Volunteers given chance to film macro wildlife

Volunteer filming a hawkmoth
Volunteer filming a hawkmoth

Volunteers involved with the Great Ouse Wetland project are about to share the secret lives of some of the smallest species of wildlife we have in the UK.

Voracious water beetles, delicate damselfly nymphs and a multitude of moths will become the stars of wildlife films created by the team of volunteers.

This project is part of the Ouse Washes Landscape Partnership scheme and supported with a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund.

WWT Welney Wetland Centre is the location for a macro filming workshop for the volunteers of this project. It will introduce the participants to this type of filming, provide subjects for them to practice on and hopefully increase their confidence in this field.

Adam Finch, Media Production Officer, said:

‘This project is absolutely fantastic for connecting people with wildlife and raising awareness of the amazing diversity of species we have in the region. 

Poplar hawkmoth by Adam Finch
Poplar hawkmoth by Adam Finch

‘Considering some of the volunteers had never picked up a video camera before, the quality of the footage is superb. Without their help, we wouldn’t be able to tell such a detailed story of the beautiful array of species and natural spectacles across the seasons.

‘It is a brilliant opportunity for people to have a go at something different and offer creative skills to help support conservation.’ 

Ray filming insects for the project
Ray filming insects for the project

Ray Mathias, Media volunteer, said:

‘Being able to be part of this project has enabled me to combine two interests, the natural world and learning to shoot film.

‘I have been able to remind myself why I first enjoyed biology so much at school, by spending time enjoying the diversity of wildlife the different seasons bring.’

The macro filming workshop will be held on Sunday 24 May from 10 to 12, booking for this workshop is required. Anybody can get involved with this amazing project; you don’t need state of the art equipment to contribute footage. To find out more about the Great Ouse Wetland project go to wwt.org.uk/gow.

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