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The Great British Bird Race - Gloucestershire
Tour Code: GBR354Join us in Gloucestershire for an exhilarating adventure. It’s the perfect antidote to the winter blues, and a chance to start the year with plenty of birds and a lot of fun.
£595
Highlights
Tour Itinerary and Reports
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Summary
Join Naturetrek for an exhilarating winter bird race across the rich and varied landscapes of Gloucestershire. From the wild woodlands of the Forest of Dean to the world-renowned wetlands of Slimbridge and the rolling limestone hills of the Cotswolds, this county offers a superb range of habitats and species diversity.
We will visit the ancient oaks and conifer plantations of the Forest of Dean, where winter gatherings of Hawfinch can be found in quiet corners while Goshawk may be seen overhead. Here, we’ll also look for Crossbill, Bramblings, Marsh Tit and Siskin in mixed flocks of woodland birds with Mandarins lurking quietly in shaded pools and Dippers on forest streams.
To the south, the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust reserve at Slimbridge offers an exciting winter spectacle, with great numbers of wildfowl, including Bewick’s Swans, White-fronted Geese, and flocks of ducks such as Pintail, Wigeon and Teal. Raptors such as Peregrine and Marsh Harrier may be present, and egrets which may include Great White and Cattle have become regular.
Rounding off the weekend, the Cotswolds offer rolling farmland, sheltered valleys and honey-coloured stone-walled villages where winter thrushes, Corn Buntings, Little, Short-eared and Barn Owls may be found. Other exciting possibilities include Merlin & Hen Harrier.
Led at a brisk but manageable pace, this bird race promises variety, challenge and great birding in equal measure.
- The thrill of the bird race
- Bewick’s Swans, Marsh Harrier & wildfowl at Slimbridge
- Hawfinches, Crossbills & Bramblings in the Forest of Dean
- Goshawk
- Dippers on streams with Goosander & Mandarin on forest ponds
- Short-eared, Barn & Little Owls, plus Hen Harrier & Merlin possible
- Bonus Wild Boar!
- Potentially a big total in a rich and diverse county
Dates & Prices
2026
Tour Leader: Tom Mabbett
Tom has been fascinated by wildlife since childhood and it was at primary school that he set about learning all the British bird species and has been enjoying finding, watching and learning about them ever since. After completing a degree in Biology at Exeter University, Tom travelled extensively around the world in search of wildlife which included a lot of SCUBA diving and special encounters with Whale Sharks, Bull Sharks, Manta Rays and too many birds and mammals to mention!
After working for an environmental charity and at the fantastic WWT Slimbridge reserve as grounds warden, Tom was delighted to join the Naturetrek operations team in March 2013. Since then Tom has enjoyed leading over 50 tours around the world, while also managing the operations of a range of holidays. Whether it is finding Hawfinch in the Forest of Dean, Wallcreepers in the Pyrenees or searching for Jaguars in the Pantanal, any time spent in the field, finding and showing people wildlife is regarded as a real privilege and thrill. The tours Tom has led and manage are varied and range from weekends to the Forest of Dean and Somerset Levels to the wilds of Ardnamurchan in Scotland along with various birding and butterfly focussed European tours in Spain, France, Italy, Portugal, Holland, Belgium, Albania and Macedonia with dedicated mammal-watching tours in Poland, Slovenia, Finland and Sweden. Big Cats are also a passion and Tom has spent time in the Brazilian Pantanal searching for Jaguars, India tracking Tigers, Chile for Pumas and Borneo in search of Clouded Leopard as well as exploring Guyana’s fabulous rainforests.
In Tom’s spare time he is happiest out in the field on his local patches around the Cotswolds in his home county of Gloucestershire. Tom is lucky to have an area of land he manages as a small nature reserve and a lot of Tom’s time is now spent trying to inspire his children Max and Harry to enjoy the outdoors and our wildlife.
Prefer to Travel in a Private Group?
For any interested natural history club or society, we can arrange for a private departure of this tour.
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Why Naturetrek?
At Naturetrek we craft expertly-guided group and tailor-made wildlife holidays and cruises to all seven continents. On one of our holidays, you can be assured that our passionate team will enable you to experience and enjoy the best of the world's wildlife and natural spectacles in as comfortable and rewarding a manner as possible, caring as best we can for the environment in the process. We are proud to provide:
- The widest choice of wildlife holidays worldwide
- Tours managed and led by naturalists, for naturalists
- Outstanding value and exceptional customer service
Furthermore, as a Naturetrek client, our office team are always to on hand to help you – so if you have any queries about your holiday, whether before or after you have booked, we will be delighted to answer them on the phone. Please just give our team a call!
