Couldn't resist another trip to Slimbridge for a Crane fix today on a Friday off. Was lucky with a pair very close near the South Lake and then two pairs and a juvenile on the Estuary and a further pair on Tack Piece. And then a pair of Spoonbills! Exciting. Was also a nice day for wild Avocet. Lovely day out. As it was sunny, photographed a few signs for the gallery. The bird talk showed off a Magpie Goose. A keen birder in the Robbie Garnet Hide also pointed out a stone curlew with two leg tags and a tracker fitted to its back which was interesting to see. I know WWT tag curlews and then monitor to see where they fly, but I haven't seen one with a tracker fitted before.
Haven`t been too far back on this thread, but in bemoaning the calibre of the captive collection at Slimbridge (and other WWT sites) isn`t there another issue? Increasingly it is becoming unacceptable to deprive waterfowl of flight ..which would therefore mean a completely different-looking place full of aviaries. Something that the organisation is unlikely to sanction for a variety of reasons.
Slimbridge has added the wetlands free flight aviary which has a variety of waterfowl in it. They don’t seem to be against adding free flight spaces. I’d expect that sort of thing to expand given the popularity and how they have done it.
That is indeed perhaps the biggest issue there. With its freeflight birds, the Wetlands/wading bird aviary is evidently the way they would prefer to go, there's another with tree ducks etc behind the Andean flamingo shed too. It does mean the old Peter Scott postage stamp collection of pinioned birds looks like it may eventually become a thing of the past, though the layout of zones and waterfowl ponds is still central to what they have there, its just much reduced specieswise at present.
It was considerably more than a postage stamp collection. Among the achievements over the years are: *many first captive breedings *sustained breeding leading to established ex situ populations *captive bred stocks providing birds for reintroduction to the wild, Nene and White-headed Ducks come to mind *developing protocols for captive breeding that can then be applied to in situ projects, as currently with Madagascar Pochard *behavioural and other research *education and recreation!
Yes, I certainly didn't mean to belittle Sir P. Scott's achievements by that description, they were many and varied. I admired him and remember meeting him at Slimbridge once too, we had an interesting talk. You can't turn back time but the Slimbridge of those days now seems long gone. There are very few geese on display anymore- Hawaiian- a small number now in their own display, Red Breasted & Brent, Emperor and Greenland Whitefront. A single pair of Ashy-headed geese represent the Sheldgoose family where formerly they had every species. I recently asked if they still have Snow geese but there has been no reply. As mentioned previously, the main 'lawns' where the flock of Hawaian and other pinioned geese used to graze, are now just bare soil completely overgrazed by freeflying Greylags. Slimbridge also seems to be increasingly divided into two different 'parts' nowadays. The hides leading down to the Acrow(?) tower are all heavily visited by birdwatchers and photographers with long lenses seeking the wild birds. I guess rather fewer of these regularly visit the captive collection, which it seems is now being aimed with the emphasis more at families and other visitors I think. There are new displays of water voles and other aquatic life, a pair of short clawed Otters, quite a large playground etc, aimed to shift the focus away from the 'wildfowl' aspect and give more variety and interest than 'just ducks' perhaps. The Wetlands aviary is excellent btw.
I had forgotten to mention in regards to species absences that most of the species they used to have on display in recent years were still listed in the guidebook. I bought one on my visit in Jan 23 but the guidebook was not dated so could be incredibly out of date. They are still being sold and the checklists of a wide range of absent species on my visit as well as yours @Pertinax such as the snow geese you outlined. Would it be worth providing the list of species or posting photos of the guidebook in the gallery? If so, I can do this tomorrow.
I think it's a fair point on a lot of people not visiting the captive collection and it being a bit of a visit of two halves. When I visit (on my way to the hides with the lens!) I don't see the same people around the birds at the top area compared to the hides, though it might be different on busier days. There are a lot of regulars in the hides who know each other. Sometimes someone will point something out to a stranger (like me) but generally I find it's the least 'look over there' place if you are not a known face, compared to other places I visit now at other WWT sites or RSPB. On the other hand there was a really nice chap on my most recent visit who pointed out all sorts of interesting things! The free flight wetlands aviary is charming and has a bit of a middle ground of people there who you then see later in the estuary tower etc. The new water displays are nice and fun to look at but I think there's a 'round the centre and on a walk' audience and then the bird watching / photographing group (where the birdwatchers are a majority) and I guess that's based on some sort of research / marketing numbers.
I agree about the book but I asked about the book and was told that the species actually applies to all species kept by the WWT over all there collections. I can supply a list of current species on show at Slimbridge if anyone is interested.
Rather cheeky! A bit like saying “Yes, we have elephants, they’re in the guidebook…but they’re at our sister site!”
Yes please Adrian, that would be excellent. At the same time would you care to reveal how many species you were told they have lost recently? I haven't done so to respect your confidentiality.
That's rather annoying but at least it answers the question why I could never complete my checklists on visits to Martin Mere as a young child. It also holds out hope however, for species that could be holding on still at Slimbridge such as the seldom seen Heteronetta atricapilla which ZTL lists as Slimbridge being the only WWT and public UK holder of the species.
I have a feeling that at least a few species are no longer on display at any of their sites but would need further research to establish the exact position.
I found it the complete opposite on my visit with the Estuary Tower having plenty of helpful people pointing out interesting species like the cranes, spoonbills etc. I sometimes just find it a luck of the draw with helpful birders as most are willing to point out something of interest.
Perhaps as I have the camera they think I know! People are usually friendly but I just find less species pointing (except by the folk who volunteer).
I tend to look and listen. If the people look experienced (big lenses, wet weather gear, bins etc) they tend to know what's been seen. The volunteers in the Acrow tower will always be helpful too in getting you 'on' to a particular bird if its there. I do tend to look at Slimbridge with nostalgia for what it used to be like. I appreciate it has changed a lot since then to being more- or at least as much as- 'Wetlands' as 'Wildfowl'.
I will be adding a list of current species at Slimbridge WWT and will shortly after provide a list of ALL species currently kept at all WWT sites. The species that have left Slimbridge and not gone to other WWT collections I will add a list of where those can be found. Please not this will be after the Easter Holidays,
