News
Rare birds arrive before diggers finish creating new Somerset nature reserve
White-rumped Sandpiper (Tim Taylor) A rare white-rumped sandpiper is the latest unexpected arrival on the Steart peninsula, Somerset. It is currently recovering on a flooded field, despite being surrounded by one of t
21 September 2012
August podcast: Bats and other summer wildlife
Pipistrelle bat - R J Brookes / Bat Conservation Trust In this edition, volunteers Victor West and David Cowmeadow share their knowledge and enthusiasm for WWT London Wetland Centre and its wildlife. We talk about the
9 August 2012
WWT has first film entry to Wildscreen Festival
[gallery] WWT has, for the first time, had a film entry accepted into the Wildscreen Festival – one of the most prestigious and influential events in the wildlife and environmental filmmaking industry. The WWT Saving the Madagascar Pochard film follows
1 August 2012
A first for me and Martin Mere
We have successfully hatched two Magpie geese goslings at Martin Mere in the last three days - this is a first for the centre and the first time that I have ever seen the goslings. We have always had magpie geese at the centre, even when I was grounds m
24 July 2012
Orinoco photo montage.
We are quite proud to have reared 10 stunning Orinoco geese this year. These hugely delicate birds are one of the prettiest of the sheldgeese, and hugely popular in collections across the country. None have been bred at Slimbridge for many a year, and st
20 July 2012
Beaver kitts confirmed
We have seen on the webcam that we have at least one beaver kitt born this year. The kitt would have been born around February / March as they don't come out of the lodge for a few months. So far we have only seen the one, but if you could let me know i
16 July 2012
Shared childcare in the flamingo's world
Visitors to the Caribbean flamingos' enclosure will no doubt be aware that the little bundles of fluff, until fairly recently confined to the tops of the nest mounds are now running around all over the enclosure. You will often find several chicks (of dif
15 July 2012
Global conservation agreement leads to ecosystem approach to health
Prevention is better than cure, is the message that came from governments around the world this week as countries signed up to a new approach to managing health in wetlands. The 162 signatories to the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands yesterday agreed to adop
13 July 2012
Opening of compost toilets
We have opened the compost toilets by the canoe safari today. These are completely odourless and waterless toilets. There are 2 there and both are uni-sex, disabled access and baby changing. They work in a very unique way. Under each toilet is 2 compartme
13 July 2012
1 to 1 meetings & vending machines
I was in a meeting all day yesterday with my line manager looking at some exciting future projects at Martin Mere such as the current use of the building and how we can improve it, what we can offer indoors and the developments that are happening outside.
12 July 2012
Update - NW Bird Watching Festival
There is now a lot more information on the bird watching festival at the following link: http://www.wwt.org.uk/visit-us/martin-mere/things-to-see-and-do/events-calendar/2012/11/24/north-west-bird-watching-festival/ We have a lot more workshops this year i
9 July 2012
Tourism award success
I am pleased to say that we have been shortlisted for two tourism awards with Lancashire and Blackpool Tourist Board: Best Large Attraction and Best Sustainable Tourist Business. We now have to make a paper submission by 30 July and we will have mystery s
3 July 2012
Who's who in the Caribbean nesting colony?
The Caribbean flamingos, currently sitting on their (wooden) eggs are a noisy, argumentative yet fascinating bunch that, if you have the time to sit and watch for a short while, will provide an interesting spectacle and entertaining insight into how flami
30 June 2012
A visit by West Lancashire Council
ACES (Association Chief Estate Surveyors) are here today to host a seminar in our lecture theatre. They are having a meeting and then I am doing a presentation to them based on the development of the canoe safari and the cafe in terms of problems we found
22 June 2012
What do the birds do when nobody's looking?
When the crowds have thinned out, the Chilean flamingos come and enjoy the stepping stones at WWT Slimbridge. Having been data collecting at Slimbridge for the past few months, I have noticed how the flamingos will af
21 June 2012