Gloucestershire Holiday

We spent a few days in Gloucestershire as a family holiday. Arriving just before mid day, I spent the rest of that day in WWT Slimbridge. A great selection of birds around the site with some of the highlights including, 130 Eurasian White-fronted Geese and amongst them, 5 *Greenland-white Fronts*. Also, form the Holden Tower, large numbers of Barnacle Geese, about 200 and Wigeon, 1000. 5 Cranes, including a pair displaying were seen from the Holden Tower as was, and a smart winter Little Stint on the scrape. On the Tack Piece, there were large numbers of ducks, Pintail, Wigeon, Shoveler, Teal, Tufted Duck, Pochard, Shelduck and Mallard were all recorded,  along with 86 Bewick's Swans, 600 Golden Plover, 200 Lapwing and about 200 Dunlin. Next to south lake where a Bar-tailed Godwit was roosting with 160 Black-tailed Godwit. Plenty of Pochards (20) and a drake Gadwall were the other birds of note here. And finally, I had some great views of the 2 immature female Scaups at the Rushy Pen along with a close Bewick's and great views of several drake Pintails.

Barnacle Geese

Little Stint (back) and Dunlin (front)

European White-fronted Geese

Greenland White-fronted Geese

The next day, we visited the Cotswolds Water Park. A family walk around pit 30 gave me the opportunity to check for Smew. A scan of the far end of the lake was rewarded with distant views of a pair of *Smew*. As we walked around the lake we got closer to them. I watched them for 20 minutes and had some cracking views of drake and duck as they fed together. As we continued our walk we heard 2 Green Woodpeckers calling nearby and 100+ Golden Plover flew west overhead.

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Smew

On the way home we made a quick stop at Cosmeston Lakes. Despite the heavy rain I managed a short time birding. A large gull roost on East lake including a very washed out 3rd winter Herring Gull. Another interesting gull was on the shore of east lake. A 4th winter, with the mantle colour intermediate between Lesser Black-backed and Herrin (similar to Yellow-legged) but the legs were pale pink, possibly a Lesser Black-backed X Herring Gull. I also had some good, but distant views of the smart drake Lesser Scaup with 15 Tufted Duck at the far end of East lake.