Hundreds of visitors watched wild bird feeds at the festival

WWT Slimbridge was the destination for thousands of people over the weekend as it held its annual Festival of Birds, which this year featured TV presenter and wildlife cameraman Simon King who was there to open the reserve’s renovated Zeiss Hide.

Festival highlights also included talks by experts and celebrities – such as conservationist and TV presenter Mark Carwardine and the ‘Urban Birder’ David Lindo – specialist stalls, a waterbird spotting challenge and wild bird feeds.

And the weekend was a huge success despite the threat of snowfall and Slimbridge’s resident bittern failing to show for the opening of the new hide (he did manage to make an appearance on the Sunday, however).

The Zeiss Hide has seen a wealth of improvements to improve views for birders, including widening of windows and better sound-proofing, plus information panels telling visitors about the surrounding wetland habitat and wildlife.

WWT Chief Executive Martin Spray with Simon King OBE

A new otter holt has also been constructed outside the hide, an area where otters have been seen, and it’s hoped they will take up residence there.

The result is a transformed hide giving excellent views of the best birdwatching spot at Slimbridge, if not the best in the region.

Simon King unveiled a plaque to mark the re-opening then joined visitors for a birdwatching session. He voiced his support for the spoon-billed sandpiper project WWT has recently been an integral part of and said that joining an organisation like WWT was the best way for people to support conservation.

It was a sentiment also voiced by Mark Carwardine at a sold-out talk which took place at Slimbridge on Friday evening, at the start of the festival.

View from the newly renovated Zeiss Hide

Carwardine’s talk was about his most recent book, Ultimate Wildlife Experiences, in which he describes his 20 favourite locations in the world to see wildlife. But he also highlighted the pitfalls of wildlife tourism, when too many people could literally “love the wildlife to death”, and said people could do their bit by supporting sustainable tourism and a conservation charity such as WWT.

Slimbridge’s Zeiss Hide is now open to all visitors. WWT is very grateful to Carl Zeiss for their continued generosity, which has enabled these improvements to take place and benefit the tens of thousands of people who visit WWT Slimbridge each year.

Companies interested in helping WWT to provide quality facilities for visitors to our sites, as Zeiss have done, should contact John Creedon at john.creedon@wwt.org.uk.

'Serenity' by Hiranmoy De

These incredible images of lagoons, lakes, bogs and brooks are all winning entries in a competition to celebrate World Wetland’s Day today (Thursday, 2 February).

View all of the winning World Wetlands category autumn heat winners here.

You can see a list of the winners’ names at the bottom of the page.

Icebergs on a black beach in Iceland, a wetland park in the centre of bustling Hong Kong and flocks of birds on lake in Finland all show the beauty and plight of this endangered habitat.

Wetlands are an area of land which holds moisture, either all year round or seasonally, such as saltwater swamps, flood plains, fens, meadows and ponds.

They are found on every continent in the world, except Antarctica, and cover six per cent of the land surface of the world.

They are essential to life on earth and even millions of years ago many dinosaur species depended on them for their food and safety.

But they are being lost or damaged more rapidly than any other ecosystem and in the last 100 years the amount of inland wetland in the world has halved.

'Jokulsarion Beach' by Christopher Waddell

This is mainly due to land reclamation, changes to agriculture, pollution, water diversions and other developments.

The results have been catastrophic to wildlife, with one third of amphibians, over 40 per cent of reptiles and 30 per cent of mammals pushed close to extinction.

“Wetland is arguably the hardest habitat to describe in words, which is precisely why it’s so rewarding to photograph,” said Martin Spray, WWT’s Chief Executive.

“These photos are all amazing examples of the diversity of wetlands across the globe and capture both their beauty and their vulnerability.”

The stunning snaps include a wetland haven with birds and butterflies in the centre of Hong Kong by Bridget Page, from London, and a lake in Bolivia coloured red-rich by mico-organisms living in its waters.

Another photo shows villagers collecting thatch in a canoe in the Okavango Delta in Botswana by Hilary Dean-Hughes, from Kent.

Birds can be seen flying in the mist at Siikalhhti in Finland, which sees hundreds of cranes arrive every autumn before flying south.

'Polar Arc' by Mark Lees

While the wetlands of the Salar de Atacama on one of the driest places on earth in northern Chile are shown in Dominque Brand’s photo.

The lagoons are spectacularly located under the snow-capped Licancabur Volcano, which towers at just under 6000 metres altitude.

Mark Lees was also highly commended for his picture of a polar bear straddling two ice bergs in Olga Strait Svalbard Archipelago in Norway, showing how these creatures survive in a harsh, environment as the Arctic diminishes in the face of global warming.

The largest wetlands in the world are the bogs of the Siberian lowlands in Russia, which cover 600,000km2, three times the size of Great Britain.

'City Wetlands' by Bridget Page

Wetlands are essential as they store and clean our water, protect against floods and nurture an enormous variety of life-forms.

WWT’s 2011/12 photography competition was launched on 1 September and has already received over 4,000 entries. The competition is divided into four seasonal heats and invites entries taken at WWT’s nine regional wetland centres as well as images taken around the world for the World Wetlands category.

The winter heat is currently open and judges will be looking for images that best represent the winter season to take forward to a national final where entrants will be in with a chance of winning prizes such as a 3-day bird of prey workshop in the Czech Republic, a 5-night eco-break to New York State and once-in-a-lifetime trip to Antarctica.

Visit the competition website here.

Winners of World Wetlands category autumn heat

• Mrs H Dean-Hughes – ‘Collecting Thatch’
• Mark Lees – ‘Polar Arc’
• Bridget Page – ‘City Wetlands’
• Anna-Liisa Pirhonen – ‘Morning Mist’
• David Cantrille – ‘Confrontation’
• Dominique Brand – ‘The Wetlands of the Salar de Atacama’
• David Howse – ‘African Jacana Walking on Water Lilies’
• Hiranmoy De – ‘Serenity’
• Christopher Waddell – ‘Jokulsarion Beach’
• Elise Arsenault – ‘RedLagoon’

Rainfall has been so low that in many areas the level of moisture in the soil is currently worse than in 1976, when the UK suffered one of the most severe droughts on record .

All creatures need water to survive and reports from around the UK indicate wildlife is already being affected.

At WWT’s Welney Wetland Centre in Norfolk there has not been enough rainfall to flood the grassland habitats, which has meant less food for grazing ducks such as wigeon.

It is a similar situation at WWT’s London Wetland Centre, where the low flow of water through the reserve has reduced the number of waterfowl.

Although water supply to most homes may not be affected as water companies have measures in place to collect and store enough water for domestic supply, this comes at the expense of the countryside.

Farming is already under pressure to produce crops with an uncertain water supply. If supplies dwindle as predicted this summer, the conflict is likely to be pitched as farming vs. wildlife when really both are victims of the way water is used and managed.

WWT’s Head of Wetland Conservation, Rob Shore, has been hearing reports from WWT’s wetland reserves around the country. He said:

“We haven’t yet had the dreaded hosepipe ban warnings but wildlife is the proverbial canary in the cage. We want government to tackle this problem before it gets out of hand – not just relieving the problem this year but by putting plans in place to prevent this happening again.”

“We have the technical solutions and have identified regulation, from farming subsidies to water company regulation, which could be tweaked to keep more water on the land to help wildlife and farmers. Ultimately it will benefit all of us as consumers.”

One solution being proposed is to create lots of small wetland areas to capture rainwater when it does fall. By slowing the flow of water off the land these allow more water to percolate into soils and aquifers.

The added benefit is that they prevent soil, nutrients and other pollutants from being washed into our rivers, which in turn reduces the costs of water treatment.

Rob Shore continued:

“We’re struggling to keep our wetlands wet in winter which is virtually unheard of. The knock on effect will be on the birds breeding in spring, so it is easy to see how quickly this can escalate. What we are proposing are small but sensible changes, which bring very tangible benefits for all of us.”

Despite some recent rain, the majority of river systems in England or Wales are currently flowing at below average levels and many are critically low . The situation is even worse for our groundwater supplies, which have not been replenished over the autumn and winter.

Rain has generally fallen in short, heavy bursts and run straight off the dry, compacted land and very quickly ended up in the sea. This is already raising the threat of flooding at the same time as drought. Climate change is predicted to bring heavier and less frequent rain making this a more common occurrence.

The Mileage Company has now donated over £100,000 to WWT since its support started in 2010.

The donation to WWT is the result of the Avios programme’s mobile ‘phone recycling initiative whereby members can recycle their mobiles via www.avios.com and receive 7,500 Avios.

The mobiles are recycled and the profits are donated to WWT to use for its conservation projects around the world.

The Mileage Company has also provided £3,000 for primary school trips for children local to The Mileage Company offices. This has helped over 200 children visit WWT Arundel in West Sussex and the WWT Martin Mere in Lancashire.

Through the Avios programme, The Mileage Company is also supporting Flying Start, the British Airways global charity partnership with Comic Relief. Avios is providing the in-flight envelopes for passengers, should they wish to, donate their money directly to the charity causes.

Andrew Swaffield, Managing Director, The Mileage Company, operators of Avios said:

“We are delighted to continue to support WWT and its vital conservation work. We know our members love to travel but also want to help reduce their carbon footprint. We are proud to support Flying Start and its valuable work helping UK and worldwide communities.”

Nigel Hewston, a teacher at Robinswood Primary School in Gloucester, has never run a marathon before, but in April will be taking on the London Marathon to try and raise £5,000 to help save the spoon-billed sandpiper from extinction.

The 57 year old only started running 3 years ago and managed to complete a half Marathon in the autumn of 2011.

Nigel said:

The spoon-billed sandpiper has hit the news quite recently with the herculean efforts of the WWT to bring back chicks to the UK for a really important conservation breeding programme. I thought it only right to match that effort with one of my own and help support this critical species-saving programme.

Nigel is a keen aviculturist and spent time during the 1980s and 90s working in the education department and on various breeding programmes at WWT Slimbridge. He still volunteers, feeding the swans on Friday evenings.

Nigel said of the cause:

The plight of the spoon-billed sandpiper is dire. This unique and remarkable little bird with its unusual bill is likely to be extinct within a decade if urgent action is not taken. There are thought to be only 100 or so breeding pairs left in the world and with the continuing threats to the birds and their habitats along its 8,000km migratory route the trend is not good.

If you’d like to support his great endeavour, you can do so online at www.justgiving.com/sandpiper

Alternatively you can post a cheque to: Sandpiper Marathon, Fundraising Department, WWT, Slimbridge, Glos GL2 7BT or you can call Zoë Cameron on 01453 891270 or by emailing zoe.cameron@wwt.org.uk

Gift Aid can be claimed on all eligible donations

The Spoon-billed sandpiper conservation breeding programme is a collaboration between WWT, Birds Russia, Moscow Zoo and the RSPB working with colleagues from the BTO, BirdLife International, ArcCona and the Spoon-billed Sandpiper Task Force.

The project is funded by WWT and RSPB, with additional financial contributions and support from BirdLife International, the East-Asian Australasian Flyway Partnership, the Convention on Migratory Species, Heritage Expeditions, the Australasian Wader Study Group of Birds Australia, the BBC Wildlife Fund, the Mileage Company, the Olive Herbert Charitable Trust and many generous individuals.

Found beside the bodies was Scott’s famous last letter to his wife which included the immortal words about their two-year-old son Peter: “Make the boy interested in natural history if you can; it is better than games”.

That she certainly did, and 65 years ago in 1946, Captain Scott’s son, Peter, founded the Severn Wildfowl Trust, later to become the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust, (WWT), with a national network of wetland centres across the UK.

Said to be the most influential conservationist of the 20th century, Sir Peter Scott was also the first to be knighted for his contributions to nature.

“Peter aroused the world in a way that was before his time,” Sir David Attenborough said. “He became a universal figure. He made everyone realise that the natural world is in danger from ourselves and we have a responsibility to do something about that.”

Peter’s father, Captain Scott was also admired by Attenborough, who spoke about his legacy to a captivated audience at WWT’s London Wetland Centre recently.

“Make no mistake, Captain Scott was a hero and his party were great human beings,”

He may have written in his diary “Great God! This is an awful place and terrible enough for us to have laboured to it without the reward of priority.” But that hasn’t stopped scores of people, particularly over the past few decades, wanting to repeat the famous journey.

Scott left a legacy of “courage, amazing superhuman courage,” Sir David added, recalling his own discomfort on stepping into the empty Antarctic hut from which Scott’s party launched their successful attempt on the South Pole.

“It was mostly a smell of tar, rope and antiquity. There was an anorak hanging on a hook and a bench with the test tubes and Bunsen burners with which Edward Wilson [the expedition’s scientist] did his experiments.”

“Suddenly I felt I couldn’t stay any longer,” Sir David added. “I felt the personalities of these huge extraordinary characters who opened up the Antarctic. I had to get out of the hut. It was an experience I will never forget.”

Sir David’s recollection was among highlights he recounted to mark the publication of Edward Wilson’s Antarctic Notebooks, a collection of the naturalist’s sketches and paintings.

Dr Wilson was a member of both Scott’s expeditions and the book incorporates a selection of artwork from the two journeys. The scientist’s body and his drawings and watercolours were found alongside Scott’s corpse after the exhausted and demoralised party ran out of supplies on their return from the South Pole. They had been beaten to the frozen landmark just months earlier by Norwegian Roald Amundsen.

WWT Chief Executive Martin Spray stressed the inspiration Captain Scott drew from Dr Wilson and the legacy for WWT of Captain’s Scott’s words for his son. “That simple message, in my view, changed the world,” he said. “Peter Scott was a man of extraordinary achievements.”

Use the online form to nominate the wetland you most love and admire.

A panel of experts will choose the very best and the person who manages it will be presented with the Marsh Award for Wetland Conservation, an award of £1,000.

Last year the Marsh Award went to Somerset councillor Tony Moulin for managing the wetlands at Biddle Street on The Strawberry Line.

Around 35 acres, it has been made a Site of Special Scientific Interest since Tony started managing it. He became a Duke of Edinburgh’s Award assessor in the 1990s to enable young people to earn their medals through conservation work at the reserve.

