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A Soaking at Slimbridge



Whinchat in the gloom


Yesterday I decided to have a potter around Slimbridge.  When I arrived around 10:00 the car park was very busy with parents, grandparents and young children engaged in the traditional emergency entertain the kids at all costs summer holiday outing activity. Anything’s better than the wall climbing cabin fever of the 6 week holiday, believe me I’ve been there!

 

I headed to the Rushy hide only to discover that a coach load of OAP’s had been dumped there with their guide. Having recently become a silver back OAP myself, I’m allowed to say that!

 

So, with my normal lack of common sense, I ignore the gathering ominous black clouds and headed to the very exposed estuary bank at mid-point to look for passage migrants.

As the rain came in I spotted two Whinchat sat on what looked like a purposely positioned twig perch in the reed bed. I assume this was one of the perches erected for the illusive Slimbridge Scarlet Pimpernel, aka Bluethroat, earlier in the summer. I rattled off a few pics in the gloom before the Whinchats very sensible departed for cover. By the time I got back to the relative shelter of the shepherds hutch I was drenched!

What a Whinchat is supposed to look like from Otmoor a few years ago.


After half an hour or so the rain eased and I dripped my way back to the now quieter Rushy hide. I had a look for a Wood Sandpiper that was reported at the back first thing but could not locate it. There was plenty of other wader interest with Green Sandpipers, Snipe, numerous Godwits, Ruffs and  two Spotted and several Common Redshank. The two Spotted Redshanks, perhaps the same birds I saw in summer plumage a few weeks ago, see here, were now in their paler winter plumage. Their feeding habit is very different to their common cousins being very comfortable in much deeper water almost swimming while probing for food.

 


After a sandwich and coffee  lunch in the heaving restaurant, I headed back to mid-point. The clouds had now cleared and the sun was shining. There were now 4 Whinchat and two Yellow Wagtails perching on the cattle fencing before dropping down to grab insects from the grass. There were two viewpoints either side of the fence with one directly into the sun. I spent much too long trying to get a decent photo, by this time the heat haze was punishing, before giving up and going back to the Rushy for another go at the Wood Sandpiper. This time the bird was much more obliging being on show towards the back. It was useful to compare it to the Greens Sandpipers which it was close to, smaller and much slimmer in build with obvious yellow legs and a dark well marked back. I spent an hour or so photographing the various waders on display before making my way back to the car for my 40 minute drive home.


Let's play spot the Wood Sandpiper!



and here again is what one is supposed to look like!



Ruff

Snipe  


Footnote – my blogs are posted with sometimes rather imaginative spelling and grammar due to my extreme dyslexia!  

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