News
AW on red alert
Today saw our male osprey AW spending a lot of time on the nest. He was looking around constantly only pausing from scanning the horizon to rearrange sticks on the nest and to mate with the female. When not on the nest he was on a nearby tree still on red
7 April 2011
Meet the canoe safari team
This is the lovely team that has been hired to manage the Canoe Safari until 31 October. From left to right: Paul, Dan, Kraig and Jack. All the staff hired had previously been volunteers at the Centre and they are all excited by the new experience. We ha
7 April 2011
High drama at the nest
High drama today at the Caerlaverock osprey nest. The female was on the nest arranging sticks and forming the nest cup in the morning. The new male flew in and as Ian, our volunteer warden put it, 'attempted intimacy'. Just after lunchtime a third osprey
6 April 2011
Seven days to go
Andy has taken the opportunity to take a few days off just prior to the launch of the canoe safari and the Easter holidays so I thought it would be a good opportunity to report each day on the final progress of the canoe safari. I haev asked Pete our Main
4 April 2011
Hello again!
Well hello all and welcome to my 2011 duck blog. After a large gap due to my Madagascan exploits and super busy-bodiness, it is my intention to start updating again a touch more regularly... After a week off to recuperate I returned to work on the 14th M
3 April 2011
WWT reserves see first hatchlings and influx of spring migrants
Signs of spring have been popping up all around us over the last few weeks. Daffodils, butterflies and the first migratory songbirds were the first signs and, all of a sudden, we’re seeing the first ducklings and goslings hatching from their eggs at man
28 March 2011
Mayoral visit
I had the pleasure of taking the Mayor of West Lancashire, Councillor John Baldock and representatives from France and Germany on a tour of the Centre on Saturday. West Lancashire has been welcoming dignitaries from European countries and they wanted a t
28 March 2011
The end of Gardening Month
This weekend is the last weekend that we are doing gardening activities as Gardening month comes to an end. We have had a really great March, especially in the last couple of weeks as the sun has been shining. I have had a few queries regarding how my veg
25 March 2011
Hope raised barn owl pair will breed this year
Wildlife wardens at the centre in Gloucestershire are excited at the arrival of a pair of barn owls on the site and have installed a nest box in an outbuilding they seemed to favour. James Lees, reserve warden at the Centre said: “Last year we did lots
24 March 2011
Pictures of the saline lagoon development
Members and regular visitors to WWT Washington will have noticed that our wildlife reserve is undergoing some major redevelopment work at the moment, with the creation of a new saline lagoon. The lagoon will flood the land in the foreground, with the fenc
21 March 2011
Swans leave and avocets return at WWT Martin Mere
At WWT Martin Mere as the Whooper Swans have started their long migration back to Iceland for the summer and the first of the summer wading birds have arrived. Martin Mere has seen record numbers of Whooper swans over the winter with 2400 birds spending t
19 March 2011
Sneak preview of new uniforms
On Monday we have new uniforms! We have gone from a complete change from the black shirts and fleeces to the colour blue for fleeces and a beige colours for the shirts. I have put a photo below of how they look - let me know your thoughts!
17 March 2011
11 April for canoe safari launch and sneak preview of the playarea
The date has been set for the launch of the canoe safari for our visitors: Monday 11 April The canoe safari will be open everyday from 11 April until Sunday 31 October starting at 10am in the morning and the last canoe will go out at approximately 3.30pm
15 March 2011
Big bums a good sign for swans
As Bewick’s swans depart the UK for their annual migration to Arctic Russia, researchers at the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust have been observing the size of their behinds. With Bewick’s swan numbers falling sharply, scientists are hoping to rule out
11 March 2011
Walking around and new uniforms
There is so much happening at the centre at the moment: On 21 March we will be officially launching our new WWT uniforms and I will put a picture on this blog on 21st of the new selection which I hope you will all like and comment on. I have also been rou
9 March 2011