Slimbridge named top British reserve
It’s official, we’re Britain’s finest nature reserve!
Slimbridge Wetland Centre has been voted the top nature reserve in Britain.
Staff at the centre in Gloucestershire are celebrating after it was picked by Countryfile magazine readers from a shortlist of 10 chosen by the BBC Natural History Unit radio presenter Brett Westwood.
To reach the top spot it had to beat tough competition such as runners up Lundy Island in Devon and in third place: Minsmere RSPB in Suffolk.
Slimbridge’s reserve runs alongside the River Severn which gives it a unique special habitat of mud flats formed by the dramatic Severn Bore tidal waves.
The 800 acre site also has salt marshes, scrubland, reedbeds, woods and lakes and welcomes hundreds of thousands of birds a year including kinds of gulls, waders, geese, ducks and the famous Bewick’s swans.
Martin Spray, Chief Executive of the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust, said: “We are delighted to receive the award for being Britain’s finest nature reserve.
“It is testament to the 65 years hard work of the team at Slimbridge who manage this incredible and unique reserve which borders the River Severn.
“The Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust has always sought to engage people in conservation through seeing the beauty of our reserves and wildlife firsthand, so it is heartening to know that we were voted to the top spot by the public.
“There is always something new to see at Slimbridge as the character of the Reserve changes dramatically through the seasons and so many different species of bird come and go.
“This means no two trips out there are ever the same and I imagine it would be impossible to find a more inspiring place to work.”
Year round visitors can use the many hides which overlook the reserve to see the diverse mix of wildlife which visits the site. In the summer daily Land Rover safaris actually offer the chance to go out onto the reserve along the sea wall. In the winter a highlight is the arrival of the Bewick’s swans. These wild swans from Russia all have individual bill patterns and fly into the Rushy Lake each evening for a commentated public feed with a warden from Slimbridge.
Veronica Chrisp, General Manager at Slimbridge, said: “This is an amazing accolade and one of which we are extremely proud. So much work goes on year-round and behind the scenes to provide this magical space.”
