News
Our volunteer: Bett Leech
Meet Bett, our volunteer who has been here over 20 years. How long have you worked at Martin Mere? Just over 23 years, now. What was the first job you did? I started in the education department, and on my first day I had to type up a report, and th
17 October 2014
New report reveals scale of declines of UK migratory birds wintering in Africa
The migration of millions of birds across the face of the planet is one of nature’s greatest annual events. Every spring some species move north, while every autumn those same species move south, very often linking continents. Although these migration p
16 October 2014
Incredible journeys of our geese
Looking out across a field full of 45000 geese, it can be difficult to imagine how our researchers are able to pick out individual birds and track their movements during their migration, but with the help of light but highly visible plastic neck rings, we
14 October 2014
Meet Pete: Our longest serving member of staff
Each week we are going to tell you about the incredible journey of our staff and volunteers. This week we would like you to meet Pete Bullen, who is currently our longest serving member of staff and he is pictured here with a fashionable moustache, with C
10 October 2014
British wetlands invaded by dangerous mussel
Britain’s wetlands have been invaded by a mussel that in the US is threatening to bring the Hoover dam to a standstill and cut off water to Las Vegas. It was recently identified by UK scientists as the number one most dangerous alien species.
8 October 2014
How it all began
WWT Martin Mere opened its doors to members in late 1974 and opened to general public on 1 March 1975. Over the last 40 years, we have welcomed over 5.5m visitors as well as over 300,000 school educational visits, but how did the journey of Martin Mere be
6 October 2014
Record breaking 45,800 pink-footed geese arrive at Lancashire reserve
A record number of 45,800 migratory pink-footed geese has arrived at Lancashire’s WWT Martin Mere Wetland Centre according to counts earlier today. This beats the previous record number of 36,000 in 2010. Over the next couple of weeks, numbers will st
2 October 2014
Less than a quarter of freshwater wildlife has survived since the 1970s
The Madagascar pochard: the rarest bird in the world Wildlife that relies on freshwater like wetlands has suffered almost twice the loss of land and marine species. Overall, global wildlife populations have halved in
30 September 2014
SuDS, not duds: don’t water down rules on floods
Floods will continue to ruin people’s livelihoods if the Government waters down rules on SuDS. Natural rain absorbing features known as SuDS hit the news earlier this year as one solution to the devastating flooding that hit southern England. On paper t
30 September 2014
Nature's most incredible journeys, right on our doorstep
Nature lovers often say autumn is their favourite season, and it’s no surprise, as the magic of migration is an unforgettable experience. Luckily for some, you don’t have to travel far to see one of the greatest spectacles of the natural world - and
24 September 2014
First 'grand-chick for conservationist
This little fellow is the first ever spoon-billed sandpiper chick to be hatched in the wild by a hand-reared bird. Spoon-billed sandpipers are critically endangered and the news confirms to conservationists that the birds they hand-rear go on to breed nat
24 September 2014
Keep a log of the brown stuff, says WWT!
There could be more pollution and waterborne disease in England’s rivers – and more cost to the taxpayer - because a Government cost-cutting exercise could backfire, says the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust. The Government is proposing to ditch many req
18 September 2014
WWT urges manifesto writers to think green
WWT is urging all political parties to take notice of a report published by MPs that says more needs to be done to protect our natural environment for future generations. The report gives the present Government a ‘red card’ for policies that have fail
16 September 2014
See, Hear, Taste, Touch & Smell at Castle Espie’s new Sensory Garden!
Castle Espie’s new sensory garden has been delighting visitors of all ages since it opened last week. The garden and courtyard has been designed to incorporate all senses, and features a herb and fruit garden, a hidden wildlife exhibit and an improved b
15 September 2014
Biggest coastal flood management scheme completed
The UK’s biggest ever coastal realignment scheme at Steart peninsula, a joint project between the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust (WWT) and the Environment Agency has been completed today (Monday, September 8, 2014). The construction of Steart Marshes me
8 September 2014