Moorhen feeding her young at Slimbridge

I met my old friend Pip at Slimbridge Wildlife and Wetland Centre this morning for a day watching birds. In the fifty years we have been friends I don't think we have done that before.   The wind was up and the sky was grey but the sun began to shine intermittently so that the light across the landscape was very beautiful at times. 

We started by walking to the Holden Tower hide constructed to allow views out over the protective flood banks designed to stop the River Severn from flooding the land.  We looked across to the Forest of Dean on the far side of the river, which was at a very low tide level which meant the sandbanks in the wide estuary were very pronounced. Eight cranes flew in and out of the area where they fed on the marshes and fields as did a herd of cows. Birds flew about us in all directions including  hundreds of various types of geese, several swans and even local hedgerow birds.

We then walked a few hundred yards further out towards the river along the Summer Walkway which allowed us to stand right out in the open spaces far away from the rather busy main area of Slimbridges lakes. An egret got our attention as did cormorants and some small marsh birds which we couldn't identify.

Then we headed back, poking our noses in to various smaller hides on our way to the centre of the site where we had our sandwiches and coffee watching the first of several large collections of flamingos, which were very noisy and rather smelly, but good fun to observe.

Then I showed Pip the enclosed wading area where we saw ruffs, avocets and dunlin, which we both found delightful.  Further on at the south lake we saw a black tailed godwit, hundreds of ducks of all types, swans, more and different geese, as well as a group of cranes resting as if asleep on a small island in the centre of the lake. 

We kept seeing a few small groups of smaller Hawaiian geese ,which we both much preferred for their more delicate behaviour and rather mournful croaking voices. They are claimed as the biggest success of Slimbridge having helped save the species from total extinction. 

We then saw Andean flamingos before watching the three otters in their enclosure.  Apparently a wild otter was seen in the stream leading through Slimbridge in the last few days, which is a good indicator of the relative health of the otter in the wild.

Our final port of call was to be the tropical house, which I always love, and it didn't disappoint with its rich tropical foliage and several beautiful tropical birds flying around our heads or standing in the ponds watching the visitors come and go.

But the highlight of the whole day for both Pip and I was our interaction with this moorhen and her very young offspring. The hen came towards us as we sat on a bench outside the tropical house for me to change lenses.  I wondered whether it was used to being fed, as were many of the birds that roan=m the ponds and pathways around the site.

I remembered I had an organic cereal bar, so got it out, and sure enough the moorhen was interested and came closer. I had the new lens on by the time Pip started dropping tiny crumbs of the seeds and oats from the bar.  Then the juvenile emerged gingerly from the nearby pond to join its mother. The hen took the food from the ground and then encouraged the baby to come and take it from its beak, without eating any herself. Pip then put some in his hand and the moorhen came to him very carefully, but seemingly unafraid to take some of the crumbs.  Then it turned around and the baby stood, as I did, beside her and I took the photos of her feeding the little one. We were delighted to have them so close and to watch them at such close quarters and all the better for them being visitors to this place and as appreciated as the more exotic species one generally coms to see.

I have added an 'Extra photo' of the hen feeding from Pip's hand. It was a great day spent together and with all the delights of this wonderful wildlife sanctuary. I shall return, again and again.