Tony says: “It’s been wonderful seeing people grow through their connection with the reserve. There’s an otter group that uses it; ecologists are conducting dormouse, amphibian and reptile surveys there; and conservationists are studying the bats of the reserve and beyond. This is what’s so exciting: we’re able to see the younger generation further their interest in nature at the reserve. It helps people connect together for the greater good.”

WWT’s Head of Wetlands for People Andy Graham is one of the judges of the Marsh Award. He said: “Thanks to Tony this patch of land by a disused railway line has become a haven for wildlife, but the winning factor was that people use it too.

“Wetlands worldwide are linked with societies. With our technological lifestyles in the UK, that link is sometimes less obvious. As we go for a walk or fish or birdwatch, we don’t necessarily think about the jobs that wetland does quietly: storing floodwater, protecting our homes and businesses, keeping our rivers clean, providing us and our farmland with clean water.

“People like Tony make a big contribution to society by keeping our wetlands working well, which is why we want to reward them. Please take a couple of minutes to tell us about a wetland you love.”

The curlew has seen a 49% decline since 1994

For more than a decade, conservationists have been sounding alarm bells over declining numbers of many birds of farmed habitats in Wales. So the increase, from an all time low, in the Wild Bird Indicator – part of the Welsh Government’s way of measuring the health of the environment – has been cautiously welcomed.

The picture that makes up the Wild Bird Indicator is complex though, and changes between two individual years do not necessarily reflect the underlying trend. Some birds such as linnet, blackcap and tree pipit have increased significantly on the previous year, which has contributed to the upswing in the Wild Bird Indicator.

However, the picture is not positive for other species. Those that have declined most since 1994, such as curlew (49%), swift (50%) and starling (63%) showed much smaller increases on the previous year, and there is a long way to go to return these birds to their historic levels.

Richard Hearn, Head of Species Monitoring at WWT explained how waterbirds are faring: “The status of waterbirds in Wales is a story of winners and losers. Some species, such as pochard and curlew, show Wales’s waterbirds are by no means secure; curlew has declined significantly in the breeding and wintering periods, both in Wales and elsewhere, and these widespread declines mean this species is now recognized as globally near-threatened.

“Declines of other species also need to be assessed within a flyway context, and new information from the Baltic Sea shows that red-breasted merganser numbers are also of concern there as well as in Wales.

“Other species are thankfully doing well; pintail and black-tailed godwit for example have increased notably, showing that wetland habitats in Wales being used by these species remain healthy.”

The other partners which contribute to the report also commented.

Ian Johnstone, RSPB Cymru Senior Conservation Scientist says: “We have seen up turns in the wild bird indicator in previous years, but these have not been sustained and have been followed by further decline. Whilst good news, we need more years of monitoring before we can tell whether some of Wales’s declining species have now started a sustained recovery.”

David Noble, Principal Ecologist for Monitoring at the BTO, said “The wild bird indicator does indicate a recent upturn in numbers but we know that bird populations respond to many different factors and can bounce back from short-term crashes. It is essential that the tremendous monitoring efforts of Wales’s volunteer birdwatchers are complemented by further investigation of the causes of change in bird communities, especially the continuing declines in farmland specialists such as starling, curlew and yellowhammer.”

Dr Siân Whitehead, Terrestrial & Freshwater Ornithologist for the Countryside Council for Wales said: “From this report, the urgency of conservation action for some breeding species such as golden plover and twite is clear. It is crucial that land managers and conservationists work together for their benefit before we lose them forever.”

Ian Spence, Secretary of the Welsh Ornithological Society said: “The strength of evidence for the alarming declines of some of our native species would not be possible without the massive contribution made by volunteer bird surveyors. Both they, and the organizations that present the results of their efforts in reports like this, need all the support they can to safeguard Wales’ birds.”

The State of Birds in Wales is compiled annually to provide a snapshot of bird populations in Wales.  A tremendous effort by volunteers, county bird recorders and representatives from a range of organisations helps to shape the report.

Spoon-billed sandpipers, brought to the UK from Far East Russia, have been moved out of quarantine into purpose built quarters at the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust in Gloucestershire.

The 13 birds will form the basis of a breeding population providing a safety net against extinction should the wild population continue its dramatic decline. It is intended that their descendents will be released into the wild.

There are thought to be fewer than 100 pairs of spoon-billed sandpipers left in the wild. Hunting and the destruction of stopover sites on the birds’ migration route have caused numbers to plunge by 90% in a decade. The breeding programme at WWT could save the species from extinction.

Nigel Jarrett, Head of Conservation Breeding at WWT, said: “These birds would normally range from the frozen Arctic to tropical coastal wetlands in South-East Asia and despite being held in unnatural surroundings they have done very well.

“The new site at WWT’s headquarters at Slimbridge is purpose-built and a little larger than the quarantine area. It is crucial we keep it warm because at this stage in the birds’ lives they’d normally be in the tropics.

“In some ways we’re going into the unknown now but every day that passes is a success. The priority is to keep the birds alive and healthy so that eventually they can breed.”

To bring the birds to Britain, Nigel Jarrett and WWT colleague Martin McGill spent weeks with biologists from Birds Russia searching for nests on the remote tundra in Chukotka, Far East Russia.

Their long and arduous expedition was backed by the RSPB and the Spoon-billed Sandpiper Task Force which was established by the East Asian-Australasian Flyway Partnership in December 2010.

Eggs found by the experts were hatched in special facilities on site and the young chicks transported to Moscow.

After a period in Moscow Zoo, the birds were flown to Heathrow then transferred inside cushioned and insulated boxes to quarantine buildings at Slimbridge.

They will receive 24-hour care inside the new area where CCTV cameras are enabling WWT staff to watch the birds constantly. Footage from the cameras is also being broadcast to public screens at WWT.

The spoon-billed sandpiper is an iconic bird for anyone interested in wildlife. Progress in attempts to save the bird is being followed by thousands of people worldwide.

The RSPB’s Andre Farrar said: “It’s clear that success, ultimately, must be judged in boosting the wild population. If the descendents of these birds make the return to the wild then we will know we have succeeded. But for now, we should celebrate a very significant milestone.”

Nigel Clark from the BTO, an expert on wading birds who also helped with the spoon-billed sandpipers’ transfer from Russia, said: “It was wonderful to see the birds for the first time. To release them into an environment that was completely new and watch them start to explore and feed, was one of those moments that convinces me that the project to save the spoon-billed sandpiper is really worthwhile. It is testament to the dedication of many people that these birds are now so strong and healthy.”

Kate will unveil a live CCTV link up with the specially-constructed Slimbridge aviary, which is now the focus of the spoon-billed sandpiper breeding programme.

Readers of this blog will be aware that CCTV has been crucial in keeping a watchful eye on the birds brought to the UK. Now it will give visitors to Slimbridge a chance to see them for themselves.

Kate will also host an audience with Nigel Jarrett and Martin McGill, talking about the expedition to Russia and the continuing challenges of trying to secure a future for the spoon-billed sandpiper.

Kate and Martin will also be signing copies of their book Watching Waterbirds – a perfect Christmas gift for budding conservationists!

Places for this event are extrememly limited so register early to secure a place. Places are by donation only and the usual admission charges apply.

To book your place and find out more about the event click here.

The paper does, however, suggest that more will be done to reduce diffuse pollution – damage to fresh and coastal water from farmland chemicals washed from fields, toxic spills from industry and polluting run-off from towns and cities.

And it at least acknowledges the benefits of drainage systems that use small reedbeds and other highly effective wetland features to better manage and clean water.

WWT owns and manages many such drainage systems and is pleased to see a focus on them in the White Paper. We would urge a much wider uptake of such systems because of all the benefits they provide to society.

The Government doesn’t go far enough, though, to encourage developers or business to incorporate these cost-effective sustainable drainage systems (SuDS) into building plans.

“Standards for their installation have still not been published while the concept of retrofitting around existing urban areas is all but ignored,” Carrie Hume, WWT’s Head of Conservation Policy says.

This form of drainage can significantly reduce urban flooding. “Unless we harness the power of nature to help prevent flooding we are in for a seriously tough time with major flooding events like those of 2007 in Gloucestershire, which cost £3.4 billion, highly likely to happen again.”

The White Paper has been anticipated for some months and was expected to tackle the excessive amounts of water being taken from rivers and other wetlands.

This over-abstraction is already damaging wildlife habitats by reducing water levels. It can also impair drinking water supplies.

Over-abstraction occurs partly because so much water is wasted domestically and commercially so more must be taken from wetlands and underground aquifers. The installation of water meters does lead to reduced water consumption but the White Paper offers little in the way of incentives for further meter installation.

WWT is urging ministers to further recognise the serious problems that over-abstraction can cause and act faster to tackle it. “The lack of clarity about how the existing damaging licences will be tackled means that wildlife suffering from low water levels today faces an uncertain future,” Carrie Hume says.

“If we fail to tackle over-abstraction from rivers and elsewhere, it’ll be crisis management for our children because we didn’t have the bottle to tackle the problem when we had the chance.”

'Here's looking at You' taken by Dave Cook

The heat is on as winter approaches, not only in our cosy living rooms, but for the next stage of the WWT Photography competition as the winter heat opens on 1 December.

Following on from the success of the autumn heat, which received an influx of over 2,500 online entries and a staggering 12,800 votes in the People’s Choice category, the next season has much to live up to.

WWT is calling on all nature lovers and photographers to submit their most prized pictures before 29 February 2012 when the winter heat will close.

Autumn heat winners representing each of WWT’s nine wetland centres will be chosen from each of the main categories – Wetland Wildlife, Wetland Landscapes, Wildlife & People and Junior Photographer of the Year (under 18s) over the next couple of weeks.

Votes for the autumn heat People’s Choice category, where members of the public can go online and choose their favourite entry each season, are still being accepted until 1 January 2012, when a winner will be chosen.

All the regional winners for each of the four seasonal heats will go through to the national finals to be held in Autumn 2012.

'Drake Mandarin Duck' taken by Andrew Berry

Whilst photographs entered into all the other categories must have been taken at one of WWT’s nine wetland wildlife centres across the UK, the World Wetlands category invites entries taken of wetlands large or small, good or bad, from all over the world.

These can range from rivers in Rwanda, lakes in Lagos to creeks in Colorado, or even one of the most extreme wetlands in the world, Antarctica.

A shortlist will be chosen from this category for each seasonal heat to go on to the national finals

Finally, to be in with the chance of winning the grand prize of the trip to Antarctica, entrants must submit at least three or more photographs in at least two or more seasonal heats.

If this criteria is met, the entrant’s ‘portfolio’ will be automatically entered into the Portfolio Photographer of the Year category.

At the national finals, each portfolio photographer’s three best photographs (as shortlisted by the judges) will be considered with the winner receiving the Portfolio Photographer of the Year Award and the grand prize of a 12-day fully inclusive trip to Antarctica, courtesy of Exodus in partnership with Quark Expeditions.

The competition is being held in association with Canon, in celebration of the Scott Antarctic Expedition Centenary, and offers an amazing £50,000 worth of fantastic prizes for the national winners, including a grand prize for the Portfolio Photographer category of a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Antarctica courtesy of Exodus in partnership with Quark Expeditions.

Visit www.wwt.org.uk/photo for full details.

'Barnacle Geese' taken by Tom Langlands

Water droplets can appear to bounce off a bird's back. WWT/James Lees

Photographing wetlands is exciting, challenging and always unpredictable, according to WWT’s James Lees.

Birds arrive in their thousands in winter, their vivid colours stunning, their antics stopping the show.

Spring and summer captivate with courtship and new life. Autumn is tints and shades, and glowering weather fronts routinely akin to a Constable canvas.

Writing in The Guardian, James highlights the bonus to photographers of wetlands’ constantly changing conditions. He explains how best to take photos in rain and sun, and when and how to zoom in on particular species.

Ducks bathing, taking off and skidding back into the water can make the most memorable shots, James says. Where to stand, how to frame your image and even which way your avian subject should face are all part of the Slimbridge Conservation Warden’s lively wetlands commentary.

His favourite photo has rippling foreground and hunting action behind, against a tiered backdrop of land and sky. Do check your background though, James warns: “A wonky horizon is a disaster: you’ll have a whole load of ducks swimming up a hill of water”.

James’s article is part The Guardian’s Green Shoots nature series which presents amateur photographers with a new challenge each month. It coincides with the launch of the winter round of WWT’s photo competition. Seasonal entries close on 29 February 2012. The competition runs until 31 August 2012 with the top prize a trip to Antarctica.

This has not only aided our ability to save wetlands for wildlife and people across the world but also helped reduce the amount of toxic material going to landfill.

Now there are new ways to recycle. We are now accepting working iPods either via the WWT recycling envelopes or the collection boxes at every centre.

We can also now recycle CDs and DVDs to help raise even more funds for WWT – each disc will raise 50p.

They must however be given via the WWT centre collection boxes (they will not be accepted in the WWT recycle envelopes). All items collected must have their disc, original artwork and case.

Please note that the following cannot be accepted for recycling:

• CD singles or EP’s
• Promotional CD’s (ones given away free in newspapers or magazines)
• Copies or fakes
• Items without a barcode
• Items marked not for resale
• Items with missing artwork, cases or discs
• Discs which are badly damaged

So please search out your old CDs and DVDs and iPods and help us raise more funds for conservation.

Almost 2,500 pictures were entered across five categories, which included Wetland Wildlife, World Wetlands and Young Photographer of the Year. And 12,800 votes were cast by the public to determine the People’s Choice category winner.

The judging will now begin and our selected regional winners will be handed a fabulous wildlife photography workshop held at their local WWT centre, courtesy of Wild Arena.

They’ll also go through to the competition final, taking place once the final summer seasonal heat ends in 2012, and be in with a chance of winning top prizes including a seven day activity holiday for two to Sooma National Park in Estonia, a five night eco-tourism break for two people to New York State and a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Antarctica.

Below is a selection of the entries we’ve had for the autumn heat of the competition. You can view these and all of the rest on the website.

Shoveler - Tom Hines

Signs of dramatic changes for some wetland birds are reported today as some species reach their highest and lowest recorded population levels in the UK in winter.

Millions of ducks, geese, swans and wading birds escaping the Arctic winter in northern Europe, Siberia, Greenland and Canada, head for our shores, making the UK one of the most important European countries for wintering waterbirds.

