News
Chris Packham's Caerlaverock visit unearths unusual discovery
A rare bug - never recorded in Scotland before – was discovered during Chris Packham’s Caerlaverock visit. Two rare saucer bugs, Ilyocoris cimicoides, were spotted by eagle-eyed local expert naturalist, Bob Merritt in a pond on the reserve. Up unti
24 July 2018
Cranes here to stay, new model predicts
The UK’s tallest bird – the common crane – is here to stay and we could have as many as 275 breeding pairs within 50 years, according to the latest population model from scientists at the University of Exeter, WWT and RSPB published in Animal Conser
17 July 2018
Making a splash! Pupils at Enfield's Prince of Wales Primary plant water garden
Year two schoolchildren helped create their very own living water feature by filling a small pool with wetland plants. They also got their hands muddy by making finishing touches to a nearby Mediterranean gravel garden, digging holes and filling them w
11 June 2018
Baby Baer's! First sighting of duck family confirms rare bird is breeding
A female Baer’s pochard and her young have been spotted at Hengshui Hu National Nature Reserve in China. It’s the only confirmed report from anywhere in the world this year of successful breeding by this Critically Endangered duck. Conservationists h
7 June 2018
A lead-free win-win
The challenge for UK shooters everywhere is whether they will continue to needlessly poison wildlife because of the myth that the evidence of their impact is in some strange way an “attack” on themselves, or switch to non-poisonous ammunition because the
29 May 2018
Rare eggs hatch after spring flooding rescue
A total of 15 godwit eggs rescued from muddy farmland in East Anglia have hatched successfully so far. Conservationists, trying to protect the rare black-tailed godwit, teamed up with local farmers to save the eggs, which were found in poor condition due
25 May 2018
WWT's Sacha Dench receives Britannia Trophy for Flight of the Swans
Our very own ‘human swan’ was presented with the prestigious aviation award by the Duke of York HRH Prince Andrew at a special ceremony last night. Sacha earned the award – one of the most respected honours in aviation - in recognition of her lon
18 May 2018
Scheme helping thousands of schoolchildren access nature up for award
A scheme that has given thousands of disadvantaged school children easy access to nature has been shortlisted for an award. WWT and HSBC’s ‘Inspiring Generations’ programme which aims to give pupils from poorer backgrounds the chance to experienc
14 May 2018
Rescue effort saves rare eggs after spring flooding
Unseasonal April downpours have forced tens of thousands of birds to nest away from the safety of the wetlands after their habitat in the Fens, East Anglia became submerged. Conservationists, trying to protect the rare black-tailed godwit, discovered c
10 May 2018
New garden brings splash of Canadian colour
The Royal Bank of Canada Garden from the 2017 RHS Chelsea Flower Show has been officially opened to visitors at WWT Martin Mere Wetland Centre. The garden, designed by Charlotte Harris, was awarded a Gold medal at the show last May. Martin Mere Wetland
26 April 2018
First hand-reared godwit returns to UK
A black-tailed godwit has returned to The Fens in East Anglia where it was hand-reared after migrating as far as Portugal for the winter. The bird is one of 26 black-tailed godwits raised at WWT Welney and released into the wild last summer. The wader, a
24 April 2018
Cause for celebration over crane chicks
Spring has arrived along with the pitter patter of tiny feet at WWT Welney Wetland Centre, where the common crane has bred successfully for the first time. These scarce birds are shy and secretive during the breeding season, but to the delight of staff
19 April 2018
Once common duck now rarer than giant panda, experts reveal
The Critically Endangered Baer’s pochard population is estimated at less than 1000, making them rarer than giant pandas. There are between 250 and 999 Baer’s pochard left in wild compared to 1864 giant pandas, according to the latest figures on the
11 April 2018
Multi-billion pound bill from 'nature invaders' set to soar post-Brexit
WWT is warning that action is needed from the Government to tackle the potentially spiralling cost to the economy of invasive plant and animal species post-Brexit. The warning comes as a coalition of charities, coordinated by Wildlife and Countryside Link
27 March 2018
WWT sets
(Main pic: WWT's Dr Richard Benwell arrives at Westminster to give evidence to an MPs' enquiry) WWT has set the Government a challenge to find a "magic missing metric" to underpin its plan for our environment's future. The challenge was set as WWT's Hea
20 March 2018