News
Crane chicks mark start of first wild generation for western Britain
...well hello there! These newly-hatched chicks – filmed at WWT Slimbridge Wetland Centre in Gloucestershire – could be the first wild-born cranes to survive in the west of Britain for 400 years. The parent birds were hand-reared by The Grea
19 May 2014
New hope for spoon-billed sandpipers as hand-reared bird heads for breeding grounds
The hand-reared spoon-billed sandpiper is the one in the background with a green leg ring (c) Chung-Yu Chiang and Chin-Shi Hsu Good news this World Migratory Bird Day; the first of a hand-reared group of critically en
10 May 2014
WWT chairs global swan conservation effort
Eileen gives a wild whooper swan a health check WWT has taken on a lead role in global swan conservation, in the same year it celebrates the 50th anniversary of its Bewick’s swan study, one of the longest running wil
25 April 2014
Class of 2014s first new arrival
The first hand-reared crane chick of 2014...NOT to be confused with the historic crane Easter egg out on the Slimbridge reserve that could produce the first wild-reared chick in western Britain for 400 years. Read on and a
24 April 2014
Historic Easter egg laid at WWT Slimbridge Wetland Centre
Crane pair - Monty and Chris - at WWT Slimbridge (c) Derek Cropton A pair of four-foot high Eurasian cranes has nested at WWT Slimbridge Wetland Centre in Gloucestershire, raising hopes they could rear the first succe
17 April 2014
WWT welcomes MPs' invasives report
Invasive and damaging - South American Water Primrose The UK’s much-loved wildlife needs to be protected from damaging invasive species – and WWT is urging the Government to act on MPs’ concerns published today
16 April 2014
Success for Hawaiian geese in the wild
WWT is celebrating a success in the wild for one of the rarest species at its Wetland Centres, the Hawaiian goose, known as a nene (pronounced nay-nay). It was driven to near extinction in the early 1950s when only 30 individuals were left in the world, a
1 April 2014
Slimbridge spoon-billed sandpipers migrate 30 centimetres... to China!
The captive spoon-billed sandpiper flock at Slimbridge last week made the first stage of their ‘journey’ towards breeding successfully. The flock is the nucleus of a conservation breeding programme to prevent the total extinction of the critically end
14 March 2014
Are We Fit to Frack?
30,000 pink-footed geese visit WWT Martin Mere each winter (c) Richard Taylor-Jones Leading countryside groups have joined forces to challenge fracking rules. Poorly regulated fracking risks harming threatened species
13 March 2014
Progress...
Well! It's been a long time since we've updated you, but we've been exceptionally busy behind the scenes! We want to keep the design of the sculpture a complete surprise to everyone, but we thought we'd give you a teeny sneak-peek of some of the images t
8 March 2014
Cygnet left 'Home Alone' after parents migrate without it
Lone cygnet (left) with its adopted siblings A Bewick’s swan cygnet appears to have abandoned by his parents at WWT Slimbridge Wetland Centre in Gloucestershire. Bewick’s swans migrate in large family groups and d
28 February 2014
Available to all: WWT’s entire history of scientific publishing
Anyone interested in conservation now has free access to the entire catalogue of papers published by WWT in its scientific journal, Wildfowl. The new online resource is the culmination of months of work by volunteers to digitise printed copies of Wildfowl
26 February 2014
Butterflies boosted by balmy weather
Peacock butterfly - they're around now, honest! (c) James Lees Butterflies had a bumper 2013, and the mild weather means you could even get to see some now at your nearest WWT Wetland Centre. Numbers had decreased dur
19 February 2014
Steart Marshes study to analyse impact on economy and recreation
The ability of new wetland habitat to support wildlife and commercial fisheries is the focus of a new research partnership between Bridgwater College, Oxford Brookes University and the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust. It is hoped the findings will enhance c
19 February 2014
WWT welcomes new invasives idea
South American water primrose: Oversized, overzealous and over here! New proposals to strengthen legal protection for Britain’s native plants and animals have been welcomed by the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust. Nati
18 February 2014