Waterlife April–June 2017

waterlife 200 APRIL/JUNE 2017

waterlife The magazine of the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust | 200 April/June 2017 | £4.25 | wwt.org.uk

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

FLAMBOYANT FLAMINGOS

wwt.org.uk

THE CRANE CHICKS WILDLIFE TIPS HAVE MADE PHOTO IT!

MISSION MADAGASCAR

CAPTURE THE BEST PAGE 24 IMAGES THIS SPRING

JOIN US TO HELP SAVE THE WORLD’S RAREST DUCK

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FLIGHT OF THE PHOTO SWANSCOMP

PLUS

FUN FOR ALL THE THIS EASTER

YOUR LAST CHANCE HOW THE EXPEDITION HAS FAMILY TO ENTER FOR 2015 HELPED BEWICK’S SWANS PAGE 18

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email: enquiries@infocusoptics.co.uk

The Binocular and Telescope Specialists Keep up to date online infocusoptics.co.uk in focus SALES EVENTS ‘Test under field conditions’

North and Midlands

The Barn at Beal, overlooking Holy Island, Northumberland 21 May / 16 Jul Hauxley Nature Reserve, Northumberland 9 Apr / 14 May / 11 Jun / 9 Jul Low Barns Nature Reserve, Co Durham 16 Apr / 18 Jun North Cave Wetlands, East Yorkshire 2 Apr / 4 Jun Washington WWT, Tyne and Wear 23 Apr / 28 May / 25 Jun / 23 Jul Rainton Meadows 30 Apr / 30 Jul

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• Hertfordshire Willows Farm, AL4 0PF 01727 827799 Closed on Sunday • Norfolk Titchwell, Nr King’s Lynn, PE31 8BB 01485 210101 Open seven days • West Yorkshire Denby Dale, HD8 8QL 01484 864729 Closed on Sunday • Rutland Egleton Reserve, LE15 8BT 01572 770656 Open seven days • Gloucestershire WWT Slimbridge, GL2 7BT 01453 890978 Open seven days • Lancashire WWT Martin Mere, L40 0TA 01704 897020 Open seven days • London London Wetland Centre, SW13 9WT 0208 4094433 Open seven days

South and East

Arundel WWT, West Sussex 9 Apr / 18 Apr / 13 May / 23 May / 11 Jun / 20 Jun / 8 Jul / 18 Jul Rye Harbour Nature Reserve, E Sussex 16 Apr / 14 May / 10 Jun / 16 Jul Sevenoaks Wildlife Reserve, Kent 21 May / 9 Jul Sandwich Bay Bird Observatory, Kent 30 Apr / 18 Jun

South and West

Farmoor, Oxford 20 May / 15 Jul Blashford Lakes, Ringwood, Hampshire 4 Apr / 9 May / 6 Jun / 4 Jul Portland Bird Observatory, Dorset 22 Apr / 28 May / 24 Jun / 29 Jul Dawlish Warren 2 Apr / 4 Jun Nature Discovery Centre, Thatcham, Berkshire 17 Jun / 23 Jul

Wales and Scotland

Caerlaverock WWT, Dumfriesshire 7 May / 2 Jul Llanelli WWT, Carmarthenshire 23 Apr / 27 May / 25 Jun / 30 Jul All events from 10.00am - 4.00pm for latest information ring any of our shops

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CONTENTS

SPRINGING BACK TO LIFE

See cute baby ducks at our centres

Spring is the most wonderful time of year for

getting outdoors and enjoying the beauty of nature. As the evenings get lighter and winter releases its grip, our centres burst into life.

April is one of the busiest times in birds’ calendars as they lay claim to territories and try to win partners in an avian ‘sing-off’. The most incredible performances take place as the sun rises, so many of our centres are opening early to allow you to experience this magical sound on our special dawn chorus walks.

We’ll also be welcoming back spring migrants galore, from tiny warblers to screaming swifts and the ospreys at Caerlaverock. So now is a great time to brush up on your bird knowledge and song-recognition skills, under the tuition of one of our knowledgeable wardens. You won’t need any help recognising all the fluffy ducklings wandering around our centres – you can even watch these cute babies hatch on one of our unique Downy Duckling Days.

You’ll find details of all these events and more in our Down Your Way pages (from page 45) and our Easter special (on page 18), which showcases the finest family fun on our centres this spring.

If you’re a fan of our flamingos, you won’t want to miss our behind-the-scenes look at these spectacular birds (page 26). We’ve also got an update on the vital next stage in our quest to save the Madagascar pochard from extinction and how you can help (page 32). Enjoy spring!

In this issue...

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Front lines Martin Spray suggests we need to act local and think global Waterways The latest WWT conservation news from around the world Wigeon post Your letters and photos, plus our crossword and competition Easter family fun Don’t miss our incredible family events this spring In the pink Meet our flamingos and learn why they’re so special Mission Madagascar Catch up with the project as it enters phase three Flight of the Swans The incredible effect this epic journey has had Photo tips Expert advice for taking wonderful wildlife images in spring Kids’ zone Steve Backshall and Dusty Duck meet some fluffy ducklings Down your way All the wildlife, news and events at your local centre Back chat Meet a member of WWT’s team and find out what they do

WWT is the leading global conservation organisation committed to the protection of wetlands and all that live in and around them. WWT is the only UK charity with a national network of specialist wetland centres that people can visit. It was founded in 1946 by the late Sir Peter Scott, the renowned naturalist and artist.

HEADQUARTERS Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust Slimbridge, Gloucestershire GL2 7BT 01453 891900 wwt.org.uk membership@wwt.org.uk Registered Charity No. 1030884 and SC039410 CENTRES For full contact details, please see page 45

On the cover: Paul McKenzie

WWT Arundel 01903 883355 WWT Caerlaverock 01387 770200 WWT Castle Espie 028 9187 4146 WWT Llanelli 01554 741087 WWT London 020 8409 4400 WWT Martin Mere 01704 895181 WWT Slimbridge 01453 891900 WWT Washington 0191 416 5454 WWT Welney 01353 860711

WATERLIFE The quarterly magazine of the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust Managing editor: Ray Clark waterlife@wwt.org.uk Editorial board: Baz Hughes, Sarah Maddrell, David Salmon, Rob Shore, Mark Simpson, Fiona Williams Editor: Sophie Stafford sophie.stafford@thinkpublishing.co.uk Deputy chief sub-editor: Marion Thompson Designer: Mark Davies Contributors: Mike Unwin, Derek Niemann (text); Chris Gomersall (text and images); Tim Sutcliffe (Dusty Duck cartoon) Group advertising manager: Sonal Mistry sonal.mistry@thinkpublishing.co.uk 020 3771 7247 Account director: Helen Cassidy, Think, Capital House, 25 Chapel Street, London NW1 5DH; thinkpublishing.co.uk

Waterlife is published four times a year, and is printed

by Herons, on UPM Ultra Silk 70gsm, an FSC paper accredited as coming from well-managed forest.

Views expressed in the magazine do not necessarily reflect those of WWT. ISSN: 1752-7392 Average net circulation for the period Jan-Dec 2016: 93,824

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FRONT LINES

ACT LOCALLY, BUT THINK GLOBALLY Martin Spray CBE, WWT Chief Executive It may not always feel like it, but

ours is a very small world. Like many people, I don’t relish travelling long distances, and yet any journey I may take is put into perspective by the epic migrations of the Bewick’s swans I can see from my office window. Not only do they travel huge distances to be here at Slimbridge – they do it not once, but every year.

My amazing colleague Sacha Dench recently completed a record-breaking flight along the migratory

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The extraordinary interconnectivity of life is not subject to human politics or human boundaries. We are both a part of it and wholly dependent upon it

flyway of the Bewick’s swan. She flew in a paramotor through 11 countries from Arctic Russia to the UK. This is not only a mind-blowingly long way, but one full of hazards for both Sacha and the swans.

Though our ‘human swan’ faced the challenges of bad weather, injury and engine failure, she had the support of a fantastic back-up crew of volunteers and WWT staff. Our feathered friends face hunters, wind turbines, loss of their feeding habitats, and now climate change, on their own.

If you look at the world through the actions of people and political leaders, you might begin to wonder if

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The Bewick’s swan is the perfect example of how we’re working to protect species locally (at WWT Slimbridge) and internationally (by leading the implementation of the Bewick’s Swan Action Plan)

Sacha’s incredible Flight of the we are anything to do with the natural Swans has highlighted the global world any more. We seem to fight interconnectedness of nature and endlessly against nature for getting inspired people around the world. in the way of all the things we want So, as we prepare to leave the to achieve.

European Union, I’ve been But this is our world – reflecting on our very real our only planet. And FIND OUT MORE need for a plan for the the extraordinary ABOUT THE LONG-TERM, planet. This is an ambitious interconnectivity of GLOBAL CONSERVATION concept given the apparent IMPACT OF FLIGHT OF life is not subject to THE SWANS ON increase in nationalism and human politics or human PAGE 38. protectionism seen almost boundaries. We are both daily in the news. So perhaps a part of it and wholly we need to start more locally. dependent upon it. How often is The government is working to that discussed in the news and by produce a 25-year plan for the governments across the world?

environment. It’s the goal of WWT, and our conservation partners, to ensure that it’s a robust plan with regular, accountable targets. It’s also an opportunity for us to show leadership, to be at the forefront of environmental planning for a safer future. It may be a more local approach, but, with the global effects of climate change and the miracle of transboundary migration, I cannot see how it can be constrained to our small island.

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WWT NEWS

WATERWAYS NEWS AND VIEWS FROM THE WORLD OF WETLANDS AND WILDLIFE CONSERVATION

One of the volunteers at Slimbridge, Rona Keen, feeds the nenes

WE Every year, at the beginning of June, National Volunteering Week celebrates the amazing achievements of the people who give their time for free to make the world a better place. Here at WWT, we are especially proud of our growing band of wetland warriors. The involvement of our 950 volunteers enables us to do so much more to conserve wetlands for wildlife and people. A recent survey showed that their total contribution was more or less equivalent to an additional 59 members of full-time staff. That’s incredible!

Volunteers are involved in every aspect of WWTs work, from welcoming visitors to

VOLUNTEERS helping with bird counts, and from providing administrative support to our training manager to helping maintain our buildings and exhibits.

We clearly derive huge benefits from the assistance of our volunteers, but we also want them to gain something valuable from the experience. And they tell us that they definitely do – whether it’s friends made in the course of their volunteering activities or skills gained to help them in their future career. For some people, it’s the satisfaction of using existing skills in a different setting; for others, it’s being able to switch off and do something different to their usual work.

Whatever their motivation, nearly all our volunteers say it’s because they do valuable conservation work and feel proud to make a difference – not to mention the opportunity to go ‘behind the scenes’ at our centres.

We’d like to thank all our volunteers for their enthusiasm and commitment, and we hope you’ll feel encouraged to consider volunteering at your local centre. We’re developing new volunteer roles all the time, so there’s something for everyone – why not take a look?

Please visit our website for further information: wwt.org.uk/support.

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WWT NEWS

Ewan Weston

It’s hoped this tiny tag will reveal where the ‘spoonies’ breed, stop over on migration, and overwinter

TINY TAG REVEALS SPO�NIE SECRETS WWT, with support from Leica, has begun an exciting new phase in its mission to save the spoon-billed sandpiper from extinction.

Last October, we deployed the smallest satellite tags ever made to track the ‘spoonies’ on migration and help identify unknown stopover sites – with thrilling results.

Critically endangered spoon-billed sandpipers breed in Arctic Russia and migrate down the East Asian coast before wintering in countries such as Myanmar and Bangladesh. Conservationists have been trying to address threats to the species at a number of key sites along this flyway since 2009. But our efforts have been hampered by the fact that we still don’t know where about 50% of these tiny birds winter, where 75% of them breed and where they stop over on migration.

Because of the vastness of the East Asian-Australian Flyway, finding these missing sites by ground surveys would be nigh on impossible. Remote tracking is needed. But until 2016, a small enough tag for a spoonie – a bird that weighs just 30g – did not exist. The general rule is that a tag should weigh no more than 5% of a bird’s weight.

But in 2015, everything changed when Microwave Telemetry Inc developed 8

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a prototype tag weighing just 2g.

In collaboration with RSPB, BTO, Nanjing Normal University, SBS in China and Microwave Telemetry Inc, thanks to a kind legacy, WWT successfully trialled the tag on captive dunlins, which are similarly sized waders.

As soon as permission was granted by the Chinese government, a tagging team headed to the coast of Jiangsu province, a major autumn stopover site where the spoonies complete their autumn moult.

The whole population is thought to stage here from around mid-September to mid-October. In early October, we fitted three tags to wild birds – and they soon began to yield vital data.

The three birds – which were also marked with yellow leg flags engraved with ET, HU and CT – have all migrated south.

HU was first off the blocks, quickly moving south to Hangzhou Bay, where she stayed for a week. After briefly being blown into the East China Sea by Typhoon Haima, she headed southwest to a site on the coast of Guangdong province near the city of Xitou, where she arrived on 27 October.

ET, the first bird to be tagged, headed to the Minjiang Estuary, overlapping paths with HU, then flew southwest. She stopped briefly near Hong Kong then flew

more than 2,250km in a single flight to the Gulf of Mottama in Myanmar, a popular overwintering site.

CT, the only male, stayed on the Jiangsu coast for a few weeks more, then made his move south on 13 November. He flew to a site in Fujian province, very near where ET stopped, and here he has stayed.

The satellite tags are already helping conservation efforts by providing insights into three birds with three different wintering sites and migration strategies.

Three previously unknown stopover sites and one wintering site have been identified.

Rapid ground surveys were undertaken on these newly discovered sites – and extensive illegal mist netting was revealed.

The survey teams notified the local authorities and efforts are under way to remove the nets and keep the birds safe.

Today, funds are being raised to tag more spoonies on the Jiangsu coast in spring to find missing breeding sites, and at Meinypil’gyno, the birds’ best-known breeding site, to locate their autumn stopover sites north of Jiangsu. We’ll keep you informed of our progress.

Track the spoonies via the live map at wwt.org.uk/sbsblog/tracking.

To help us buy more tags, please visit wwt.org.uk/sbsappeal.

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IT’S GOOD TO TALK Without your support, our work to protect wetlands and their wildlife just wouldn’t be possible. So we like to keep you informed about all the exciting things we’re doing. And we hope you enjoy hearing about our news, achievements and campaigns.

It’s important to us that you’re happy with the correspondence you receive from WWT. So we’re working hard to improve the way we communicate with you, to ensure that you receive information of interest to you.

It’s also important that we update and adapt our processes to ensure we are fully compliant with the EU General Data Protection Regulation, which includes making sure we use your data fairly and lawfully, we’re transparent about how we use your data, and that the data we keep is accurate and up to date.

As part of this process, we’ll be getting in touch with you over the coming months to make sure you are still happy to receive our communications. We want to ensure that you want to continue being a part of

WWT. We also want to check the ways you would like to hear from us, for example, by post, email or phone.

For details, visit wwt.org.uk/privacy.

A GREEN QUEEN’S SPEECH

By Richard Benwell, WWT’s Head of Government Affairs Nature’s calendar is full of clues to the year ahead: a warm, wet spring might herald a summer full of slugs, and the arrival of the first Bewick’s swan could hint at coming winter weather.

In the same way, the political year is punctuated by set-piece events that define the mood. The Budget, the PM’s speech at Conference, the Autumn Statement – they all set the tone. Perhaps the most important is The Queen’s Speech.

In May, Her Majesty will read her government’s plans. With so much change under way, the Speech is a crucial opportunity for the government to demonstrate commitment to the

environment. So we’re urging it not to go back to the drawing board, but to learn from the best and then go further. That means learning lessons from every level.

International We’re expecting The Queen to announce the ‘Great Repeal Bill’, ending the jurisdiction of EU courts, while moving EU law into UK law. EU rules have benefited from decades of development and shouldn’t be meddled with lightly – we want public and parliamentary scrutiny of any changes to environmental protection, to keep the heart of our international conservationism intact.

National The countries of the UK have lots to learn from one another. Recently, the Welsh government created the brilliant office of Future Generations Commissioner, the Northern Ireland Executive improved sustainable drainage law, and the Scottish government took the lead on natural

flood management. The Westminster government shouldn’t be left behind.

Local Eighty per cent of us want environmental protection to be as strong or stronger if we leave the EU. Popular support for nature is more powerful than ever – who wasn’t thrilled by the TV series Planet Earth II? It’s time to see that support reflected in Parliament, with plans to help communities protect and invest in nature, greener homes and environmental education.

There will be many priorities for Parliament, from Brexit to housebuilding; they’ll all affect our natural world. Let’s help the government learn the lessons from the best, international to local, and tell business and communities that the environment should be part of every agenda this year.

Let’s hope for a green Queen’s Speech.

Take action: wwt.org.uk/richinnature.

More people than ever are getting outside and discovering nature APRIL/JUNE 2017

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WWT NEWS

SLIMBRIDGE 2020: PROGRESS UPDATE We’re pressing ahead with the Slimbridge 2020 project to celebrate Sir Peter Scott and WWT’s work worldwide. We’ll be submitting our second-round bid to the Heritage Lottery Fund in June, and plan to start building work early in 2018. Here’s an update on how the work is going

Free-flight aviary In our new free-flight aviary, you’ll be able to get close to spectacular wetland birds, such as pelicans and egrets, and watch tiny but beautiful bearded tits flitting through reedbeds at eye level.

The bearded tits are already at Slimbridge. You’ll be able to see them when the aviary opens in early 2019. We’ve got them in this early to give them loads of time to settle into their new surroundings.

We hope that they might even start to breed in the aviary.

Living Wetland Theatre You’ll be able to see a selection of species up close as they exhibit some of their natural behaviours. They need professional training to acclimatise them to being part of a demonstration, so our aviculture team has been investigating this with a small group of white-faced whistling ducks in order make the proposed exhibit space bird-friendly. Training ducks takes patience, expertise and care for every day of their lives.

