SLIMBRIDGE PART III

 

One of the most spectacular Meteor Showers of the year peaks this week, offering sky-gazers the chance to see dozens of ‘shooting stars’ illuminate the night sky. The Quadrantids are set to peak on 3 - 4 January 2023, but the first meteors have already begun to pepper the Earth’s atmosphere. The phenomenon is a result of the Earth passing through the debris left behind the asteroid (196256) 2003 EH1, which was first observed by Chinese astronomers more than 500 years ago. Anyone hoping to see the first major meteor shower of the year will not need any specialist equipment, however clear skies are essential. Don’t know about that as right now we cannot even see the Tennis Court 20 yards away!

WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE

at large

and others in the pen.

SNOW GOOSE

feeding.

WILLOW
last year's growth and strangely only a single

BRENT GOOSE

BUFFLEHEAD

DUCK DECOY

PINTAIL
male swimming

PINTAIL
male preening
and unfortunately close to the public on the day

the home of

and the

RIVER SEVERN CANAL
to port

and starboard.

and to continue the Local Year Birds catch-up

TUFTED DUCK
still on the Gravel Pit with the

COOT

GREAT TIT

CARRION CROW

HOUSE SPARROW

MUTE SWAN

SLIMBRIDGE - Part II

 

A GREAT HELP to the DAY

BARNACLE GEESE

GRAZING

GOLDENEYE

GOLDENEYE MALE

with a Second BUZZARD feeding.

The rather dainty,

delightful and

scarce (male)

SMEW

AMERICAN FLAMINGO's

GOLDENEYE
(male and

female at closer quarters)

CUT BACK TO THE QUICK

EMPEROR GEESE
close up with 

COOT

and a male even closer.

and in an effort not to get bogged down we will also make a great start to the 

YEAR LISTs

 with 2 x Moths on the first day of the Mothing Year and despite a single digit temperature with firstly not even in the trap a single

MOTTLED UMBER

clinging to one of the trap baffles.

WINTER MOTH
clinging to an egg tray and a fist-full of

DOR BEETLEs
Nothing new it that but a great start never the less!
While the first Bird of the Year was betrayed by its 'honking' a

GREYLAG GOOSE
seen through the gloom as transiting the River Stour to the west.

Further to that a lone

ROBIN
the only representative of what may be classed as a Dawn Chorus with

GREY HERON

and

BLACK_HEADED GULL
on the Main Pond

BLACKBIRD

and finally on the subject for now a tennis court

PIED WAGTAIL

SLIMBRIDGE - Part One

A 07:00 start to our 2 hour drive to begin the Away Day to the

an area holding an outstanding Water Fowl Collection that slaps you in the face even before getting

through the turnstile with both

BEWICK'S SWAN
and

WHOOPER SWAN

buzzing around overhead. Ducks, Geese, Swans and many other family groups are represented so we are not going to pretend to remember knowing them all, particularly the foreigners, the grey matter having disappeared years ago but we will do our best!

As an example of this we have no recollection of the

species name of this Goose

and of course, at the time of writing, not even the help of our companion and mentor on the day Dave to lean on.
More familiar were the likes of

LAPWING

hundred of them along with

PINTAIL
and

SHELDUCK
and of equal note were the eye-catching

POLLARDED WILLOW and his DAVESHIP
and at great distance a

COMMON CRANE

COMMON BUZZARD
being robed of its prey by a
MAGPIE

BRENT GEESE
on the floodplain and distantly the
RIVER SEVERN

and finally for

Part One

REDSHANK