Andrew
wibble wibble
Here is my diary entry for the Slimbash, sorry it's late . . . .
09-02-03
Location : Slimbridge WWT, Gloucestershire. SO722048
After a short early morning hop up the M5, we arrived at Slimbridge for the Bird Fair and there were many friendly faces present including a few eccentrics. We all soon set foot in the impressively big main building, at the door the list held some inspiring specimens with eight possible new birds for me. The first stop was the café for a nice cuppa and a bacon roll, before long we went onto to join the others at the South Lake hide seeing many amazing captive birds on the way. The captive birds were abundant and varied but did nothing for me except for the amazing Barrow’s Goldeneye as these would be a three star rarity if it was wild and they were everywhere! At the first hide on the South Lake I observed so many birds that I felt like I was not birding at all, it was too easy. Nevertheless, scanning the flocks was automatic and I soon picked up some obvious Bewick’s Swans and already felt the trip worthwhile as this was a new bird for me. The majority of the birds were Lapwings, Dunlin, Shelducks, Mallards, Tufted Ducks, Pochards, Mute Swans, Teal, Pintail, Shoveler, Moorhens, Coots, a single Great Crested Grebe, a Little Grebe, one or two Gadwalls, Cormorants, too many Herring & Black Headed Gulls to mention. I rescanned the Lapwings to the right of the hide and soon got my second new bird of the day a resplendent yet odd looking Ruff. I say this because the plumage was of a great and delicate detail yet the head did not seem proportionately right for it’s body as much literature has mentioned before. This is a birding cliché that rings very true. Soon after this Colin & John pointed out five Snipe feeding along a bank of low grass across the water close to each other and quite brazenly in my opinion. The best close up view of Snipe I have had before was hidden in some grass except for lots flying off from some deep estuarine marsh grass. I spotted an unusual duck on the lake and discussed it with John and after not being able to find it agreed it must have been a hybrid. After some experimental digiscoping we moved on and visited some stalls with nothing special to note except learning of some ringing demonstrations near the South Finger and we made our way there via the hides around the Spinney that over look the riverside fields. Here I picked up nothing special but Carrion Crows, Wood Pigeons, Blackbirds, a Robin and some House Sparrows. The ringing demonstrations were drawing to a close before the ringers’ next collection of birds from their mist nets. It was very interesting to observe them at their work despite not being able to hear what they said however it must be said that it was disappointing to see all the birds were Blue Tits. The birds behaved inexplicably well in the hands of the ringers and looked very pleased to be released eventually after being measured, weighed and ringed. The hides around the south finger were duly given the once over and from these I added several Wigeon moving as a solid group feeding away in the grassy field, a distant Curlew in an empty field, a Pheasant in a ditch along the outlying edge of the field, some Carrion Crows, Rooks, Jackdaws and Magpies to provide a list of corvidae. From hide number five I had the misfortune of spotting a dead Mute Swan that had flown into a large tree but added a Dunnock to the day’s list which was scant consolation. At the furthest hide number three, a cameraman pointed out a Great Spotted Woodpecker at the base of a mossy ivy clad tree, the bird was accompanied by quite a few Great Tits, Chaffinches, Greenfinches, Blue Tits and the day’s only Robin. I surveyed the field and pond studiously hoping for something special because these were the furthest away from the centre and expected some birds to take refuge here by day but it was to no avail. It was time to make our way back to the centre through a lot of attractively clad captive birds for another cuppa and a biscuit before venturing up the tower to observe a wonderful view of the whole place and add some flying geese including several Canada, Greylag and Brent Geese with more of the aforementioned swans too. I spotted several probable wild countable and new birds on the Tack Piece but they were too far away to identify and the sun was setting meaning the hides were closing and it was time to watch the feeding spectacle. This did not really interest me as it was too artificial watching millions of birds being fed by man and I could not get into it. The best was yet to come as we left this event and chatted with Colin about several things. A steady stream of Starlings moved into the skies over the centre from all points of the compass and gradually gathered in one heaving mass swirling all together as if they were one organism in smooth liquid movements occasionally split by a dashing pair of Peregrine Falcons. Every now and then the Starlings would turn the tables and harry the Peregrine in their thousands but the raptors did not appear fazed by this. Whilst all this was going on and captivating everyone, I spotted a bird fluttering over our heads and it turned out to be a little Blue Tit that alighted on the wall near a one centimetre gap in the mortar and dexterously nipped inside the cavity. The two hundred thousand strong Starling display was a fitting conclusion to a most enjoyable day exploring a new place and meeting several amiable like minded people as well as the two new birds of the day. The main downside is that I did not get my first wild Smew!
Sorry I have no piccies as I only had my APS camera and it will be a long time before I finish the film but there's nowt special on it!
