Big 9 challenge: TV presenters nationwide nature quest

Mike DilgerOn 25 January TV naturalist and WWT supporter Mike Dilger starts a nationwide tour to raise awareness and money for wetlands.

The quest will take in all nine WWT centres across the UK in just nine days, finishing on World Wetlands Day (2 February).

Along the way Mike will see some of the country’s best natural winter spectacles, such as thousands of wild swans from the Arctic that gather on the Ouse Washes.

Mike will be meeting WWT visitors and supporters, giving talks and blogging about his travels online.

Speaking from the WWT headquarters at Slimbridge on the shores of the Severn Estuary, Mike said:

“Wetlands are amazing. At this time of year in the UK they are simply teeming with wildlife. So my mission is to encourage as many of you as possible to get outside and experience them for yourselves.

Critically endangered spoon-billed sandpiper on its breeding grounds in russia (c) MJMcGill“And, as we build up to World Wetlands Day on 2 February, it is worth remembering that wetlands around the world and their wildlife are incredibly vulnerable. WWT works all around the world and is striving to secure a future for species such as the unique spoon-billed sandpiper, which has been driven to the brink of extinction by the misuse of wetlands on the other side of the world.

Mike will be helping WWT staff and volunteers at every one of the centres he visits and getting to meet the visitors. He will be at the following centres:

Friday 25 January
WWT Arundel, West Sussex
...giving boat tours on the WWT Arundel waterways and giving VIP dusk birdwatching tours
Saturday 26 January
WWT Slimbridge, Gloucestershire
...feeding the wild Bewick’s swans, catching and ringing ducks
Sunday 27 January
WWT National Wetland Centre Wales, Llanelli, Carmarthenshire
...feeding the 500 (birds in the collection) in under an hour
Monday 28 January
WWT Martin Mere, Lancashire
...feeding the wild whooper swans
Tuesday 29 January
WWT Castle Espie, Northern Ireland
...helping an ornithological study by surveying the birds of Strangford Lough
Wednesday 30 January
WWT Caerlaverock, Dumfriesshire
...feeding the wild whooper swans
Thursday 31 January
WWT Washington, Tyne and Wear
...exercising the young flamingos and feeding the otters
Friday 1 February
WWT Welney, Norfolk
...feeding the wild whooper swans
Saturday 2 February – World Wetlands Day!
WWT London Wetland Centre
....opening a state-of-the-art birdwatching hide and tracking down the elusive bittern.

Toyota has kindly lent WWT a Prius hybrid car in order to reduce the impact of Mike's journey. Mike will travel by ferry to and from Northern Ireland. Mike will also spend several nights staying over on WWT's reserves, in part to minimise the cost of the tour, but also to enjoy those clear wintry sunrises over WWT's spectacular wetland landscapes.

WWT Slimbridge winter dawn on South Lake (c) JSLees

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