Visiting friends in Gloucestershire

Myself and my birder's wife came to a compromise yesterday where we agreed that we would drive down to Gloucestershire to meet up with friends but also fit in Slimbridge in the morning.

So, we got up early and arrived at Slimbridge about 10am where we spent two hours mainly in Holden Tower looking for Bean Geese and the female American Wigeon.  I eventually got onto the Tundra Bean Geese (after some help.....must be going blind in my old age) and even managed a record blurred shot which clearly shows it tertials and how different and pronounced compared to the surrounding White Fronted Geese.

I then spent the next hour and a half looking for the 1st winter American Wigeon and finally got onto it after the Wigeon were scared onto the pool near the hide, only to lose it again quickly, fortunately one of wardens arrived at that moment and got myself and birders onto the bird (a very difficult bird to differentiate from the many other femal eurasion Wigeons around).

I beat a hasty retreat when Holden Tower started heaving with birders and took in a coffee at Zeiss Hide hoping that the Bittern would be performing.  Unfortunately, he was not (obviously gone camera shy) and so we left and spent the rest of the day with friends, arriving home very late.