Thirty-one members met at Slimbridge on a cold and damp morning. We set of towards the Robbie Garnett hide and being a large group split between the hides towards the Tower Hide to avoid overcrowding. On this part of the reserve we saw Shoveler, Lapwing, Mallard, Goosander, three Snipe and many Teal, Tufted Ducks and Wigeon. The strong wind discouraged small birds on the feeders but Blue Tit and House Sparrow braced the conditions. A male and female Pintail were amongst the throng and a few Berwick’s Swans were on the water’s edge on one of the pools near some Redshanks, and a Kestrel was out hunting. We moved on toward the Zeiss Hide seeing a Grey Heron and a couple of Little Egrets flying over. The wind made the Zeiss hide pretty chilly but we added White-fronted Goose, Common Gull, large flocks of Black-tailed Godwits, Golden Plovers and Dunlin in the middle distance. Five Pink-footed Geese on the edge of the Severn occasionally came into view. Knot and Ruff were also present in good numbers as were Coot and also a couple of Moorhens. We moved on to the Kingfisher Hide. Here we had clear views of two Barnacle Geese and the feeders were in use by Blue, Great, and Long-tailed Tits, and a Nuthatch. Several Curlew were on the wet meadows and just before we left the hide two Kingfishers put on an excellent display a few yards away to round off an enjoyable, if cold, visit. A total of 49 species were seen. (Thanks to Mark for leading, Ed). Mark Watson.
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