Storms blow rarities to Slimbridge

James lees about to release the Manx shearwaters

September 2011. Wardens at Slimbridge are keeping watch for injured seabirds after a number have been blown off course by the stormy weather. Staff at Slimbridge Wetland Centre in Gloucestershire have already rescued a gannet and several Manx shearwaters after they arrived in the past few days and were too weak to feed.

More rarities
These Atlantic-dwelling species are rarely seen at Slimbridge but have been blown hundreds of miles off course by the strong south westerly gales. The storms have brought other rare visitors such as a buff-breasted sandpiper, normally found in Arctic Canada, two Sabine's gulls, two Arctic skuas and a guillemot.

Most of the arrivals are resting and feeding here while they wait for the winds to drop before heading off again, but a few have looked particularly weak so staff have stepped in to save them.

An Artic skua rests as it waits for the weather to calm

"We passed the gannet to a wildlife centre nearby as it would need a lot of attention and I looked after the Manx shearwaters and tube fed them before re-releasing them in better conditions on Friday evening. "The shearwaters were juveniles which had only just left their nests so they didn't have the strength or experience to fly through the weather."

How to visit WWT Slimbridge