WWT Slimbridge
WWT Slimbridge | |
---|---|
OS grid | SO720048 |
Coordinates | 51°44′29″N 2°24′22″W / 51.741471°N 2.405979°W |
Area | 120 acres (49 ha) |
Operated by | WWT |
Status | Open |
Website | www |
WWT Slimbridge is a wetland wildlife reserve near Slimbridge in Gloucestershire, England. It is midway between Bristol and Gloucester on the eastern side of the estuary of the River Severn. The reserve, set up by the artist and naturalist Sir Peter Scott, opened in November 1946. Scott subsequently founded the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust, which has since opened nine other reserves around the country. Slimbridge comprises some 800 hectares (2,000 acres) of pasture, reed bed, lagoon and salt marsh. Many water birds live there all year round, and others are migrants on their ways to and from their summer breeding grounds. Other birds overwinter, including large numbers of white-fronted geese and increasing numbers of Bewick's swans.
Besides having the world's largest collection of captive wildfowl, Slimbridge takes part in research and is involved in projects and internationally run captive breeding programmes. It was there that Peter Scott developed a method of recognising individual birds through their characteristics, after realising that the coloured patterns on the beaks of Bewick's swans were unique. The public can visit the reserve throughout the year. Besides examining the collections, they can view birds from hides and observatories and take part in educational activities.
History
The Wildlife and Wetland Trust at Slimbridge was set up by Peter Scott and opened on 10 November 1946, as a centre for research and conservation. In a move unusual at the time, he opened the site to the public so that everyone could enjoy access to nature.[1][2]
This modest beginning developed in time into the formation of the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust, the only United Kingdom charity to promote the protection of wetland birds and their habitats, both in Britain and internationally.[3] Although starting out at Slimbridge, the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust now owns or manages nine other reserves in Britain,[4] and advocates for wetlands and conservation issues world-wide. WWT Consulting is an offshoot of the Wildlife & Wetland Trust and is based at Slimbridge. It provides ecological surveys and assessments, and offers consultancy services in wetland habitat design, wetland management, biological waste-water treatment systems and the management of reserves and their visitor centres.[5] The Queen in later years became Patron to the WWT, and Prince Charles became the President.[6]
A bust of founder Sir Peter Scott by Jacqueline Shackleton was completed in 1986 and is on display in the grounds.
Site
The site consists of 800 hectares (2,000 acres) of reserve,[10] of which part is landscaped and can be visited by the public. At Slimbridge is the largest collection of wildfowl species in the world, and wild birds mingle with these in the enclosures.[10] Some of the captive birds form part of international breeding programmes. The reserve includes a mixture of pastureland, much of which gets flooded in winter, lagoons, reed beds and salt marshes besides the Severn Estuary. Many wildfowl visit the site including greater white-fronted geese, Eurasian spoonbills, pied avocets and even common cranes, the latter being birds that were originally bred here and later released on the Somerset Levels. There are also some rare species of plant on the reserve including the grass-poly (Lythrum hyssopifolia) and the wasp orchid, a variant of the bee orchid (Ophrys apifera).[4]
The number of ducks, geese and
Species present all year round include little and great crested grebes, lapwing, redshank, tufted duck, gadwall, kingfisher, reed bunting, great spotted woodpecker, sparrowhawk and little owl. In the spring, passage waders visit the pools alongside the estuary; these include Eurasian whimbrel, common, wood and green sandpipers, spotted redshank, common greenshank, avocet, little gull and black tern, and other migrants arriving at the reserve include northern wheatear, whinchat, common redstart and black redstart.[10]