The latest population figures on wetland birds – and a host of other species are – contained in the State of the UK’s Birds 2011 report – published by a coalition of conservation organisations. The report provides a ‘one-stop-shop’ for the results of bird surveys and monitoring schemes and projects from across the UK from as recently as 2010.

Overall, numbers of wintering waterbirds have been in shallow decline since the late 1990s, but the underlying story is more complex.

One of the greatest losses recorded in the report has been the mallard – Britain’s most familiar duck – which has hit a new low with the lowest recorded numbers wintering at their most important UK strongholds. The State of the UK’s Birds 2011 report shows that winter mallard numbers have declined by 38 per cent since 1982 and by 22 per cent since 1998. However, the shoveler, a close relative of the mallard, has increased by 27 per cent since 1998.

The whooper swan, which breeds in Iceland, has reached its highest levels (increasing by 122 per cent in the last 10 years) while the Bewick’s swan, which breeds in Siberia, has declined by 44 per cent over the same period.

The reasons for the changes are complex and not yet fully understood. Results from waterbird monitoring schemes in other parts of Europe have shown that some changes is likely to be explained by some birds not migrating as far because of milder conditions elsewhere: a phenomenon known as ‘short-stopping’.  But for other species, such as the Bewick’s swan, international cooperation has proven that numbers are declining across northern Europe.

Other species which have declined since 1998 are: pochard (-46 per cent); dunlin (-39 per cent); bar-tailed godwit (-29 per cent); and ringed plover (-26 per cent).
In contrast, the report also shows that some wintering wetland birds have increased in the UK since 1998, including: avocet (+95 per cent); black-tailed godwit (+53 per cent); and pink-footed goose (+27 per cent). The avocet and pink-footed goose have both reached their highest population levels since records began.

Richard Hearn WWT’s Head of Species Monitoring said: “We are seeing increasingly rapid changes in wintering waterbird numbers in the UK. Some species such as goldeneye, are most likely moving elsewhere, but others such as long-tailed duck and velvet scoter, are thought to be declining everywhere and require urgent conservation action.

“An icon of the UK migration season, Bewick’s swans also need continued focus to ensure conservation actions are implemented. And with so many of these migratory birds reliant on our wetlands, the loss of 45 per cent of wetland habitat in the UK in the last 75 years is a major concern.”

Read the full press release here.

The State of the UK’s Birds 2011 report is produced by a coalition of three NGOs – RSPB, British Trust for Ornithology (BTO), and the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust – and the UK Government’s statutory nature conservation agencies – the Countryside Council for Wales (CCW), Natural England (NE), Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA), Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH), and the Joint Nature Conservation Committee. (JNCC).

Sir David Attenborough at the London Wetland Centre (Nick Cottrell)

“Make no mistake, Captain Scott was a hero and his party were great human beings,” Sir David Attenborough told a captivated audience at the London Wetland Centre yesterday.

Scott left a legacy of “courage, amazing superhuman courage,” Sir David added, recalling his own discomfort on stepping into the empty Antarctic hut from which Scott’s party launched their successful attempt on the South Pole.

“It was mostly a smell of tar, rope and antiquity. There was an anorak hanging on a hook and a bench with the test tubes and Bunsen burners with which Edward Wilson [the expedition’s scientist] did his experiments.

“Suddenly I felt I couldn’t stay any longer,” Sir David added. “I felt the personalities of these huge extraordinary characters who opened up the Antarctic. I had to get out of the hut. It was an experience I will never forget.”

Sir David’s recollection was among highlights he recounted to mark the publication of Edward Wilson’s Antarctic Notebooks, a collection of the naturalist’s sketches and paintings.

Dr Wilson was a member of both Scott’s expeditions and the book incorporates a selection of artwork from the two journeys.

The scientist’s body and his drawings and watercolours were found alongside Scott’s corpse after the exhausted and demoralised party ran out of supplies on their return from the South Pole. They had been beaten to the frozen landmark just months earlier by Norwegian Roald Amundsen.

Dr Wilson sketched penguins, albatrosses, skuas and fish. He depicted stunning landscapes, spectacular skies and outlines of unimaginable shores.

Much of his work was in pencil and unfinished. Beside each was a colour code for completion later.

Chris (L) and David Wilson flank Sir David Attenborough (Nick Cottrell)

The book has been compiled by Dr Wilson’s great nephews Chris and David Wilson, themselves professional naturalists. “A lot of the drawings were of species never seen before,” David Wilson said. “But perhaps most important were the topographical drawings, some 70 yards long, of newly discovered coastlines.

The impact of the expedition’s work was still being felt today, David Wilson added. “Penguin skins they collected were later used to prove the existence of DDT which led to it being banned in the US and later across the world.”

Also found beside the bodies was Scott’s famous last letter to his wife which included the immortal words about their two-year-old son Peter: “Make the boy interested in natural history if you can; it is better than games”.

That she did and 65 years ago in 1946, Peter founded the Severn Wildfowl Trust, later to become WWT. “Peter aroused the world in a way that was before his time,” Sir David Attenborough said. “He became a universal figure. He made everyone realise that the natural world is in danger from ourselves and we have a responsibility to do something about that.”

Sir David Attenborough

WWT Chief Executive Martin Spray stressed the inspiration Captain Scott drew from Dr Wilson and the legacy for WWT of Captain’s Scott’s words for his son. “That simple message, in my view, changed the world,” he said. “Peter Scott was a man of extraordinary achievements.”

The arrival of these birds marks the start of a conservation-breeding programme intended to help prevent the extinction of the spoon-billed sandpiper, a shorebird whose unique appearance and extreme rarity have given it near-mythical status among birdwatchers all over the world.

Throughout 2011 conservationists from Birds Russia have been working with WWT and the RSPB on an emergency rescue mission for the species. This culminated in an expedition to the remote Russian Far East to take eggs from some of the nests and hatch them in captivity. The birds have now been brought to the UK where the climate is suitable for their year-round care and expertise and facilities exist to start a breeding programme.

WWT’s Head of Conservation Breeding, Nigel Jarrett, who hatched the birds on the Russian tundra, was with them as they flew to the UK. He said:

“Taking one of the world’s rarest birds across 11 time zones by boat, plane and now by road has been the most nerve-wracking job I’ve ever done. The hopes of the conservation movement worldwide have been riding on this mission and it is an incredibly difficult thing to do successfully. But we couldn’t sit back and do nothing while there was a chance to prevent the loss of this unique species.

“The spoon-billed sandpiper is but a hair’s-breadth from extinction and the birds will receive 24 hour care in Slimbridge. Now we and the many other organisations working on this species must gather support for action to tackle the hunting and habitat loss that has left these birds in such peril.”

WWT has world-class expertise in the management and breeding of endangered waterbirds, but no one had hatched or kept spoon-billed sandpipers in captivity before. Rearing 13 healthy young birds from eggs taken from the arctic tundra is a massive achievement, but many challenges remain. Quarantine and long flights are stressful experiences for any animal. These birds have round-the-clock care, but the next few days will be some of the most anxious for Nigel and his team.

The spoon-billed sandpiper is threatened by loss of essential intertidal feeding sites along its 8000km migration route from Russia to its wintering grounds in South and South-east Asia, and also by trapping on its non-breeding grounds. Although these issues are being tackled, the conservation breeding programme has been started because the population is now so low. At fewer than 100 pairs left, and declining  by a quarter each year in recent times, there may be too little time to reduce hunting and habitat loss before the species disappears completely.

The birds are now quarantined for another 30 days in Slimbridge. From there they will be moved to purpose-built aviaries which will be the focus of the conservation breeding programme. This first year of the project, which has involved shipping equipment to the Russian Far East and building extensive aviaries, has been costly and has had to be organised at break-neck speed. A further expedition is needed next year to get enough birds to establish a viable breeding population and funds are urgently being sought.

The conservation-breeding programme is just part of an international campaign to save the spoon-billed sandpiper that will benefit many endangered species that use the same migratory Flyway. The enigmatic bird has become a rallying point for those concerned by some of the threats to wildlife in the region.

Dr Tim Stowe, the RSPB’s Director of International Operations, said “Flying 16,000km every year, raising a family in one of the remotest places on earth and threatened by hunting and the destruction of their winter homes, spoon-billed sandpipers lead a perilous existence.  Captive breeding is not something conservation organisations enter into lightly, but in this case it’s the best chance – possibly the only chance – the birds have.

“Unfortunately this problem isn’t a cheap and easy fix; it will take a take a long time and requires a lot of money, so raising enough funds to save the spoon-billed sandpiper is vital. This is an ambitious and dramatic project and there’s still a long way to go, but if we’re able to save this iconic little bird, it’ll all be worth it in the end.”

Dr Evgeny Syroechovskiy of Birds Russia, said: “I wish all the best to these special Russian birds. It’s hard to believe the problem is so bad that it has come to this, but we have been left with no choice if we want to save the spoon-billed sandpiper.

“The ultimate goal is to release the offspring of this captive population back to the wild. In the meantime, we must tackle habitat destruction and subsistence hunting, and give this enigmatic little bird a new beginning.”

The most immediate threat to the birds – unsustainable levels of subsistence trapping on their wintering grounds in Myanmar – is being addressed by conservationists working with local communities to find other livelihoods.

In response to the loss of inter-tidal mudflats along the coasts of East Asia, the international conservation movement is pressuring governments to conserve the most important wildlife sites, and acknowledge their great natural value to human society. As their value as fisheries, shell-fisheries and for coastal protection is appreciated, it is hoped that their reclamation for development will become less attractive.

Once the birds have left quarantine and been released into their new home at Slimbridge, WWT hopes to stream video of the birds to the visitor centre once they are settled, so visitors can see the species that has become something of a Holy Grail for bird-lovers worldwide.

The arrival of the spoon-billed sandpipers in the UK

WWT has saved species, pioneered scientific research and helped governments and communities reap widespread benefits from wetlands.

Since its formation at Slimbridge in 1946, as the Severn Wildfowl Trust, WWT has opened eight more centres, covering 2,600 hectares, in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Six of those sites are part of larger Ramsar wetlands – areas recognised globally for their high wildlife value. More than one million people visit WWT reserves every year, over half of whom are children.

Martin Spray, Chief Executive of WWT, said: “WWT has become a major force in wetland conservation in a very short time.

“Our science has saved species and our centres have become hubs of learning, inspiration and recreation. WWT’s founder Sir Peter Scott saw that enthusing people about nature was paramount, a principle that remains at the heart of all we do.

“Wildlife would be devalued without it, and our attempts to conserve nature for future generations would fail.”

 Full press release

Waders on the Severn Estuary at Slimbridge, one of six WWT Ramsar sites

History has been made today with the confirmation of a major new agreement between WWT and the Ramsar wetlands convention.

WWT Chief Executive Martin Spray this morning signed a Memorandum of Cooperation with Ramsar at the organisation’s headquarters in Switzerland enabling the trust to strengthen its bonds with more than 150 governments.

Martin Spray said: “The signing, in Ramsar’s 40th anniversary year, was historic because it reflects WWT’s involvement in Ramsar long before its launch in 1971.

“WWT founder Sir Peter Scott and Professor Geoffrey Matthews, a former WWT research director, were instrumental in establishing the Ramsar treaty. Peter was the keynote speaker at its launch in Iran and today’s event, four decades on, signals increased collaboration between WWT and the convention.”

Ramsar aims to a protect wetlands globally and promote their ‘wise use’. There are now 160 partner countries and 1,960 designated wetlands across the world including six major sites that incorporate WWT centres. WWT also works in countries including Cambodia, Guyana and Madagascar to protect wetlands and rare species.

The MoC underlines WWT’s contribution to Ramsar in other areas too, not least poverty alleviation and disease control.

“The principles behind the Ramsar treaty echo those of WWT and having this opportunity to cement our ties with an organisation of such integrity and repute underscores our experience and expertise,” Martin Spray said.

“We are helping to protect endangered waterbirds in many countries and supporting those nations as they establish their own conservation infrastructure. This agreement recognises our work to date and the priceless global role wetlands play.”

Ramsar press release

They will overwinter at UK wetlands which provide food and safety until temperatures rise sufficiently for the birds to return to breeding sites.

Their stay at Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust centres creates some of the most memorable natural spectacles anywhere in the UK and is being monitored and highlighted on WWT’s popular Migration Watch blog.

Stunning photos and film clips are complementing eye witness accounts of which birds have arrived, where and in what number. Blog readers can also put their questions to WWT experts and tell us about what they’ve seen themselves.

The blog’s resumption comes as the BBC’s Autumnwatch prepares to broadcast from WWT’s Slimbridge headquarters in Gloucestershire.

Julia Newth, a species monitoring expert at WWT, said: “Watching huge flocks of geese and swans is one of autumn’s great pleasures and anyone interested in wildlife cannot fail to be moved and astounded by the journeys they make to reach us.

“The UK is the winter home of birds that migrate from as far away as Canada and Siberia. Some species are doing well, but others are in serious decline. Our monitoring work helps identify which species are doing well and which are in trouble so that we can implement conservation measures where they are most needed..

“Check WWT’s website, enjoy the spectacle from your home or find out where you can get out to see it firsthand.”

Several WWT centres feed their migrant visitors daily, public events that attract hundreds of people.

Migration Watch will also stress the important conservation work undertaken for wildfowl.

Some species are in decline and their long journeys often come with many risks such as adverse weather, shooting and flying accidents.

Satellite tracking is just one research tool currently used to learn more about the birds’ migrations and the obstacles they may encounter on the way. WWT’s reserves are managed to provide the best possible refuges for the birds during the winter, so that they are fit and healthy for their spring migration.

The UK is one of the most important places for migratory waterbirds with its long coast line and protected reserves. WWT centres are central to ensuring these birds’ survival. Last year, WWT Martin Mere in Lancashire had the best autumn migration in 15 years, with more than 1,300 whooper swans and 30,000 pink-footed geese.

More than 9,000 whooper and Bewick’s swans overwintered at WWT Welney in Norfolk while WWT Caerlaverock on the Solway Firth is expecting more than 35,000 barnacle geese

WWT’s Castle Espie reserve overlooking Strangford Lough in Northern Ireland hosts most of the world’s light-bellied brent geese while around 35,000 migrating wildfowl are likely to overwinter at WWT’s flagship reserve at Slimbridge in Gloucestershire.

