Editing WWT Slimbridge (section)

==Site==
[[File:Part of Slimbridge Wetland Centre, Gloucestershire, England, from the obs tower 22May2019 arp.jpg|thumb|A late spring view across a small part of the centre, from the Sloane Observation Tower]]
The site consists of {{convert|800|hectare}} of reserve,<ref name=Tipling/> 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.<ref name=Tipling/> 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 bed]]s and [[salt marsh]]es besides the [[Severn Estuary]]. Many wildfowl visit the site including [[greater white-fronted goose|greater white-fronted geese]], [[Eurasian spoonbill]]s, [[pied avocet]]s and even [[common crane]]s, 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 [[Lythrum hyssopifolia|grass-poly]] (''Lythrum hyssopifolia'') and the wasp orchid, a variant of the [[Ophrys apifera|bee orchid]] (''Ophrys apifera'').<ref name=reserves>{{cite web |url=http://www.wwt.org.uk/conservation/our-nature-reserves/ |title=Our nature reserves: Slimbridge |publisher=WWT |access-date=21 August 2016 |archive-date=21 August 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160821025425/http://www.wwt.org.uk/conservation/our-nature-reserves/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

The number of ducks, geese and [[swan]]s is greatest in winter, with large flocks of greater white-fronted geese, sometimes with a rare [[lesser white-fronted goose]] amongst them. [[Bewick's swan]]s are a feature of Slimbridge in winter, arriving from northern [[Russia]] to enjoy the milder climate of southern England.<ref name=Cotswolds/> Their behaviour has been studied intensively at Slimbridge. [[bird of prey|Birds of prey]] such as [[peregrine falcon|peregrine]] and [[Merlin (bird)|merlin]] also visit the centre in the winter, as well as wading birds and some woodland birds, and it is a good place to see the elusive [[water rail]].<ref name=Tipling/>

Species present all year round include [[Little grebe|little]] and [[great crested grebe]]s, [[northern lapwing|lapwing]], [[Common redshank|redshank]], [[tufted duck]], [[gadwall]], [[common kingfisher|kingfisher]], [[Common reed bunting|reed bunting]], [[great spotted woodpecker]], [[Eurasian sparrowhawk|sparrowhawk]] and [[little owl]]. In the spring, passage waders visit the pools alongside the estuary; these include [[Eurasian whimbrel]], [[Common sandpiper|common]], [[Wood sandpiper|wood]] and [[green sandpiper]]s, [[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]].<ref name=Tipling/>

Swans and geese usually start to arrive in late October. Passage waders in the autumn include [[red knot]], [[black-tailed godwit]], [[dunlin]], [[Common ringed plover|ringed]] and [[grey plover]]s, [[Ruff (bird)|ruff]], common greenshank, spotted redshank, [[curlew sandpiper]] and common, wood and green sandpipers. Besides Bewick's swan and flocks of white-fronted geese, large waterfowl regularly present in the reserve in winter include the [[brent goose]], [[pink-footed goose]], [[barnacle goose]] and [[taiga bean goose]]. The swans tend to fly off in the day and return to feed in the late afternoon, and another spectacular sight at the end of winter afternoons is the arrival of large flocks of [[Common starling|starlings]]. Smaller wildfowl present in winter include [[Eurasian wigeon|wigeon]], [[Eurasian teal]], [[common pochard]], [[northern pintail]], water rail, dunlin, redshank, [[Eurasian curlew|curlew]], [[European golden plover|golden plover]], [[common snipe]] and ruff.<ref name=Tipling/>