Go to youtu.be/XBav4TDLv9I for our video about the training.

The new tower hide We’re designing a new tower hide to replace Holden Tower, which, although enjoyed by birders, is showing its age.

It’s also inaccessible to many people with limited mobility.

The new structure will provide better views of the surrounding habitat. We will be making good use of all levels of the building, including an extra top-level terrace and a lift, making it easier for everyone to use. New features will make it better for birders and photographers, and those who just want magnificent views.

Scott House In December 2016, visitors helped us to ‘test’ our new exhibits, including the Scott House tour. Many of you were captivated by the famous view of the Rushy Lake from the study window, as seen in countless TV broadcasts during Scott’s time. Others were enthralled by the vast range of paintings, sketches, notebooks and photos chronicling Scott’s life and his huge contribution to conservation in Britain and the world. Thank you to everyone who took part.

The Slimbridge 2020 project celebrates the life of Peter Scott and will take forward Slimbridge as the blueprint for modern wetland conservation for the next generation. We will be creating a museum in Scott’s former home, providing fun activities for families, showcasing our vital international conservation projects to save critically endangered birds, and improving facilities for birdwatching on the Severn Estuary.

Sir Peter Scott’s office inside his former home

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There’s still time to have your say on these new exhibits and how they will work. For details, email Ged Cassell, engagement officer, at gerard.cassell@wwt.org.uk. You can also support the project by visiting our microsite: wwt.org.uk/slimbridge2020

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WWT NEWS

tackling avian influenza Red-breasted geese are globally threatened

THE BIG GO�SE COUNT

As we told you in the last issue of Waterlife, WWT has been part of an exciting international operation to count two rare species of wildfowl – the lesser white-fronted goose and red-breasted goose.

In autumn, huge numbers of these Arctic geese converge in northern Kazakhstan to refuel before they head south and west for the winter. A large proportion of the world population of lesser white-fronts, and probably the entire world population of red-breasted geese, can be seen here – for just a short time.

Both species are globally threatened, so conservationists have been trying to count the birds in this gathering for two decades, as a way of monitoring how their populations are faring. It’s not easy – the geese are spread across a vast steppe landscape in a remote region, at a time when the weather is turning colder.

Last October, a multinational team convened in Kazakhstan to accurately count the birds. It was joined by WWT consultant Dr Richard Cuthbert, who analysed the data and produced new population estimates for these rare but important species.

Population estimation is a complex task: it’s not possible to visit every lake, so statistical techniques are used to extrapolate from the lakes we can visit. The provisional numbers suggest that the population of lesser white-fronted geese is larger than previously thought. Richard estimates that around 34,000 birds were present, compared to a previous estimate of about 10,000.

The red-breasted goose population is estimated at around 50,000 birds, which is in line with expectations. Hopefully, the lessons learned from this survey will enable improved monitoring in future and help us safeguard these precious birds.

This winter has seen the biggest spread yet of bird flu in wild birds in the UK. Don’t worry, it’s a strain that’s never transferred to humans, but it can be horrible for birds.

WWT maintains constant surveillance at all our reserves, and watches for anything unusual. Because we’re so vigilant, we’re the organisation that’s most likely to detect bird illnesses. We act as a barometer for wildlife health across the country.

So far, Slimbridge has been the hardest hit.

Even so, over the past three months, across 670 acres we’ve found only five affected birds out of 40,000 healthy ones. This reflects the national pattern, which is generally that of isolated individual birds being affected.

We’re working closely with our international conservation partners to reduce risks globally, but we can do little to help individual wild birds.

That said, we can help to avoid accidentally

transferring the disease to other birds, on our footwear or equipment.

This is especially important where local people have poultry farms, or backyard chickens or keep birds as loved pets.

If you’ve visited your local wetland centre recently, you’ll probably have noticed that our visible measures include disinfectant mats at entrances and exits to protect our birds and those of our neighbours.

Bird flu is likely to return to the UK with migratory waterbirds in winter, transported poultry and products, or even through the pet bird trade. Though it’s unfortunate that these Asian viruses have spilled into wild birds in the first place, it’s clear that bird flu is now something we’ll have to get used to managing.

WWT operates daily surveillance as part of our work to promote human and animal health through healthy wetlands. Find out more: wwt.org.uk/ wildlife-health.

Crossword solution

Here are the answers to last issue’s crossword Across: 1. Welney 4. Ermine 9. Gadwall 10. Booms 11. IOU 12. Overt 13. Shaky 14. Space travel 19. Sacha 21. Onset 23. Rut 24. Crane 25. Hot cake 26. Oh dear 27. Crests Down: 1. Wigeon 2. Lodge 3. Elastic 5. Rebus 6. Isolate 7. Essays 8. Flight of the 15. Pochard 16. Adopter 17. Psycho 18. Otters 20. Arena 22. Swans

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Fly in a

Enjoy the flying adventure of a lifetime as you soar through the sky in a legendary Supermarine Spitfire, the most famous and charismatic fighter aircraft in the world, bar none.

“The breathtaking flight was a truly awesome experience that will live with me for the rest of my life.” © Richard Paver 2015 © Richard Paver 2015

Our Fly A Spitfire Experience at historic Biggin Hill Aerodrome is an aviation adventure like no other.

Enjoy up to 45 exhilarating minutes* in the air over the beautiful Kentish countryside safe in the hands of a highly experienced, CAA-certificated Spitfire pilot. The experience includes a pre-flight briefing on the ground beforehand, followed by ten minutes in the cockpit of Spitfire MJ627 going through the all-important pre-flight checks.

Once in the air, you choose how you want to fly: straight and level or twisting and turning while the onboard camera catches the action.

On longer flights you get to swoop over places like the white cliffs of Dover, the Battle of Britain Memorial at Capel Le Ferne, Beachy Head or another special location of your choice if time allows.

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Finally, take a guided tour of the Biggin Hill Heritage Hangar, home to a fleet of Spitfires and other visiting WW2 fighters. *

Depending on the package chosen, additional charges apply for extended flights.

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...from first to last, everyone was wonderful, and the flight itself - well, it defies words, but you have never had a happier or more delighted passenger.”

Keepsakes of the big day also include: A free digital video of your big adventure Photos taken next to the aircraft A framed certificate featuring your spitfire and signed by your pilot Paver 2015 A souvenir flight patch © Richard

Flying experiences start from just £2,550 Visit www.flyaspitfire.com Spitfire_Waterlife 013_WWT_AprJun_17.indd 260x190.indd 13 1

Telephone: 01959 576 767 13/02/2017 27/02/2017 11:08 09:30

WWT NEWS

THANK YOU PEOPLE’S POSTCODE LOTTERY If you’re a player of the People’s Postcode Lottery, then we’d like to say a massive ‘Thank you!’ This is a charity lottery, played by entering your postcode for the chance to win a daily cash prize. It raises lots of money for many good causes, and in 2016 its players provided a magnificent total of £475,000 for WWT, marking the third year of the players’ tremendous support.

That funding will be put to good use in a variety of ways, from enriching the learning experience for school pupils and providing new visitor attractions to helping endangered species.

New projects supported by players of People’s Postcode Lottery will include a

natural playspace at WWT Llanelli, a sustainable garden at WWT Slimbridge, a programme to make our learning experiences more accessible, and a new pond zone at WWT Martin Mere.

Martin Spray, chief executive at WWT, said: ‘This ongoing, generous support from players of People’s Postcode Lottery ensures that WWT will continue to bring new wildlife experiences to the public. Millions of people in the UK have their first close-up encounter with wildlife at one of our centres. This year’s grant, and other generous funds, will help

Kids love the new play area at WWT Llanelli

us to offer this opportunity to more visitors, as well as helping protect some of the UK’s most iconic wildlife.

The People’s Postcode Lottery is especially valuable as it means we can react to situations as they develop, and step in to take advantage of opportunities.’

Watch out for more about our new projects in Waterlife. To find out more about the People’s Postcode Lottery, please visit wwt.org.uk/ppl.

ENJOY A WILD GETAWAY

In the heart of WWT Caerlaverock nestles a warm and comfortable five-bedroom farmhouse that’s just perfect for a wild break.

Its observation tower offers superb views over the Folly Pond, with the Lake District in the distance. Wild whooper swans roost below the bedroom windows, and in the evening you can watch badgers feeding just a few metres away from the comfort of the viewing lounge. In winter, experience the spectacular dawn and dusk flights of thousands of barnacle geese, which migrate here each year from October.

The farmhouse accommodates up to 12 people and can be booked in its entirety or on an individual room basis – we have double, twin and family rooms, with en-suite or shared bathroom facilities.

WWT members receive a special discounted rate and a 10% discount is applied for bookings of three nights or more.

For details, please visit our website; for bookings email gillian.wyllie@wwt.org.uk or call 01387 770200.

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Get back to nature with a stay in the farmhouse at Caerlaverock

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28/02/2017 15:55

96% of customers would recommend Great Rail Journeys.

KYLE OF LOCHALSH

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INVERNESS

LOCH NESS

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FORT WILLIAM BALLACHULISH

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By Ship

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By Coach Nights in hotel

GLASGOW

1+1

EDINBURGH

27/02/2017 09:31

WIGEON POST We’d love to hear your thoughts about wetlands, WWT and Waterlife and share your photos, so please write to us at Wigeon Post, WWT, Slimbridge, Gloucestershire GL2 7BT, or email waterlife@wwt.org.uk

Roger Byng

Lucky visitors to WWT Slimbridge were treated to an epic battle. A peregrine catches a wigeon, then loses it to a buzzard, which fends the falcon off with its talons

Peregrine loses meal WWT Slimbridge and the River Severn are home to a pair of peregrine falcons, which hunt over the reserve every day. Wood pigeons, golden plover, lapwing, teal and wigeon are among their favourite prey – and the Holden Tower and Zeiss Hide are brilliant places to be if a hunt takes place.

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On the day in question, a peregrine intercepted a male wigeon as it moved from the Top New Piece flood to the Tack Piece scrape. A struggle ensued, until eventually the falcon expertly dispatched the unfortunate duck.

I wasn’t the only one to notice the action. Scavengers – a buzzard or two, plus a pair of ravens and carrion crows – started landing nearby, their eyes on the peregrine’s prize.

The heavier buzzard drove the peregrine off its valuable meal.

Reluctant to relinquish its catch, the falcon repeatedly dive-bombed the thief, which ducked to avoid its powerful talons. The buzzard even ‘jump tumbled’ onto its back to show its own claws in defence of the stolen wigeon.

Sadly, when I left, it did not look likely that the poor peregrine would recover its hard-won meal.

Martin McGill, Senior Reserve Warden, Slimbridge Climbing otter On our first visit to WWT Slimbridge, we spotted this adventurous otter [above right], called Mo, and her two companions climbing a 15ft spindle tree in their enclosure. I’ve never seen this before! Despite a 6.5-hour journey and -6°C temperatures, we had a terrific time and will be back!

S Hepworth John Crooks, mammal manager at WWT Slimbridge, replies:

send us your best photos!

Otters are strong mammals and Mo is now an accomplished climber. She first started this unusual behaviour a few years ago – perhaps she just wanted a bit of space from her younger siblings and up a tree was the best place to do it!

A fabulous day out What a way to start 2017! My husband and I visited our local WWT Arundel Wetland Centre to be greeted, in the first 10 minutes, by a stunning view of a kingfisher perched on a reed alongside the walkway. The bird’s colours and stillness were so perfect, my husband grabbed my hand in excitement. The kingfisher then broke from its statuelike pose, plunged beneath the water and took off with a stickleback lunch.

We were also thrilled to see our first firecrest darting through the hedgerow, popping out now and then so we could appreciate its delicate beauty. A robin fed from my hand and a reed bunting played hide-and-seek with us in the reeds. WWT Arundel is a great place to visit all year round – you never know what you might see.

Jade and Tom Cook, Yapton, West Sussex This kingfisher posed nicely for a photo!

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03/03/2017 15:17

LETTERS

brain-buster crossword

spotting skills

We’ve got this great prize for the winner of our crossword, set by WWT member Tim Bonsor. It’s a lovely selection of exclusive Bewick’s swan bill pattern stationery, worth around £23. Send your crossword (photocopied if you wish) to the address opposite by 28 April 2017 and the first correct entry drawn after that date wins. Meanwhile, the solution to last issue’s puzzle is on page 12; congratulations to the winner, Mr Tony Iveson.

Down Across 1. Our smallest dabbler, 7. Processes by which tadpoles turn into frogs. (13) but arguably the most 8. The British Steel Hide is a great place to watch wildfowl at this WWT site. (8) attractive. (4) 9. This bird means nothing to a cricketer. (4) 2. Precise location of a 10. Buy one at WWT online, or at any of the shops. (7) capital wetland centre! (6) 12. See 14 across.

3. It’s fluffy and very 14 and 12 across. From 8 across, you get stunning cute. (7) views of this stretch of water. (5,5) 4. The ‘cruellest month’ 16. Buying a 10 across? Use a credit card, or _ _ _ according to Eliot, but _ _ _ _ (3,4) a time of high activity 19. To be plentiful. (4) for wildfowl. (5) 20. Shelters for vehicles, often attached to the side of 5. The main hide at Steart aWaterlife house. (8) Spring 2017Marshes, named after a 22. It’s celebrated on 17 March. (2,8,3) range of hills bordering 1 2 3 4 5 6 the Somerset Levels. (6) 6. They accompany 7 school pupils on educational visits to WWT sites. (7) 8 9 11. A game of chance. (8) 13. A whim. (7) 15. The international 10 11 12 convention agreeing conservation and 13 sustainable use of wetlands. (6) 14 15 16 17 17. How they say 18 ‘welcome’ at WWT 8 across. (6) 19 20 21 18. It may be spring, but this might still be needed to ward off the 22 cold wind. (5) 21. It’s inevitable after a big freeze. (4)

The patient lapwing just kept pulling...

Lapwing letter I’ve been visiting Slimbridge to photograph its amazing wildlife every month for the past six years – and I always look forward to these days out. When a volunteer mentioned that I could donate my images to WWT’s photo library, I thought it an excellent idea!

And here’s one of them [left].

On this visit, I was in the Rushy Hide photographing all the birdlife when I noticed a lapwing probing the wet soil at the water’s edge.

It was brilliant watching its

Was last issue’s mystery bird a challenge for you? It was a bean goose – a rare winter visitor to the UK. The species’ plumage is delicately patterned in shades of brown with a flash of orange on its bill. Well done to our winner, Miss H Nicholson.

This spring issue, our challenge is: name that chick! Can you identify this fluffy little bird?

Clue: it’s a waterbird you might see at any of our centres. Send your answer to the address opposite, and the first correct entry drawn after the closing date of 28 April 2017 will win a copy of Watching Waterbirds.

behaviour up close! I captured this wonderful image of the bird pulling an enormous worm out of the ground and swallowing it. It happened so fast, I didn’t see it – but my camera did!

Nick Stacey WWT says: We would like to thank Nick Stacey, Roger Byng and everyone who donates their images to help us communicate about the incredible wildlife seen on our reserves. Your beautiful photos really do speak a thousand words. Please send us more of your images – we love publishing them in Wigeon Post.

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28/02/2017 12:12

Calling all duck hunters!

Can you help us find our missing yellow flock?

easter fun for everyone Spring is in the air and there’s no better time to visit your local wetland centre. Enjoy loads of fun family activities and experience the season’s most incredible wildlife up-close

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28/02/2017 15:43

E A S T E R F A M I LY F U N

Dusty’s GIANT Easter Duck Hunt The ever-popular GIANT

duck hunts are back at all nine of our WWT wetland centres, right through the Easter period. And a special duck is on hand to help.

Dusty Duck, the children’s character created by the worldfamous Aardman studios for our 70th anniversary, will be encouraging children and their families to find our missing rubber ducks. They’re the brightest, yellowest ducks around, but they’re not always as easy to spot as you might think!

Follow the trails with tailor-made activity sheets to find our Easter ducks

Come along and help Dusty find his yellow duck friends!

and be in with a chance of winning a delicious chocolate treat. Some centres will also award certificates to children who take part.

WHERE: At all nine WWT wetland centres WHEN: This Easter – for more details, visit Down Your Way from page 45

‘Come and join the quackerly amazing GIANT Duck Hunt. Follow the clues and use your duck detective skills to help me find our yellow ducks hiding at our WWT wetland centres this Easter.

Quack quack.’

HERE BE GIANTS! Children and adults alike will gasp at the creatures they find at WWT Washington in April – some of them are bigger than humans! Visitors familiar with the world’s most famous toy can follow a purpose-made trail to discover 11 giant LEGO® brick animals. These supersized beauties have been individually designed and have been touring WWT centres to sit among some of their real-life cousins. They include the world’s rarest goose, an otter, a frog, a kingfisher and the pinkest of flamingos. Kids (and big kids!) can marvel at how thousands of tiny bricks can be fitted together to create stunning animals in vivid colours.

Find out more in Down Your Way on page 45.

WHERE: Washington WHEN: 8 April to 1 May 2017

Dusty’s top tips for duck detectives Look up as well as down – our ducks may be perched, enjoying the view.

Ducks love splashing around, so they won’t be far from water.

Search carefully for ducks hiding in the grass and resting in the reeds.

Have lots of fun – that’s the most important thing!

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E A S T E R F A M I LY F U N

Meet the s k c u d y t i r b e l e c A whole host of celebrities

Find out more in Down Your Way on page 45.

with a difference are descending on WWT London Wetland Centre. Some of the biggest wildlife names have designed striking ‘costumes’ for Dusty Duck – and these celebrity ducks are all six feet tall! See if you can spot all 14 and link them with their TV personalities.

Look out for Steve Backshall’s Explorer Dusty, Joanna Lumley’s Absolutely Fabulous Patsy Dusty and Michaela Strachan’s Springtime Dusty.

