Martin Mere
Martin Mere is best known for the thousands of pink-footed geese it attracts each winter and for its internationally important numbers of migrant whooper swans and Bewick’s swans. But there’s no need to wait for cold weather to visit – the nature reserve teems with free-living wildlife all year round.
More than half of Martin Mere’s 214 hectares are designated for their scientific interest and biodiversity. The best way to start exploring is follow the Nature Trail to the series of nine hides which overlook the Mere, many smaller pools, the duck marshes and flower rich meadows.
The duck marshes are seasonally flooded to encourage wildfowl and waders such as shoveler, pintail, teal, ruff, golden plover, black-tailed godwit, curlew and redshank. This has helped the reserve to become one of the north’s most important sites for ground-nesting wading birds, including large numbers of lapwing, snipe, little ringed plover and, since 2004, avocet.
Other breeding birds include reed bunting, corn bunting and reed warbler. A colony of tree sparrows overwinters on the site and many remain through the year and breed. Watch out also for hunting hen harriers, peregrine falcons, buzzards and sparrowhawks. Mammal inhabitants include water shrew, water voles, brown hares and at least four species of bat.
As part of a wildflower conservation initiative, Martin Mere is reintroducing many traditional Lancashire plains plants, so adding to the rich array already present, among them the nationally important whorled caraway which thrives in and around the Carum Field.
Other botanical attractions include golden dock, tubular water dropwort, early marsh orchid, large flowered hemp nettle and purple ramping fumitory.
The recently-built Harrier Hide gives views on to the newly-created reed bed and to the Woodend Farm grasslands. Look carefully there to meet the four-legged members of the WWT conservation team – the resident herd of long-horned and Highland cattle which help to mow, churn and fertilise the reserve for its wild guests.
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