Autumn and Winter at Slimbridge
I visit WWT Slimbridge fairly regularly and h ave been lucky enough to have some great sightings from the hides, including some rarities. My favourite time of year to visit is during Autumn and Winter migration periods... AUTUMN In Autumn, lots of passage migrants pass through Slimbridge. This Spotted Redshank will have probably spent the breeding season in Scandinavia and after feeding and resting on the reserve for around a month will continue its journey down to central Europe or equatorial Africa to over winter. Like some other passage migrants found in the UK, Ruff breed in Scandinavia and are passing through Slimbridge on their way to their non-breeding grounds in sub-Saharan Africa. However, not all birds make their journey to Africa - some over winter in Britain; a few at Slimbridge. Unless a bird is ringed or has a satellite tag, we'll never know for sure where it is from. For example, this female Wheatear could have bred in Alaska, Greenland, Sib...