And then there’s Chris Packham’s Ziggy StarDusty, complete with guitar.

Pick up a trail map to help with your celebrity discoveries.

WHERE: London WHEN: 1 April to 21 May 2017

RETURN OF THE OSPREYS? Staff and volunteers at Caerlaverock are hoping that our fish-hunting ospreys will return from Africa in early April for a 12th successive breeding season. All being well, visitors will be able to see inside their treetop stick nest on our webcam, beaming live images back to the centre. Since 2006, a total of 12 chicks have fledged from here, in Dumfries & Galloway.

WHERE: Caerlaverock

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Enjoy remarkable views of our ducklings hatching at Martin Mere

GO QUACKERS! If you like ducklings (and who doesn’t?)

then come to one of our Downy Duckling events and overload on cuteness. See the miracle of ducklings developing inside their eggs, thanks to an old technique called candling, where a light is directed on one side of the egg so you can see the contents from the other side. Watch the chicks hatch in their incubators and see them take their first wobbly steps. Within a fortnight, they move outside and rare species of fluffy ducklings, goslings and cygnets are all on view. Our duckeries come with shelters, heat lamps, ponds and the opportunity for visitors to see our downy ducklings up close. And at WWT Martin Mere, you can now watch intimate views of our ducklings hatching live on a 52-inch screen, thanks to a GoPro action camera placed in the hatchery. A unique experience not to be missed!

Take a safari

WHERE: Castle Espie, Llanelli, Martin Mere, Slimbridge and Washington WHEN: May to July, see website for further details, wwt.org.uk/visit

Get unrivalled close-up views of our wetland birds this spring by

travelling right among them. Be serenaded with birdsong and be on the lookout for our more secretive birds in the undergrowth. Follow your sense of adventure by paddling through the reeds in a canoe with dragonflies skimming over your head, or take a silent boat safari and watch ducklings cruising alongside. This year, WWT Arundel is giving 10- to 16-year-olds one-to-one training on navigating their own boats and then setting them loose on the water!

WHERE: Canoe Safaris at Slimbridge and Martin Mere; Wetland Discovery Boat Safaris at Arundel and Martin Mere WHEN: 11am-4pm daily, 25 March to 2 October at Slimbridge; 11am-4pm daily, 31 March to 1 October at Martin Mere; 11am-4.30pm daily at Arundel APRIL/JUNE 2017

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E A S T E R F A M I LY F U N

EXPLORE POND LIFE There’s plenty going on beneath the surface this year and we want visitors to share it.

The underwater worlds of ponds are fascinating to children and adults alike, and our centres are offering exciting new ways for you to discover them.

Pond Zones at a number of centres encourage families to go pond dipping and fish out wild wonders,

with volunteers and ID sheets to help.

One of 2017’s highlights is at WWT Castle Espie, where underwater cameras will project all the action on to giant TV screens. Plus, there’s a pond-dipping competition during May half-term at WWT Welney.

WHERE: All centres WHEN: March to October, see website for details – wwt.org.uk/visit

Minibeast month

Some wetland centres will be asking for your help in recording to delight you with a bug-brilliant minibeast discoveries. We need celebration in June of every little you to make notes and take photos thing that creeps, crawls, flutters of the invertebrates you see, and and flies. then present what you find It’s also a time to the ID desk. when we can help BUG-TASTIC And we’ll be you find out more FACT ranging widely about invertebrates, LADYBIRDS REACT TO DANGER BY EXUDING A throughout the from dragonflies FOUL-SMELLING LIQUID month – we’ll to shrimps.

FROM THEIR KNEES take in bugs Our centres are we generally offering family-friendly think of as activities to help you see minibeasts, creepy-crawlies in a new light, as well as which may include nature crafts, snails, spiders making hotels for minibeasts and crabs. and bug-hunting explorations.

Plus, you can try your hand at pond dipping for underwater minibeast discoveries.

Minibeast experts will be around to lead walks, give talks and demonstrations, and answer your questions. At some centres, several weekday sessions are planned, too, with something for everyone, including activities that adults will enjoy. So how about joining a moth morning?

Kids will love learning to recognise minibeasts

All of our centres are geared up

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Top five bugs to spot 1 Devil’s coachhorse 2 Peacock butterfly 3 Buff-tailed bumblebee 4 Brown hawker 5 Common blue damselfly

Discover magnificent minibeasts with Dusty Duck

WHERE: There’s something bug-tastic on at all nine WWT wetland centres WHEN: See website for further details – wwt.org.uk/visit

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E A S T E R F A M I LY F U N

TOP 10: SPRING WILDLIFE TO SPOT

A CASCADE OF WARBLERS In spring, warblers are in full voice among the trees and bushes around all of our centres.

Try picking out the willow warbler’s song.

It’s fast and furious – a tumbling cascade of notes repeated again and again.

WHERE: All centres

READY FOR THE OFF

WETLAND SKYLARK

Spot a lapwing on the ground this spring and you may be rewarded with a glimpse of its fluffy chicks close by. Lapwing babies are ready to run as soon as they hatch.

Predators such as foxes, gulls and crows may be watching for them, so concealment in long vegetation is key to their survival.

WHERE: All centres except Castle Espie

Catch sight of a small, brownish bird fluttering a few metres up from a bush and then dropping again, wings outstretched, and you’re probably watching the display flight of a sedge warbler. Their performance is heralded by a loud torrent of song.

WHERE: All centres except London

BARS AND STRIPES We can check the UK’s 25 species of bumblebee as if they were barcodes in a supermarket, for each has its own distinctive pattern of stripes.

Workers are on the wing now – look at their back legs to see if they’re carrying ‘shopping bags’ of nectar. Bumblebees store supplies in a ‘basket’ of hairs.

WHERE: All centres

FORK-TAILED FLYERS

HOP TO IT Most frogs and toads have laid their spawn by now, but you could still see these amphibians in our ponds. Frogs often sit still in the water, flicking out their tongues to catch insects, so look for bulbous eyes poking out from the surface.

Crawling toads are usually encountered on damp days in long vegetation.

WHERE: Common toads – all centres except Welney and Castle Espie; common frogs – all centres except Welney 24

Waterlife

Three members of the same family cause great excitement when they return to wetlands in spring.

The long, forked tail of the swallow is easiest to identify, while it takes practice to separate its cousins.

Check for the white rump and shorter tail of the house martin.

The sand martin has a brown back, a light front and a brown collar.

WHERE: All centres

POND SERPENTS There’s no more sinuous swimmer than a grass snake – and if you approach one of our ponds carefully on a warm day, you might be in luck.

Grass snakes are most comfortable in and around water.

At nearly two metres long, this is our largest reptile. Just look for a greenish snake with a light collar.

WHERE: Arundel, Llanelli, London, Martin Mere, Slimbridge, Steart

BLOOMING MARVELLOUS Some of our prettiest flowers are wetland specialists, depending on permanently damp conditions to thrive.

Follow the rainbow of beauty this spring, wherever you go.

Pink and white lady’s smock (below), sun-kissed yellow flag irises and marsh marigolds catch the eye early in the season, giving way to the deeper colours of purple loosestrife and water mint.

WHERE: All centres

ON THE PROWL Powerful, purposeful and all-seeing, dragonflies are formidable hunters, patrolling the countryside in search of insect prey. Listen for the thrum of their wings and look for their stabilisers – a dark dot on each transparent wing called a pterostigma that helps them to balance as they fly.

WHERE: All centres

ELUSIVE DAZZLER How is it possible that one of the most stunning waterbirds can also be the most invisible? Out in the open, the kingfisher is lit by the sun, its dazzling blue and orange plumage a vivid sight. But those iridescent colours are only produced in sunlight, so when it perches in the shadows, it fades to brown. A clever trick!

WHERE: All centres; check Down Your Way to find the best views

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cities | scenery | culture | heritage | events | seasons

The Charming Dordogne

6 DAYS

This holiday to the Dordogne takes in one of the most beautiful areas in France. Renowned for exquisite medieval towns and prehistoric caves, take in the very best of this striking region.

Itinerary (for full details visit www.raildiscoveries.com/DQS) Day 1 London to Le Bugue Travel on the Eurostar service from St Pancras to Paris, and connect with the train to Brive for a transfer to Le Bugue. You spend the next five nights here at the Hotel Royal Vézère.

Day 2 La Roque-Gageac Take to the waters today at La Roque-Gageac in a traditional flat-bottomed gabare boat, your chance to experience the true charm of the Dordogne countryside. This afternoon, continue to Sarlat, where you are free to explore.

Day 3 Le Bugue Your morning is free to explore the charming town of Le Bugue. You have the opportunity to admire the town’s traditional houses and take a stroll along the river. This afternoon there is the chance to join an optional excursion to Gouffre de Promeyssac.

Day 4 Lascaux II and Les Eyzies Your excursion today starts with a visit to the Lascaux II, a carefully constructed replica of the off-limits Lascaux cave system in the Vézère Valley. Afterwards, continue to Les Eyzies-de-Tayac-Sireuil, where entrance is included to the National Museum of Pre-History.

Day 5 Rocamadour This morning you travel to the

magnificent village of Rocamadour.

The town rises up in levels, and is crowned by l’Hospitalet abbey. In the afternoon you continue to the medieval village of Martel for a ride on the restored Truffadou Train*.

Day 6 Return home Transfer by coach to Brive for the connecting train to Paris, where you change for the Eurostar to London. *Steam or diesel-hauled depending on departure date.

TO/FROM PARIS TO/FROM PARIS

BRIVE BRIVE

LASCAUX LASCAUX LES EYZIES

MARTEL

MARTEL

LES EYZIES

LE LE BUGUE BUGUE 5 5 LA LA ROQUE-GAGEAC ROQUE-GAGEAC

Nights in hotel

Nights in hotel

SARLAT SARLAT

By Coach

By Coach

Departures Price 26 Apr 17 £755 10 May 17 Sold out 24 May 17 £895 31 May 17 Sold out 7, 14 Jun 17 £825 21 Jun 17 Sold out

France

France

ST DENIS-

STLES DENISMARTEL LES MARTEL

ROCAMADOUR ROCAMADOUR

By Rail

By Rail

Departures Price 5 Jul 17 £825 12 Jul 17 £825 2 Aug 17 £795 6 Sep 17 Sold out 13, 20 Sep 17 £795 4 Oct 17 £725

NO SURCHARGES - 100% FINANCIALLY SECURE

Book with 100% confidence, flight-inclusive holidays are ATOL protected, non flight-inclusive holidays are protected

by ABTA. Dates and prices are subject to availability. Prices shown are per person, based on 2 people sharing. Prices may change prior to and after publication. Itinerary may differ depending on the departure date you choose. Terms and conditions apply. Please call for further details. Calls will be recorded.

025_WWT_AprJun_17.indd 25

FROM

£725

NO HIDDEN EXTRAS: • Fully escorted by a UK Tour Manager from start to finish • Exclusive meeting point at our St Pancras Departure Office • Return rail travel • 5 nights’ hotel accommodation with breakfast and dinner • Gabare boat cruise • Sarlat and Rocamadour • Journey on the Truffadou Train • Historical visit to the replica Lascaux II cave and the National Museum of Pre History in Les Eyzies -de-Tayac-Sireuil • Optional excursion to Gouffre de Proumeyssac

Call us now to book or request a brochure

01904 734148

www.raildiscoveries.com Our tour advisors are here 7 days a week

27/02/2017 09:32

F L IAGMHITN G OO F ETSH E SWA N S

Claudio Contreras/naturepl.com

Flamingo society – this is a Caribbean flamingo – is very much based on gender equality.

Both male and female take part in the courtship dancing, nestbuilding, incubation and raising junior

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S P E C I E S TO S E E

PRETTY IN PINK Watching our flamingos strut their stuff is a highlight of any visit.

But these birds aren’t just beautiful, they’re helping us to better understand their wild cousins. Flamingo researcher Paul Rose introduces the flocks

A day in the life of our flamingos... lM orning feed is around 8am. If the flamingos have been shut in overnight due to wintery weather, they are allowed out into their enclosures once any ice has thawed.

Paul Rose

to develop a detailed picture of their With their bright pink feathers, S-shaped life stories. Wild flamingos can be hard necks and stilt-like legs, flamingos are to find and difficult to study, so captive unmistakable. They have been among collections such as ours offer vital WWT’s biggest attractions since 1961. insights that help both scientific At the time, Sir Peter Scott wanted research and conservation efforts. to display a complete collection of We’re proud that Slimbridge is wildfowl at Slimbridge, and flamingos home to the only single-site collection were believed to be close of all six flamingo species in the relatives of ducks, geese and world. Though they may look swans. We now know that, taxonomically, DID YOU KNOW? similar – being tall, pink flamingos are closer THE FILTERING MATERIAL, and gangly – the various flamingo species are to grebes and pigeons LAMELLAE, INSIDE A actually very different. than our web-footed FLAMINGO’S BILL IS THE Each one has evolved to friends, but these SAME SUBSTANCE THAT fill a unique ecological eye-catching birds BALEEN WHALES USE TO niche in its wetland remain a highlight FILTER THEIR FOOD habitat, and thus varies for many visitors. from even its closest cousins WWT’s flamingos are in behaviour, anatomy and colour not only an attractive feature (believe it or not!). of our bird collection, they are also internationally important. With their flamboyant colouration and Meet the super six astonishing adaptations, they help us Let’s get to know these amazing birds. to share with visitors the complex One of the flamingo’s most distinctive ecology of their wetland habitats features is its extraordinary, large, around the world. And since all of the curved bill, with which it filters food flamingos at WWT are ringed, they from water. At a glance, the beaks of all enable us to analyse and understand six flamingo species may look similar, their behaviour on an individual level, but closer inspection reveals two

l Through spring to early summer, watch out for courtship displays around mid-morning and again in the late afternoon. l During the breeding season birds are more likely to be active all day, so WWT’s flamingo keepers adjust their feeding schedule accordingly. l Flamingos are generally snoozy around midday. Look for a behaviour called ‘loafing’, when birds are restful and quiet, preening or sleeping.

Paul Rose

l Foraging and feeding begins in the afternoon, and each flock is fed a dinner of flamingo pellets around 3pm.

A crèche of greater flamingo chicks is overseen by a few adults, so the parents can feed and bathe

l Flamingos are naturally crepuscular (active at dawn and dusk), so flocks will forage in their pools well into the evening.

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FLAMINGOS

Graham Hahn

WWT developed techniques for handling flamingos that are now used around the world

Paul Rose

In spring, fine sand is put in the enclosures so the flamingos can use it to build nests

The greater flamingo is the most widespread of its kind.

This group lives on the Rhone in southern France

different types of beak structure by Lesser flamingos are the most choreographed dancers which they can be differentiated. of the flamingo world, gliding across the water en masse ‘Shallow-keeled’ flamingos have bills with a shallow lower mandible, as if on a conveyor belt fringed with shocking pink legs designed to sieve animal and plant material from the water. These are with a wider range of plumage colours Closely related to the Caribbean the Caribbean, greater and Chilean than the latter. Sadly, Chileans are flamingo is the greater flamingo, flamingos. ‘Deep-keeled’ flamingos, threatened by changes in the water the tallest and palest species. The by contrast, have deeper, trough-like conditions of their wetland homes, greater is incredibly widespread and bills that are more intricately and disturbance caused by local people. the species that occurs closest designed to filter out to the UK, with a wild flock microscopic plant material. living in the Camargue These species are the Complex cousins DID YOU KNOW? wetlands in southern Andean, James’ The deep-keeled flamingos are very FLAMINGOS ARE France. Greater and lesser flamingo. special birds – and more specialised EXCEPTIONALLY LONG-LIVED. flamingos are so similar than their cousins in their feeding Shallow-keeled THE OLDEST BIRDS AT WWT to Caribbean flamingos flamingos are the behaviour, colour, courtship and ARE SEVERAL GREATER in appearance that, least specialised of habitats. These three flamingo species FLAMINGOS COLLECTED until 2002, the two the bunch. Perhaps are also rare in captivity, because they IN 1956 were thought to be surprisingly, given are difficult to care for. only subspecies (a slight the vivid colour of its Like all flamingos, they have very variation) of a single species. plumage, the shocking fine filtering hairs, called ‘lamellae’, The last of this group is the Chilean pink Caribbean flamingo is the inside their beaks. These hairs trap flamingo, which hails from the most basic of all. It has the least microscopic floating plant material high-altitude wetlands of the Andes organised courtship display, the least such as algae, and bacteria, which is mountains. The species is smaller than complicated repertoire of calls and hoovered up in enormous quantities sounds, and the most uniform plumage the greater and Caribbean flamingo, by the flamingos. The algal blooms on but more pink than the former and colour of all the flamingo species. which these deep-keeled flamingos 28

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S P E C I E S TO S E E

Fantastic flamingo anatomy BILL The large bill curves downwards to allow the birds to see where they’re going as they walk and feed

NECK Long necks enable the birds to filter feed and walk at the same time

FEATHERS Carotenoid pigments ingested from food turn white feathers pink

Bence Mate/naturepl.com

LEGS Long legs with scaly skin allow flamingos to wade in water with high pH that would burn human skin

FEET Webbed feet are good for swimming

lesser flamingo is dwarfed by its much larger cousin, the greater flamingo, with which it shares much of its range. But what it lacks in size it makes up for in numbers, occurring in immense flocks. Several million birds can gather together to breed and feed in the most inhospitable wetlands of Africa’s Rift Valley – Lakes Natron, Bogoria and Elmenteita.

They are the most choreographed dancers of the flamingo world, gliding across the water en masse as if on a conveyor belt fringed with shocking pink legs.

You can see all three of these incredible species of flamingo at

ANKLE A flamingo’s knees do not bend the wrong way!

This is actually its ankle. Flamingos stand on a very stretched foot Paul Rose

feed are so productive that, on some African soda lakes, they support a flock density of 1.5kg of flamingos per square metre of lake surface. That’s a lot of pink birds in one place!

