Slimbridge in the sun at last

I had lots of other things to do today, but seeing the sun and the clear blue sky early this morning meant they wouldn't be done.  I was going to Slimbridge, the Wildlife and Wetland Centre located on the western bank of the Severn estuary. My last attempt failed when I couldn't get within one mile because of the pressure of visitor traffic blocking the narrow lanes and bridges. I knew today would be quite different.

Despite the weather there were relatively few visitors and when I reached the Holden Tower, the first hide I wanted to look out of, I was the only person there.  I had the vague notion that like my last visit there would be a peregrine falcon close by.  No such luck.  In fact the whole site seemed rather quiet.  But even that is a wonderful thing to enjoy. From this tower you can see out across the wide area of the river as it begins to form an estuary.  

I did see swans flying, many ducks, oystercatchers, three cranes, black-tailed, godwits and countless birds which I couldn't identify.  I chatted to  several other visitors as they came and went and I sat enjoying the quiet waiting for something to happen.  After about two hours I walked back to the central area and watched and listened to one breed of pelicans as they gathered beside a large pond.  I overheard two of the guides mentioning that they had seen the first swifts of the summer, which I had also noticed when driving nearby. A red kite had also been spotted which is the first time I have heard of them near this part of Gloucestershire.

I have blipped this very ordinary grey heron which I'd spotted in a drainage ditch between two of the special bird areas.  I then saw three of the wardens walking along an adjacent footpath which I could see would pass right beside the heron and I knew it would take flight. I liked the shadow of its head on its wing and the presence of the warden in the background.  In the 'Extra photos' I've added the moment it was spooked, when it took off nearly vertically like a rocket.  I've also added two shelduck in flight taken from the Holden Tower as well as two avocets in a similar pattern.

I ended up using a long lens but attached to my rather old camera which has a smaller APS-C sensor because I wanted to get the longer range that combination would offer.  I was quite surprised to find that the quality of the image is much poorer than my main camera. I had forgotten how much they have improved,  but I still like the actually images the 50D produces and using it was fun.