Log on to WWT’s Migration Watch this autumn and watch this season’s skies come alive.

Wake up on Boxing Day feeling like a pig in a blanket? Many of us overindulge on turkey, booze and Christmas pud, so why not clear those foggy heads with some fresh air and work off those festive excesses with a visit to a WWT wetland centre – one of the few attractions in the country actually open on Boxing Day.

WWT centres change throughout the seasons, and when Christmas casts its frosty spell over the wetlands, it is a magical time to visit. And after spending a day indoors opening presents, enjoying a Christmas feast then falling asleep in front of a film (cracker hat still on), getting out on Boxing Day is a great opportunity for the family to get out and about. Witness the wildlife spectacles nature has to offer by strolling through the wetlands at one of WWT’s nine centres throughout the UK. Experience stunning scenery, breathtaking views, and nose to beak encounters with the world’s most dramatic and rare wildlife, including the many thousands of ducks, geese and swans who migrate thousands of miles to WWT centres.

Enjoy the stunning spectacle of up to 9,000 whooper and Bewick’s swans at Welney, some 30,000 pink-footed geese at Martin Mere, more than 25,000 barnacle geese at Caerlaverock, and almost the entire population of light-bellied brent geese at Castle Espie. See these amazing winter visitors close-up at the regular commentated wild bird feeds at many centres, and look out for the Bewick’s swans at Slimbridge, each of whom is named and individually recognised by their own unique bill pattern.

Don’t forget, the winter heat of WWT’s 2011-2012 Photography Competition is running from December until the end of February, so why not bring your camera and see what masterpieces you can capture during your visit. To enter the competition and be in with a chance of grabbing one of the fantastic prizes worth a total of £50,000, visit www.wwt.org.uk/photo.

There are lots of festive activities, guided walks and talks at centres for all the family throughout the festive period. Each centre has excellent restaurants and gift shops and all have family friendly and disabled facilities including buggy access, manual wheelchairs and electric buggies for hire.

For more details on what is happening at each individual WWT centre over the festive season and into the new year, visit www.wwt.org.uk/visit.

Nine Whooper swans glided onto the lagoon at Welney, Norfolk with eight touching down in Caerlaverock, Scotland on the same day, heralding the arrival of Autumn.

The Welney arrivals will be a welcome sight to the now famous whooper swan couple Romeo and Julietta and their cygnet, who surprised conservationists and romanced the public by their devotion, staying behind to breed in the UK this year as Julietta was too injured for her to fly back to Iceland.

Eileen Rees, Head of UK Waterbird Conservation Programme said:

“The early arrivals are mainly due to swans taking advantage of northerly tail winds from Iceland, combined with the low weather system which has been causing the storm-force winds in Britain.

“Last weekend there was snow in the highlands of Iceland and this, along with the tail winds, may have encouraged swans from those areas to leave for the wintering grounds, despite it not being particularly cold in southern Iceland”.

Last year, the swans arrived on 19 September, with this year’s first swans beating them to the post by four days. This also follows on from the news that the first 500 pink-footed geese have also arrived at the Martin Mere WWT reserve, Lancashire, also returning from their summer breeding grounds in Iceland.

Weather can have a dramatic impact on migratory birds, as recent storms have also brought unexpected visitors such as Manx shearwaters and Arctic skuas to reserves across the UK, that were blown off course travelling south.

Every year thousands of wild Whooper swans spend the winter in the UK. Up to 9,000 will reside in the wetlands on the Ouse washes, of which 1,000 acres can be found at Welney WWT centre, making it the largest swan roost in the country. This first group have made their journey to Welney and Caerlaverock successfully and can now rest and start to recover the energy lost by feeding on the aquatic plants around the lagoons. The reserve at Martin Mere WWT centre in Lancashire, awaits their first flock of whooper swans, which will be expected shortly.

These incredible migrants will have just completed a 1,200 mile journey from their breeding grounds in Iceland. This includes an astounding 700 mile ocean crossing over the North Atlantic, which they can complete in as little as 12 hours and 40 minutes. That is a speed of over 55 miles per hour for nearly 13 hours, so it’s little wonder the Whoopers take advantage of tail winds blowing in their direction.

Recent observations of Whooper swans made throughout the summer suggest that 2011 has been a poor breeding year for the birds. This could be due to very adverse conditions in the Spring in Iceland, where they were breeding under the shadow of the ash cloud from Iceland’s latest Volcanic eruption – the Grimsvotn volcano beneath the Vatnajökull ice cap which was even larger than the Eyjafjallajökull eruption of 2010.

Enjoy the magical side of nature at WWT Arundel and WWT London Wetland Centre with the huggable huskies, where children can experience the excitement of a sleigh ride; or come and meet Father Christmas in his woodland grotto at WWT Martin Mere. And what Christmas wouldn’t be complete without the fun of a pantomime, so come and help the wetland animals stop the wicked witch turn them all into tiny frogs at WWT London Wetland Centre in Which Witch is Which?

And who says Christmas is for children? A variety of festive-themed events will be taking place for all the family to enjoy – indulge in a festive lunch overlooking 200 acres of recently created wetland habitat before watching thousands of wild swans being fed at WWT Welney. If that doesn’t whet your appetite, crafty creatures can drop into the Christmas wreath making workshop at WWT Llanelli, or get hands on with the natural crafts available at WWT Washington.

If you’d rather shop for beautiful handmade gifts than make them yourself, WWT Slimbridge will be having an array of stalls to browse, selling everything from beautiful and unusual gifts and decorations for the home, to the very best in local festive produce (3-4 December).

WWT’s nine wetland centres across the UK all have something different: from exciting interactive exhibits, discovery trails, fun, educational children’s play areas and a full programme of activities and events over the Christmas season.

Each centre introduces adults and children alike to the wonders of wetland wildlife and their habitats, with stunning scenery and nose-to-beak encounters with some of the world’s most dramatic and rare birds, as well as exciting mammals and reptiles too.  Every centre has excellent restaurants and gift shops and all have family friendly and disabled facilities.

By visiting a WWT centre this Christmas, you are directly supporting WWT’s conservation work, which means we can continue working to conserve the wetland habitats that are so important for the wildlife that depend on them.

And to make your money go further, if you’ve enjoyed your day and choose to become a member of WWT at the end of your visit, not only do you get your entrance fee refunded, but you get free entry to all nine centres for a full year. So you can bring the children back to any WWT centre as many times as you like throughout a whole year for nothing.  As well as free entry to WWT centres, members receive an exclusive quarterly magazine, Waterlife, which keeps you up to date on what’s going on at all nine centres and WWT’s conservation work around the world.

(Entered by Ben Cullen in the Young Photographer of the Year Award category, taken at Slimbridge)

From shovelers at Slimbridge to otters at Washington – the entries into the autumn heat of the WWT 2011-2012 Photography Competition are flooding in. As we hit the halfway mark of the autumn heat of the competition, there are just a few weeks left to enter your autumn pictures before this first of the four seasonal heats closes on 30 November.

The competition is being held in association with Canon, in celebration of the Scott Antarctic Expedition Centenary, and offers an amazing £50,000 worth of fantastic prizes for the national winners, including a grand prize for the Portfolio Photographer category of a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Antarctica.

At the end of each heat, winners representing each of WWT’s nine wetland centres will be chosen from each category. Seasonal winners will receive a certificate and a coveted place on a WildArena photography workshop (www.wildarena.com) at their local wetland centre. Following the success of last year’s competition, this year will reprise the Wetland Wildlife, Wetland Landscapes and Wildlife & People categories, as well as the People’s Choice category where voting is open for members of the public to go online and choose their favourite entry each season. There is also a Junior category for under 18s, a World Wetlands category, and the Portfolio Photographer of the Year Award for which entrants must submit three or more photographs in two or more seasonal heats to qualify.

During autumn, WWT centres come alive with amazing wildlife spectacles – perfect subjects for the novice or experienced photographer. With russet leaves beginning to fall, and migrant birds arriving in their thousands, this season is one of the most beautiful and exciting times to visit our centres.

WWT centres are perfect venues for fine tuning your expertise in photography with ample opportunities to capture snapshots of individual birds and flocks within the backdrop of stunning wetlands. With competitive admission prices, WWT centres also have excellent restaurants and gift shops plus disabled facilities including manual wheelchairs and electric buggies for hire.

December 1 marks the opening of the next stage – the winter heat. For more details on the competition or to enter, go to photo.wwt.org.uk

Regatta, a corporate patron of Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust, has linked up with us to encourage more people to get out and enjoy the outdoors – even when it’s raining. After all, there’s no such thing as bad weather – only the wrong clothes!

If you’ve recently visited us at WWT and would like to be in with a chance of winning £100 worth of Regatta outdoor gear to make your next trip even more enjoyable, you simply need to write a blog post about your visit and you could be a winner.

We’ll be picking five winners in total, each of which will be featured on the Regatta blog. The blog is a great source of information and tips for outdoor living, ideas for trips out and walks with friends and family, as well as gear reviews all written by a dedicated team of bloggers. Each of our winners will be able to go to www.regatta.com and choose their £100 worth of products.

The five winning blogs will be chosen for their relevant and engaging content. We will be looking out for those that encourage visits to WWT’s centres as well as those that have recommendations for suitable clothing to wear.

Regatta has kit for all the family including Isotex waterproof and breathable jackets, fleece, Softshell, t-shirts, trousers, overtrousers, socks, baselayer, footwear, rucksacks and walking poles. From technical styles to more laid back fashionable garments Regatta has clothing to fit 1000s of adventures.

To enter, please send your blog (max 250 words) with photos (max four) to: regattacompetition@wwt.org.uk.

TERMS AND CONDITIONS

This competition is open to all residents of the UK and Ireland, excluding staff and immediate families (defined as parents, siblings, children and spouse, regardless of where they live) of Regatta Clothing or WWT.

No purchase necessary but blogs should be based on a visit to a WWT location.

Only one entry per person.

Entries must be received from 11/10/2011 – 15/11/2011.

The winners will be selected on 22/11/2011.

The winning blogs will be featured on Regatta.com from 22/11/2011.

The prizes will be 5 x £100 worth of Regatta products. Winners will choose products via www.regatta.com but claim them through Regatta Head Office. Details will be sent to all the winners as to how to claim their prize.

Winners will be notified using the information provided within 7 days and must respond to such notification within a further 14 days, otherwise the promoter reserves the right to disqualify the entrant and select another winner for that prize.

No cash alternative will be offered in whole or part and the prizes are non-transferable.

In the event of unforeseen circumstances the Promoter reserves the right to offer alternative prizes of equal or greater value.

By entering participants will be deemed to have accepted and be bound by the rules.

The Promoter may require the winner(s) to provide additional information for age and identity verification purposes.

The winner(s) may be required to take part in reasonable publicity as specified by the Promoter.

The Promoter decisions in all matters will be final and binding and no correspondence will be entered into. Promoter : Regatta Ltd, Risol House, Mercury Way, Urmston, Manchester M41 7RR UK. Entries should not be sent to this address.

Glengoyne Highland Single Malt have generously offered to donate £4.50 to WWT for every standard bottle and £3.00 for every personalised bottle of whisky bought online at www.glengoyne.com/wwt.

John Creedon, WWT’s Corporate Relations Manager said “Glengoyne were keen to link with WWT because the name ‘Glengoyne’ means “Glen of the Wild Geese” in Gaelic, and WWT’s Caerlaverock Wetland Centre in Dumfriesshire, within easy reach of the distillery, is of course the winter home of tens of thousands of barnacle geese from Svalbard.”

Glengoyne distillery is proud of its environmental record and will shortly finish the creation of its own constructed wetland to treat its water naturally and create an area rich in biodiversity.

Multi gold award-winning Glengoyne is a leading premium Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky, distilled at Glengoyne since 1833.

The Glengoyne portfolio consists of 10 Years Old, 12 Years Old, 12 Years Old Cask Strength, 17 Years Old, 21 Years Old and Vintage 1972 as well as limited editions.

To buy a bottle of Glengoyne for yourself (or become very popular with a friend or relation by buying them a bottle as a gift!) just log onto the Glengoyne online shop using the special URL www.glengoyne.com/wwt

Please make sure you shop using the URL above (or by clicking on the picture below) to ensure WWT gets your donation.

But the mood was tempered by news that three quarters of the wild population in Africa is threatened by industrial development.

In the wild, as in captivity, lesser flamingos’ fastidious nature can hamper their breeding. They only breed well when in large flocks of thousands and are sensitive at nesting stage.

It can take as little as a slight change in water level or for something to pass overhead and the birds can abandon their nests.

So plans to build a soda ash extraction plant at Lake Natron in Tanzania, where the vast majority of lesser flamingos gather to breed, is alarming conservationists at WWT.

The skills and techniques developed with captive flamingos can pay dividends to wild populations. For example, building artificial nest mounds for wild flamingos has been used with great success at sites in Europe and Africa.

Tens of thousands of flamingos have hatched in the wild directly as a result of this technique pioneered in captivity. Conservation breeding programmes also help develop vital skills for re-introduction projects for endangered birds.

Rebecca Lee, WWT Senior Species Conservation Officer and Chair of the IUCN-SSC/Wetlands International Flamingo Specialist Group says: “It’s partly a numbers game. In the wild they breed in very large flocks of tens and sometimes hundreds of thousands of birds. Flock density seems to play an important role in encouraging birds to display and initiate nest building.

“In captivity, it’s well known that flocks of less than 40 flamingos will rarely breed. At WWT we use mirrors to give the birds a sense of a bigger flock.”

Threat to main breeding site

The lesser flamingo is currently classified as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List – but that situation could change very quickly.

At the moment about three-quarters of the global population live in the Great Rift Valley in Africa, and almost all of these breed at only one site – Lake Natron, in Tanzania.

Plans to build a soda ash extraction plant at the lake are placing the future of this critical breeding site under threat.

Four years ago, plans for the plant were shelved following worldwide concerns over its environmental impact both from the extraction of soda ash and its associated infrastructure.

