chicks which had nested on the roof, then parachuted down to the ground, although they were too distant to photographs. There was also a mute swan with 6 small cygnets, and good numbers of avocets feeding in the shallows.
Unusually, I didn't record any new species for the year today, but did get chatting to a lady from the States, who was spending 5 weeks over here while her daughter took her University exams and was making use of her time to do some birdwatching in the Gloucester area; she was enquiring what she might be able to see at this time of year. I accompanied her on the summer walkway towards the Severn river, but the tide was right out and there were only a few shelducks and gulls. However on the field alongside the path were three golden plover and a couple of swallows perched on the barbed wire.
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