Lemon drizzle, coffee and Marsh Harrier at Slimbridge

Not long now for the Bewicks arrival

View from the Ziess

Pintails

Shelduck hybrid 

Wigeon

White-fronted Geese

Marsh Harrier

Captive Crane

Lesser White Fronted

Black-winged Stilt

With the boys indoor cricket season not starting for another week both the wife I set out early for a trip down to Slimbridge. Taking advantage of the early entry for members we were watching the birds on the Rushy pen by 8.20am.

None of the Bewick Swans had arrived which was a shame but a strange Ruddy Shelduck did catch the eye but it seems some type of hybrid. There was 30+ Pintails of which some were very close to the hide.

We then headed straight to the Holden Tower as high tide was approaching. As always there was a great array of birds to been seen. I was good to see the first four of the Lesser-fronted geese had arrived.   Whilst a juvenile Marsh Harrier was hunting along the Dumbles edge. A fantastic spectacle for every one in the hide to observe. Other sighting from the Holden were :- 6 Dark-bellied Brent Geese, 3 Little Stint with a flock of 100 Dunlin, 2 Grey Plover, Peregrine, 30 Curlew, 40 Golden Plover, 200 Barnacle Geese and a serious numbers of Wigeon.

Down at the Ziess Hide the Marsh Harrier allowed us closer views, the best attempt at a digiscope is shown above. Teal numbers were 800+, 3 Spotted Redhanks, 1 Greenshank, 8 Avocet !, 12 Dunlin, 30 Redshank, 40 Black-tailed Godwits. Always a great place to watch birds.

We did take in a couple of the enclosures where we watched a pair of Black-winged Stilts very closely in the tropical house before watching the Cranes and Lesser White-fronted Geese.

The morning was finished off nicely with a slice of lemon drizzle and a cappuccino before heading back up the M5.