Commercial industries require soda ash in the production of pharmaceuticals, glassmaking and even making everyday washing powders.

But now the Tanzanian president, Jakaya Kikwete, has revived the plans – which could see 200,000 tonnes of soda ash being extracted from the lake each year – despite his government accepting an award for shelving them at the Nagoya biodiversity summit last year.

Disturbance from the soda ash extraction has been identified as one of the greatest threats to the flamingos’ future survival.

The development and associated infrastructure would potentially displace around 75% of the world population of lesser flamingos.

WWT chief executive Martin Spray concluded: “The breeding colony of flamingos on the caustic Lake Natron is truly one of nature’s greatest spectacles and this site has been designated by Tanzania and internationally for its importance to wildlife and people.

“Lesser flamingos lay only one egg at each attempt – and we know that disturbance can have a marked effect on breeding success. Any changes at Lake Natron could very quickly bring about a catastrophic decline.”

Footage of the lesser flamingo egg being incubated by parent prior to hatching yesterday

Photo of flamingos and chick at top of page by William Wattling

Glengoyne Distillery has invested £170k on the facility which deals with the effluent from the spirit stills called Spent Lees.

This reduces waste by around 25% and deals with it in an environmentally friendly manner.

The wetland plants were bedded in early May to acclimatise and have now begun processing waste liquid from whisky making.

As a further commitment to wetlands, the distillery has promised a minimum contribution of £5,000 to WWT in the first 12 months of a long term partnership, to be raised through contributions from sales of special bottles.

Glengoyne is donating £3.00 on all personalised bottles and £4.50 on all standard bottles of the core range purchased online using this link.

The agreement will also see other joint marketing and fundraising initiatives with the charity including limited edition bottlings, on-pack promotions and joint events.

The partnership kicked off in early June with a special Father’s Day promotion.

Robbie Hughes, Distillery Manager at Glengoyne said: “We are always looking at options for improving our waste management and wetlands seemed like the perfect solution.

“It allows us to reduce waste, cut down on waste transportation, be more environmentally friendly and will attract a huge range of wildlife to the area, which is already renowned for its geese.”

John Creedon, WWT’s Corporate Relations Manager said “New wetlands like this quickly become home to moths and beetles and even water voles, which in turn start to support and attract birds and potentially larger mammals like otters.

“WWT were keen to link with Glengoyne because of their commitment to the environment and because the name ‘Glengoyne’ means “Glen of the Wild Geese” in Gaelic, and WWT’s Caerlaverock Wetland Centre in Dumfriesshire, within easy reach of the distillery, is the winter home of tens of thousands of barnacle geese from Svalbard.”

Glengoyne Distillery is situated just 30 minutes outside Glasgow, in the Trossachs National Park at the start of the West Highland Way and has been producing single malt whisky for nearly 200 years.

1 September 2011 will see the return of WWT’s popular Photography Competition.

The 2011-2012 competition is being held in celebration of the Scott Antarctic Expedition Centenary and offers an amazing first prize of a trip to Antarctica.

The competition will run for 12 months with seasonal heats held regionally at each of WWT’s nine wetland centres.

Winner of the ‘Quirky’ category of WWT’s 2010 competition. ‘Tough Guy’ by Robert Falcon

When the competition closes on 31 August 2012, all seasonal, regional heat winners will go forward to the national grand final and be judged by a panel including photography experts and celebrities in the autumn.

WWT’s founder the late Sir Peter Scott was the son of the Antarctic explorer Captain Scott and it was he who told his wife, Sir Peter’s mother, to “make the boy interested in nature”, quite possibly providing the inspiration for the creation of WWT and the conservation and education work carried out by the Trust over the past 65 years.

The grand first prize is a 12 day Antarctic Explorer trip, courtesy of Exodus in partnership with Quark Expeditions.

A whole host of other exciting prizes for the national winners of each category are also on offer, including activity and adventure holidays, photography workshops or birding holidays in the UK and overseas.

Full details will be added to the photo competition website shortly.

‘Wetland Wildlife’ winner of the 2010 competition. ‘A Moment’s Peace’ by Noami Roper

Following on from the success of last year’s competition which saw 6,000 online entries and a staggering 60,000 votes in the People’s Choice category, the 2011-2012 competition will reprise the ‘Wetland Wildlife’, ‘Wetland Landscapes’, ‘Wildlife & People’ categories, as well as the ‘People’s Choice’ category where members of the public can go online and choose their favourite entry.

Whilst all photographs entered into all the other categories must have been taken at one of WWT’s nine wetland centres across the UK, a new category ‘World Wetlands’ invites entries taken of wetlands anywhere in the world.

Finally, ‘Under 18s’ can enter each category with a separate prize awarded to the ‘Junior’ winner of each, plus an overall prize awarded to the ‘Junior Photographer of the Year’.

The competition opens to entries on 1 September 2011.

The incredibly ambitious mission to collect eggs from the rapidly dwindling number of nests on the breeding grounds in Chukotka  and transport them thousands of miles via land, sea and air to the conservation breeding facility at WWT Slimbridge hatching has reached an important milestone.

Incredibly eight of the chicks actually hatched just as the team were preparing to leave Chukotka.

Describing his elation on docking safely in Anadyr, WWT’s Head of Conservation Breeding, Nigel Jarrett said: “We boarded the boat with the eight newly hatched chicks, 12 fertile eggs, considerable anxiety about the trip on rough seas and a great deal of hope.

“We got off the other end with only three eggs, but an amazing 17 chicks and the remaining eggs poised to hatch any day, so I am as happy as happy can be.”

Things have gone as well as could possibly have been hoped for so far, but saving this species is still going to be an uphill battle.

A couple of the hatchlings aren’t quite as strong as the others and we will have to accept that we will lose some.

The survival rate for spoon-billed sandpiper chicks in the wild is extremely low. On average just four chicks fledge out of around 20 eggs laid and only one of these would survive to recruit into the adult population two years later.

Taking these newly hatched chicks from hatching to fledging will be enough of a challenge on its own. However, even this is dwarfed by the work that we and our partners need to do to tackle the threats to the species in the wild.

Elizabeth Tambovtseva from Birds Russia is part of the team on the expedition. She said: “The excitement from the team when the first egg hatched and a tiny chick appeared was off the scale – we haven’t slept for days with the stress and worry so it was a pretty emotional experience.

“All the partners have been working hard as a team to pull off this very important stage of the mission and it’s paid off. I didn’t get a chance to celebrate my birthday last week, but this belated present more than makes up for that!”

The conservation breeding expedition, led by staff from the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust (WWT) and Birds Russia, has support from the RSPB, BTO, BirdLife International, ArcCona, the Spoon-billed Sandpiper Task Force and Moscow Zoo.

The project is funded by WWT and RSPB, with additional financial contributions and support from BirdLife International, the East-Asian Australasian Flyway Partnership, the Convention on Migratory Species, Heritage Expeditions and the Australasian Wader Study Group of Birds Australia.

WWT gives the Marsh Award to recognise the good work and talent of people who create and look after wetlands.

This spring, WWT asked for nominations from all over the country for the wetlands that people enjoy visiting and think benefit their community. WWT then searched out the people behind the scenes.

Of those shortlisted, the judges chose Tony Moulin in Yatton, North Somerset for his role in managing and enhancing the Strawberry Line and Biddle Street Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).

Jo Winyard of the Marsh Christian Trust presents Tony Moulin with The Marsh Award for Wetland Conservation L-R: Faith Moulin, Tony Moulin, Jo Winyard, Rob Shore (WWT)

WWT Head of Wetland Conservation, Rob Shore, presented the prize with Jo Winyard of the Marsh Christian Trust.

He explains: “In parks and green spaces across the country, wetlands quietly look after us. People enjoy walking there, children play and learn about the natural world and they are a haven for wildlife. What’s more, they store floodwater, protecting our homes and businesses; and they keep our waterways clean, providing us with the clean water that is vital for our survival.

“So we set out to find the unsung heroes who look after the wetlands. The wetlands at Biddle Street on The Strawberry Line are such a place and Tony Moulin is a fine example of why the people who manage them deserve recognition.”

Tony Moulin said: “I am very grateful to receive this award and for the encouragement, help and inspiration of many people over the past twenty years. In particular I am thankful for all the people who have supported the achievements of Yatton and Congresbury Wildlife Action Group (YACWAG) in making a difference and enabling people to enjoy and learn about our local wetland wildlife.

“I truly believe that volunteers working locally have an impact which cumulatively has a global significance. People have a lot to gain through getting involved – we never know what the results of our work will be but it gives us hope and this award will help me spread that message.”

The Biddle Street wetlands on the Strawberry Line are a patchwork of rhynes, ponds and ditches that are rich in water insects and plants.

Tony Moulin at the Biddle Street wetlandTony Moulin has worked hard to manage it so that it looks great and is well used and loved by the local community.

Rob Shore continues: “Tony shows that one person with a passion really can make a difference. We hope that he is an inspiration to others.

“Since the start of the industrial revolution it is estimated that as much as 90% of the wetlands in England have been lost and we are now paying the price with more floods, less wildlife and land that is less resilient to drought. Anybody with a garden or any business with a bit of land, however small, can make a difference by creating wetland habitat.”

The Marsh Award 2011 goes to the person who is judged to be mainly responsible for managing the wetland in recognition of their unsung contribution to creating a wetland for everyone to enjoy.

The things WWT looked for to help judge the award were:

• Accessible to as many people as possible
• Attractive and brings a wide range of benefits to the people who live nearby
• Home to a wide variety of wild plants and animals
• Managed by someone who makes a real difference by caring for the wetland, and/or improving the benefits it provides to local people. They could do this either themselves or through organising and inspiring others

The Marsh Award for Wetland Conservation was presented at the Wetland Futures conference on 28 June.

The Marsh Award for Wetland Conservation is part of a portfolio of awards run by the Marsh Christian Trust.

Nearly one hundred of the country’s top wetland conservation scientists met last week to discuss the threat to wetlands, the wildlife they support and their ability to treat water and prevent flooding.

With drought and flooding scares hitting the headlines and consumers facing rising water bills, the need for more wetland creation and restoration is urgent said experts at this week’s Wetland Futures conference co-hosted by WWT, RSPB and The Wildlife Trusts.

Wetland habitats have declined by 90 per cent in the UK since Roman times, causing the extinction of iconic species like beaver and crane and leaving us with polluted waterways.

Opening the conference Martin Spray of the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust (WWT) said: “Water – the amount, distribution and quality for humans and wildlife – is the big issue in these challenging times. Healthy wetland habitats are vital if we are to have enough clean water to survive and prosper in the future.

“The financial crisis has brought cuts and austerity and now the threat to remove legislation that gets in the way of economic development. The environment has become marginalised, viewed as a luxury that we only concern ourselves with in times of prosperity. But the natural environment and wetlands in particular, underpins that prosperity and our well-being.

“Innovative partnerships between business, charity and government that are restoring wetlands are the way to solve this problem and we need more of them.”

Decisions made now to affect cost of water services in future

Martin Ross, Environmental Manager of South West Water presented the Upstream Thinking approach. He said: “Changes happening right now are going to affect the cost and reliability of water services in the future.

“As we move forwards, we can either stop pollution getting into our rivers in the first place, or we can continue to invest in technical solutions to remove pollution downstream. All the big technical changes drive up costs.

“At South West Water we believe that managing a whole catchment sustainably is the best way of securing long-term water supplies. And this means having healthy, working wetlands.

“Effectively we are dealing with the source of the problem, not the symptom.

“And with the water industry as a whole looking to improve the sustainability of its business, there is a great opportunity for us and the environmental movement to work together to achieve this common goal.”

Where there’s water there’s wildlife

Mike Shurmer, RSPB wetland advisor, said: “Conservationists often say that where there’s water there’s wildlife – and that’s definitely true for the UK’s wetlands.

“A healthy wetland is alive with nature – but so much of these areas have been drained and developed over the years that many of the species that rely on them are now under threat.

“There are some great examples where conservationists are working with farmers, landowners and government agencies to restore wetland habitats. The bittern is a classic example of a wetland bird that has been saved from the brink. However, many species are still in decline, such as wading birds like redshank, lapwing and snipe.

“The Government has vowed to halt biodiversity loss by 2020 and restoring wetlands is essential if we are to achieve that target. Their support is vital to ensure we bring wetlands and wildlife back to our landscape.”

Paul Wilkinson, The Wildlife Trusts’ Head of Living Landscape, added: “Working with nature to enhance watercourses and wetlands across whole river catchments means that the range of issues impacting on the natural environment can be tackled in a more joined up way. Our experience of working at catchment-scale has demonstrated that it often elicits strong interest from landowners, business and communities.

“All working together, we have the potential to support a significant increase in this kind of work across England, improving the quality of rivers for wildlife and protecting and improving the vital services that wetlands can provide for people, such as flood management and alleviation.”

The Wetland Futures 2011 conference was co-hosted by WWT, RSPB and The Wildlife Trusts.

Leading bodies also represented included the Environment and other Government Agencies, Water Companies, Wildlife and Reserve Trusts from across the UK, Heritage organisations and environmental companies.

It was attended by over 90 of the UK’s foremost wetland conservationists and scientists.

Jo Winyard of the Marsh Christian Trust presents Tony Moulin with The Marsh Award for Wetland Conservation, L-R: Faith Moulin, Tony Moulin, Jo Winyard, Rob Shore (WWT)

At a special wetland conference this week, Councillor Tony Moulin received the Marsh Award for Wetland Conservation and a prize of £1,000.

WWT gives the Marsh Award to recognise the good work and talent of people who create and look after wetlands.

This spring, WWT asked for nominations from all over the country for the wetlands that people enjoy visiting and think benefit their community. WWT then searched out the people behind the scenes.

Of those shortlisted, the judges chose Tony Moulin in Yatton, North Somerset for his role in managing and enhancing the Strawberry Line and Biddle Street Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).

WWT Head of Wetland Conservation, Rob Shore, presented the prize with Jo Winyard of the Marsh Christian Trust. He explains: “In parks and green spaces across the country, wetlands quietly look after us. People enjoy walking there, children play and learn about the natural world and they are a haven for wildlife. What’s more, they store floodwater, protecting our homes and businesses; and they keep our waterways clean, providing us with the clean water that is vital for our survival.

