Wildlife

Each season brings its star species and spectacles to Slimbridge Wetland Centre

Plan ahead with our site map and latest sightings.

Expect to see new arrivals including swallows, house martins and summer warblers. Listen out to the songs of chiffchaff, reed, sedge warblers and the distinctive call of the cuckoo.

Star species: common cranes, kingfishers, avocets, oystercatchers

Sand martins and swallows arrive in early spring. Mediterranean gulls have become regular spring migrants and common cranes will display and begin nesting.

The last of the white-fronted geese will leave the reserve around April and cuckoos will begin to arrive - listen out for their distinctive call.

Towards the end of May kingfishers may hatch, depending on their incubating time - look out for them from the Kingfisher Hide. Warblers including blackcap, sedge warbler and reed warbler will begin to breed.

Kingfishers on Wildwatch

Spring is a great time to spend time down at our Kingfisher Hide to see if you can spot any kingfisher activity.

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Look out for new life across the reserve, as well as kingfishers, wading birds passing through on their migration and summer warblers.

Star species: kingfishers, scarce chaser, bee orchid, grass-poly, green sandpiper

Summer is a time for new life! Reserve Wardens monitor breeding cranes and chicks will begin to hatch, while sedge and reed warblers are busy in the reed beds.

Orchids including common spotted, pyramidal, bee, southern marsh, common twayblade and green king emerge. Wetland wildflowers and plants appear on site including sea arrowgrass, milkwort and our rarest plant, grass-poly.

Migrating birds arrive in August including ruff with their breeding plumage, green sandpiper, wood sandpiper and curlew sandpiper, the best areas to see them include the Rushy and Tack Piece.

Dragon and damselfly spotting

Early summer is peak dragonfly season. Get up to speed in this special edition of Wildwatch.

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During autumn look out for migrants passing through the Estuary and the first main flocks of wintering birds starting to arrive.

Star species: Bewick's swans, green sandpiper, wigeon, golden plover, pintail

Teal are the first ducks to start arriving back for the winter, around September, with pintail, pochard and wildfowl numbers increasing as the season progresses.

See the arrival of redwings and fieldfare along with white-fronted geese. Golden plover arrive and can be spotted from the Estuary Tower Hide. Snipe can often be seen from the Martin Smith Hide.

Late autumn sees the Bewick’s swans arrive after their long migration from Arctic Russia, with numbers building as the weather changes.

Autumn Wildlife Highlights

In Autumn the first migratory birds arrive and the reserve transforms into a patchwork of rich textures and colours.

Winter is a fantastic time to visit Slimbridge with up to 30,000 wild wintering ducks, geese and swans feeding and roosting on the reserve.

Star species: Bewick's swans, white-fronted geese, lapwing, water rail, curlew

See flocks of white-fronted geese and Bewick’s swans. Commentated wild bird feeds take place on the Rushy at 4pm and can be watched from the Peng Observatory.

Enjoy the winter spectacle on the Tack Piece, look out for a hunting goshawk and watch tens of thousands of waders fill the skies.

Winter bird numbers are usually at their peak in January with up to 30,000 wild wintering ducks, geese, swans and waders. Garden birds are plentiful on feeders, with water rails taking advantage of their leftovers.