09-02-03
Location : Slimbridge WWT, Gloucestershire. SO722048
After a short early morning hop up the M5, we arrived at Slimbridge for the Bird Fair and there were many friendly faces present including a few eccentrics. We all soon set foot in the impressively big main building, at the door the list held some inspiring specimens with eight possible new birds for me. The first stop was the café for a nice cuppa and a bacon roll, before long we went onto to join the others at the South Lake hide seeing many amazing captive birds on the way. The captive birds were abundant and varied but did nothing for me except for the amazing Barrow’s Goldeneye as these would be a three star rarity if it was wild and they were everywhere! At the first hide on the South Lake I observed so many birds that I felt like I was not birding at all, it was too easy. Nevertheless, scanning the flocks was automatic and I soon picked up some obvious Bewick’s Swans and already felt the trip worthwhile as this was a new bird for me. The majority of the birds were Lapwings, Dunlin, Shelducks, Mallards, Tufted Ducks, Pochards, Mute Swans, Teal, Pintail, Shoveler, Moorhens, Coots, a single Great Crested Grebe, a Little Grebe, one or two Gadwalls, Cormorants, too many Herring & Black Headed Gulls to mention. I rescanned the Lapwings to the right of the hide and soon got my second new bird of the day a resplendent yet odd looking Ruff. I say this because the plumage was of a great and delicate detail yet the head did not seem proportionately right for it’s body as much literature has mentioned before. This is a birding cliché that rings very true. Soon after this Colin & John pointed out five Snipe feeding along a bank of low grass across the water close to each other and quite brazenly in my opinion. The best close up view of Snipe I have had before was hidden in some grass except for lots flying off from some deep estuarine marsh grass. I spotted an unusual duck on the lake and discussed it with John and after not being able to find it agreed it must have been a hybrid. After some experimental digiscoping we moved on and visited some stalls with nothing special to note except learning of some ringing demonstrations near the South Finger and we made our way there via the hides around the Spinney that over look the riverside fields. Here I picked up nothing special but Carrion Crows, Wood Pigeons, Blackbirds, a Robin and some House Sparrows. The ringing demonstrations were drawing to a close before the ringers’ next collection of birds from their mist nets. It was very interesting to observe them at their work despite not being able to hear what they said however it must be said that it was disappointing to see all the birds were Blue Tits. The birds behaved inexplicably well in the hands of the ringers and looked very pleased to be released eventually after being measured, weighed and ringed. The hides around the south finger were duly given the once over and from these I added several Wigeon moving as a solid group feeding away in the grassy field, a distant Curlew in an empty field, a Pheasant in a ditch along the outlying edge of the field, some Carrion Crows, Rooks, Jackdaws and Magpies to provide a list of corvidae. From hide number five I had the misfortune of spotting a dead Mute Swan that had flown into a large tree but added a Dunnock to the day’s list which was scant consolation. At the furthest hide number three, a cameraman pointed out a Great Spotted Woodpecker at the base of a mossy ivy clad tree, the bird was accompanied by quite a few Great Tits, Chaffinches, Greenfinches, Blue Tits and the day’s only Robin. I surveyed the field and pond studiously hoping for something special because these were the furthest away from the centre and expected some birds to take refuge here by day but it was to no avail. It was time to make our way back to the centre through a lot of attractively clad captive birds for another cuppa and a biscuit before venturing up the tower to observe a wonderful view of the whole place and add some flying geese including several Canada, Greylag and Brent Geese with more of the aforementioned swans too. I spotted several probable wild countable and new birds on the Tack Piece but they were too far away to identify and the sun was setting meaning the hides were closing and it was time to watch the feeding spectacle. This did not really interest me as it was too artificial watching millions of birds being fed by man and I could not get into it. The best was yet to come as we left this event and chatted with Colin about several things. A steady stream of Starlings moved into the skies over the centre from all points of the compass and gradually gathered in one heaving mass swirling all together as if they were one organism in smooth liquid movements occasionally split by a dashing pair of Peregrine Falcons. Every now and then the Starlings would turn the tables and harry the Peregrine in their thousands but the raptors did not appear fazed by this. Whilst all this was going on and captivating everyone, I spotted a bird fluttering over our heads and it turned out to be a little Blue Tit that alighted on the wall near a one centimetre gap in the mortar and dexterously nipped inside the cavity. The two hundred thousand strong Starling display was a fitting conclusion to a most enjoyable day exploring a new place and meeting several amiable like minded people as well as the two new birds of the day. The main downside is that I did not get my first wild Smew!
Sorry I have no piccies as I only had my APS camera and it will be a long time before I finish the film but there's nowt special on it!
