WWT Slimbridge Wetland Centre

WWT Slimbridge Wetland Centre WWT Slimbridge is a visitor centre open all year. Come and see the power of wetlands for yourself.
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The birthplace of modern conservation, Slimbridge Wetland Centre is set within 325 hectares against a spectacular Severn Estuary backdrop. Land Rover rides and canoe safaris guarantee close encounters with a dazzling array of wetland life and there’s lots for our young visitors to enjoy, including the welly boot land play area.

Breeding success in Back from the Brink! 🪹Our bearded reedling chicks have now successfully fledged and continue to deve...
18/06/2026

Breeding success in Back from the Brink! 🪹

Our bearded reedling chicks have now successfully fledged and continue to develop well within their habitat. It's been really encouraging to see the parent birds providing excellent care by regularly feeding them 🪱

Bearded reedlings are of conservation concern in the UK, with only around 600 breeding pairs. Conservation efforts focus on preserving and managing reedbed habitats, where they build low cup-shaped nests made from reed leaves and lined with reed flowers 🌾. They are difficult to see in the wild and so our bearded reedlings are ambassadors allowing visitors to see them up close and learn about their conservation.

📸 Philip Malesev-Walsh

June's plant of the month is... Sea holly! 💜Grounds Manager Chris Rixton said:"These sculptural perennials; bearing a st...
17/06/2026

June's plant of the month is... Sea holly! 💜

Grounds Manager Chris Rixton said:
"These sculptural perennials; bearing a striking resemblance to a thistle, make a dramatic statement as they give salt-washed, coastal vibes as well as contrasting sharply with surrounding vegetation."

"Their architectural form fit perfectly in the wind-tumbled Estuary Shoreline landscape with its upright, branching stems swaying gently in the estuary breeze. They bear greenish-white or blue flowers gathered into a cone surrounded by a ruff of spiny bracts. In some, the upper part of the plant is suffused with metallic blue making them a real head-turner!"

"They are importantly a great source of nectar with a long flowering period so great for Bumblebees, Butterflies & Hoverflies."

Keep an eye out for solitary bees, cuckoo wasps and hummingbird hawk-moths flitting around the flowerbeds at the moment 🐝

Types of ‘Sea Holly’ you might spot in the Estuary Garden:
- Eryngium × zabelii 'Big Blue'
- Eryngium yuccifolium
- Eryngium maritimum
- Eryngium giganteum 'Silver Ghost'

16/06/2026

Did you know that Sir Peter Scott used to use a World War II Pill Box as a bird hide and retreat from the weather when out birdwatching on the Severn Estuary? 🦆

Learn more about WWT Slimbridge's story at a Wild History Walk on Saturday 4th July... 👣 Stroll in our founder's footsteps while knowledgeable volunteers impart fascinating facts about the UK's last working duck decoy, the wildlife of the Severn Estuary, the life and accomplishments of Sir Peter Scott, and much more.

🕜 1:30-3:30pm

🎟 £15 per person

🫖 Cream tea included

If you've always wondered why Sir Peter Scott chose Slimbridge to be the birthplace of modern conservation, this is the event for you!

Limited spaces available — book now: https://www.wwt.org.uk/wetland-centres/slimbridge/whats-on/events/wild-history-walk-18

15/06/2026

Wrens are the loudest birds for their size, and can sing up to 600 notes in a minute! 🎶

How many notes can you hear in this amazing slow-mo video by volunteer Tim Jukes? Watch until the end for the full speed 3 second version 🤯

📣 New vacancies:🧼 Cleaner 🧼Do you have a keen eye for detail and a passion for visitor experience? Join the fantastic Fa...
14/06/2026

📣 New vacancies:

🧼 Cleaner 🧼

Do you have a keen eye for detail and a passion for visitor experience? Join the fantastic Facilities team to help keep our Visitor Centre and holiday accommodation spotless and welcoming.

Part-time, 22.5 hours a week.

Closing date: 28/06

Apply now: https://vacancies.wwt.org.uk/vacancies/855/cleaner.html

🧑‍🍳 Chef 🧑‍🍳

Do you have a passion for food and take pride in its presentation? Come and join the busy catering team cooking up a storm in our Kingfisher Kitchen.

Full-time, 37.5 hours a week.

Closing date: 01/07

Apply now: https://vacancies.wwt.org.uk/vacancies/648/chef.html

Learn more and apply via the 'vacancies' link in bio 🔗

📸 Sam Walker

The avocet chicks were forced to shelter from the rain wherever they could this week! How many legs can you count?🦵On Mo...
13/06/2026

The avocet chicks were forced to shelter from the rain wherever they could this week! How many legs can you count?🦵

On Monday a juvenile stonechat was seen on the Bottom New Piece boundary fence, and a lesser whitethroat visited the Dumbles on Thursday. On Tuesday, we had this year's largest flock of swift feeding over the Top New Piece. House martins are collecting mud from the Dumbles scrape to build their nests, and the oystercatcher chicks on South Lake are growing fast. We've even got a young barn owl in the box opposite the Kingfisher Hide! 🦉

The female bittern in the Pillbox Pool has been very busy, often making long distance feeding flights to find food for at least two juveniles. Over the last three weeks we've watched her come and go through all weather conditions, from frost to an extreme heatwave. Good binocular and scope views of the young bitterns' downy 'top-knots' have been possible from the Estuary Tower.

