Slimbridge Wildlife Group

23/04/2026

Today, on Earth Day 🌍, we pause to honour the quiet, unseen threads that hold our natural world together. As dusk settles across our countryside, you might be lucky enough to spy the pale wings of the Barn Owl drifting low over the fields and meadows, a silent guardian of our open countryside 🦉

Yet, the last century has seen our landscape change – it has ultimately become less wild, busier and much tidier. Changes in farming practices 🚜, an increase in multi-lane roads 🛣️, loss of habitat 🌾, and ever more toxic rodenticides ☠️ have all threatened the fragile future of this iconic species and the ecosystem it represents.

At the Barn Owl Trust, every conversation 💬, every nestbox installed 🪵, every patch of rough grassland created 🌿, and every voice raised 📣 for wildlife is a step towards a wilder, more hopeful tomorrow.

This Earth Day, we invite you to look closer at the land around you 👣. If you can, let it grow a little wilder 🌱. Leave space for life to return 🐾. When we care for the earth, we also protect the creatures who depend on it (including us!).

Together, we can keep the wild alive 💚

23/04/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/1BHvMqUBs9/?mibextid=wwXIfr

Spotted a yellow leg flag on a Curlew? Please share the sighting with us, as this could be one of our headstarted birds. 😀 Report via https://bit.ly/ReportACurlew

What does this mean? 🤔
Yellow leg flags and orange, red or green rings on Curlews indicate that they are from headstarted projects in England, including the East of England Curlew Recovery project BTO helps monitor.

Headstarting is a process where eggs are collected under licence. In BTO projects, this is from nests on RAF airbases scheduled for destruction. The eggs are then hatched, the chicks carefully reared and then released to boost the local breeding population.

This project is based in East Anglia, but alongside observations from Norfolk, sightings of our Curlews have also been reported from as far away as the Republic of Ireland, and Brittany. So if you spot any please report them to us! 🗺️

This work is a Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) funded project led by Natural England, with thanks to our partners at Deepdale Conservation Trust, Royal Air Force, MOD, Wild Ken Hill and Sandringham Estate for their project work.

21/04/2026

We are so privileged that curlew choose our estuary but also the farmland in Slimbridge, Gossington and Cambridge.
If you’ve not heard curlew calls just google it and you will be hooked.
Let’s help protect these amazing birds in our parish.!
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1cDbjbAUeD/?mibextid=wwXIfr

23/03/2026

The new State of the UK Barn Owl Population 2025 report is available to view or download on our website here: https://www.barnowltrust.org.uk/barn-owl-facts/current-uk-barn-owl-population/
Thank you so much to all the independent Barn Owl monitors across the UK that contributed 🙏🦉
Fingers crossed 2026 brings a better year for Barn Owls 🤞

23/01/2026

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Did you know Britain & Ireland’s oldest Coal Tit was ringed in Argyll & Bute, and recorded alive in the same place 9 years, 2 months and 25 days later! 😀

Coal T**s spend the majority of their time hunting for spiders and insects in woodland, especially among conifers. Two Coal Tit subspecies occur in Britain & Ireland, both of which differ from birds found in Continental Europe.

📷 Sarah Kelman / BTO

23/01/2026

Amphibious and reptile training available through the conservation society!
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/18Fs2Qzbx1/?mibextid=wwXIfr Amphibian and Reptile Conservation

Level Up Your Nature ID Skills with FREE Online Training! 🌿✨

Whether you’re a beginner, volunteer, or wildlife enthusiast, join these free virtual sessions from Amphibian & Reptile Conservation (ARC) to boost your amphibian & reptile ID and survey skills — perfect preparation for survey season! 🌍📅
📅 Upcoming online events:

🐸 Amphibian ID & Survey Methods — Lunch Session
🗓 Tuesday 20th January | 🕛 12:00–13:30 (UK)
👉 https://www.arc-trust.org/Event/online-amphibian-id-and-survey-methods-lunch-session-20th-january

