WWT Slimbridge Wetland Centre

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 🦀

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 🦢

09/06/2026

Due to high demand, we have added an extra date to our 'Practical Fieldwork Techniques' Home Educator Event 🔍

Date: Thursday 16 July
Sessions: 10.30am – 11.30am (suitable for ages 3 to 7) & 11.45am – 12.45pm (suitable for ages 7 to 11)

Children will have the opportunity to complete a BioBlitz, get hands on with various fieldwork equipment to discover what lives in the layers of a wetland, and record what they find under the water's surface at pond dipping 🐌

Before or after your session you'll be able to join in with our daily suite of talks and activities, go birding in our various hides, or visit our Waterscapes Aviary to experience the magic of native wetlands up close.

Book now:

Join us for the opportunity to get hands-on with nature and discover what lives in the layers of a wetland.

08/06/2026

Wild Safaris return from Saturday 13 June! 🚙

Adventure behind the scenes with our Reserve team to discover UK wildlife at its best. Splash through ditches and trundle along the sea wall in the 4x4 trailer to explore areas of the Reserve that you wouldn't normally see, stopping to look for rare plants, birds and even snakes along the way 🐍

🎟️ Wild Safaris run every weekend until the end of September, and every day during the summer holidays. This experience is weather dependent so cannot be booked in advance, but please book at Admissions on arrival as spaces are limited.

Plan your visit: https://www.wwt.org.uk/wetland-centres/slimbridge/experience/wild-safaris

📸 Clem Stevens

07/06/2026

They grow up so fast 🥹

Ruby and a wild male common crane have been raising their chick on South Lake since the beginning of May.

Thank you to Tanya Grigg for these photos showing how they're getting on!

06/06/2026

Where else in the world can you see rooftop avocets but at WWT Slimbridge? 🏠

On Monday they were using the Rushy buildings to look out for predators across the Rushy Lake, where dozens of avocet chicks are pottering around. Head to the Rushy Hide for the best view! There are also broods of shoveler and black-headed gull, as well as oystercatcher chicks on South Lake 🐣

This week we've had a surprise turtle dove feeding with the collared and stock doves around Top Hut, and a cattle egret among the cattle herd on the Tack Piece.

Cuckoos have been seen and heard across the site, and the bittern continues to fly around the Knott Hide 🪶

In mammal news, we've been visited by roe deer on the Dumbles and a bank vole down South Finger Walkway 🐾

For a full list of sightings, visit: https://www.wwt.org.uk/wetland-centres/slimbridge/wildlife/latest-sightings/sightings-and-news-for-week-ending-7-june-2026

📸 M J McGill

05/06/2026

Oh deer, looks like these two forgot to check our opening times... 🦌

📸 M J McGill

04/06/2026

In 2025, our amazing volunteers contributed a record-breaking 34,380 volunteering hours! 🤯

We want to say the biggest thank you to each and every one of you for helping to make our wetlands magical for people and wildlife alike 🦢

From Engagement to Reserve, Learning to Scott House Museum, Marketing to Grounds, and everything in between... WWT Slimbridge woudn't be the same without you 🌟

03/06/2026

Can you hear the cuckoo calling? 🎵

Only the males make this iconic two-syllable call, which they use to advertise their presence after they arrive from Africa around the end of April. They are highly mobile, meaning that they can give the false impression of lots of different birds on site as they flit around the WWT Slimbridge Reserve. The females can be heard making a bubbling 'kwik-kwik-kwik' call later in the breeding season, which may have evolved to mimic a sparrowhawk and scare host parents from their nests 🪺

The cuckoo is our bird of the month for June! 🏅 Learn all about these cunning birds and the brood parasitism they're famed for here: https://www.wwt.org.uk/wetland-centres/slimbridge/news/june-s-bird-of-the-month-cuckoo

📸 Cover image by Ben Andrew