“So we set out to find the unsung heroes who look after the wetlands. The wetlands at Biddle Street on The Strawberry Line are such a place and Tony Moulin is a fine example of why the people who manage them deserve recognition.”

Tony Moulin said: “I am very grateful to receive this award and for the encouragement, help and inspiration of many people over the past twenty years. In particular I am thankful for all the people who have supported the achievements of Yatton and Congresbury Wildlife Action Group (YACWAG) in making a difference and enabling people to enjoy and learn about our local wetland wildlife.

“I truly believe that volunteers working locally have an impact which cumulatively has a global significance. People have a lot to gain through getting involved – we never know what the results of our work will be but it gives us hope and this award will help me spread that message”.

The Biddle Street wetlands on the Strawberry Line are a patchwork of rhynes, ponds and ditches that are rich in water insects and plants. Tony Moulin has worked hard to manage it so that it looks great and is well used and loved by the local community.

Rob Shore continues:

“Tony shows that one person with a passion really can make a difference. We hope that he is an inspiration to others.

“Since the start of the industrial revolution it is estimated that as much as 90% of the wetlands in England have been lost and we are now paying the price with more floods, less wildlife and land that is less resilient to drought. Anybody with a garden or any business with a bit of land, however small, can make a difference by creating wetland habitat.”

The Marsh Award 2011 goes to the person who is judged to be mainly responsible for managing the wetland in recognition of their unsung contribution to creating a wetland for everyone to enjoy.

The things WWT looked for to help judge the award were:
• Accessible to as many people as possible
• Attractive and brings a wide range of benefits to the people who live nearby
• Home to a wide variety of wild plants and animals
• Managed by someone who makes a real difference by caring for the wetland, and/or improving the benefits it provides to local people. They could do this either themselves or through organising and inspiring others

The Marsh Award for Wetland Conservation was presented at the Wetland Futures conference on 28 June.

The Marsh Award for Wetland Conservation is part of a portfolio of awards run by the Marsh Christian Trust www.marshchristiantrust.org

A small crane, who makes slugs and worms his dish of the day, has emerged as the surprise leader of the pack at this year’s Crane School at WWT Slimbridge in Gloucestershire.

Billy is one of the class of cranes being reared in the second year of the Great Crane Project.

As the cranes start to develop their personalities one nicknamed Billy has exhibited some rather unusual characteristics. Although he is among the smallest, it is the most dominant of the cranes. 

Billy runs at the other cranes barging them out of his path and struts around the exercise field.  He has also developed a strange taste for slugs and worms. As they begin to forage, most cranes learn early on to avoid eating slugs as they ooze a sticky substance which temporarily glues their beaks together. 

But when rain starts to fall Billy excitedly starts to dash around the field picking up any slugs or worms he spots until his beak becomes stuck together for 15 minutes or so.

These cranes are being reared by humans disguised as adult (‘mum’ or ‘dad’)cranes at Slimbridge Wetland Centre, so they are well-equipped for life in the wild and learn to fear people. 

Pensthorpe Conservation Trust warden and Crane dad, Roland Digby, said: “You would normally expect one of the larger cranes to be the most dominant so it is a funny situation.   We’ve nicknamed him Billy the Bruiser as he chases or tries to fight any crane in his path, they are all scared of him!

“None of the other cranes would touch a slug or a worm so it is funny seeing Billy sprint around hunting for them – he really is one of a kind.“

The Great Crane Project, a partnership between WWT, RSPB and Pensthorpe Conservation Trust, with major funding from Viridor Credits Environmental Company hopes to re-introduce and establish a wild population of this iconic species in Somerset over the next ten years.

Using WWT’s renowned specialist conservation breeding expertise, the cranes were brought over as eggs collected from sustainable wild populations in Germany to WWT’s Slimbridge Wetland Centre in Gloucestershire, back in April.  They will be released to join the cranes from the first year of the project in autumn this year.

While these cranes are being reared behind-the-scenes at Slimbridge, visitors are able to see plenty around the grounds.

Somerset Art Works has installed a number around the grounds featuring wire work, paper mache sculptures and over 60 life size painted crane cut-outs.  SAW engaged artists Fiona Campbell, Kitty Hillier and Hilda Vaughan to lead a series of art workshops inspired by the Great Crane Project.

School and community groups also had the opportunity to discover the wonders of cranes by visiting the RSPB’s wetland reserves in the area, appreciate the importance of the Somerset Levels habitat and learn about the re-introduction of this fascinating species which has missing from our wetlands for nearly 400 years. 

To keep up to date with the Great Crane Project follow the news on the project’s website: www.thegreatcraneproject.org.uk.

The team has been in Russia since mid-May on an emergency mission to find nests to collect eggs for conservation breeding. They aim to create a population in captivity for future reintroductions and as a safety net,
should the species die out in the wild before threats along their flyway can be addressed.

Nigel Jarrett, Head of Conservation Breeding for WWT and leading the expedition in Russia said: “Finding a nest of eggs made the 35 sleep-deprived days so far, the gruelling 7000 mile journey hampered by transport problems, heavy snow, driving winds, and lashing rain – not to mention the ever present threat of becoming a hungry bear’s lunch – completely and utterly worthwhile.”

Now five weeks into the mission, at times it seemed doomed to failure. Peaks of excitement with sightings of adult male spoon-billed sandpipers in full courtship ritual and song, were swiftly followed by crushing disappointment as a predated nest and dead female were discovered.

With so few breeding pairs in existence, the loss of a female and her eggs through predation is a distressing event. However, it is natural for predation to occur like this. The real threat to the survival of the species are caused by humans: inter-tidal destruction along the spoon-billed sandpiper’s migration flyway and unsustainable levels of trapping on the wintering grounds in Myanmar and Bangladesh.

Part of the expedition team, Liza Tambovtseva from Birds Russia, said: “We know from previous years that there is a great risk of nest predations. In 2010 we found eight nests, four of which were predated before hatching. In 2009 the situation was even worse: there were four nests found and only one was successfully hatched – the other three were predated.”

Nigel said: “It was a cruel moment for everybody. That day we had trekked through snowdrifts and as we stepped onto the tundra my eyes were still streaming tears from snow-blindness. As my vision cleared the first thing I saw as I looked down, right in my path, was the broken body of a female spoon-billed sandpiper next to a nest littered with smashed eggshells. It was a devastating moment but it made us more determined to continue our search, vowing that we could not let this truly remarkable bird become extinct. ”

When, just a few days after finding the predated nest the team found a second nest, this time with a fresh clutch of eggs inside, the team decided not to risk leaving them to succumb to the same fate as before. Nigel explains: “Ideally, we leave freshly laid eggs in the nest for at least a week before collecting, but because the first nest we had come across was predated so quickly, we had no idea whether this would be the case with other nests.”

Liza continued: “Considering these
statistics we recommended taking the clutch for incubation straightaway because we believed there was a greater chance for the spoon-billed sandpiper’s eggs to hatch in incubators than to remain in this nest. Also, by taking this clutch at an early stage we gave the bird a good chance to relay a second clutch. In this way we minimize the harm for the birds and for nature.”

So, late into the night just days ago, Nigel lifted the first clutch of eggs from their tiny nest in the rough, unforgiving terrain of the arctic tundra and carefully laid them in a portable incubator for the slow and careful dinghy and ATV (all terrain vehicle) journey back to base in Meinypilgyno. At this stage it is not known whether the collected eggs are viable. Infertile eggs are common with spoon-billed sandpiper, so only time will tell.

Thankfully, things started to look up. After successfully collecting the first clutch, the team went on to discover several more nests each with freshly laid eggs and with these, the plan is to leave them to be naturally incubated by their parents for several days more, all the time assessing the risks from nearby predators.

Nigel continued: “It is a carefully balanced waiting game. We are only able to monitor the nests from a distance as our presence near them naturally attracts predators like gulls, dogs, foxes and stoats. If we take eggs too early there is a chance they will not develop normally in an incubator, but if we leave it too late the eggs can get eaten by predators. Dogs are a particular problem in the area as the villagers tend to keep them as early warning systems for approaching bears. All we can do is watch and wait.”

The team have constructed a temporary incubation facility out on the tundra where they will hatch the chicks before transferring the fledged young via sea and air back to Moscow Zoo for quarantine. The chicks will then be transferred to a specially built conservation breeding unit at WWT’s headquarters in Slimbridge, Gloucestershire where staff will rear and breed the birds.

The expedition, led by staff
from the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust (WWT) and Birds Russia, has support from the RSPB, BTO, BirdLife International, ArcCona, the Spoon-billed Sandpiper Task Force and Moscow Zoo. The project is funded by WWT and RSPB, with additional financial contributions and support from BirdLife International, the East-Asian Australasian Flyway Partnership, the Convention on Migratory Species, and Heritage Expeditions.

The team plans to establish a population in a conservation breeding facility at WWT Slimbridge which will be the source for reintroductions over the coming decades, once the threats to the birds and their habitats along their flyway have been sufficiently addressed.Dealing with the threats to the bird on the flyway will help a range of other species destined to suffer a similar fate.

The spoon-billed sandpiper is a unique and remarkable bird, but its shocking drop in numbers indicates likely extinction within a decade if urgent action is not taken.

Tomorrow (Friday 24 June), more than 50 sites will respond to this demand by hosting visits from their local school and MP as part of a UK-wide initiative to get every child outdoors.

Some of the UK’s biggest environmental education organisations, the RSPB, the Field Studies Council and the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust, have joined forces and will be opening the doors to all their teaching sites and centres.

For the first time, school children have invited their local MP to come and share an outdoor learning experience with them and see first-hand the benefits contact with nature brings. MPs will also hear from teachers how valuable these opportunities are educationally.

Tomorrow’s initiative comes in response to new research, commissioned by the RSPB, from Ipsos MORI that asked teachers what resources or support would encourage them to do more of their teaching outdoors.

After additional funding, primary teachers most often said that the thing they need to do more of their teaching outdoors was greater access to outside classrooms and outdoor facilities.

Kate Humble, TV wildlife presenter, said: “If a child hasn’t ever got their hands dirty, climbed a tree or been wowed by weird and wonderful pond creatures, how can we expect them to care enough to protect wildlife? Having access to discover, learn and play outdoors in nature is surely an essential part of childhood.

“Learning in the outdoor classroom, whether in their own school grounds, on a day visit to a nature reserve or during a residential stay, is proven to be of enormous educational advantage. Children of all ages benefit from real life “hands on” experiences where they can see, hear, touch and explore the world around them.”

Each year, the RSPB, the Field Studies Council and the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust welcomes nearly a quarter of a million children and young people to their centres providing outdoor learning facilities to schools and universities.

All their sites already hold, or are working towards gaining, the Council for Learning Outside the Classroom’s Quality Badge – a kite mark recently introduced to demonstrate the high quality of outdoor learning that takes place as well as their health and safety procedures.

Despite all the evidence about the positive impacts contact with nature brings to a child’s education, health and wellbeing, many children are still missing out on these crucial experiences.

The RSPB, the Field Studies Council and the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust believe that every child should have regular contact with nature, whether in their school grounds, local environment, further afield, or with family and friends.

To begin to address teachers’ concerns about funding, the Government has indicated that the newly created Pupil Premium could be used to give fairer access to nature for pupils from deprived backgrounds, for example funding school trips to experience the natural environment.

Rob Lucas, Chief Executive of the Field Studies Council, said: “Schools, parents and MPs agree that getting children outdoors in nature is a good idea. We are encouraged by the recent commitments made by Government in their Natural Environment White Paper to remove unnecessary rules and barriers to learning in the natural environment. [note 3]

“This event reinforces the enormous benefits to be gained from regular contact with nature for children. We hope Government, schools and local authorities work together with providers of learning in the natural environment to find ways to get every child outdoors. We will continue to monitor progress in achieving this and hold the Government to account on its commitments in the White Paper.”

The conservation breeding team, led by staff from the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust (WWT) and Birds Russia, is working with colleagues from the RSPB, BTO, BirdLife International, ArcCona, the Spoon-billed Sandpiper Task Force and Moscow Zoo to help save this species. [Follow the expedition blog]

Recent research suggests that the breeding population of spoon-billed sandpiper (Eurynorhynchus pygmeus) was between 120-200 pairs in 2009, with the species believed to be declining at approximately 26% per year, due to extremely low survival of juvenile birds. If this trend continues, the spoon-billed sandpiper could be extinct within a decade.

The team plans to establish a captive population which will be the source for reintroductions over the coming decades, once the threats to the birds and their habitats along their flyway have been sufficiently addressed.

Currently the team is in Russia waiting to locate and collect eggs from the breeding grounds. They will construct an incubation facility out on the tundra where they will hatch the chicks before transferring the fledged young via sea and air back to Moscow Zoo for quarantine. The chicks will then be transferred to a specially built conservation breeding unit at WWT’s headquarters in Slimbridge, Gloucestershire where staff will rear and breed the birds.

The bird’s migratory flyway takes it 8,000 km along the East Asian-Australasian flyway each year from Russia to the Bay of Martaban, Myanmar and the Bay of Bengal in Bangladesh. On that journey and during winter they have been reported from Japan, North Korea, the Republic of Korea, China, Vietnam, Thailand, Myanmar, Bangladesh and India.

It is believed that the main reason for the catastrophic decline, and especially the incredibly low survival among juveniles, is unsustainable levels of subsistence hunting, particularly on the wintering areas in Myanmar and Bangladesh. However, with a migration flyway that runs along some of the most rapidly developing coastlines of Asia, there are several other critical threats, in particular the wholesale degradation and reclamation of the inter-tidal mudflats where the species feeds.

The spoon-billed sandpiper was first listed as Critically Endangered in 2008 by BirdLife International on behalf of the IUCN. Over the last years the dramatic speed of decline has been realised, and thus the need for emergency action, without which the species stands a high risk of extinction. There are currently none in captivity, so there is no safety net against extinction in the wild.

Dr Geoff Hilton, Head of Species
Research at WWT said:

“Spoon-billed sandpipers are facing imminent global extinction and last-ditch efforts are now underway to found a captive population through a conservation breeding programme.

