Emma Brand of Welney’s famous Wetland Trust gives you some great insight and interesting information about this wonderful sanctuary in our neighbouring village. In what is the 50th year of WWT Welney, we are still in the middle of some challenging times. The continuing pandemic means that we are thinking about ways to allow visitors to enjoy the winter wildlife of the washes, without gathering together in large numbers. This winter we are spreading the…
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Welney Wetland Centre – Autumn Arrivals
As we approached the end of summer, we looked forward to the arrivals this next season would bring. But over recent decades numbers of some of these species have been declining. The species that Welney are most famous for each winter are the two swans – whoopers from Iceland and Bewick’s from Arctic Russia, but the two populations tell very different tales. Whilst the Icelandic whooper swan population is doing well, seeing a 17% increase…
Read MoreWWT – We Opened!
It’s the moment we’ve been looking forward to since we closed our doors in late March. Welney Wetland Centre opened again on Wednesday 10 June. Lockdown has taken its toll on us all. But the good news is that nature’s paid little heed and our wetlands are absolutely teeming with wildlife that we couldn’t wait to share with you. We’ve worked hard these last few weeks to make a few changes so that everyone can…
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The team at WWT Welney hope that everyone in Littleport has kept safe and well through what have been some very testing times. For this article we will let you know how the reserve and wildlife has fared this spring, giving suggestions for lots of online resources and some ideas for how you can enjoy watching the wildlife in your own gardens. We started March coming out of one of the wettest winters we’ve had…
Read MoreWelney Wetland Centre – New shoots, breeding birds and insects starting to emerge.
Now is the time to venture outside and witness the beginnings of new life, and water is vital for all life so where better to explore than at Welney Wetland Centre. During March enjoy the first of the summer birds returning (you may also see some of the last winter birds before they depart). We look forward to welcoming wetland specialists like Black- tailed Godwit, Cuckoo, and Avocet as well as Swallows, House Martins and…
Read MoreWelney Wetland Centre – Winter beckons
Most of the autumn management has now taken place, and finished not too soon as the wet weather throughout October has resulted in the Earith sluice gates opening early. Fingers crossed we won’t have to take on excessive quantities of water before winter has properly begun, but it all depends how much water comes down the River Ouse. As the Bewick’s swans have begun their migrations, leaving Arctic Russia this month, the first whooper swans…
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Welney Wetland Centre has had another successful year with the headstarting work of Project Godwit; a total of 48 hand-reared black-tailed godwit chicks were released into the wild, bringing the total to 112 over the last three breeding seasons. The wild population was boosted by the return of 21 of these headstarted black-tailed godwits, from their wintering grounds, in southern Europe and northern Africa, to the area they were released last year. These birds will…
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For wetlands, spring and summer brings new life. Will you discover something new at your local Wetland Centre this season? With a successful spring the efforts of the busily nesting birds will be rewarded with the hatching of their chicks. In early summer watch avocet, lapwing, redshank and common tern chicks as they become more adventurous, feeding in the shallow water. Ducklings and cygnets will be following their parents around the pools and ditches, sometimes…
Read MoreWWT – Welney Wetland Centre
The North wind doth blow and we shall have swans. Wrap up warm and watch the wildlife this winter at your local Wetland Centre. During this season, the Ouse Washes and WWT Welney become the home of our three species of swans: mute, whooper and Bewick’s. With a range of swan feed events you have a good chance of finding these wonderful waterfowl on the reserve. For the early birds why not book onto one…
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Late summer and autumn brings a host of species to your local Wetland Centre, resulting in a busy time for the reserve team, as we ensure the habitats are just right to receive them. For the birdwatchers, this is the best time to look out for migrating birds, as they travel from their summer breeding grounds to warmer climes for the winter. By lowering the water levels on the pools, we can create muddy patches…
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