Phoebe Vaughan is duckery warden at Slimbridge Wetland Centre. Follow her blog throughout the seasons in order to discover the highs and lows of working as an Aviculture Warden at WWT Slimbridge. Follow Phoebe's diary and keep up to date with all the feathery goings-on at the duckery.
Duck diary
Chiloe wigeon
These cheerful little ducks love being hand fed, so why not buy a bag of feed from our visitor centre and have a special experience feeding our Chiloe wigeon in the South American exhibit. Co-parenting Chiloe wigeon are special in the bird world because t
19 December 2018
White face whistling duck
The white face whistling duck is a perching duck found in Africa and South America. Perching ducks are rather confusing, as they are more closely related to swans and geese than to other ducks. As their name suggests they have a characteristic white face
13 December 2018
Cape Shelduck
Who’s that nesting in an underground burrow? It’s the Cape shelduck! Cape shelduck originate from South Africa where they nest in disused aardvark burrows! You can see them here at Slimbridge in the Flamingo lagoon. Look out for the artificial nesting
28 November 2018
Why do barnacle geese jump off cliffs? | Barnacle goose facts
Barnacle geese create nests on high cliffs to avoid predation, however within a few days of hatching goslings must jump off these cliff faces! Find out more about the amazing barnacle goose and the myths and legends that follow it.
21 November 2018
Falcated ducks.
The falcated duck or falcated teal, named after its long currved shaped feathers is a dabbling duck found in eastern Asia. This species is most closely related to Gadwall, shown by similarities in body shape and size. They breed in Lake Baikal, Siberia an
14 November 2018
African comb ducks.
African comb duck or knob-billed duck are a very attractive species, showing stunning feather iridescence and a prominent facial knob! The more dominant the male the larger the comb on his head, and these can grow exceptionally large during their lifespan
10 October 2018
White-winged ducks - a special chapter.
White-winged (wood) duck The white-winged (wood) duck (Asacornis scutulata) is a unique, bulky species that originates throughout countries east of India; from Myanmar and Thailand to Vietnam and Malaysia. This wooded-wetland and riverine duck is almost i
3 October 2018
The ruff - not so ridiculous after all!
This #WildfowlWednesday we thought we’d focus on ruff; one of the most spectacular, weird and wonderful birds to visit the WWT Slimbridge reserve. The ruff is a passing migratory wading bird that you can find on the reserve this month. The name ‘ruff
26 September 2018
Emperor Geese.
There’s nothing quite as fluffy as an Emperor Goose gosling; but you need that dense down (baby feathers) when you hatch in the wilds of arctic Alaska where zero degrees is considered to be like summer! Here at WWT our Emperor geese are the plumpest gee
12 September 2018
Lesser whistling ducks - it's been a while.
The lesser whistling duck (Javan whistling duck) is a species that has not been seen in the Slimbridge rearing facility for over 20 years. This cheerful and feisty species has only recently made a comeback into popular Aviculture, and we’re thrilled to
5 September 2018
The Greater Brazilian duck.
The Brazilian duck is this week’s deserved subject of wildfowl Wednesday... This unique and colourful little duck is another South American speciality. A handsome adult male. ‘Brazils’ as we like to call them ar
29 August 2018
The Argentine red shoveler.
In support of Wildfowl Wednesday this week we will be taking a closer look at the beautiful and fascinating Argentine red shoveler. An adult male red shoveler showing off his stunning blue features. The red shoveler
22 August 2018
Christmas wishes from the Duckery!
Wishing everyone reading a very Merry Christmas and a Happy 2017. Phoebe Vaughan. Watching the sun come up...
23 December 2016
Autumnal rain - not the weather for ducks!
There's a phrase bandied around at this time of year that us Aviculturists find tough, and that's "at least it's good weather for ducks!" This phrase is often delivered with the sweetest of intentions, but the reality is, very few wildfowl species relish
3 December 2016
Common scoters at the Slimbridge Duckery 2016.
If you've not been watching our Slimbridge Wildwatch programme then I'm thrilled to announce that in 2016 we have reared a healthy pair of common scoter ducklings from eggs delivered to us by our Arundel centre. Arundel send us their desirable eggs for re
11 November 2016