The beautiful Andean and James’ flamingos are found only in the remotest, wildest mountain salt lakes of South America. The James’ flamingo has such a strong relationship with these upland wetlands that it is also known as the puna flamingo. Puna is the local name for the high-altitude grassland, dotted with lakes, that this flamingo calls home.

Andean and James’ flamingos look very similar. Andeans have black ‘tails’ and yellow legs. James’ have vivid, banana-yellow beaks and bright red feathers that droop down over their tails. These two rare species are now much more widely recognised thanks to the BBC’s stunning footage of them in Planet Earth II, where they were filmed dancing in the frozen expanses of their mountain wetlands.

The smallest and most highly evolved species is a tiny bird. The

WINGS Flamingos have short wings for their size, ranging from 165cm (greater) to 100cm (lesser)

WWT Slimbridge. If you watch closely, you will be able to discern that the birds have clearly different personalities. The Andeans are gentle birds that make patient, undemanding companions for our James’ flamingo, Mr James. They never seem to mind when he’s short-tempered with them.

Meanwhile, the talkative lesser flamingos chat among themselves using a wide range of vocalisations not heard in other flocks.

Flamingos communicate using a range of visual displays and vocalisations – from nasal honking to grunting and growling. But their pink colouration is one of the most valuable APRIL/JUNE 2017

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S P E C I E S TO S E E

Where to see our flamingos

TOP TIP Feeding times are generally early morning before our centres open, and again in the afternoon around 3pm.

In the summer, it’s easy to see the birds being fed as they will be given all of their feeds in their outdoor enclosure.

Greater flamingo

Caribbean flamingo

Chilean flamingo

Andean flamingo

James’ flamingo

Lesser flamingo

Slimbridge and Martin Mere In the wild: Africa, Asia and Europe

Slimbridge and Llanelli In the wild: Caribbean and South America

Slimbridge, Martin Mere and Washington In the wild: South America

Slimbridge In the wild: South America

Slimbridge In the wild: South America

Slimbridge In the wild: Africa and Asia

visual cues, as it tells other birds honestly about the condition of each individual. More vibrant, brighter plumage indicates that its owner is a fit and strong individual. The more pink a flamingo’s plumage is, the more likely that bird is to attract a mate and breed.

With their uniformly bright plumage, the courtship display of the Caribbean flamingo has only a subtle impact. But when the normally pale greater flamingo flaps its bright pastel pink and black wings, the sudden flash of colour attracts the attention of several potential partners. During the breeding season, lessers shine with deep carmine red plumage and a striking orange eye, and Andeans add deep purple heads and necks to the wide range of colours already seen in their plumage.

What’s in a name?

Flamingos are synonymous with the caustic soda lakes of Africa, where they stalk like apparitions through clouds of steam welling from the earth. It’s believed that they gave rise to the myth 30

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of the phoenix. Early explorers observed hundreds of thousands of flamingos rising from the vapour and heat of East Africa’s Rift Valley lakes. Created by the movement of tectonic plates beneath the crust of the Earth, these lakes are so alkaline that they are almost devoid of life. Seeing vast flocks of flamingos revelling in such a hostile environment was extraordinary – and since there was no plausible explanation at the time, it was concluded that these birds must be born out of the fire in the centre of the lake.

Though this theory may seem absurd today, it must be remembered that, at the time, Africa – and its wildlife – was mysterious and little known.

The nesting place of lesser flamingos eluded experts until well into the 1950s, and today we still know little about the movements of some flamingo populations

in South America. Even the wonderful James’ flamingo was thought to be extinct in the wild until it was rediscovered in 1956.

Flamingos are an enigma – and it seems that they intend to stay that way for as long as possible.

Pioneering research

But our knowledge of flamingos has improved in recent years – and not just our understanding of the habits of wild birds. Research has taught us a lot about how to ensure captive flamingos stay happy and healthy.

This includes knowing how many birds to keep in a flock. Pioneering studies at Slimbridge in the early 1990s showed that flamingos are more likely to breed in groups of 40 or more birds.

And that birds kept in flocks of more than 20 individuals will have a better quality of life overall.

Flamingos are naturally gregarious.

The habitats they favour, the food they specialise in and their preferred nest sites have obliged them to live in

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Anup Shah/naturepl.com

Lesser flamingos perform a stunning group display on Lake Nakuru in Kenya’s Rift Valley

such as providing high-quality fine large groups in the wild. Therefore, sand, makes it more comfortable for being social is very important to a them, and helps to keep young chicks flamingo’s daily life. Current research clean and dry. at WWT centres is shedding light on Allowing the flamingos to choose the types of social relationship that their nesting site makes them feel occur within our flocks. We’ve even more secure when incubating eggs. won an award from BIAZA, the And scattering their food pellets, governing body representing which contain carotenoids, over the UK’s best zoos and captive a wide area reduces aggression collections, for this work, and enables the birds to which has applications DID YOU KNOW? feed as they would in to flamingo welfare, FLAMINGOS LIVE ON the wild. husbandry and EVERY CONTINENT I feel privileged to study management. the same Slimbridge EXCEPT AUSTRALIA AND Flamingo flamingos that sparked husbandry has ANTARCTICA, BUT ARE my interest in animals moved on leaps and RESTRICTED TO JUST as a child in the 1980s. bounds in recent A FEW WETLANDS So it’s important to me that years. We now know that our captive flocks are content, the birds need more than and that visitors can see and learn just a house in which to stay about all six of these stunning species. warm and a pond to wade in during These flamboyant birds are the best the day. Flamingos love to swim, and ambassadors for both their wild so providing deeper water not only cousins and their native wetlands, allows them to indulge this passion, and with their help, WWT will work but also encourages them to forage to protect these birds and their habitats in a more natural way. Changes to well into the future. the substrate of their enclosures,

Be a flamingo friend l Help to care for our flamingo flocks by adopting one of our beautiful birds at adoption.wwt.org.uk/ adopt/flamingo. l Take a photo of our fabulous flamingos and tweet them to us using #pinkbirds. l Follow Paul’s flamingo diary at wwt.org.uk/ flamingo-diary. l WWT Slimbridge is the home of the IUCN Flamingo Specialist Group.

Follow its work at @flamingospecgrp and on facebook.com/ flamingospecialistgroup.

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ION S S I CAR M MADAGAS

MAKING A HOME FOR DUCKS With your help, we’re bringing the Madagascar pochard back from the brink of extinction. As our ambitious rescue project moves into the next exciting phase, we need your support more than ever…

Iñaki Relanzón/photosfera.com

If only it were possible to rehome endangered animals

by simply relocating them to the nearest available suitable habitat, conservation would be easy.

But life is seldom so simple – especially when the animal in question is the Madagascar pochard.

Not only does this critically endangered duck have the dubious honour of being the world’s rarest bird, with only about 25 wild individuals remaining, it also lives on an island where environmental destruction has already driven many species to extinction.

Between the early 1990s and 2006, the Madagascar pochard was feared to be one such species. Its population, once thought to be confined to Lake Alaotra, the island’s largest lake, had declined rapidly as its environment deteriorated. After the last sighting, in 1991, scientists assumed the worst. But, 15 years later, an expedition led by the Peregrine Fund chanced

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upon a small population of the ducks living on Lake Matsaborimena, known as the Red Lake, about 300km to the north. Scientists were astonished. Hopeful of finding more birds, we launched an immediate survey.

Alas, no more turned up. It seemed that Red Lake was the Madagascar pochard’s final home.

And when we began to monitor these birds, our excitement turned to alarm: the pochards were struggling to breed. Yes, they nested every year

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and laid plenty of eggs, most of which hatched.

But the ducklings never seemed to grow up.

Research confirmed the grim truth: although around 89% of eggs hatched safely, a shocking 96% of ducklings failed to survive beyond three weeks. Moreover, the dead youngsters had almost no food in their guts. They had starved to death. Why? The most likely cause seemed to be the shape of the lake itself. Madagascar pochards feed on aquatic invertebrates, such as caddis fly larvae, which they catch below the surface.

Unfortunately, the steep, volcanic sides of Red Lake lack the shallow margins in which the ducks usually find this food, requiring them to dive deeper. This was no problem for the stronger adults, but the youngsters lacked the swimming power. Scientists could only assume that the birds had ended up at this location because they had nowhere else to go. Another home was needed – and fast.

Island destruction

1

Step 1: pairing up

2

Step 2: egg laying

Normally the males and females are kept in separate ponds, so the first stage is to put pairs together, each on their own pond. They start breeding very quickly – except during the two-month moult window in February and March.

A female pochard lays a clutch of about eight eggs, one egg per day. She uses a nest box filled with straw, which she lines with a few downy breast feathers.

Step 3: incubation

Two methods can be used here.

One is to take the eggs from the birds and keep them in artificial incubators. The other method is to leave the parents to it. Either way, incubation lasts for about four weeks before the eggs hatch.

3

Step 4: Chick rearing

4 Garth Cripps

You might wonder how such a huge island – Madagascar is larger than France – has no space left for a small diving duck. The needs of the Madagascar pochard are, after all, fairly modest: just food and nesting habitat in a suitable wetland. Sadly, however, Madagascar is one of the most environmentally degraded places on the planet. The destruction of its forests has been well publicised – deforestation between 1950 and 2000 could be as high as 40%. But less known is the plight of its wetlands.

The causes of this damage range from simple pollution and overfishing to erosion (soil run-off from deforestation smothering lake floors) to agricultural exploitation (marshland drained for rice paddies and doused with insecticides) to invasive species (imported fish such as carp and tilapia skewing the ecology for native wildlife).

In 2012, following a survey of 37 lakes, our experts concluded that no lake in the country was unaffected, and that the overall impact on wetland wildlife has been ‘catastrophic’.

Clearly, urgent action was needed to save the Madagascar pochard from extinction. In 2012, WWT launched an emergency rescue plan called Mission Madagascar. A partnership of organisations including the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, the Peregrine Fund, Asity Madagascar, Aga Khan and the government of Madagascar worked with us and the local community to develop solutions.

HOW TO BREED MADAGASCAR POCHARDS

Chicks are always kept with their siblings until they have fledged.

Newly hatched chicks are kept inside under heat lamps.

As they grow bigger they are moved outdoors into small ponds.

Finally, when full-sized, they are put on the regular ponds.

They are fed a specially formulated food to keep them healthy as they grow.

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ION S S I CAR M MADAGAS The plan has three phases. The first phase was to boost numbers through a conservation breeding programme. In 2009, pochard eggs were moved from Red Lake to a new purpose-built aviary at nearby Antsohihy. Pairs of ducks were matched using genetic analysis and brought together for breeding. With so few birds surviving, our experts knew they were taking a big risk. But it soon paid off, producing much higher fledging rates than among wild birds.

Today, the captive population has risen to nearly 90 birds: about three times the number in the wild.

Meanwhile, project staff have continued to work with the community around Red Lake to secure and monitor the remaining wild population.

Steps to success

Next came phase two: locating a new home in which to release our captive-bred pochards. The survey had established that no perfectly healthy

Today, the captive population of Madagascar pochards has risen to nearly 90 birds: about three times the number in the wild wetland site currently existed. But the team hoped that they could find one with potential and help to restore it to better health. They settled on Lake Sofia, part of a once much larger wetland about 50km from Red Lake and the least degraded of those surveyed. The presence here of three other globally threatened birds – Meller’s duck, the Madagascar grebe and Madagascar pond heron – is an encouraging sign. Get it right, believed the team, and pochards could prosper here, too.

Working with the local community is pivotal to the process. This wetland is a vital resource for 12,000 people and only by cooperating with farmers to manage the land more sustainably can

INSIDE THE DUCK AVIARIES The duck cage comprises a large circular, plastic frame, clad above and below the water with netting to keep the birds safe and happy.

Inside the cage, the ducks will be provided with food, but they will also be able to swim and dive and get used to their surroundings.

‘Soft release’ gives the birds time to make certain behavioural adjustments that will help them survive in the wild, such as foraging skills and social interactions.

In autumn 2018, on Lake Sofia in Madagascar, we will reintroduce our first batch of captive-bred Madagascar pochards. The reintroduction will take the form of a ‘soft release’. This is when animals are kept in an enclosed area at the release site for a few weeks prior to release, to give them time to acclimatise to the weather and food, and familiarise themselves with surrounding landmarks. When they are ready, the ducks will be released onto Lake Sofia, and closely monitored so we can be sure they are healthy and comfortable in their new home.

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ION S S I CAR M MADAGAS

The big day approaches

Now we’re preparing for phase three. In autumn 2018, we’ll release our pochards into their new home. Back at WWT Slimbridge, we’ve been trialling special floating aviaries using Baer’s pochards – a closely related species from China that’s also globally threatened – to see how they can help. Modified from fish cages in Scotland, these structures offer the ducks an enclosure in the middle of the lake from which to familiarise themselves with their surroundings.

Feeding enclosures that are open at the bottom allow the birds to come and go freely, while being provided with a balanced diet as the habitat restoration continues. The trial will soon be extended to tufted ducks in the UK – and, hopefully, visitors will be able to watch the trial in action.

If all goes well with the trials, the aviaries will be shipped to Madagascar later this year and then transported to Lake Sofia for installation by October. We can’t wait for the first reintroduction!

The plan is to rear the pochards at the breeding centre until they are nine weeks old and then take the first group to the lake (a day’s bumpy drive).

If all goes well with the trials, the aviaries will be shipped to Lake Sofia for installation by October.

We can’t wait for the first reintroduction in autumn 2018!

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Can you help us return these young Madagascar pochards to the wild where they belong?

Garth Cripps

its health be restored. Thankfully, with support from HSBC 150th anniversary funding, local people have been getting on board, embracing sustainable, fertiliser-free farming methods that will not only improve the wetland for wildlife, but will also offer the community a healthier future.

The difference is already tangible: among our farming groups, crop yields are up and the chemical usage on crops is down. To date, more than 130 rice farmers have signed up to a course in new farming techniques taught by Aga Khan.

Making things official is important, too. The project team has been working on the necessary legal structures, and November 2016 saw management of the lake transferred from central government to the local community – a significant step. Local villagers have worked closely with us to agree a zoning plan for the lake, with appropriate areas set aside for conservation and sustainable utilisation, which will benefit both the wildlife and the community.

We need your help You can help us to save the Madagascar pochard. As we enter the third phase of our project, we need vital funds to help us to move and then rebuild the floating aviaries in situ in Madagascar, and monitor our precious charges to ensure they are safe and happy.

Please support us by filling out the leaflet enclosed with this magazine or by visiting our website: wwt.org.uk/missionmadagascar.

There, the birds will spend 10 days settling in on land in special aviaries, while the team monitors their progress, before being transferred to the aviaries on the lake. After they’ve spent another 10 days adjusting to their new, watery surroundings, the aviary doors will be opened, leaving the ducks free to explore their new home.

The project is fraught with uncertainties. The Madagascar pochard is so rare that our scientists still know little about its biology. We don’t know how the birds will take to their new conditions or what might happen if they disperse. And the lake won’t be ready when the birds are released – full habitat restoration may take decades. But with the species on the brink, time is a luxury we can’t afford. The only way to learn is by trying. Each step will reveal more about the birds’ needs and help inch our mission further forward.

Ultimately, the fate of Madagascar’s rarest duck is inseparable from that of its people. This is the world’s ninth poorest nation, where 65% of the population depends upon lakes and rivers for drinking water. Mission Madagascar is not only about saving a rare bird, but also about understanding how communities and wildlife need healthy wetlands, and learning ways of working together to ensure they stay that way.

Moving home is said to be one of life’s most stressful challenges. Mission Madagascar aims to ensure that, for both people and pochards, this need never happen again.

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27/02/2017 09:34

F L I G H T O F T H E SWA N S

95 DAYS IN THE AIR

have inspired all this on the ground…

ESTONIA Estonia was the first country to produce an action plan for swans, but positive efforts were hindered by a lack of public awareness.

Five TV features, five radio interviews and 35 online features later, it seems everyone knows about swans. It’s easier to get access to farmland this year to carry out surveys, because the farmers are now big swan supporters!

RUSSIA Sacha’s flight through Arctic Russia increased knowledge and understanding of the problems facing Bewick’s swans. She has stirred interest among previously unreachable levels of society.

Senior government officials, hunting groups and tourism offices are now actively enthused about doing something to help.

Plans are afoot to reduce illegal hunting when the swan’s migration begins again this autumn.

POLAND

In Poland, we discovered that carp ponds are important stop-over points for the swans on migration, giving the birds an opportunity to feed up on aquatic plants. The fish pond managers are so proud and excited about their role as custodians of an important habitat, that they have decided to hold a swan festival next year.

LITHUANIA

The publicity engendered in the UK by Sacha’s flight has helped raise the profile of wetlands and their wildlife

Schools all along the flight path have been captivated by Sacha’s courageous mission and the plight of the Bewick’s swans. Some of the biggest gains have been made in Lithuania, where the Nemuno

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Delta Regional Park now has links with a number of schools that had not shown any obvious interest in conservation before.

It’s an unprecedented chance to shape the conservationists of the next generation, in a place that’s crucial for the birds.

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Danish hunters will encourage others to use non-toxic shot

DENMARK Toxic lead shot can poison feeding swans when they mistake it for food or grit. In Denmark, shooting with lead shot has been banned for more than 20 years. Via face-to-face discussions or film footage, Danish hunters have begun a campaign to help hunters in other countries appreciate that steel shot is just as good for shooting and is safer for wildlife.

Sharing swan-tracking data with the Dutch government will help it assess offshore wind farm developments in the North Sea

NETHERLANDS Sacha’s flight triggered a number of swan workshops and conferences en route.

One of the biggest was in the Netherlands, where all of the country’s swan experts

BELGIUM Humans flying over wetlands in paragliders and other airborne craft can disturb waterfowl at critical times of the year.

Paramotorists in Belgium learned about this risk from Sacha and the team, and promised to act.