A slow worm was spotted off the beaten track on reserve. It may be possible to see one on our Wild Safari which opens again this Saturday.

Finally, a little throwback to last week: on Sunday 7 June a male red-necked phalarope in breeding plumage was seen moving between the Tack Piece and the Rushy. The breeding avocets weren't happy about it being in their company in the Rushy and were chasing it off! We wanted to share also this photograph of a water vole also spotted last week.

Read more about this week's feathered and furry visitors via the 'latest sightings' link in bio.

Don't forget to follow us on Bluesky for (almost) live updates 🔭

Read more about this week's feathered visitors: https://www.wwt.org.uk/wetland-centres/slimbridge/wildlife/latest-sightings/sightings-and-news-for-week-ending-14-june-2026

📸 1& 2) Avocet and chicks - Paul C 3) Bittern - Tim J 4) Black headed gulls - Paul C 4) Water vole - Oliver P 5) Slow worm - Anna C

12/06/2026

Join us on an Arctic Adventure! ❄️

Have you got what it takes to be a researcher in the arctic tundra—a cold and barren landscape?

Many of the birds that visit Slimbridge in winter have travelled over 4000km from the arctic tundra including our beloved Bewick’s swans 🦢and Greenland white-fronted geese.

Following in the footsteps 👣of WWT founder Sir Peter Scott and real life WWT researchers, visit the cold and basic tundra research hut in search of clues to explain the recent decline of Bewick’s swans and other birds.

Things to do:

🧥🧤Dress up as an arctic researcher in the tundra hut

🔭Become a real birdwatcher and use our binoculars to see if you can identify the birds by looking at their identification leg rings

🥘Plan your authentic tundra hut meal. Choose from potatoes, dried fish and tinned reindeer (please note, for display purposes only and does not contain real reindeer! 🦌)

👀Watch out for those cheeky lemmings!

You can come and cool down in our Arctic Adventure 364 days a year.

Cover 📸Sam Walker

Did you know that one cubic metre of estuary mud contains enough worms, shellfish and bugs to match the calorie content ...
11/06/2026

Did you know that one cubic metre of estuary mud contains enough worms, shellfish and bugs to match the calorie content of 16 mars bars? 🍫

WWT Slimbridge is situated on a stretch of the Severn Estuary's tidal saltmarsh, and welcomes around 30,000 migratory birds each winter 🪱🦆

June 11 is World Saltmarsh Day: a global celebration of these vital habitats, organised by WWT.

Since 1860 more than 85% of England’s saltmarshes have been lost, either to rising sea levels or changes in land use. Every admission ticket, membership, and ice cream bought supports WWT's mission to restore at least 22,000 hectares of saltmarsh across the UK by 2050.

Get involved by exploring our wetlands this week, and head to the Estuary Tower Hide for the best view of who's calling the saltmarsh home at the moment 🌾

Find out more about the amazing biodiversity of saltmarshes here: https://www.wwt.org.uk/discover-wetlands/blog/the-amazing-biodiversity-of-saltmarshes 🦀

🪷 Do you like the idea of making your weekends mindful this month?Join us for Waterside Yoga in the Estuary Shoreline Ga...
11/06/2026

🪷 Do you like the idea of making your weekends mindful this month?

Join us for Waterside Yoga in the Estuary Shoreline Garden from 8:15-9:15am every Sunday in June 🧘

Instructor Cora weaves together gentle flow, breathwork, and moments of stillness. Slow down, reconnect, and come back into balance in a calm and welcoming environment. Each session will include a grounding arrival, a soft, flowing sequence to open and strengthen the body, and a wind-down with breathwork and relaxation.

This is an amazing opportunity to reconnect with yourself and nature while experiencing the wonder of wetlands out of hours 🦢

Limited spaces available — advance booking essential! 🌤️ The forecast is looking bright for this weekend, so secure your spot now: https://www.wwt.org.uk/wetland-centres/slimbridge/whats-on/events/waterside-yoga

09/06/2026

"Ahh, what a lovely mindful moment in the wetla—"

Swans are largely herbivorous, 'upending' to eat around 4kg of aquatic vegetation a day. Seeds can remain viable after passing through them, so their faeces helps to disperse wetland plants across a wider area 🦢

Address

WWT Slimbridge, Bowditch
Slimbridge
GL27BT

Opening Hours

Monday 9:30am - 4:30pm
Tuesday 9:30am - 4:30pm
Wednesday 9:30am - 4:30pm
Thursday 9:30am - 4:30pm
Friday 9:30am - 4:30pm
Saturday 9:30am - 4:30pm
Sunday 9:30am - 4:30pm

Telephone

+441453891900

Website

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