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25 April-2 May 2020 Summary
WWT Slimbridge Reserve News for 24-30th April 2020
Ducks
The two injured female Wigeon (Rushy and LGP) + the tardy bunch of 7 on Tack Piece reduced to 3 females on 27th and all had departed by 28th (we had to go out to put up the fence). A pair was seen on 29th. The female Pintail remains on the Rushy and only c15 Teal are left about the scrapes. Shoveler females have become harder to find as they lay eggs with c10 males still loafing about. Unusually the female Goldeneye was still present on the Long Ground Pool to 28th at least. Southerly winds led to final duck departures over the weekend.
Cranes
Still 6 pairs active around the site
Curlew
11 present on 26th (tidal roost of 9) but only two noted subsequently + our wild breeding pair are now incubating eggs.
Little-ringed Plover
South Lake pair are incubating in a protective cage on a wader scrape island near Hogarth Hide.
Rushy pair- all the nest scraping, mating, ritual displays and defending has paid off, the first egg was laid on the 29th. This nest is on the causeway so rather vulnerable to predation by small mammals but fingers crossed. One flew over calling heading S when we were working in the Bull Ground on 29th.
Lapwing
Top and Bottom New piece pairs have ‘gone off the boil’ possibly due to nest predations. Still sitting birds on the Dumbles, Dumbles saltmarsh, 50 Acre and 100 Acre.
Redshank
Likely to be 10 pairs on site, hopefully a pair or two more.
Black-tailed Godwits Still 87 on 26th but a small influx raised the flock to 127 on 28th.
Oystercatcher Now incubating eggs on the roof of Discovery Hide, Duck Decoy Hide, Rushy and a few other nests suspected but not located due to vegetation cover. A pair began nest scraping on the Dumbles.
Avocets
Huge increase in activity, now at least 21 nests on the South Lake and 12 nests on the Rushy. A total of 145 birds were counted on the 30th but may have involved a bit of movement about the site, some are visiting the Tack Piece and Top New Piece to feed.
Kingfishers
Both pairs have hatched and are feeding young. The South Lake pair were together on 29th suggesting that the female needs to feed herself, the male has been seen carrying fish to the nest. The South Finger pair were filmed by Countryfile on Friday.
Spring Migrants and notable highlights
24 April- Little Gull.
25 April- the long staying adult Little Gull spent it last day with us, it was much healthier when it departed.
26 April- Lesser Whitethroat singing, Greenshank, 11 Bar-tailed Godwit, 1 male Redstart.
27 April- 1 Common Sandpiper, 3 Swift, 40 Sand Martin NE, 1 Yellow Wagtail NE, 2 Tree Pipit NE, drake Pochard, a superb drake Garganey feeding on willow down seeds on SL late afternoon + a lone female in breeding habitat.
*RED-THROATED DIVER*- one picked up flying over Severn W of Bull Ground at 4pm (seen whilst repairing fences), it circled the estuary about five times before climbing very high and headed SW. Fourth record for the reserve after birds in 1957, 1969 and 2008, another record from ‘our section’ of the Gloucester to Sharpness Canal in 1987.
28 April- Red Kite, 7 Common or Arctic Terns NE (probably the latter), 3 singing male Cuckoo, 2cy Med Gull, 51 Dunlin, 1 Knot, 3 Grey Plover, 10 Ringed Plover, 33 Bar-tailed Godwit.
29 April- 25+ Swift, 1 G W Egret, c36 Whimbrel NE, 1 Bar-tailed Godwit. 1 Yellow Wagtail over NE. Red Kite. Common Sandpiper.
30 April- two Wheatear, 40 Sand Martins, drake Pochard.
1st May- Wheatear 3, Some Swift and Sand Martin passage through the day, Cuckoo calling constantly. Shelduck 249 on the estuary and 10 Dunlin.
General/Other Wildlife
4 Roe Deer in BNP on 29th. First Hairy Dragonfly of 2020, Large-red Damselflies on the wing.
