News
A reserve alive with busy insects and birdsong
As the days lengthen, the reserve becomes more and more alive with birdsong and the constant humming of busy insects. Although certainly quieter than it is in winter time without our enormous flocks of barnacle geese, teal and wigeon, there is a kind of p
13 May 2023
More warblers, butterflies and amphibians
Our glorious spring weather continues and with it, our spring migrant birds continue to flock in, among them sedge, garden and grasshopper warblers and an osprey has been seen carrying its lunch! Mallard pairs have been spotted with their ducklings. As
6 May 2023
Reflecting on WWT’s Royal connections this coronation weekend
This weekend we are joining the rest of the country in celebrating the coronation of our patron, His Royal Highness the former Prince of Wales, who has campaigned for decades to protect wetlands and their wildlife.
5 May 2023
Saving Britain’s royal fish
Roadmap published to restore ‘armour-plated’ sturgeon beloved by Royals to British waters.
3 May 2023
Lead ammunition campaign latest: Study reveals excessive lead levels in raw dog food with pheasant
A staggering 77% of raw dog food with pheasant has excessive levels of lead – posing significant risks to our pets, the latest study has confirmed.
3 May 2023
Farewell For Now to the Geese
April can be a confusing month at WWT Caerlaverock. On a calendar April is smack bang in the middle of spring and seen in black and white like that it should be clear what to expect when you venture out. Instead it is actually like an airport foyer with w
30 April 2023
WWT nearly doubles the area of land under its management with Bridgwater Bay lease
WWT is set to nearly double the total area of land it looks after for nature after agreeing to manage Bridgwater Bay National Nature Reserve.
24 April 2023
Summer migrants and other recent sightings
This week on the reserve, we have seen an influx of summer migrants that have made journeys from across the globe, with the majority returning from Africa. Hirundines (a family of passerine songbirds), such as swallows and sand martins, have been spotte
16 April 2023
Spring sightings
Spring has definitely arrived in full force as we head into April. There has continued to be lots of chiffchaff seen (and heard!) around the reserve as well as our first confirmed sightings of sand martins and swallows from the Peter Scott Observatory. Mo
9 April 2023
Species spotlight - Tree sparrow
The tree sparrow (Passer montanus) is in the family of old world sparrows. This passerine is easily identifiable due to the brown chestnut cap on the top of the head. Between the sexes there is no difference which is quite unique in birds as the majority
3 April 2023
Flourishing Floodplains project celebrates project successes
The Severn and Avon Vales were once a large, connected mosaic of floodplain meadows, marshes and small wetlands teeming with life. Sadly, over 88% of this habitat has been lost or has reduced biodiversity. But, as floodplains across the Severn and Avon Vale reawaken this spring, a ground-breaking landscape-scale project to promote their ecological health is concluding.
31 March 2023
Spring's awakening
Although we are saying fond farewells for now to our whooper swans that have started their migrations back to Iceland, we are welcoming signs that spring is underway. We've been enjoying quite a mix of all four seasons recently, but there are definitely m
20 March 2023
Until next time, Caerlaverock
I have spent the last four months working at WWT Caerlaverock and my main takeaway: it’s a little bit magic. For a lot of people, winter is a dark, sad time where all you want to do is wrap up and stay inside to hibernate. And for a long time, I was muc
12 March 2023
Wild Isles – UK Wildlife gets the Sir David Attenborough treatment!
A new Sir David Attenborough wildlife series hits our small screens in ultra-high definition this Sunday evening (BBC One at 7pm). Some of the UK’s most iconic wetland wildlife will feature including the high speed life of the Kingfisher in episode 1.
10 March 2023
Biodiversity Net Gain: As new rules for developers that could help wetlands are introduced, Sarah Fowler addresses key conference
2nd March saw WWT Chief Executive Sarah Fowler speak alongside a panel of experts on new rules requiring developers to leave biodiversity in a better state than they found it that could help boost wetland nature.
3 March 2023