Festival of Birds a flying success
An action-packed Festival weekend saw thousands enjoying birdwatching, shopping and even celebrity spotting at WWT Slimbridge Wetland Centre.
To kickstart the Festival Mark Carwardine delivered an entertaining evening talk on Friday (Feb 3) to a packed cinema called Ultimate Wildlife Experiences based on his new book.
On the Saturday Simon King came to reopen the Zeiss Hide, which has had work done on it to improve the interpretation, windows and flooring thanks to a grant by Zeiss.
Simon King wraps up warm ahead of Zeiss Hide opening
Simon was met with a huge cheer from the 100 or so birdwatchers gathered outside to witness the plaque unveiling. During his speech Simon joked that that was a chance that a 'B' might show itself but that he couldn't mention its full name or it would never appear.
Sadly the bittern which has been showing repeatedly at Slimbridge indeed didn't show on the Saturday. Later that day Simon signed copies of his books and did a question and answer session in the cinema.
On the Sunday it was the turn of the Urban Birder David Lindo to entertain the crowds. He did some birdwatching around Slimbridge before giving an afternoon talk.
There were many other popular events at the festival including warden Martin McGill's Great Waterbird challenge, James Lees' talk on seasonal birding highlights from Slimbridge and Julia Newth's swan bill sketching session.
Sally Munro, marketing manager at the Centre, said: "We have had great feedback from many visitiors and we are thrilled that so many wildlife fans braved the ice and snow to reach us.
"There was a fantastic range of speakers, outdoor activities and shopping opportunities which kept our visitors entertained for the whole day.
"We think this event has shown real potential and hope to make it an annual festival."