They have reached an agreement with nature reserves to avoid passing over them during the winter and in key parts of the breeding season.

gathered for a minisymposium. It resulted in discussions about how to work together to tackle issues such as offshore wind farm development, and the risk of collisions with power lines.

Last December, Sacha went to Westminster to hand over our petition

UK Thank you to everyone who signed our petition calling for stronger protections for Bewick’s swans and the wetlands they rely on. The publicity engendered in the UK by Sacha’s flight has helped raise the profile of wetlands and their wildlife. WWT is at the forefront of efforts to press the government on its election manifesto promise to publish a 25-year plan for conservation. WWT and its supporters are pushing for clear objectives on safeguarding and restoring wetland habitats.

Find out more at flightoftheswans.org.

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03/03/2017 15:40

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040_WWT_AprJun_17.indd 40

Emu Electric Bikes are working with WWT to offer you the chance to test drive an Emu Bike. The benefits of e-bikes as a quick, economical and green form of transportation make this a great partnership. Electric cycling is fun and means you can cover greater distances and can keep up with anyone to arrive sweat-free.

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WT

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27/02/2017 09:35

WWT PHOTOGRAPHY

PHOTO TIPS In our new section for nature photography lovers, top professional Chris Gomersall offers his helpful tips to improve your wildlife photos

1

2

Pintail

Sedge warbler

look for bright plumage Our resident wildfowl are in their finest breeding plumage and look most colourful in spring, so now is a great time of year for wildlife photography. Look out for dramatic courtship behaviour and displays. Alternatively, in calmer conditions, watch for reflections in the water and try to incorporate them in your composition.

wait and watch Birds have a habit of returning to the same perch to sing – and this sort of repeat behaviour is a photographer’s best friend. With our summer visitors, it’s best to catch them soon after their arrival, when they’re eager to set up territory and find a mate. The birds will be most active in the early morning and evening, so you can sit, listen and wait.

4

3

Common crane

Reed warbler

include the habitat

The strongest pictures don’t always involve making your subjects as large as possible in the frame. Look to show a bird or mammal in its natural environment by including the surrounding habitat. These kinds of shots work best when the background is quite plain, and the subject is well defined by virtue of lighting or colour contrast.

happy snapping

capture the action

For birds in flight, set a shutter speed of 1/1000s (or faster) to freeze the action and render the subject in sharp focus.

With compact cameras, select the ‘sports’ mode for the same effect. Use a continuous drive setting to take short bursts of images – this will improve your chances of capturing the ‘magic’ moment.

We hope you’ll practise your photo skills on your next visit to a WWT centre.

Tweet @WWTworldwide, using the hashtag #wildWWT, or email your photos to waterlife@wwt.org.uk. We’ll publish the best in the next issue. Want to improve your skills with a camera? WWT holds photography courses at its centres that will help you. Find out more in our Down Your Way section on page 45.

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with

Hello again

We look at cute ducklings like the ones on these pages and think they’re helpless. In fact, they are anything but. Within a day of hatching, ducklings are able to leave their nest. They’re not only following mum around, they’re even finding all their food for themselves. Bet you couldn’t do that until you were a few years old!

Ducks are among those birds that are said to be nidifugous (pronounced ni-dee-few-jus).

They only stay in the nest for as long as it takes to hatch and then they’re off. Other birds, such as blackbirds, are nidiculous (which rhymes with ridiculous). They hatch blind and without feathers. Nidiculous birds have to remain in the nest until they have grown their feathers and are able to fly.

Newly hatched ducklings have their eyes open straightaway and soft down feathers that keep them warm. They can’t fly, but they can walk! Go ducklings, go!

! o h o H

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When does a duck wake up?

At the quack of dawn!

Steve a l l B ac k s h Goldeneye ducklings are very brave. They jump, one by one, from their nest in a really high tree hole so they can make their way to water

High jump A duckling’s mother makes her nest where she thinks her eggs will be safe. It can be tough on the chick when it discovers just where it has hatched. Mallard chicks may hatch up to half a mile away from water.

They have a long and perilous journey ahead of them.

Goldeneye ducklings need to have a head for heights. Female goldeneyes lay their eggs in tree holes, a long, long way off the

ground. They persuade their babies to jump out after them. Imagine being born on the eighth floor of a hospital and leaping out of the window to go home with mum (don’t try it). Fortunately, goldeneye chicks are light, fluffy and they bounce, so they land without getting hurt.

Most ducklings follow their mums to a river, lake, pond or the sea. They’re safer on water than if they stayed on dry land.

Get in touch Send your letters to Explore, Waterlife, WWT, Slimbridge, Gloucestershire GL2 7BT, or waterlife@wwt.org.uk. I’d love to hear from you.

28/02/2017 12:52

KIDS’ ZONE

Duck down What exactly are down feathers?

Most feathers you find on the ground have a shaft down the middle and the various bits ‘zip’ together. But duckling down feathers are soft, loose and fluffy, and don’t have a shaft. Adult ducks have soft down feathers on their breast, which they pluck to line their nest. Humans sometimes use duck down in pillows, quilts and sleeping bags because it’s so cosy.

Whose baby?

Richard Steel/naturepl.com

Mark Carwardine/naturepl.com

These three poor ducklings have lost their parents. Can you match them to the adult birds? If you’re stuck, you’ll find the answers at the bottom of the page.

A

Shelduck

B

Eider

C

Mallard

Muddleducks

Help Dusty Duck put the letters in the correct order to make the names of three species of duck that are named in Explore this issue. The answers are below.

DUL� DARK MAC

NO EDGY E�L

DO MORE MINCE

ANSWERS Whose baby?: Duckling A is a mallard; duckling B is a shelduck; duckling C is an eider. Muddleducks: mallard duck; goldeneye; common eider 042-43 Kids' Zone.indd 43

03/03/2017 15:45

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In spring, our reserves are full of new life – from downy ducklings to migrant birds – and packed with fun family adventures For the full list of centre events, information and news, find your local centre at wwt.org.uk

CASTLE ESPIE AND OTHER CENTRES.

MARTIN MERE AND OTHER CENTRES.

BE AMAZED BY THE DAWN CHORUS

MARVEL AT MINIBEASTS!

Calling all early birds!

Spring is the best time to experience the dawn chorus.

Many of our centres are opening early and our special events will allow you to enjoy this extraordinary avian symphony as the sun rises.

Lots of our centres will help you discover the incredible world of invertebrates this spring.

Practise your pond-dipping technique, brush up on your butterfly-spotting skills, and delight in dragonflies and their incredible adaptations.

See your local centre for dates and further details

See your local centre for dates and further details

Map illustration by Fred Van Deelen; photos by Shutterstock; WWT

LLANELLI AND OTHER CENTRES.

JOIN DUSTY DUCK’S GIANT DUCK HUNT See your local centre for dates and further details

Our GIANT yellow ducks have gone missing and you’ll need to use all your duck-detecting skills to find them. Flocks of these naughty birds have escaped and are hiding around our centres. Find them all and you could win a treat.

LONDON AND ARUNDEL. SLIMBRIDGE AND OTHER CENTRES.

UP CLOSE WITH CUTE DOWNY DUCKLINGS

See your local centre for dates and further details

This Easter, we’re expecting a bumper crop of fluffy ducklings and other baby birds! So why not join one of our VIP Duckery Tours to go behind the scenes and get up close to these adorable babies?

SAY HELLO TO SAND MARTINS

See your local centre for dates and further details

Spring means the welcome return of the sand martin to many of our centres. London and Arundel have built artificial nesting banks for these summer visitors and installed CCTV cameras to let you enjoy unique views inside their nests.

If you love your local W�T centre, we want to hear from you. Please tell us what’s great about a day out with us by emailing waterlife@wwt.org.uk. You could see your review in a future issue.

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THEIR FUTURE. YOUR LEGACY.

Astrid Kant/Minden Pictures/FLPA

Leaving a gift in your will to WWT is one of the most valuable and lasting ways you can support us. Up to a third of our voluntary income is from gifts in wills we simply could not do all the things we do without them.

A gift of any size can make a huge difference.

What will be your legacy?

Find out more wwt.org.uk/gifts-in-wills Call 01453 891150 Email david.salmon@wwt.org.uk Complete the section below to receive a copy of our legacy booklet For a copy of our legacy booklet, please return this form to: David Salmon, Legacy Manager, WWT, Freepost RTKU-UJUZ-ZHZX, Slimbridge, Gloucestershire GL2 7BT

Name Email Address (inc postcode)

At WWT we respect your privacy and WILL NOT disclose any information supplied by you to any third-party organisations. We would like to keep you up to date with our latest news, events at your local centre and information about our conservation work.

However, please TICK this box if you DO NOT wish to receive this information.

D O W N YO U R WAY

ARUNDEL WETLAND CENTRE

Events

(See below for key. Events may change – visit our website for up-to-date info)

Daily Activities

Wetland Discovery Boat Safari Glide with a wildlife guide on electric boats through Wetland Discovery. First boat 11am, last boat 2.30pm.

Suggested donation of £1.

Pond Dipping Discover minibeasts in the Pond Explorer station on weekends and holidays.

11am-1pm and 2-4pm.

Diving Duck Feed See rare waterfowl show off their fishing skills in the Icelandic Lake pen. 2pm.

Hand-feed Wildfowl Hand-feed wildfowl in our World Wetlands. Until closing time. Grain costs 20p per handful.

key

BN18 9PB 01903 881530

info.arundel@wwt.org.uk WWT Arundel

wwt.org.uk/arundel

‘We come here regularly and every visit is memorable. Today it was watching a kingfisher hover then dive for its lunch in front of one of the hides. Magical.’

GET CLOSER TO WILDLIFE Sand martins will be moving through in April, on their return from Africa. We play recordings of the birds’ calls to attract them to our nesting banks. We’ve removed some trees to give the martins better sight lines to the nesting bank, and filled the nesting holes with sand to encourage the birds to nest here.

In recent years we’ve had eight breeding pairs of lapwings on the wet grassland, and their fluffy chicks should be hatching out in April.

Watch for them from the Ramsar and Lapwing hides. Lapwings are fiercely protective parents and will take to

Arundel

Geoff S, Guildford Enjoy close views of sand martins from the hide

the air as a group to mob any birds of prey that come after their chicks.

Look out for oystercatchers nesting on the wet grassland across from the Ramsar Hide. For the past three years, the same pair has returned here and successfully raised at least one chick per season.

Weekends Only Guide in the Hide See what’s wild through the scope. Locations vary.

10.30am-1pm and 2-4pm.

Sat 8 Apr Dawn Chorus Walk Get up early to hear birdsong. Spend 1.5 hours

with our guide, walking the centre. 6-7.30am. £12. BE Sat 8 to Sun 23 Apr Dusty’s GIANT Easter Duck Hunt Help Dusty Duck to find our GIANT yellow ducks, with a chance to win a treat. 9.30am-5.30pm.

Suns 9 Apr & 11 Jun Bentley Wildlife Carvers The group displays its work and demonstrates carving techniques. 10am-5pm.

Sat 22 Apr Begin Woodcarving: Oystercatcher Learn the basics of carving with the Bentley Wildlife Carvers, and make your own oystercatcher. Tools provided. 10am-4pm. £45PP incl admission. BE Wed 24 May Begin Birdwatching: Summer This introduction to birdwatching focuses on the birds’ behaviours in the breeding season. Bring

binoculars and wear appropriate clothing.

8.30-10.30am. £12PP. BE Sat 27 May to Sun 4 Jun Downy Duckling Days See ducklings waddle the paths. Follow the wildlife trail, daily pond dipping and crafts. 10am-5pm.

Fri 16 Jun Discover Sussex Wildlife Celebrate Sussex Day with free walks and talks with WWT experts. 11am-4pm.

Sat 24 to Sun 25 Jun Incredible Insects Weekend Go buggy with children’s pond dipping and bug activities. 11am-4pm.

FAMILY FUN Help! Our GIANT yellow ducks have escaped and are hiding around the centre. Can you and your family help Dusty Duck to find them? Join Dusty’s GIANT Duck Hunt this Easter, from 8-23 April, and use our special duck-detecting tips on page 19 to track down these cheeky birds – you might even win something delicious.

Cute and fluffy youngsters will be roaming outside during our Downy Duckling Days on 27 May to 4 June. Children will love seeing the mallard ducklings, greylag goslings and moorhen chicks trailing after their parents. And why not take to the water, on an exciting boat safari,

Kids will love finding all of our missing ducks!

to discover all the new life burgeoning in our ponds and reedbeds?

During our Incredible Insects Weekend on 24-25 June, you can follow our dragonfly activity trail, explore an underwater world of insects and brush up on your butterfly-spotting and ID skills.

BE Booking Essential RI Refreshments Included WP Weather Permitting PC/PP Per Child/Person Centre events are subject to change.

Please phone for further information or visit the WWT website wwt.org.uk/visit/arundel /caerlaverock /castleespie /llanelli /london /martinmere /slimbridge /washington /welney.

APRIL/JUNE 2017

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27/02/2017 09:38

D O W N YO U R WAY

CAERLAVEROCK WETLAND CENTRE Events

(See page 47 for key.

Events may change – visit our website for up-to-date info)

GET CLOSER TO WILDLIFE

Osprey Update Find out what our osprey family has been up to and learn more about ospreys in general. Midday, Apr to Aug. Sat 1 to Sun 23 Apr Dusty’s Giant Duck Hunt Take part in the Giant Duck Hunt to find yellow giant ducks hiding around the centre, and learn about real ducks. Family event.

10am-5pm. Normal admission charges; WWT members free.

Weds 12 Apr Beginner Birding for Kids Discover some of the bird species at the centre. Use binoculars and telescopes to take a closer look. Family event. 10am-12 noon.

Normal admission charges; WWT members free. BE

Sun 30 Apr Dawn Chorus Walk Join the warden on a walk around the centre, listening to the birdsong and learning how to identify the different warblers by song and sight.

6am. BE

Mon 3 to Fri 7 Apr Stars and Stripes Badger Watching Watch wild badgers feeding outside our observatory.

Tea, coffee and biscuits available. 8pm. Adults £10, concessions £7.50, children £5. Tickets must be paid for in advance. BE RI

Mon 17 Apr Nest-building Challenge Take on the nest-building challenge to discover how birds construct their nests. Family event.

10am-12 noon. Normal admission charges; WWT members free. BE

Mon 1 May Willow Workshop Make your own willow star, flower or heart. Family event. 10am-12 noon. BE

Pond Dipping Discover life under the water. 10am-5pm, Apr to Sept.

Guide in the Hide Our guides will point out the day’s best wildlife. See the ‘What’s on’ board in the visitor centre for details and availability. 11am-3pm.

‘On a sunny spring afternoon we had a perfect visit.

The hedge-lined paths were rich with songbirds, which seemed accustomed to people, and there were lots of viewing opportunities from hides.’

DG1 4RS 01387 770200

info.caerlaverock@wwt.org.uk WWT Caerlaverock

wwt.org.uk/caerlaverock

Enjoy the return of our ospreys via a webcam, live on the website

In spring, Caerlaverock is a giant avian airport with daily arrivals and departures. We say goodbye to the whooper swans and barnacle geese.

The wildfowl are replaced by cattle, which maintain the grasslands over the summer until the birds return.

Their departure allows us to open up off-limits parts of the centre to visitors.

From 1 May, Walk on the Wildside walks will allow you to explore the wildflower meadow and its rich wildlife.

In late March, we say hello to our ospreys as they return from Africa.

Amazingly, the pair overwinter separately, maybe even in different countries, south of the Sahara,

Daily Activities

Caerlaverock

yet they arrive at the same tree here at Caerlaverock within days of each other.

As our spring migrants return, look out for events to help you brush up on your warbler ID skills, using sight and sound to get to grips with these tricky birds. We’ve also got a Dawn Chorus Walk, plus a Beginner Birding for Kids to help them use binoculars and ID books. It’s a great time of year to learn as we never know what will arrive next!

Sun 14 May Natterjack Talk and Walk Learn about natterjack toads, Britain’s rarest amphibian. There may be a possibility of taking a walk around the centre to try and hear the toad chorus. Bring warm clothing and a torch.

8.30pm till late. BE Fri 2 Jun We’re Going on a Frog Hunt Hunt for amphibians around the centre and learn all about them. Family event. 10am-12 noon. BE

Sat 6 May Bird-ringing Demonstration Join the North Solway Ringers as they demonstrate how to ring birds. 11am-4pm.

Sun 4 Jun Wildlife Photography Workshop Workshop with Tom Langlands and Bob Fitzsimmons. Learn how to take macro shots of plants and insects around the centre. Suitable for beginners and experienced photographers. 10am-4pm. £75PP. BE

Sun 7 May In Focus Try the latest binoculars and telescopes. In Focus experts are on hand to give advice. 10am-4pm.

Free.

Fri 9 Jun Bat and Moth Night Come along for a talk about bats, followed by a walk.

Bring warm clothes, a torch and insect repellent.

8-11pm. BE

FAMILY FUN This spring, throughout the holidays, we’re holding our Easter Giant Duck Hunt. Just follow Dusty Duck’s clues to find the yellow giant ducks hidden around the centre.

You can also go on a Frog Hunt. Join our warden to seek out these awesome amphibians and learn all about them.

Or why not discover the wetland creatures that come out after dark on our Bat and Moth Night? You might even bump into a badger. Our Stars and Stripes evenings invite you to watch badgers from the Caerlaverock farmhouse viewing lounge, with a cuppa and a biscuit.

Flexdream

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WWT_BWWCAd_Feb17_WWT_BWWCAd_Jan17.qxd 16/02/2017 11:19 Page 1

WILDLIFE HOLIDAYS IN THE CAIRNGORMS

The Grant Arms Hotel

Four Poster Room

Standard Room

The refurbished GRANT ARMS HOTEL offers wonderful food, friendly staff and 50 high quality ensuite bedrooms. All bedrooms come with hairdryer, colour TV, toiletries and coffee making facilities.

