Slimbridge Safari

Today has been relatively quiet. I was booked for a photo shoot this morning and by the time I picked up Wren it was time to get Jenson from school. It was yesterday that provided all the adventure. Wren and I enjoyed a wonderful day out at Slimbridge, joining in on a special home ed wildlife safari. 

We arrived with our friends, Arabella and Ally, at 10am sharp and soon boarded the trailer. It wasn't long before we spotted out first glimpse of some of the glorious wildlife that lives in and around Slimbridge. I was quick enough to capture this shot of a heron, flying away after being disturbed by our rabble!

Meanwhile, Wren was keeping a beady eye out with the binoculars!

As the trailer pulled up onto the bank we were treated to this spectacular view of the Severn. We paused for a few moments to take in the scenery and spot a few birds.

When we got going again it was a very fun and bumpy ride to our next stop, which was incredibly idyllic. It was here that we spent most of our time. 

We spotted an abundance of wildlife including this gorgeous Tiger Moth, which was incredibly friendly. It happily sat on fingers, (and even noses!) posing for pictures!

The children were so excited to spot this Orchid too.

Spread in amongst the tall grasses were pieces of corrugated iron that were in fact providing homes for various different kinds of wildlife. Here, the ranger is showing the children the remains of water vole nests.

The stars of the show though were these grass snakes, which slithered away so quickly there was barely enough time to catch a glimpse of them let alone a photo. The children squealed with excitement, such a joy to hear.

The final activity of the session was down by the river, where we spotted dragon flies, damsel flies, frogs and caterpillars. The rangers obviously had a lot of practise at catching these mini beasts, which was great as it meant the children could get a really good look.

Wren loved handling this tiny caterpillar, which got passed around the whole group. It didn't seem to mind being poked and prodded, but I think it was grateful for being put back gently in the undergrowth!  

And we couldn't believe how big dragon flies were!

The whole session was a really fantastic and insightful experience. It was really wonderful for the children to get so close to so many different wildlife species. After the 90 minute trip we spent the afternoon in Welly Boot Land, where the girls stripped down to their swimming costumes and cooled off splashing in the trickling water fountains.