Swans and geese usually start to arrive in late October. Passage waders in the autumn include
Projects
Before the establishment of the WWT reserve at Slimbridge, no Bewick's swans were regularly wintering on the Severn Estuary. In 1948, one arrived at Slimbridge, perhaps attracted by a captive
An early success story in the 1950s was the saving of the nene (or Hawaiian goose) from extinction.[1] Birds were brought to the site and breeding at Slimbridge was successful. Initial releases into the wild in Hawaii were a failure however, because the nene's natural habitat was not protected from the predators that had been introduced to the islands by man. Once that problem was alleviated, successful reintroduction became possible.[12]
During
Slimbridge has also been involved in trying to increase population levels of common cranes, which had bred spasmodically in Britain since the late 1970s. A specially built "Crane School" is used where the young birds are taught to forage and avoid danger. This project has led to 23 birds being released onto the Somerset Moors and Levels in September 2013,[14] and 93 being released by the end of 2015.[15]
In September 2016, a researcher from Slimbridge is planning to become a "human swan" and follow migrating Bewick's swans using a powered
Facilities
The Sloane Observation Tower gives far-reaching views to the Cotswold escarpment in the east and the River Severn and Forest of Dean in the West. The £6.2m visitor centre has a shop, waterside restaurant, cinema, art gallery and tropical house, and exhibitions are held in the "Hanson Discovery Centre".[10] There are sixteen hides[18] that visitors can use for bird watching, as well as several comfortable observatories. Educational visits are available for schools and there is a programme of guided walks, events, talks and workshops.[2]
Visitors are allowed to feed the captive birds with approved food mixes bought on site, and during the winter, feeding of wild birds near one of the hides takes place at certain scheduled times, including on some floodlit occasions in the evening for visiting groups.[18]
References
- ^ a b "History of WWT". Wildfowl & Wetland Trust. Archived from the original on 7 September 2016. Retrieved 20 August 2016.
- ^ a b c "WWT Slimbridge Wetland Centre". Cotswolds.info. Archived from the original on 5 August 2016. Retrieved 20 August 2016.
- ISBN 978-1-57958-174-9. Archivedfrom the original on 18 August 2020. Retrieved 9 October 2016.
- ^ a b "Our nature reserves: Slimbridge". WWT. Archived from the original on 21 August 2016. Retrieved 21 August 2016.
- ^ "WWT Consulting". Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust (Consulting) Ltd. Archived from the original on 31 August 2016. Retrieved 20 August 2016.
- ^ "Royal support for drains that "work with nature"". Latest from WWT. WWT. 19 May 2015. Archived from the original on 21 September 2016. Retrieved 20 August 2016.
- ^ a b "Panoramic tour of Kathleen Scott Sculpture, WWT Slimbridge". CleVR. 11 October 2006. Archived from the original on 20 April 2012. Retrieved 26 February 2013.
- ISBN 978-0-9558675-0-7.
- .
- ^ ISBN 978-1-84537-459-4.
- ISBN 978-1-57958-174-9. Archivedfrom the original on 11 January 2014. Retrieved 9 October 2016.
- ISBN 978-1-4081-3758-1. Archivedfrom the original on 18 August 2020. Retrieved 9 October 2016.
- ^ a b c d Leland Stowe (1957). Crusoe of Lonesome Lake, Victor Gollancz, Ltd, London, 1958. Chapter 14: "The Saga of the Trumpeter Swans", pg.162–178.
- ^ "Cranes fighting fit and ready for release". Birdwatch. 23 August 2013. Archived from the original on 17 September 2016. Retrieved 28 August 2016.
- ^ "The Great Crane Project". Archived from the original on 1 October 2016. Retrieved 28 August 2016.
- ^ McKie, Robin (4 September 2016). ""Human swan" conservationist takes to skies on 4,600-mile migration". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 5 September 2016. Retrieved 5 September 2016.
- ^ "'Human swan' Sacha Dench to join 4,500-mile migration". BBC News. 26 April 2016. Archived from the original on 17 October 2016. Retrieved 28 August 2016.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-84541-316-3. Archivedfrom the original on 18 August 2020. Retrieved 9 October 2016.
External links
Media related to WWT Slimbridge at Wikimedia Commons