THE WILDLIFE HOTEL

As soon as you walk into the Grant Arms Hotel you realise it isn’t just any ordinary Hotel. In short the refurbished Grant Arms is the hotel for bird and wildlife watchers.

Superior Room

Est 1765

What’s included: Breakfast Menu ranging from full Scottish to Kippers or Continental Early Birder Breakfast if required Afternoon Tea & Coffee Fine Scottish Dining Special Diets accommodated After Dinner Coffee & Tea Programme of Talks, Walks and Wildlife Briefings, Films & Quizzes Free WiFi Complimentary Daily Newspaper Hairdryer and Toiletries Free Parking Free use of BWWC’s private Slavonian Grebe Hide Boot Wash, Drying Room and Laundry Room. l

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Speyside and the Cairngorms are one of the best areas for wildlife watching in the UK. Perfect for beginner to expert, whether for a day or a fortnight. Depending on the season you could see: Golden Eagle, White-tailed Eagle, Capercaillie, Pine Marten, Red Squirrel, Mountain Hare, Osprey, Ptarmigan, Otter, Red and Black Grouse, Red and Roe Deer, Slavonian Grebe, Crested Tit and Crossbill, as well as Dolphins, Waders, Sea Ducks and Sea Birds along the Moray Firth coast.

l

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Guests have free use of the BWWC Information Centre, Club Room and Library. BWWC staff are available at Breakfast and in the Evening to help you make the best of your holiday whilst leaving you free to do what you want.

Subscribe to BWWC’s Monthly Newsletter

THE WATCHER

visit http://bwwc.co.uk/the-watcher.php

l

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is THE last place in the UK where “Scotland you have the potential to bump into the more

spectacular and specialised members of the British fauna and flora… what a fabulous surprise to find here in the heart of it all a forward thinking hotel who have their fingers on the wild pulse of the place…

Nick Baker

”

www. bwwc.co.uk

HOW TO GET THERE

By Road: Grantown is situated just off the A9 Edinburgh-Inverness road.

By Train: The nearest station is Aviemore (14 miles) on the EdinburghInverness line. By Plane: Inverness Airport (30 miles) - Flights from most major UK airports: FLYBE from Amsterdam, Belfast City, Birmingham, Dublin & Manchester; EASYJET from Bristol, Gatwick & Luton; BA from Heathrow. Other destinations available from Aberdeen Airport (75 miles).

To get the most out of the area you need a car.

Fly EASYJET to INVERNESS from GATWICK, LUTON & BRISTOL for less than £100 RETURN

TARIFF 2017 DB&B 4 NIGHTS

Apr - Oct Nov - Dec Standard £339 £275 Superior £379 £315 Four Poster £419 £355 7 NIGHTS Standard £581 £455 Superior £651 £525 Four Poster £721 £595 Price per person. Excludes Christmas, New Year and other Special Breaks.

DOG FRIENDLY

SPECIAL EVENTS CELEBRITY GUIDED WILDLIFE HOLIDAY WITH URBAN BIRDER AND BROADCASTER DAVID LINDO - Mon 26th June to Sun 2nd July 17 Join us and the Urban Birder and Broadcaster DAVID LINDO to look for Ptarmigan, Snow Bunting, Black and Red Grouse and Mountain Hare in the Cairngorms. Golden Eagle, White-tailed Eagle and Red Deer in the Monadhliaths. Crested Tits, Crossbills, Red Squirrel, Capercaillie and Pine Marten in Abernethy or Glenmore Forests. Sea Duck, Divers, Geese, Waders and Dolphins in the Moray Firth plus lots more. 100+ species are expected on this 5 full day guided special week.

For just £1,270 per person (Max 12 people)

SPECIAL EASTER BREAK - Fri 14th to Tues 18th April 17

Come and join us for Easter. A full BWWC programme of wildlife watching events is included along with a special Gala Dinner on Easter Sunday.

4 nights DB&B from £340pp

CAPER/GROUSE THEMED WEEK - Sat 22nd to Sat 29th April 17

TO BOOK CALL 01479 872526

If you have a special interest in one more of the 4 Grouse species, then this is a good time of year to come, when the birds are at their peak of activity.

During this week our regular programme of field trips will be at areas where we hope to see one or more of the 4 iconic Grouse species, Capercaillie, Black Grouse, Red Grouse and Ptarmigan.

4 nights DB&B from £339pp or 7 nights DB&B from £581pp

BWWC LTD, 25 THE SQUARE, GRANTOWN-ON-SPEY, PH26 3HF

For information on BWWC Special Events visit www.bwwc.co.uk/wildlife-breaks.php

Other lengths of stay are also available. Dogs welcome £20 per room per stay. Single, Twin, Double, Family & Wheelchair Accessible Rooms available. Special Rates for Clubs, Tours & Conferences. Terms & Conditions apply.

www.bwwc.co.uk or email bookings@bwwc.co.uk

All programmes, talks, walks and rooms subject to availability and liable to change without notice.

050_WWT_AprJun_17.indd 50

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D O W N YO U R WAY

CASTLE ESPIE WETLAND CENTRE

Castle Espie

BT23 6EA 028 9187 4146 info.castleespie@wwt.org.uk WWT Castle Espie

wwt.org.uk/castleespie

FUN FOR ALL THE FAMILY! We’ve lost our GIANT yellow ducks and Dusty Duck needs you and your family to help him find them in Dusty’s GIANT Easter Duck Hunt, from 8-26 April.

Check out Dusty’s duck-detecting tips on page 19, then use all

Events

(See page 47 for key.

Events may change – visit our website for up-to-date info)

Until Sun 2 Apr GIANT LEGO® Brick Animal Trail Meet our GIANT LEGO brick characters and enjoy the LEGO brick trail around the centre! All day.

Last Thurs of every month (30 Mar, 27 Apr, 25 May & 29 Jun) Birdwatch Morning Join Dot Blakely for a morning watching birds

your special skills to track down these cheeky birds and be in with a chance of winning a yummy chocolate treat.

Or if you think you can beat Castle Espie Wetland Centre at a game of Top Trumps, why not tackle our Top

and identifying their songs. 10.30am-12.30pm.

Weekends Only Until Sun 2 Apr LEGO Brick Workshops During your day out at Castle Espie’s GIANT LEGO Brick Animal Trail, take part in a fun-filled LEGO brick workshop and leave with your very own model to take home.

Perfect for LEGO brick fans, young and old.

All day. £8.50PC (doesn’t include admission). BE

Trumps Trail? All around the grounds, GIANT Top Trumps cards represent our favourite wetland animals. Just pick up a Top Trumps card and scorecard, find the giant cards and compare the animal scores on your card against ours to win!

Sun 2 Apr Dawn Chorus A unique opportunity to enjoy our centre before daybreak.

5.30am. £12PP. RI Sat 8 to Weds 26 Apr Dusty’s GIANT Easter Duck Hunt Help Dusty find our missing ducks, which are hiding at the centre.

You’ll need all your detective skills to track them down, and you

Our giant rubber ducks are hiding: can you find them?

could win a yummy treat.

All day.

Sat 29 Apr to Sun 4 Jun Top Trumps Trail Can you beat Castle Espie at a game of Top Trumps?

10am-5pm.

Every Weekend in Jun Downy Duckling Tours Meet Castle Espie’s newest and cutest arrivals. See website for time. BE

‘We relaxed with great views over Strangford Lough.

It was great for children to visit the woods and see the amazing variety of birds on the Lough.’

BonBon114

GET CLOSER TO WILDLIFE

In spring, blackbirds are part of the dawn chorus choir

Join our unique Dawn Chorus event on 2 April to enjoy our wonderful centre before daybreak.

All early birds will love listening to the songsters of the bird world as the sun rises over Strangford Lough.

Bird expert Dot Blakely will lead the group around the centre, at 5.30am, and explain how to identify birds by their song.

Birders won’t want to miss the spoonbill that’s been seen regularly on

the saltmarsh over the past few months, and no one can fail to be dazzled by the kingfisher at Saline Lagoon or the spectacle of up to 2,000 handsome shelducks on Strangford Lough.

APRIL/JUNE 2017

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06/03/2017 14:54

D O W N YO U R WAY

LLANELLI WETLAND CENTRE Events

(See page 47 for key.

Events may change – visit our website for up-to-date info)

Daily Activities

Monday Munchkins Every Monday during term time, bring your toddlers to take part in activities, with a different theme each week.

11am-12 noon.

Sat 1 Apr to Mon 1 May April Weekend Fun Den Building – self-guided, all day; Minibeast Hunt and Mini Pond Dipping – 11am12 noon; Flamingo Watch and Talk – 1-2pm; Pond dipping – 2.30pm; Crafts (times vary).

Suns 2 Apr, 7 May & 4 Jun Veggie Patch Kids Bring your little ones to grow lovely veggies in our patch and learn how to care for plants and what they need to grow.

11am-12 noon.

Llanelli

SA14 9SH 01554 741087

info.llanelli@wwt.org.uk WWT Llanelli

wwt.org.uk/llanelli

‘Long-term W�T members but our first visit to Llanelli.

Great location, good staff and excellent hides – this is a great place to visit.’

Ian B

Fri 7 Apr, Sat 13 May & Thurs 8 Jun

Walk With a Warden Join us for a guided walk around our centre, and use all your senses to explore wildlife. 11am-12.30pm.

Sat 8 to Sun 23 Apr

GIANT Duck Hunt Easter Holiday Fun Help Dusty Duck find all the GIANT rubber ducks hiding around our grounds to win a prize. Plus, have a different adventure every day with activities such as: Den Building – selfguided, all day; Minibeast hunts – 11am-12 noon; Flamingo Talk – 1pm;

GET CLOSER TO WILDLIFE

Pond Dipping – 2.30pm; Seasonal Crafts – times vary.

Sat 29 Apr Dawn Chorus Walk Listen to the sound of the wetlands on our guided walk around the centre to hear the bird world wake up as dawn breaks over the Burry Inlet. Plus enjoy a cooked breakfast. 6-8am. £15PP, £10PC. BE RI Sat 6 to Sun 21 May May Weekend Fun Den Building – self-guided, all day; Minibeast Hunt and Mini Pond Dipping – 11am12 noon; Flamingo Watch and Talk – 1-2pm; Pond dipping – 2.30pm; Crafts – times vary.

Sat 27 May to Sun 4 Jun Downy Duckling There’s plenty to do and see around the centre in Experience spring. Our monthly Walk With a Warden events run Visit our nursery, which will be open for behindfrom April to July and are the perfect way to enjoy a the-scenes tours at 12 noon, full sensory experience of the season’s best wildlife.

2pm and 3pm, where you Our guide will help you identify wildlife, recognise can watch the ducklings birdsong, spot animal tracks and identify prints. hatch and take their first For early birds, what better way to wake up than steps. Additional activities: to the sound of the dawn chorus? Join our guided Den Building – self-guided, Dawn Chorus Walk on 29 April and listen to the all day; Celebrity Dusty birds sing their hearts out as the sun Duck Trail – self-guided, rises over the Burry Inlet. It’s a all day; Minibeast Hunt and Mini Lapwings great way to improve your put on Pond Dipping – birdsong skills and enjoy noisy displays 11-11.45am; Crafts a home-made breakfast.

– times vary.

Look out for hundreds

of black-tailed godwits and other waders on the saline lagoons, and Mediterranean gulls, lapwing, warblers and wildfowl breeding in the Millennium Wetlands.

Sat 27 May to Sun 25 Jun Celebrity Dusty Duck Trail Dusty Duck and 14 GIANT celebrity-

We’re expecting baby birds galore this spring

FAMILY FUN Spring is a great time to meet ducklings on our Downy Duckling Experience.

From 27 May to 4 June, our nursery will welcome you behind the scenes to watch these delightful balls of fluff hatch and take their first steps. And when you’re ready to stretch your own wings, dash outside to meet our six-foot-tall Dusty Duck and his 14 celebrity-designed friends – including Smarked’s (CBBC’s Sam and Mark’s) Tiger Dusty (right). They’ll be landing here on 27 May, when you can follow a Celebrity Dusty Duck Trail around our grounds.

Kids can enjoy a different activity every day during the Easter holidays, including den-building and minibeast hunts! They can even join our Easter GIANT Duck Hunt and help Dusty find all our missing rubber ducks!

designed models will form part of a new trail around our grounds. Dusty will be joined by Steve Backshall’s Explorer Dusty, Smarked’s (CBBC’s Sam and Mark’s) Tiger Dusty and Joanna Lumley’s Absolutely Fabulous Patsy Dusty.

Fri 9 Jun Bat Walk Join us for an after-hours exploration of our centre with bat detectors, as part of our celebrations for Wales Nature Week. 9-10pm. £5PP. BE RI

Sat 10 Jun BioBlitz For Wales Nature Week, be part of a scientific survey and join the experts to find, identify and record different types of wildlife.

Sat 10 to Sun 25 Jun June Weekend Fun Celebrity Dusty Duck Trail – self-guided, all day; Minibeast Hunt and Mini Pond Dipping – 11am-12 noon; Flamingo Watch and Talk – 1-2pm; Pond Dipping – 2.30pm; Crafts – times vary.

APRIL/JUNE 2017

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LONDON

London

SW13 9WT 020 8409 4400 info.london@wwt.org.uk WWT London

WETLAND CENTRE Events

(See page 47 for key.

Events may change – visit our website for up-to-date info)

wwt.org.uk/london

‘Beautiful oasis close to central London.’

Join our GIANT Duck Hunt during Easter

Michele B

Daily Activities Otter Feed Meet the otters at feeding time, when our warden will tell you more about these amazing aquatic mammals.

but by the end of the session you should be able to identify 10 key species. 10-11.30am. £10PP plus paid admission to the centre.

BE

Feed the Birds Join a warden as he feeds the beautiful and endangered birds in World Wetlands.

Weekends and school holidays.

Sat 22 Apr to Sun 21 May (incl Mon 1 May bank holiday) Weekend Family Activities Enjoy a pond-dipping session to see what minibeasts are about and get creative with our nature crafts.

Children’s Activities (daily during weekends and school holidays) Discover the centre’s amazing wildlife and learn weird and wonderful facts with the education team’s regular pond dips, wildlife walks and trails.

Sat 1 to Mon 17 Apr Easter GIANT Duck Hunt Some of our ducklings have gone missing – can you help us find them? They have disguised themselves as the ducks that live here at the centre, so follow our Easter GIANT duck trail around our beautiful nature centre to discover where they are hiding. 10am-4pm. £1PP including prize (plus paid admission to the centre).

Sat 1 Apr to Sun 21 May Celebrity Dusty Duck Trail Discover the new celebrity Dusty Ducks arriving at WWT London Wetland Centre this Easter. The world-famous Aardman studios designed Dusty

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Duck to celebrate WWT’s 70th anniversary, and this Easter, Dusty, along with his 14 celebrity-designed friends, will be on show at the centre.

10am-4pm. £1PP (plus paid admission to the centre).

Sats 1, 8, 15, 22, 29 Apr & 6, 13, 20, 27 May Early Bird Openings If you’re up with the lark, come and see what wildlife is about on our lakes, and in our meadows and gardens. This is your chance to enjoy some birdwatching while most Londoners are still tucked up under their duvets. Or just come and enjoy a peaceful walk among

beautiful scenery to start your weekend.

Open from 8.30am.

Sat 8 Apr Members’ Walk: Meadows and Gardens Join our warden on a stroll among the gardens to enjoy an array of wildflowers and learn more about how they have been created.

From our green roof-planting to our bug hotels, there is something for everyone to enjoy and get inspiration from.

1pm. £2PP. BE Sun 9 & Mon 24 Apr Introduction to Birdsong In this 1.5-hour session, you’ll learn how to identify birds through

song, guided by one of our experts using useful tips, notes and fieldwork. We can’t predict exactly which birds will be around,

Fri 28 Apr Wildlife Photography: Intermediate Skills If you already understand how your camera works and the basics of photography, but want to fine-tune your pictures of the natural world, then this is the ideal course. This course is suitable for users of SLR cameras only. 10am-4pm. £60PP, plus paid admission to the centre. BE

Enjoy unique views of sand martins as they make their homes in our special nesting cliffs

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D O W N YO U R WAY There are ducklings galore in spring

grounds to discover more about these fascinating animals.

Find out how and where to look for reptiles and hear fascinating facts about these often misunderstood animals. 1pm. £2PP. BE

FUN FOR ALL THE FAMILY It’s duckling time at WWT London Wetland Centre! By spring, our ducklings will have started to hatch and it’s impossible to resist these tiny bundles of fluff waddling along the paths after their mothers.

But some of our ducks are missing! Can you follow Dusty’s Easter GIANT duck trail (£1 per person) to help us find them all? You could win a tempting prize!

Easter at London is packed full of ducks in all colours and plumages.

Come and meet Dusty Duck and his 14 celebritydesigned friends from 1 April to 21 May. Our six-foot-tall Dustys are made

by Aardman studios and include celebrity designs such as Steve Backshall’s Explorer Dusty, Joanna

Sat 29 Apr Dawn Chorus This is a unique opportunity to enjoy our wonderful wildlife centre before daybreak as we celebrate International Dawn Chorus Day. Everyone, from people with a passing interest in wildlife to keen birders, can enjoy listening to the birds sing as the sun rises over the reedbeds, lakes

Lumley’s Absolutely Fabulous Patsy Dusty and Mr Tumble’s Pirate Dusty.

Every weekend from 22 April to 21 May, there are plenty of activities that the whole family will enjoy.

Take part in a pond-dipping session to see what minibeasts are lurking around in our ponds or get creative with one of our nature craft activities.

and ponds. 5am. £20PP, plus paid admission to the centre, includes the guided walk, tea/coffee, breakfast. BE Fri 12 May Spring Wildlife Photography Course Photograph the wetland’s spring wildlife spectacular with practical guidance and tuition from wildlife photographer

and tutor Iain Green.