“Its imminent disappearance is all the more tragic because it is a truly remarkable species: it is a small arctic wader, with a bill shaped like a spoon. This adaptation, entirely unique to its family, makes it one of the most weird and wonderful bird species on the planet.

“It is absolutely clear that the spoon-billed sandpiper cannot be saved without action to reduce the threats to the wild population, but it is going to be difficult to achieve a turnaround quickly enough to avert extinction. Creating a captive population now may buy us some time. Establishing a captive population is not a success in itself, but this conservation breeding programme will provide insurance against the species going extinct in the wild before actions to reverse the downward trend have taken hold.

“No one has ever reared this species in captivity, but we are global experts in rearing wetland birds and if anyone can do it, our conservation breeding team can. It is not an option to sit back while we know we have the skills to stop extinction in its tracks. After months of R&D in anticipation of the project, the experts will become ‘parents’ to the captive birds and will learn everything they can about the species.”

The Spoon-billed sandpiper is a flagship species and if we can tackle the threats it faces along the flyway we will have helped the dozens of other migratory waterbird species that are subject to similar threats.

But, to save the spoon-billed sandpiper WWT urgently needs to raise £350,000 to help fund this mission.

WWT Director of Conservation, Dr Debbie Pain said:

“This is a costly and difficult mission which faces logistical problems every step of the way. But the challenges are worth it – after all, what better legacy can we leave than to have helped save a species from extinction? However, we badly need your support to help sustain the commitment WWT and our partners have made. What is more, this species is just the tip of the iceberg. Species throughout the flyway suffer similar threats, so saving the spoon-billed sandpiper and raising the profile of the threats it faces could ultimately help to safeguard the future of many other species of waders too.”

Tim Stowe, the RSPB’s director of international operations said:

“Spoon-billed sandpipers risk being one species that might not make it until 2020, the year targeted by governments around the world to stop the loss of wildlife. Establishing a conservation breeding programme will buy this enigmatic shorebird some time – but let’s not be under any illusions, leaders in countries that can act to save spoon-billed sandpipers need to step up and address the levels of habitat loss and hunting that have brought this bird to the brink.

“Effective action for spoon-billed sandpipers will have immense additional benefits – not only for the millions of other birds that share the migration flyway, but also by ensuring vital coastal wetlands are safeguarded, bringing protection and sustainable futures to coastal communities”

The BTO’s shorebird expert, Dr Nigel Clark, said:

“Having spent weeks looking for spoon-billed sandpipers in Myanmar and seen the development and hunting pressures the species faces, it is clear to me that this cute little bird is in imminent danger. There is only one wader that eats with a spoon and we need to try everything we can to save it from extinction.”

Follow the teams progress on the spoon-billed sandpiper Chukotka expedition blog.



Glengoyne Highland Single Malt have generously offered to donate £4.50 to WWT for every standard bottle and £3.00 for every personalised bottle of whisky bought online at www.glengoyne.com/wwt.

John Creedon, WWT’s Corporate Relations Manager said “Glengoyne were keen to link with WWT because the name ‘Glengoyne’ means “Glen of the Wild Geese” in Gaelic, and WWT’s Caerlaverock Wetland Centre in Dumfriesshire, within easy reach of the distillery, is of course the winter home of tens of thousands of barnacle geese from Svalbard.”

Glengoyne distillery is proud of its environmental record and will shortly finish the creation of its own constructed wetland to treat its water naturally and create an area rich in biodiversity.

Multi gold award-winning Glengoyne is a leading premium Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky, distilled at Glengoyne since 1833.

The Glengoyne portfolio consists of 10 Years Old, 12 Years Old, 12 Years Old Cask Strength, 17 Years Old, 21 Years Old and Vintage 1972 as well as limited editions.

To buy a bottle of Glengoyne for yourself (or become very popular with a friend or relation by buying them a bottle as a gift!) just log onto the Glengoyne online shop using the special URL www.glengoyne.com/wwt

Please make sure you shop using the URL above (or by clicking on the picture below) to ensure WWT gets your donation.

The recent launch of its controversial Red Tape Challenge (RTC) aims to ‘reduce the burden of regulation’ because it has ‘hurt business, doing real damage to our economy’.

People are invited, via the RTC website, to tell Government which legislation and regulations should be scrapped and which should be saved.

Ministers will then have just three months to work out what to keep and what to discard.

Included on the RTC website are the 278 regulations that aim to promote sustainable development and protect the environment.

While it is undoubtedly true that not all regulations are perfect, the Government has chosen to put all 278 environmental regulations up for grabs, including key legislation like the Wildlife & Countryside Act and the Climate Change Act.

These and other regulations protect the sites and species that we care about and enjoy on a daily basis, and the very resources upon which all of us, including businesses, ultimately depend.

The RTC clearly puts short-term business
interests first and undermines environmental protection.

While we welcome the recent statement on Defra’s website that ‘there are no plans to remove important environmental protections’ we remain very concerned by what might be considered to be ‘important’, and that all environmental regulations remain up for grabs on the RTC website.

Even if there are no plans to scrap major pieces of environmental legislation, we are worried that this exercise could be used to try to get rid of smaller but still extremely important and effective environmental regulations.

Disturbingly, the default position stated on the RTC website is that all regulations considered to be ‘burdensome’ to business will go unless ministers can make a very good case for them to stay.

We would very much like our members and supporters to help if you can give a few minutes.

Putting these critical environmental laws up for potential scrapping is short-sighted, and could have devastating consequences.

These regulations are not only designed to protect species, habitats and important wildlife sites, but also critical natural resources, like clean water.

You can help by telling the Government that wildlife matters.

1. Visit the Red Tape Challenge website and have your say on the proposals.

2. Feel free to use the bullet points below as a basis.

3. If you wish to make further points or copy us in, email prteam@wwt.org.uk

• This RTC challenge puts at risk 278 environmental regulations including those     that relate to biodiversity, wildlife management, landscapes, the countryside and recreation. Regulation is a critical tool for helping protect the sites and species that we cherish and have a responsibility to protect and the habitats and natural resources upon which we all, including businesses, depend.
• Environmental regulations are not ‘red tape’. They are needed to counter very real threats and are essential for the long term maintenance of the nation’s wildlife, habitats, natural resources and landscapes.
• A Government that aims to be ‘the greenest Government ever’ should put sustainability and the environment at the heart of its activities. The Red Tape Challenge clearly puts short-term business interests first and undermines environmental protection.
• We call upon the Government to live up to its stated environmental ambitions and remove environmental regulations from the Red Tape Challenge.

We need you to have your say.

Thank you for your support.

Martin Spray
Chief Executive WWT

More information on the Red Tape Challenge can be found by visiting the official Red Tape Challenge website.

*The 278 regulations that are stated relates to the entire number of regulations that fall within the environment category of the Red Tape Challenge, that aim to promote sustainable development and protection of the environment. The 158 regulations relate to the number of regulations that fall within the biodiversity, wildlife management, landscape, countryside and recreation category. Which is a sub-category of the environment category

A forty year study by the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust (WWT) reveals that Bewick’s swans are being shot, despite being protected by law in every country they fly through.

23% of live Bewick’s swans x-rayed for the study since 2000 had been shot.

The swans, currently on their spring migration from the UK to Arctic Russia, have been in sharp decline since the mid-1990s and conservationists at WWT are trying to eliminate threats to their future.

These findings reflect potential shooting along the swans’ entire migration path, but it is not yet possible to say where shooting hotspots might be.

The swans are regular and much-loved winter visitors to Slimbridge on the River Severn and the Ouse Washes in Norfolk, where researchers catch a proportion each year for ringing and health screening.

In addition, they x-ray the birds, revealing which ones are living with shotgun pellets lodged in their bodies. This gives a clear indication of the amount of illegal shooting that goes on.

A paper published in 1973, the early days of the study, found 34% of Bewick’s swans to be living with shot in them.

Now, forty years into the study, WWT has discovered that 23% of Bewick’s swans still continue to be shot.

Julia Newth, Wildlife Health Research Officer at WWT, says: “We are doing our best to work out what is behind the decline of our swans. There are a number of suspected threats. Irrespective of the importance of illegal shooting among these, we need to reduce mortality from all factors in this declining species.

“We face a big challenge because the swans migrate across all of northern Europe to reach their breeding grounds in Russia, which is a vast area within which to try to work out why people continue to shoot the swans.

“We want to appeal to responsible hunters to keep their eyes out and to report anyone they see shooting at swans.

“If we can work out where the shooting hotspots are, we can do something to address the illegal shooting of swans.”

Most shot birds had between one and three pellets in them, but one swan caught at Slimbridge in 1991 had 30 pellets in it.

With such high levels of wounding, it follows that many birds are probably killed by shooting.

Other studies looking at geese and ducks carrying pellets report that wounded birds can have a much lower chance of survival.

WWT is a leading member of an international, multi-disciplinary, team which is investigating why Bewick’s swans are declining in Europe and the threats faced by the birds, including disturbance, habitat loss, changes in the climate, collisions with large objects such as power lines and wind turbines, and lead poisoning.

WWT’s swan records are a valuable tool for the team because they are the world’s longest and most comprehensive study of Bewick’s swan return dates, migration and family histories.

The records were started during the winter of 1964/65 by WWT founder Sir Peter Scott soon after he realised that the bill markings of Bewick’s swans are as unique as a fingerprint is to a person, so could be used to identify individuals.

Today, Sir Peter’s pioneering ID system means that WWT experts can recognise many hundreds of birds by name and ancestry.

Bewick’s swans are named after the bird-watcher and illustrator, Thomas Bewick (1753 to 1828) and are thought to have inspired the Russian folk story on which the ballet Swan Lake is based.
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The potential impact of wind farms on barnacle geese has led experts at WWT to fit GPS satellite tags to five birds to determine their precise movements as they migrate.

The five tagged geese will set off on their migration from Scotland to Norway any time now. Their progress can be followed online at wwt.org.uk/maps.

With at least two large offshore wind farms planned in the Firth of Forth and another half dozen along the coast of Norway (along the flight path for migratory barnacle geese), it is hoped the data collected by these tags (relating to the flight heights and timing of migratory movements of geese in relation to light levels) will be used to locate offshore and onshore windfarms where the risk of collision is low.

For example, it is thought that most of the geese rest overnight in the sea area around the Firth of Forth before continuing their journey.

If they spend the time in the same areas as the proposed wind farms, evidence of their precise movements will be critical in minimising any impact on the geese.

Dr Larry Griffin, for WWT said; “There is a strong need to assess the impact of the wind farms currently planned along the international migratory corridor of the Barnacle goose, a protected species, not only onshore and offshore in the Firth of Forth but also those planned and already in operation along the Norwegian coast.

“WWT has been closely monitoring the barnacle geese since the 1960s and since then, along with Norwegian and Dutch colleagues, has ringed over 10,000 birds.

“Numbers of the Svalbard barnacle goose, whose entire population winters on the Solway Firth, were down to as few as 300 in 1948. Through a combination of conservation effort with detailed research led by WWT over the last 50 years, numbers today have now risen to more than 35,000.

“However, the barnacle goose is still a protected species and this data should give us valuable insight into their behavior so that we can continue to protect them in the future.”

Numbers increased following protection from hunting and the creation of undisturbed feeding areas such as the WWT reserve established at Caerlaverock in 1970.

This coupled with the later goose management schemes administered by Scottish National Heritage since the early 90s to support local farmers to foster goose grazing.

The carefully managed saltmarsh and pastures of the Caerlaverock reserve provide a safe refuge where the birds can feed in peace prior to, or following, their epic spring or autumn migrations.

Picture credits: top – Kane Brides, bottom – Keith Kirk.

As spring has progressed we’ve been seeing an increasing number of rare bird visitors to our reserves.

The months of April and May are great for spotting returning migrants from Africa and other hot climes. Birds are also busy singing to attract mates and building nests and are in full colourful plumage. It’s a superb time to be outside seeing what you can spot!

Among our most interested visitors so far this spring is a white-spotted bluethroat at our Welney centre – an infrequent visitor to the UK which, if it is seen, doesn’t usually stay and hold territory.

This male also spent last summer at the centre and we’re pleased that he is returned. It would be even better if he was able to attract a mate.

At our Llanelli centre a drake blue-winged teal appeared in mid-April and then at the end of the month as well.

Blue-winged teal are an American species that usually breed in central North America and migrate to central South America in the winter. It is only the second time this distinctive duck has visited the centre – the previous time was in 2002.

London has also had some exciting visitors over the past month – notably a marsh harrier and a kingfisher at the start of April, and a nightingale in the middle of the month.

A honey buzzard was spotted on 18 April, and an avocet on 19 April.

Slimbridge has enjoyed a nuimber of rare sightings, including – from the end of March – a marsh harrier, red kites, a cattle egret, a great white egret, two light-bellied and one dark-bellied brent geese.

A lesser scaup remained until 26 April and up to two male Garganey were seen throughout the month – one was still at the centre at the start of May.

In late April and May the Arctic bound wader migration was particularly spectacular with bar-tailed godwits mostly but also grey plover, red knot, turnstone, sanderling, dunlin and ringed plover. Two wood sandpipers were also spotted.

At Arundel a little crake was showing well in the reed beds in mid April and there was also a pair of bearded tits sighted (not seen at Arundel since 2003, so a rarity for the centre).

Martin Mere saw some black-winged stilts passing through at the end of April – they only stuck around for a day before moving on, but plenty of visitors got to see these leggy waders.

Dave Paynter, of WWT said: “The parallels with the royal couple are obvious. Like them the beautiful Bewick’s swans are really loved by the public. And like their namesakes, we hope William and Kate become icons for conservation.

“Swans are famous for pairing for life. William and Kate have been a pair since 2005 and are always within a few metres of each other.

“They are very faithful and very loyal to each other. After meeting their partner, Bewick’s, like all swans, develop a strong bond and stay with each other all the time, which is very endearing.

“We have seen similarities in William and Kate that lead us to believe that the real royal couple will be just as happy as our ‘William and Kate’.”

William, an 18 year old male Bewick swan has been returning to WWT Slimbridge every year since his first appearance in 1995 and since 2005 with Kate, an eight year old female.

Both swans departed for Russia from the Centre on 24 February, and it is hoped that both will return this winter, happy, healthy and ready to raise a family.