🐸 Amphibian ID & Survey Methods — Saturday Session
🗓 Saturday 24th January | 🕚 11:00–12:30 (UK)
👉 https://www.arc-trust.org/Event/online-amphibian-id-and-survey-methods-saturday-session-24th-january

🦎 Reptile ID & Survey Methods — Lunch Session
🗓 Tuesday 10th February | 🕛 12:00–13:30 (UK)
👉 https://www.arc-trust.org/Event/online-reptile-id-and-survey-methods-lunch-session-10th-february

🐍 Reptile ID & Survey Methods — Evening Session
🗓 Thursday 12th February | 🕖 19:00–20:30 (UK)
👉 https://www.arc-trust.org/Event/online-reptile-id-and-survey-methods-evening-session-12th-february

✨ All sessions are:
✅ Free to attend
✅ Online (via Teams)
✅ Beginner-friendly and perfect for volunteers

22/01/2026

The Big Garden Birdwatch is coming soon. Will you be participating?
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/17jFwb989L/?mibextid=wwXIfr

As we approach the Big Garden Birdwatch in just a few days, keep your fingers crossed you might just spot a more unusual visitor.

While they may not be the most frequent visitors to gardens, the following birds are certainly not unheard of and if you're doing the birdwatch in a park or green space, look carefully at the small birds darting between the bushes.

Lets have look at some of these less common birds that could crop up on your Big Garden Birdwatch.

💚 Nuthatch - the only bird you'll see moving head first down a tree trunk. Dusky blue back and peachy belly, with a slender bill for probing for insects inbetween bark. Also partial to suet, seed and peanuts.

💚 Jay - large brightly coloured members of the crow family. These inquisitive birds can often be seen amongst the trees or searching on the ground for acorns they cached in the autumn. they're also partial to peanuts.

💚 Blackcap - historically Blackcaps migrated to warmer climes for the winter, but there's evidence to show that more are staying in the UK with its warming climate and easy accessibility to food.

💚 Chiffchaff - as with Blackcaps more of these birds are staying in the UK for winter. Look for small bird flocks moving through bushes. Chiffchaffs have a brown back, but a buff chest and belly.

💚 Pied Wagtail - the commonest and most familiar of our wagtails. Often seen on golf courses and urban streets, they could crop up almost anywhere.

💚 Redwing - the smallest of our thrushes, often seen in larger flocks. They are highly nomadic, seeking food wherever it lies, partial to berries and windfall apples, occasionally venturing into gardens if there's a heavy frost.

💚 Great Spotted Woodpecker - large disticntive black and white bird. Male birds have a red patch on the base of their neck, whilst female birds lack this.

💚 Treecreeper - with it's speckled brown back and white underbelly, its well camouflaged against the tree bark as spirals up it. It's fine bill works its way into crevices in the bark in serach of tasty morsels. Unlike the Nuthatch it cannot move downwards so will fly to the next tree to continue its search.

22/01/2026

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New blog post available now on our website.

Read about the launch of the Curlew Action Plan at the House of Lords.

https://www.curlewaction.org/a-turning-point-for-curlew-recovery/

18/12/2025

Of the 11 tagged Cuckoos that left the UK in summer, we have continued to receive regular updates from nine. ⬇️

Where are they now? 🌍
The furthest east of our birds are Joe and Sayaan in Democratic Republic of the Congo. Our most southerly Cuckoo is Norman in Angola. Furthest north we find Jim and Ashok, both in Gabon.

Two birds, Wilfrid and Cuach Cores, made it across the Sahara but their signals stopped in September and October. 😢 We may never know what happened to them, but we do know that each bird has provided us with remarkable information that has allowed us invaluable insights into the complex stories of Cuckoo migration.

What now?
The remaining Cuckoos will likely remain in their wintering areas until February, before commencing their long flights back to Europe for the 2026 breeding season! We’ll keep you posted on their movements! 😀

Thank you to everyone who supports this project. 💚 You can sponsor a Cuckoo at https://www.bto.org/cuckoos

18/12/2025