Discover and learn about seasonal specialities of the centre and how to photograph them.

10am-4pm. £60PP, plus paid admission to the centre. BE. Sat 13 May Members’ Walk: Reptiles Join our lizard expert on this walk around the

GET CLOSER TO WILDLIFE Spring is a time of birdsong as blackbirds, robins and song thrushes fill the morning skies with their delightful melodies. Join our warden for an Introduction to Birdsong on 9 or 24 April, or join us for Dawn Chorus Day on 29 April and learn how to identify birds by their song.

If you’re interested in photographing our spectacular spring wildlife, join us for a Spring Wildlife Photography Course on 12 May. It’s the ideal opportunity to discover and learn about seasonal specialities of the centre and how

Sun 14 May Reedbed Walk Discover how mankind has used the common reed for centuries and gain an appreciation of the biodiversity this habitat supports, both here at the centre and further afield.

10.30am-12.30pm and 1.30-3.30pm. £3PP, plus paid admission to the centre. BE Sat 10 Jun Members’ Walk: Orchids Considering its close proximity to central London, WWT London Wetland Centre supports an impressive array of wild orchids on-site.

This is the perfect opportunity to see the amazing species of orchid that grace the grasslands at the centre.

If time allows, we will take a look at a few other plant species of note to be found here. 1pm. £2PP. BE

to photograph them. Keep your eyes peeled and your lenses ready for water voles, lizards, frogs and spring flowers.

London Wetland Centre is the perfect place to discover more about the secret life of breeding sand martins. From March, these agile fliers nest in a sand bank we created for them, and the CCTV cameras

Sat 10 Jun to Sun 16 Jul Weekend Family Activities Our wildlife centre is at its most colourful this time of year, with flowers in full bloom and our gardens looking glorious.

Join us for pond dipping, outdoor crafts and plenty of nature-themed fun for families.

Sun 11 Jun Drawing Workshop Artist Judith Gordon will begin the day with an introduction to drawing materials and basic techniques, focusing on details such as birds’ feet, feathers and bills.

You’ll also be able to learn about drawing foliage, water and clouds. 10am-4pm. £40PP, plus paid admission to the centre (includes all materials). BE Sat 17 Jun Introduction to Wildlife Photography The day will begin with an illustrated session about understanding your camera and the basics of composition, followed by a practical photography session outside looking at the flora and fauna.

10am-4pm. £60PP, plus paid admission to the centre. BE

we installed provide a ‘behind-the-scenes’ look at the lives of sand martins and, later in the summer, their chicks.

If you love the sight and sound of reeds swaying in the breeze, join us on 14 May for a unique walk in our reedbeds, an area normally out of bounds to visitors. Discover how reeds have been used by humans for centuries and find out about all the biodiversity this special habitat supports.

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D O W N YO U R WAY grounds to discover more about these fascinating animals.

Find out how and where to look for reptiles and hear fascinating facts about these often misunderstood animals. 1pm. £2PP. BE

FUN FOR ALL THE FAMILY It’s duckling time at WWT London Wetland Centre! By spring, our ducklings will have started to hatch and it’s impossible to resist these tiny bundles of fluff waddling along the paths after their mothers.

But some of our ducks are missing! Can you follow Dusty’s Easter GIANT duck trail (£1 per person) to help us find them all? You could win a tempting prize!

Easter at London is packed full of ducks in all colours and plumages.

Come and meet Dusty Duck and his 14 celebritydesigned friends from 1 April to 21 May. Our six-foot-tall Dustys are made

by Aardman studios and include celebrity designs such as Steve Backshall’s Explorer Dusty, Joanna

Sat 29 Apr Dawn Chorus This is a unique opportunity to enjoy our wonderful wildlife centre before daybreak as we celebrate International Dawn Chorus Day. Everyone, from people with a passing interest in wildlife to keen birders, can enjoy listening to the birds sing as the sun rises over the reedbeds, lakes

Lumley’s Absolutely Fabulous Patsy Dusty and Mr Tumble’s Pirate Dusty.

Every weekend from 22 April to 21 May, there are plenty of activities that the whole family will enjoy.

Take part in a pond-dipping session to see what minibeasts are lurking around in our ponds or get creative with one of our nature craft activities.

and ponds. 5am. £20PP, plus paid admission to the centre, includes the guided walk, tea/coffee, breakfast. BE Fri 12 May Spring Wildlife Photography Course Photograph the wetland’s spring wildlife spectacular with practical guidance and tuition from wildlife photographer

and tutor Iain Green.

Discover and learn about seasonal specialities of the centre and how to photograph them.

10am-4pm. £60PP, plus paid admission to the centre. BE. Sat 13 May Members’ Walk: Reptiles Join our lizard expert on this walk around the

GET CLOSER TO WILDLIFE Spring is a time of birdsong as blackbirds, robins and song thrushes fill the morning skies with their delightful melodies. Join our warden for an Introduction to Birdsong on 9 or 24 April, or join us for Dawn Chorus Day on 29 April and learn how to identify birds by their song.

If you’re interested in photographing our spectacular spring wildlife, join us for a Spring Wildlife Photography Course on 12 May. It’s the ideal opportunity to discover and learn about seasonal specialities of the centre and how

Sun 14 May Reedbed Walk Discover how mankind has used the common reed for centuries and gain an appreciation of the biodiversity this habitat supports, both here at the centre and further afield.

10.30am-12.30pm and 1.30-3.30pm. £3PP, plus paid admission to the centre. BE Sat 10 Jun Members’ Walk: Orchids Considering its close proximity to central London, WWT London Wetland Centre supports an impressive array of wild orchids on-site.

This is the perfect opportunity to see the amazing species of orchid that grace the grasslands at the centre.

If time allows, we will take a look at a few other plant species of note to be found here. 1pm. £2PP. BE

to photograph them. Keep your eyes peeled and your lenses ready for water voles, lizards, frogs and spring flowers.

London Wetland Centre is the perfect place to discover more about the secret life of breeding sand martins. From March, these agile fliers nest in a sand bank we created for them, and the CCTV cameras

Sat 10 Jun to Sun 16 Jul Weekend Family Activities Our wildlife centre is at its most colourful this time of year, with flowers in full bloom and our gardens looking glorious.

Join us for pond dipping, outdoor crafts and plenty of nature-themed fun for families.

Sun 11 Jun Drawing Workshop Artist Judith Gordon will begin the day with an introduction to drawing materials and basic techniques, focusing on details such as birds’ feet, feathers and bills.

You’ll also be able to learn about drawing foliage, water and clouds. 10am-4pm. £40PP, plus paid admission to the centre (includes all materials). BE Sat 17 Jun Introduction to Wildlife Photography The day will begin with an illustrated session about understanding your camera and the basics of composition, followed by a practical photography session outside looking at the flora and fauna.

10am-4pm. £60PP, plus paid admission to the centre. BE

we installed provide a ‘behind-the-scenes’ look at the lives of sand martins and, later in the summer, their chicks.

If you love the sight and sound of reeds swaying in the breeze, join us on 14 May for a unique walk in our reedbeds, an area normally out of bounds to visitors. Discover how reeds have been used by humans for centuries and find out about all the biodiversity this special habitat supports.

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MARTIN MERE

Martin Mere

L40 0TA 01704 895181 info.martinmere@wwt.org.uk WWT Martin Mere

WETLAND CENTRE

wwt.org.uk/martinmere

Events

(See page 47 for key.

Events may change – visit our website for up-to-date info)

Daily Activities

Otter Talk Come and meet our friendly family of otters – Penny, Bell and Flick – at 11.30am and 2.30pm every day.

Toddler Thursday Gosling Gang Come along with your toddlers to enjoy story time and craft activities every Thursday during term time at 10.30am and 1pm.

Canoe Safari Our self-guided canoe safari is a fun way to explore the reedbed habitat and its rich biodiversity. Enjoy spotting some of the UK’s most threatened species ranging from water voles to reed buntings.

11am-4pm daily. £7 per canoe (seats up to three).

Guided Boat Tours Take a peaceful tour of our wetlands and learn all about Martin Mere. Enjoy watching wildlife, spotting dragonflies, listening for warblers and admiring the wildflowers. Please check at the information desk for times. £3PP.

Once they’re big enough, our ducklings move into an outdoor enclosure where you can enjoy their antics

‘Brilliant day out for grandaughter’s seventh birthday. So much to see and do! Lots of birds in fantastic habitats and beautiful otters. Don’t forget to visit the duckery. The canoe safari was great fun and very safe. We spent six hours here and finished off at the excellent play area! Will come again!’

Hilary C, Bury

From Fri 31 Mar Flamingo Talk Learn all about our fascinating flamingos in this daily talk at 3pm.

Sat 1 to Mon 17 Apr Easter Holidays: GIANT Duck Hunt with Dusty Duck Help Dusty Duck find our 25 GIANT yellow ducks in return for a chocolate treat in our annual duck hunt!

Delve into the ponddipping ponds, build a den out of conifer, paint a duck

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COME AND GET CLOSER TO WILDLIFE

From April onwards, the waterfowl gardens will be transformed into a hatchling’s playground as newly fledged goslings, ducklings, chicks and cygnets find their feet.

In 2016, we welcomed to the world lots of cute Cape Barren goose goslings, black swan cygnets, magpie geese goslings – and we can’t wait to see what 2017 will bring.

Soon visitors will be able to see our new species – white storks

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D O W N YO U R WAY

FAMILY FUN Calling all kids – we’ve lost our GIANT yellow ducks and Dusty Duck needs you and your family to help him find them at WWT Martin Mere this Easter from 1-17 April. You’ll need to use all your special detective skills to track down these cheeky birds and be in with a chance of winning a yummy chocolate treat.

During Easter, paint your own plastic duck and bring it back with you on 1 May to enter our annual duck race at 3pm. Enter your duck in the race and cheer it along the ditch for the chance of winning a voucher to spend in the shop, plus the prestige of being the fourth winner of the race.

Discover how ducklings develop inside an egg, hatch out of their shells and develop in the duckling nursery during Downy Duckling Week from 27 May to 4 June. Centre manager Nick Brooks says: ‘May half-term offers some amazing experiences that are unique to Martin Mere. Children and adults of all ages can take

family crafts, experience Wild Walk, go on a boat trip and much more.

All day.

reptiles from the North West Reptile Society in our lecture theatre.

12 noon-3pm.

Please see the website for dates Drawing and Painting Birds Join award-winning local artist and illustrator Tony Disley to explore the process from drawing through to a finished painting of a bird subject.

10am-4pm. £50PP. BE

Tues 18 Apr to Sun 21 May Between the Mersey and the Ribble An exhibition of local landscapes by artist Graham McQuade. The exhibition will be located in the main foyer and a percentage of all sales comes to Martin Mere.

Suns 16 Apr, 28 May & 25 Jun Meet Reptiles Come along and meet

Mon 1 May Annual Plastic Duck Race Over Easter you can paint a duck to bring

This spring, we’re excited to welcome a new species to Martin Mere – white storks.

Come along every day at 2pm to see the storks being fed, and hear an informative talk about the birds, including their incredible migration and why old wives’ tales maintain that storks deliver babies.

Keep an eye on our website for details of when the storks will go on display.

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Whose bird will win our annual duck race?

part in fascinating egg-candling workshops (where a light is used to look inside an egg), see eggs hatching and meet fluffy ducklings in the nursery.’

From 10 June, join us for Minibeast Month! Adults and families will enjoy helping us to make a list of all the minibeasts living on-site and then using our handy spotter sheets to see what you can find. You can also learn all about these fascinating creatures from minibeast experts, go pond dipping and try your hand at making bugs out of recycled materials.

back on 1 May to take part in our annual plastic duck race.

Cheer on your duck as we release the water in the ditches to create a fun family race. 3pm.

Sat 27 May to Sun 4 Jun Downy Duckling Week How does a duckling develop inside an egg?

How long does it take to hatch? When can they first go on water? All these questions and more are answered as you take part in candling workshops, see hatching eggs and walk through our duckling nursery. 11am-4pm.

Every May, we look forward to our greater flamingo chicks hatching. At first, they are tiny, fluffy and white, but they soon grow bigger (2cm a day) and after a couple of months they turn all fuzzy and grey.

Every day at 3pm, a flamingo talk reveals why the adults stand on one leg, how long they incubate eggs, and if they really mate for life. Find out more on page 26.

Weekends in Jun & Jul Duckling Nursery Wander through the duckling nursery seeing the cute sights of our baby birds as they grow. Chat to our volunteers and find out about the egg to duckling process and how our work contributes to WWT’s conservation work across the world. 12 noon-3pm.

Tues 6 Jun to Tues 18 Jul The Worlds of Little Creatures A minibeast exhibition

by Jane Reilly. Browse beautiful paintings in the exhibition hall and see how

many minibeasts you can find in them as part of our Minibeast Month.

A percentage of all sales comes to Martin Mere.

From Sat 10 Jun Minibeast Month Enjoy a variety of minibeast activities in June. Help us record all the species on-site by taking samples or photos to add to our list, take a spotter sheet to see how many species you can find, meet an expert and, over the weekends, take part in pond dipping and make a bug out of recycled materials. 11am-4pm.

Our greater flamingo chicks are adorable

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SLIMBRIDGE

Slimbridge

GL2 7BT 01453 891900 Prebook paid events on 01453 891223 events.slimbridge@wwt.org.uk WWT Slimbridge

WETLAND CENTRE

wwt.org.uk/slimbridge

Events

Weds 12 Apr Parent and Child Introduction to Wildlife Photography with Iain Green An enjoyable day for budding young wildlife photographers (aged 8+) and their parents to learn how to get great shots of wildlife. Suitable for all skill levels and camera types. Starting with a session looking at composition, technique, fieldcraft and equipment, you will then head outside for a practical session of photography. 10am-1pm. £30PP/PC. BE

(See page 47 for key.

Events may change – visit our website for up-to-date info)

Daily Activities

Guided Walks Join one of our volunteers as they take you on a walk, telling you about the centre and its wildlife.

10.30am. Meet on the boardwalk just outside the Toad Hall exit of the visitor centre.

Otters Meet our friendly family of otters – Flo, Minnie and Ha Ha – and hear a talk as they tuck into a fish supper. 11.30am and 3pm. Meet at the Otter Pool in the Back from the Brink area.

Cranes Discover how Slimbridge staff bred and released back into the wild these birds, which have been extinct in the UK for more than 300 years. 2.30pm.

Meet at the Mesolithic Hut at the Back from the Brink area.

Amphibians Come to Toad Hall to hear our expert give an insight into the world of amphibians and have the opportunity to hold some. 2.15pm daily and 12.30pm on weekends and school holidays. Meet in Toad Hall.

Kids will love going on a watery adventure in a canoe

‘Our niece and nephew thoroughly enjoyed feeding the ducks and wandering around the grounds. Have a snack in the café or bring a picnic – then you can sit around while kids wear themselves out in the outdoor play areas. They were occupied for most of the day.’

Nigel, Gloucester

look out for wildlife. 11am4pm. £5PP. Buy tickets in advance from the shop or pay cash at the Safari.

Sat 8 to Sun 23 Apr Easter GIANT Duck Hunt with Dusty Duck GIANT ducks will be

Slimbridge Cygnets Join us with your toddlers every second and fourth Tues of the month during term time for wildlifethemed activities from crafts to pond dipping.

From now until Mon 2 Oct Canoe Safari Grab a paddle and sail along our safari trail in a canoe that can take up to three people. Sit back and

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landing at Slimbridge with our very own Dusty Duck. Can your family spot them all?

Pick up an activity sheet on arrival then set off on a fun hunt around the grounds.

Spot them all and

receive a yummy treat. There will also be Easter arts and crafts. While you are on the hunt, look out for ducklings, handfeed geese and hear a talk on otters. Daily 9.30am-5.30pm.

Thurs 27 Apr Advanced Birder Spring Special Look for newly arrived migrants with one of our team. Identify the first signs of breeding and learn those common birdsongs. Wrap up warm and be prepared to cover a couple of miles. Warm clothing and boots or wellies needed. 8am-12 noon. £27.95PP. RI BE Sat 29 Apr Needle-felt-making Workshop Join Sophie Buckley, co-author of Making Needle Felted Animals, to learn how to needle-felt the playful otters of

GET CLOSER TO WILDLIFE From mid-April to mid-May, migration is in full swing. In early April, look for early migrants such as dashing swallows, bright-yellow wagtails and smart wheatears and listen for the song of the willow warbler, while out on the rising tides of the Severn are whimbrel and sanderling.

Join us for our Advanced Birder Spring Special on 27 April and one of our centre team will help

you to spot the early migrants, identify signs of breeding and learn their songs.

By May the centre is alive with birdsong. Nothing is quite as uplifting as hearing so many birds sing, including the distinctive notes of the cuckoo and the cheerful call of the chiffchaff. On busy days it can be easy to see or hear 75 different species on-site.

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FAMILY FUN

are unfolding, birds out on our reserve are singing, butterflies are starting to be seen and new life is appearing across our wetlands. From 27 May to 4 June you’re invited to join us for Spring to Life at Slimbridge. Take part in a range of activities including VIP tours of our duckery, a new pop-up mouse display, a new amphibian life cycle area with frogspawn, tadpoles and frogs, plus daily amphibian handling with our expert team, Nature’s Newborns, and much more.

Learn how to get great shots of wildlife on our Parent and Child Introduction to Wildlife Photography with Iain Green on 12 April.

This practical day for budding wildlife photographers (aged 8 or above) is suitable for all skill levels and camera types (compact or SLR). Explore composition, technique, fieldcraft and equipment indoors, then head outside to apply your new skills. For details, see listings below.

A flock of GIANT ducks will be landing at Slimbridge this Easter with our very own Dusty Duck. Can your family spot them all?

From 8-23 April, you can join our Easter GIANT Duck Hunt with Dusty.