Martin Spray, Chief Executive of WWT said: ”The royal family has a long standing association with swans and WWT. On a visit to Canada in 1950, the then Princess Elizabeth accepted a gift of several trumpeter swans, which came to be cared for at WWT’s headquarters at Slimbridge. The Queen is currently Patron to the Trust and Prince Charles is the current WWT President.”

Bewick’s swans are the smallest and rarest of the three species of swan found in the British Isles. Every year they fly thousands of miles from their breeding grounds in the Russian Arctic to spend the winter in the UK.

Bewick’s are threatened due to habitat loss and illegal shooting and are of conservation concern.

The Bewick’s swan study was started in February 1964 by Sir Peter Scott, when the first wild Bewick’s swans were attracted to a lake in the Rushy Pen at Slimbridge.

Peter and his family took a very close interest in the swans. By drawing each swan’s bill pattern (which is unique to each individual), a detailed study of the species began which continues to this day, making it one of the longest running research projects of any single species in the world.

This also makes these birds almost as closely watched as the royal family.

Sir Peter Scott started the swan adoption programme in 1966, and WWT are calling for the public to adopt 1,000 swans before they return to Slimbridge for the winter migratory season.

For more information on Bewick’s swans, or to adopt a swan, please visit our adoption pages. All adopters receive a fluffy toy swan – a little royal souvenir of their own.
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A clutch of very special Easter eggs arrived at WWT Slimbridge in Gloucestershire this morning – 14 common crane eggs from Germany.

Some are hatching now and the rest are expected to hatch over the Easter weekend, making them some of the most significant eggs opened this Easter.

The chicks will be brought up at Slimbridge’s famous Crane School, from where they will graduate to the beautiful wetlands of the Somerset Moors and Levels.

There they will join the 18 fully grown cranes which were released there last August. The eggs were carefully transported back from Germany by The Great Crane Project team, including the cranes’ new ‘parents’ Roland Digby and Amy King, who took turns at the wheel on the epic road trip while the eggs rested in portable incubators in the back.

Amy said: “Spring is in the air and it’s exciting to be back at Slimbridge’s Crane School, having spent much of the winter monitoring last year’s birds on the Somerset Levels.

“Now we have the eggs back from Germany we’ll be dusting off the famous grey crane suits and preparing to teach this year’s birds how to survive in the wild.

“The first year has been such a success, with local people on the Somerset levels now regularly seeing and hearing the magnificent cranes calling and dancing as a flock, that we’re starting this year with renewed confidence.”

The next few days should see the crane chicks hatch at WWT Slimbridge and a second batch of eggs will arrive at Crane School next week.

Then over the next couple of months Roland and Amy will go on to teach their brood of crane chicks how to forage for food, swim, socialise and protect themselves from predators – all valuable lessons to help them prepare for life in the wild.

Martin Spray, WWT’s Chief Executive said: “WWT’s conservation team have 65 years’ of experience working with endangered birds and it’s inspiring that this Easter our expertise is helping reintroduce a species we lost 400 years ago.”

The cranes will be transferred to a temporary release enclosure on the Somerset Levels and Moors later this summer before they are released into the wild as part of the Great Crane Project – a partnership between WWT, RSPB and Pensthorpe Conservation Trust, with major funding from Viridor Credits Environmental Company.

For the latest on the Slimbridge Crane School including Crane School Diary and details of talks for visitors visit WWT’s Crane School pages.

You can help to support the reintroduction of cranes into the wild in the UK by donating to WWT’s conservation breeding appeal.

Updated at 17:35 – Our first crane has hatched out of its egg. Video below:

International Dawn Chorus Day, on 1 May, is the worldwide celebration of nature’s daily miracle.

Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust centres across the country are offering a unique opportunity to enjoy their wonderful wildlife reserves before daybreak as we celebrate International Dawn Chorus day.

Everyone, from people with a passing interest in wildlife to keen birders, can enjoy listening to the birds sing as the sun rises over reedbeds, lakes and ponds.

As summer approaches the dawn chorus reaches a crescendo – male songbirds sing their hearts out to attract potential partners and to protect their territories. The chorus only ends when there is enough light for the birds to fly off in search of food.

Nigel Williams, Centre Manager at WWT Llanelli, who will be giving guided tours of the reserve in Llanelli said; “You’ve got to get up early to hear nature at its liveliest, most vocal and very best. But you’ll be rewarded with an unforgettable experience, as wildlife celebrates the new day in a fantastic fresh air festival of birdsong.

“When the first light begins to shine a solo bird will begin to sing, awakening others to the dawn and soon the air will be filled with the beautiful sound of birdsong. It’s a feat only nature could achieve and to truly appreciate this magnificent spectacle it’s well-worth setting your alarm early.

“Daybreak in late spring is the best time for birdsong. The summer visitors have returned and birds are now either mating or declaring their territory loud and clear as part of their breeding patterns in order to attract a female.

“During the guided tour, visitors will get the chance to see and hear such birds as the reed bunting, sedge warbler, blackcap and willow warblers among others.”

The walks will take you out on to the reserve as the sun comes up. Expert guides will take you round the reserve to discover what is around, and help you identify the birds by their song.

We can’t guarantee exactly which birds will be singing on the day, but you’re likely to hear calls and birdsong from a range of different species.

Last year, at the WWT London Wetland Centre event, Cetti’s warblers bred on site for the first time and a very rare visitor to the UK, a Pacific golden plover, delighted visitors when it stopped off on the main lake islands.

Other highlights included hobby, buzzard, red kite, peregrine, Arctic tern, and green, common and wood sandpipers.

Events happening at WWT centres to celebrate International Dawn Chorus Day include:

WWT London T 020 8409 4400 Barnes
Dawn chorus, Sunday 1 May – This is a unique opportunity to enjoy our wonderful wildlife reserve before daybreak as we celebrate International Dawn Chorus day.

Book your tickets now for one of our guided tours, at 5.00am and 5.15am. The walks will take you out on to the reserve as the sun comes up. Our expert guides will take you around the reserve to discover what is around, and help you identify the birds by their song. At the end of the walk enjoy a bacon roll (or vegetarian option) or cereal before you head off out again for a day of self-guided birdwatching.

Gates open at 4.30am but only ticket holders will be admitted. Please bring your own binoculars and wrap up warm. £20.00 per person (plus admission to the centre), includes the guided walk, tea/coffee, bacon (or vegetarian) roll or cereal. Limited tickets available. Booking is essential – call 020 8409 4400.

WWT Llanelli T 01554 741087 Carmarthenshire
Dawn chorus, Saturday 7 May, starting at 6:00am – The event will include a guided walk around the reserve, listening to the bird world wake up as dawn breaks over the Burry Inlet.

Expert guides will be on hand to provide guidance and tips on identifying birds by their song. The walk will finish up with a full cooked breakfast in the estuary café which is included in the price. Families welcome.

Advance bookings and payment only please, contact 01554 741087. Cost: Adults: £15, children £10.00
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A new book on birdwatching by Springwatch presenter Kate Humble and WWT Slimbridge warden Martin McGill will go on sale on Wednesday 27 April.

All royalties from the book will go to WWT and a special introductory offer will give those purchasing the book at WWT shops or on our website a 25% discount (up until 31 August 2011).

The book, entitled Watching Waterbirds, is a first-person account of the pair’s birding experiences. Kate is a self-confessed birding learner while Martin has many years experience spotting birds around the world.

Together they have written a book aimed at making birding more accessible and packed with memorable ways to tell one bird from another (such as how to tell a Canada goose from a barnacle goose – C-anada goose has the C-hinstrap!).

The book is published by A&C Black and its full price is £12.99.

Update 27/04/11 – Watching Waterbirds is now available to buy at our online shop.
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What matters to you most about the UK’s heritage? Perhaps it’s the upkeep of a much-loved historic park or the secure future of a local museum. Perhaps it’s your local church, an important old building or a precious landscape you feel might need help.

With an annual awards budget of £300m to allocate from 2013, the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) is asking people across the UK about what is important to them and how HLF money should be invested in the future.

WWT has received nearly £6 million from the Heritage Lottery Fund. Some of our biggest projects of recent years, such as the new habitat creation and visitor centre at Castle Espie, the purchase and restoration of the Woodend Wetlands at Martin Mere and the new visitor centre building and access bridge at Welney, would not have been possible without HLF’s support.

Dame Jenny Abramsky, Chair of HLF, said: “As a Lottery funder awarding money raised by Lottery players, HLF believes people are at the heart of sustaining heritage in good condition and our money should make a difference for both heritage and communities.

“In our public questionnaire, we’re asking people for their personal views on what we fund and what we might do differently, as well as asking about people’s local heritage. We can only devise the very best strategy by listening closely to all those people who are enthusiastic about the UK’s heritage.”

Please go to www.hlf.org.uk/consultation2011 to fill out the public questionnaire by 26 April 2011.

The picture postcard frosts and lakes alive with winter migrant swans and geese are now behind us – in their place are blooming flowers and trees and the sound of songbirds.

Slimbridge has recorded its first sand martins, chiffchaffs, blackcaps, swallows and willow warblers of the year. They’ve also had visiting waders, including a large number of black-tailed godwits and an avocet. Spotted also are frogspawn, grass snakes and boxing hares. And toads have been heard singing too.

At Llanelli, many migrants from the south have begun to appear – including sand martins, swallows, wheatears, chiffchaffs and even three garganey (the only species of duck to migrate to our shores during the summer months). Caerlaverock also have a pair of garganey present on their reserve and have seen chiffchaffs, a female wheatear and a white wagtail in recent days.

London has spotted its first sand martins – so work to install new cameras on the centre’s sand martin bank has been stepped up to be completed over the next week, before they start to nest in the boxes. Once finished, visitors will, for the first time, be able to see these birds flying up to the bank and sitting on their nests.

Also marking spring at London is the blooming snakes’ head frittilary meadow – one of the most beautiful sights at the centre.

Our Martin Mere reserve has had 62 avocets and has also seen the return of migrants such as the sand martins and oystercatchers too.

And Arundel is blooming with primrose, snow drops, daisies, marsh marigolds, greater celandine, colts foot, sweet violet and blackthorn trees all coming into flower.

There have been daily sightings of brimstone and comma butterflies at the centre, while lapwings are displaying daily and two pairs appear to be nesting.

Washington is enjoying a similar explosion of colour with crocuses and primroses in flower, as well as gorse bushes. Lapwings and other songbirds are busy staking their claims on nest sites, and spring migrants such as little ringed plover, oystercatcher and avocet are all arriving at the centre’s Wader Lake.

If your favourite thing about wildlife watching in the spring is seeing cute, baby birds and animals, the coming months are also the perfect ones for getting out and trying to spot youngsters among the bushes and reed beds.

Many of our centres are getting their first hatchlings. From Washington, which has seen the first clutches of grey heron eggs hatching, to Llanelli, which has two broods of mallard and a moorhen brood.

Our collection birds too are beginning to produce young. Llanelli, Castle Espie, Slimbridge, Arundel and Washington have all had clutches of Hawaiian goose (nene) eggs, with most now hatched.

Over the spring, the eggs of some of the rare birds that are part of our conservation breeding programme will be hatched in incubators and our duckery facilities opened for the public to view.

Check your nearest centre for details of when their hatching facilities will be open and the times of guided tours. Depending on when you visit, you can see incubated eggs and ducklings and goslings of varying ages.

You can also view wildlife sightings pages for each of our centres for up-to-the-date information on which birds have been spotted and where.

It’s the perfect time of year to enjoy the wildlife that’s getting busy all around you. All of our centres will be open over the Easter and spring bank holidays so make sure you set aside some time to visit and get outdoors and up close to nature.

A new UK-wide opinion survey, commissioned by WWT, highlights growing awareness and concern about water usage and a willingness to do more to reduce flooding and help wildlife.

WWT is using the survey to launch a campaign to raise awareness of how we can manage rainwater better for communities, whilst benefitting wildlife and making financial savings.

The results highlight simple ways all of us can do more to reduce the impact of too much or too little rain, and how public bodies and private companies can help too.

For example, 63% of people interviewed wanted to know how empty the reservoir that supplies their home is, for instance through reports along with the weather.

Martin Spray, Chief Executive of WWT said “The results show the public wants to know and do more about water in their area, which in itself is good news because our use of water has big implications for our communities and our wildlife.

“Simple things like installing a water butt – which 1/3 of people have done – reduce pressure on storm drains and flooding. However, more than half of interviewees say they haven’t been offered a subsidised butt by their council or water company, so there are clear opportunities to support measures that benefit us all.

“And with more UK households moving over to water meters, it’s not only good for wildlife and communities; it’s good for our pockets too.”

Willing to change

One of the most heartening results is how many people interviewed were willing to make water friendly adaptations to their homes and gardens.

Over 40% have or would consider having a pond filled with rainwater and nearly as many would consider a green roof.

Just under half have or would consider putting in a swale or ditch with water-loving plants to allow rainwater to soak away slowly. And three quarters of us have or would have a water butt.

Across the board there was an increase in concern over issues relating to water. Highest on the list was reducing water bills but flooding, environmental damage to wetlands from polluted storm water run-off and shortages of water for wildlife in gardens and public spaces were all also concerns.

Martin Spray continues: “The environmental advantages of conserving water are multiple and it is clear that people are keen to do their bit. This survey has thrown up simple measures that we can do at home and that our institutions can do to support us.”

WWT, along with other conservation organisations, recently called for the Government to take action on issues such as wasted water and pollution with the publication of a new Blueprint for Water which laid out moves that could be taken to address these problems.

Work your butt

For inspirational instructive videos on how to turn your garden into a “Rain Garden” and how to make your garden more wildlife friendly check out our Rain Gardening section.

We have also launched a competition to find the most comprehensive use of a water butt to conserve water. “Work Your Butt” is open until 30 June and every accepted entry will be given a free admission to the WWT centre of their choice and there is hundreds of pounds worth of gardening vouchers to be won.

Entrants need to complete one of two sentences: “I work my butt well by….” or “If I had one, I would work my butt by…” and send a photo or upload a video.

The public can also contribute their experiences and thoughts on using water. WWT is asking the nation to go online and take just 5 minutes to complete a survey.