News | WWT

29 Mar 2021

Shining a spotlight on the smaller creatures springing to life around WWT Castle Espie

Spring has sprung and it’s not just our feathered friends coming to life. All around WWT Castle Espie, lots of tiny bugs are awakening from their winter hibernation...

15 Mar 2021

Spring 2021

Spring is a brilliant time of the year when new life begins. It’s the perfect moment for you and your family to get outdoors and be inspired by nature. ...

12 Feb 2021

Storm Darcy forces Bewick’s swans to make rare migratory U-turn

A flock of Bewick’s swans which had begun their epic migration from Slimbridge Wetland Centre in Gloucestershire to the Arctic tundra have turned back to avoid the latest ‘Beast from the East’. Conservationists at the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust ...

08 Feb 2021

Winter brings its own special beauty to our wetlands.

As the centre is currently close, we have decided to show you, a bit of what is happening behind the scenes. Get a snapshot of our reserve management work and uncover the fascinating wildlife...

23 Dec 2020

New Slimbridge wetland system is treat for water and wildlife

It might look like Shrek’s spa at the moment, but don’t let the abundance of mud fool you. Wetland treatment systems involve using natural processes to treat wastewater, but they do so much more than that...

09 Nov 2020

Managing our Reserve

Each month the teams undertake a number of tasks to ensure the reserve stays in top condition to provide a habitat for a broad range of species...

06 Oct 2020

Fall for nature’s spectacle at WWT Slimbridge this autumn

Just as wetlands offer sanctuary to thousands of animals over the colder months, they also make the perfect place to safely escape the everyday and appreciate one of nature’s greatest shows - autumn...

31 Mar 2020

Elroy in Estonia!

Spring has sprung and the Bewick’s swans are making excellent progress on their migration back to their breeding grounds in the Russian Arctic!...

12 Mar 2020

The alternative dawn chorus: Ten quirky wetland bird calls to listen out for

Ten wonderfully quirky bird calls to listen out for around the UK's wetlands this spring time...

26 Feb 2020

The Importance of Urban Wetlands

Human beings are now officially an ‘urban species’, with more than 50% of world’s population now living in urban areas. However this trend towards urbanisation for our species has had catastrophic impacts for many others as they, and the habitats th...

26 Feb 2020

How wetlands could help solve the climate crisis problem

"The science is clear. Wetlands are the most effective carbon sinks on our planet." This strong and positive statement is from Martha Rojas Urrego, Secretary General of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, to mark 2019’s World Wetlands Day with the theme...

24 Feb 2020

WWT welcomes steps towards removing lead ammunition from the environment

WWT has welcomed a voluntary ban on the use of lead ammunition by UK shooting organisations. The new initiative means that hunters are expected to transition from lead ammunition in favour of non-toxic alternatives by 2025. ...

08 Jan 2020

International Swan Census: January 2020

Internationally coordinated censuses of the Northwest European Bewick’s swan population have been undertaken across the swans’ European wintering range at approximately 5-year intervals since 1984, with the next census scheduled for the weekend of 11/...

23 Dec 2019

The Big Brood Count!

Around the weekend of 14/15 December the Swan Specialist Group held a co-ordinated count in Europe to find out how many cygnets were born this year. The NW European wintering population has been declining since the mid-1990s. To try to understand this dec...

11 Dec 2019

Feeding in the fields

With winter in full swing, many Bewick’s swans have arrived at their wintering sites in northwest Europe. WWT’s centres provide some of the most important roost sites for the swans visiting Britain, with WWT Welney alone supporting more than 30% of Eu...