Just pick up an activity sheet on arrival then set off on a fun hunt around the grounds. Spot them all and receive a yummy treat on your return.

Or enjoy some fun Easter arts and crafts and make something to take home.

Join in our celebration of the spring season and all things new at Slimbridge! Spring is a time when everything is growing and bursting into life. The leaves

Slimbridge, with a chance to watch the real animals being fed. Signed books and needle-felt kits and supplies will be available to purchase on the day.

10am-3pm. £32PP plus £5 for materials payable on the day. RI BE Fri 5 May Drawn to Paint Birds Join Jackie Garner, wildlife artist, to learn how to sketch birds in pencil and then watercolour. Go out into the grounds to sketch the birds and return to paint

your sketching and turn them into magnificent works of art. 10am-4pm. £46.50PP. RI BE Sun 7 May Birdsong Workshop A chance to concentrate on learning birdsong.

Join one of our wardens to explore the centre at one of the most productive times of the year, when more species will be singing than at any other time! 7-10.30am. £20PP. RI BE Sun 7 May to Mon 25 Sept Land Rover Safari

Sat 13 May Birdwatch Morning – Breeding Bird Special Celebrate the variety of birds breeding at Slimbridge and search for migrants on a guided tour with a warden.

8-10.30am. £15.95PP. RI BE

So why not brush up on your skills and join a Birdsong Workshop on 7 May with one of our wardens to learn how to identify all the songsters?

Throughout May, you can enjoy the elaborate display flights of skylarks, meadow pipits and lapwings, as birds attempt to mark territories or attract a mate. Avocets are on the wader scrapes

Sat 27 May to Sun 4 Jun Spring to Life at Slimbridge A celebration of the spring season and all things new at Slimbridge!

Enjoy VIP behind-thescenes tours of our busy Duckery, where we rear hundreds of endangered birds each year (£2PP), a new pop-up field mouse display, a new amphibian life cycle area with frogspawn, tadpoles and frogs, plus daily amphibian handling with our expert team, Nature’s Newborns – a chance to get up close to

and sedge warblers and reed buntings are very obvious as they choose exposed perches from which to deliver their songs. Join one of our wardens for a special Birdwatch Morning on 13 May to celebrate the great variety of birds breeding at Slimbridge.

animals growing and bursting into life – a Spring to Life Outdoor Trail and special spring-themed arts and crafts activities.

Sat 10 Jun Wildflower and Orchid Walk Join our centre manager for a magical behind-thescenes walk looking for wildflowers and orchids.

First walk around the grounds and centre: 11am-1pm. Second walk along the estuary looking at saltmarsh flowers: 2-4pm. £8PP for one walk or £12PP for both. BE

After a long winter, it’s great to see insects on the wing again in spring, including colourful dragonflies and damselflies, butterflies and bumblebees feeding or sunbathing.

Join our centre manager on 10 June for a magical Wildflower and Orchid Walk looking for the wetland’s finest wildflowers, orchids and saltmarsh flowers.

WWT

The chiffchaff is just one of the species filling the air with sound in spring

Head out on safari with our warden to see the best views of the centre and wild birds that live on the banks of the estuary. Enjoy the sights from the comfort of the covered trailer. Book on arrival at the admissions area. Time TBC.

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WASHINGTON WETLAND CENTRE Events

Daily Activities

Otter Feeds Meet our playful Asian short-clawed otters at commentated feeds.

11.30am and 3pm.

Sat 8 Apr to Mon 1 May LEGO® Brick Animal Trail and Workshops Come and see our incredible GIANT LEGO brick animals this Easter.

Featuring two new models for 2017 and awesome workshops (workshops cost £8.50 and must be booked in advance online). BE Sats 1 Apr, 6 May & 3 Jun Walking With Wildfowl Learn fascinating facts about our rare and endangered waterbird collection on a guided walk with our aviculture expert and hear about how WWT’s conservation breeding programmes are playing a

Have you met Kate, our LEGO brick kingfisher?

vital role in their survival.

Meet in the picture window at reception at 2pm.

Fri 14 to Mon 17 Apr GIANT Duck Hunt We need your help to find all of our GIANT ducks this Easter. Pick up a postcard on arrival and track down our GIANT yellow visitors using your best hide-andseek skills in return for a chocolatey treat.

Sat 27 May to Sun 4 Jun Downy Duckling Days Meet tiny ducklings and goslings during May half-term and learn all

‘Washington is such a beautiful place, with fabulous otters, stunning hides and beautiful wetland areas. I discover something new here every day.

Whether you need a quiet place to relax, a children’s play area or just to wander around, there’s something for everyone at WWT.’ Sharon L

NE38 8LE 0191 416 5454

info.washington@wwt.org.uk WWT Washington

wwt.org.uk/washington

FAMILY FUN

(See page 47 for key.

Events may change – visit our website for up-to-date info)

Flamingo Feeds Learn more about our Chilean flamingo flock and how our staff and volunteers hand-raised 29 flamingo chicks!

11.45am and 3.15pm.

Washington

This Easter, our popular LEGO® Brick Animal Trail returns – and it’s even bigger and better. With two new GIANT animal models and fun interactive workshops, it’s a great day out for all the family.

You can even book a LEGO brick workshop online! But be quick, as places go fast.

A gang of ducks will be landing at Washington this Easter weekend – and we need your help to track them down! There are 12 giant yellow quackers to be found in Dusty Duck’s GIANT Duck Hunt,

about them, plus find out about the work WWT does to protect them. Daily talks between 1pm and 2pm.

Sun 18 Jun Father’s Day Lunch Bring your loved one to enjoy a two-course lunch with beautiful views.

all of which have numbered tags. Complete the fun trail to win a chocolatey treat.

If you prefer more fluffy ducks, we have a bouncing brood of real baby birds on our Downy Duckling Days. See ducklings and goslings take their first wobbly steps – you might even get to tickle one of their tiny heads as they’re held by one of our experts.

Talks on our vital conservation breeding programmes take place at the duckery every day during half-term.

12 noon-2pm. £14.95PP and £6.95PC. Please call our catering team on 0191 416 5454 ext 235 for menu and booking. BE Sat 24 Jun Day Trip to Martin Mere Come with us to our sister centre in Lancashire.

GET CLOSER TO WILDLIFE

Dress suitably for the weather and a change of shoes will be needed.

Coach leaves at 7am, returning 6pm. £24PP and £13PC. Admission to Martin Mere is not included (WWT members free) and costs apply to canoe and boat tours.

BE Third Sat and fourth Sun of each month Walk With a Warden Join our wildlife centre manager as he leads a guided tour around our site, taking in the sights, sounds and seasonal wildlife. Meet in the picture window at reception at 2pm.

Early spring is a busy time for our colony of breeding grey herons, which has around 30 nests. Visitors can watch as these majestic birds perform bonding displays, jostle for space in the heron hedge and carry nesting material back and forth across the water.

With a record year in 2016, we’re excited to see what spring holds for the regionally rare avocets. These waders usually arrive in late February with the first chicks expected in June. An impressive 27 chicks fledged here last year.

Noisy common terns begin to arrive and set up home on the new shingle islands in early spring. Terns make alert, protective parents, which benefits their neighbours on the island, the little ringed plovers.

WWT Washington We’re thrilled that visitors are is proud to be enjoying views of kingfishers here home to one of the UK’s largest grey – they’ve even been seen from the heron colonies Waterside Café!

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WELNEY WETLAND CENTRE

Welney

PE14 9TN 01353 860711 info.welney@wwt.org.uk

WWT Welney

wwt.org.uk/welney

FAMILY FUN We start the Easter holidays with a catch. Then take giant ‘QUACK’! Dusty Duck needs a close look at the your help to find all the GIANT yellow creatures in your tray to ducks that have got lost on the identify how they are adapted to reserve in Dusty’s GIANT Duck their watery lifestyle and what makes Hunt. You’ll need to hunt high and low them so special. Read more about to track down these naughty birds for pond-dipping experiences on a chance to win a chocolate treat. page 22.

While hunting for ducks, you might also enjoy following the wildlife trails and doing some pond exploring to see what you can find. During May half-term, we’ll be getting even closer to underwater creatures with a competition to find the most exciting and unusual residents living beneath the water.

You’ll need to practise your Can you netting technique to get the best find all of our missing ducks?

Events

(See page 47 for key.

Events may change – visit our website for up-to-date info)

Sat 1 to Mon 17 Apr Dusty’s GIANT Easter Duck Hunt Calling all kids – we’ve lost our GIANT yellow ducks and Dusty Duck needs you

and your family to help him find them at Welney this Easter. You’ll need to use all your special detective skills to track down these cheeky birds and be in with a chance of winning a yummy chocolate treat. While exploring the centre, have a go at pond dipping and use the explorer

backpacks to find the first insects of spring along the way.

Tues 11 Apr WWT London Wetland Centre Talk An evening talk by David Green, general manager of WWT’s centre in London.

Find out about how a centre thrives in a much

‘We visited Welney to do some photography. There were huge numbers of wildfowl on the water and in flight – and we saw lots of different behaviour. We even saw hares on the hare walk. With great views, shop and restaurant, this has everything for a great day out.’

EssexDeb29

more urban environment that we are used to here.

The evening is hosted by the Friends of Welney group. 7.30-9.30pm. £3PP (£2 Friends of Welney members).

Sat 27 May, Weds 31 May & Sat 24 Jun Bats and Barn Owls Explore the centre by night. Join our guide to watch barn owls coming out to hunt, use bat detectors to get insight into the lives of these incredible mammals, and see which moths and other insects visit the light stations. 8.30-11pm. £12PP, £5PC. BE

Sat 27 May to Sun 4 Jun Pond-dipping Competition Explore the centre this spring and take part in the pond-dipping competition. Get closer to amazing minibeasts as you hone your technique with a net.

Tues 13 Jun A Passion for Swifts An evening talk by Judith Wakelam about a summer visitor to the UK. The evening is hosted by the Friends of Welney group.

7.30-9.30pm. £3PP (£2 Friends of Welney members).

GET CLOSER TO WILDLIFE THIS SPRING It’s spring and the bird breeding season is about to get into full swing. Wetland birds are virtuoso performers and put on a range of visual displays, as well as making incredible sounds. Watch groups of avocets come together as they make bubbling calls and compete for nesting sites, and admire lapwings tumbling in the air while making their characteristic ‘pee-wit’ calls. And when the air is calm, listen out for the drumming of snipe as they fly over the wetlands.

After displaying and laying eggs in April, our avocets often nest right in front of the hides so watch out for their young in June.

As you walk along the footpaths, listen out for warblers – they perform the backing track

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to visits at this time of year. The loudest of these is the Cetti’s warbler, a bird that’s hard to see, but easy to hear with its explosive song. Also listen out for the more melodious reed warbler and the excited sedge warbler.

Spring sees the welcome return of the stunning garganey, the only UK duck species to spend its winter in Africa. As breeding season gets under way, look out for the males of many duck species flying around the reserve in pursuit of females.

A sure sign that summer has arrived will Avocets may be the emergence of the dragonflies in look delicate, June. Look out for scarce chaser and hairy but they can be fierce dragonfly, which are the first out on the wing. when nesting

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D O W N YO U R WAY

STEART MARSHES Events

Steart Marshes

TA5 2PU 01278 651090 info.steart@wwt.org.uk

WWT Steart Marshes

(See page 47 for key.

Events may change – visit our website for up-to-date info)

GET CLOSER TO WILDLIFE

Daily Activities

Spring is one of the most exciting times of year at Steart, with new arrivals every day. May is a fantastic month for migrating birds, with many waders seen here in good numbers as they pause on their way to their breeding grounds. They include whimbrel (on their way to Shetland and Orkney), greenshank (Scotland), common sandpiper (Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and northern England), bar-tailed godwit (Scandinavia and Siberia), sanderling (high Arctic) and ringed plover (all around the UK coast.).

Keep your eyes on the skies as common, little and Arctic terns also pass through.

Scrutinise the grass around our longhorn cattle for flocks of yellow wagtail feeding on the insects disturbed by their hooves.

A few pairs may even stay and nest here.

As the weather warms, many birds’ thoughts turn to breeding. Last year, we were delighted to see little ringed plovers, oystercatchers, lapwings and avocets all raise their families here.

Now that our low-intensity grazing regime has created the perfect conditions, and the saltmarsh vegetation has become established, we hope that redshank will join them.

Watch out for their The somewhat bright orange legs! nondescript skylark is If the air seems to renowned for be filled with tumbling its incredible song raining from song flight above, it’s probably one of our skylarks – 40 pairs nested here in 2016 and we’re hoping for more this year.

Willow Sculpture Trail Download an information sheet or pick one up from the reserve office and discover our 10 life-size willow sculptures.

Made by local artists from Somerset willow, they depict animals that live in or use the reserve throughout the year.

High Tides Check the website for the best time to witness this spectacle.

Guided Walks If you are in a group and would like a more in-depth tour of the reserve and find out more about the work we are doing here, please get in touch, as we can usually accommodate this by arrangement (£2-£3PP).

Thurs 13 Apr Birdwatching Guided Walk April is a good time to catch a variety of early migrating birds, such as yellow wagtails, wheatears and warblers.

The walk coincides with high tide, a spectacle in itself, and increases the chance of seeing migrating waders, such as little ringed plovers.

8-11am. £3 members/ £5 non-members. BE Weds 12 Apr Birdwatching for Beginners We will take a small group of young people (suitable for eightto 14-year-olds) to a

good location, and show them how to use the equipment and how to identify different birds, from common to more unusual.

Places are limited, and booking essential.

10.30am-12.30pm. £5PP. BE

wwt.org.uk/steart

Bar-tailed godwit pass by on migration

Mon 1 or Mon 29 May Open Day We will be running a range of events bringing together information about the wildlife on-site, how the reserve has been developed and the scientific research going on there. A packed day

Broad-bodied chasers fly fast along pond margins then return to the same low perch

Everywhere you look, damp areas of the reserve will be erupting with colour as early-flowering aquatic plants start to bloom. Look for the delicate pink of cuckoo flower or ladies’ smock, the sunshine-bright yellow flowers of marsh marigold and the frothy candyfloss pink of ragged robin.

On warm days in April, a streak of electric blue zipping through the air around the wetland walkway could be an early-flying dragonfly, such as a broad-bodied chaser. It’s easily recognised by its flattened blue thorax and the yellow go-faster stripes down its sides. By May, many more dragonflies and damselflies will be on the wing, and in June they’ll be joined by the majestic emperor dragonfly – the largest of our British species – hunting for a meal and a mate.

with lots to do. 10.30am3.30pm. Free and no need to book.

Sat 13 & Sun 14 May Art Inspired by Steart Marshes Local artists will be displaying their art in

and around the hides.

Come and see what they’ve created and talk to the artists.

Free and no need to book.

To book, please phone 01278 651 090 or email info.steart@wwt.org.uk.

APRIL/JUNE 2017

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Ground floor flat for two in Glencaple close to WWT. Very comfortable with wood-burning stove and small sunny garden. In winter barnacles fly past morning and evening and flocks of ducks and waders are here in large numbers. In summer ospreys nest nearby. Good walking and cycling. www.glencapleholiday.co.uk tel: 01387 770348 email: sue_greig@yahoo.co.uk

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B AC K C H AT

Helen enjoys ‘doing something useful for conservation’

Helen Mayfield

my wild life Dr Helen Mayfield, a volunteer at WWT London, chats to Waterlife about why she loves helping out on the reserve

Helping out at London Wetland Centre is totally different to my

The day’s tasks range from

Helen Mayfield Volunteer, WWT London Wetland Centre

Whenever I get the chance I use

my bat detector. It converts the echolocation calls of the bats into a frequency humans can hear, allowing us to identify species.

Visitors are most likely to see me on a bat walk during summer.

My job is to show people around the reserve after dark, help them identify bats we hear on the bat detectors, and answer questions. I also help Santa when he visits the centre, so good children see me in the grotto.

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Recently, I’ve learned how to

The worst thing about my role is

If I could wave a magic wand, I would wish for serotine bats.

positive after a bat walk, when visitors learn something about these misunderstood animals and hopefully are inspired to help.

day job as an academic researcher in environmental informatics, but I love working with the other volunteers and supporting a worthwhile cause.

working in the reedbeds and clearing vegetation on the islands to wood chipping, painting fences and rounding up sheep. I also take time to meet with WWT ecologist Richard Bullock. We’ve been analysing the past 20 years of bat survey data to identify trends and how different species use different parts of the site. We’re developing an app to help collect survey data.

I feel we’re achieving something

“ ”

dealing with overly friendly cows during bat surveys. Areas of the reserve are maintained by grazing four dexter cows. They are sweet and invaluable as a conservation tool, but it can be disconcerting when it’s dark and they offer an enthusiastic hello.

carry out a water vole survey and put a jacket on a captive swan, so it can be taken for a health check safely with the minimum of stress.

They have a really unique call, but we haven’t recorded them on the reserve since 2014. This might indicate a worrying decline in the species in the London area.

Volunteering allows me to explore

A highlight of last year was

finding Nathusius bats roosting on-site. I also love helping out with special events, such as birds of prey demonstrations, when I get the chance to hold the barn owl.

areas of the reserve that aren’t open to the public. In spring and summer the marsh is covered in water mint, and when it’s sunny, I really enjoy pulling up ragwort or cutting seedheads off the flag iris.

I once caught a sheep and put

I find it amazing that the centre is

it in a rowboat so we could move it to a different island. It’s not easy, so it was quite a big achievement.

I’m really excited about the

kingfishers that have started breeding on-site. We made a special nesting bank for them – and eventually they moved in.

It’s always great to see nature benefiting from our hard work.

man-made. It looks so natural – even the wildlife is fooled. The reserve team does a great job of providing quality habitats for so many species – and enabling visitors to enjoy good views, without disturbing them.

Please visit our website wwt.org.uk/support for further information on how you can support WWT.

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