Close Encounters of the fluffy, wild & behind-the-scenes kind at WWT Castle Espie this May.

May Madness at Castle Espie – from behind-the-scenes to footprints and fossils.

May beckons and with warmer weather just around the corner, WWT Castle Espie Wetland Centre outside Comber has lots of entertaining events planned for the May half-term  weekend.

Behind-the-scenes Reserve Tours - Join our resident expert as he takes you behind the scenes managing a busy wetland reserve – find out more about the seasonal changes. Tours will take place on Saturday 5th, Sunday 6th and Monday 7th May at 2pm.

Footprints & Fossils  - Travel back 330 million years to an era when Castle Espie lay beneath a teaming sea on the equator. Join Dr Mike Simms, Curator of Palaeontology at the Ulster Museum to handle incredible fossils and find out more about how very different things were in Carboniferous era. The event takes place on Monday 7 May at 1pm - 5pm.

The Owl Man - will bring along his menagerie of birds and hedgehogs.  So come and meet the birds of prey from various parts of the world from owls to raptors. Learn about their habitats and why conservation is so important to their future. Monday 7th May, 12 noon - 4.30pm

Duck Tales  - There’s no cuter sight than a tiny fluffy chick taking its first wobbly steps, so why not release your family into the wild this May half-term and come and meet the latest feathered arrivals. One of our resident experts will bring on a tour of our fascinating captive collection. Tours take place  at 12noon & 2pm.

Why not visit our spring exhibition Feather and Fin by artist, Barbara Allen. The exhibition runs until Saturday the 13th May and will showcase Barbara Allen’s work who highlights, ‘I like using watercolour because it gives instant results. When watercolour is used in the true sense of the medium it gives spontaneous and fluid results. The trick is to create the illusion of detail and capture only the essence of any subject.’  All events are included in the cost of admission and free for WWT members.

Castle Espie Wetland Centre is open daily from 10am. Access to the car park, visitor centre, shop, Loughshore Café and the Art Gallery is free of charge. The centre is accessible for wheelchairs. Normal admission prices apply to the reserve.  For further information on forthcoming events, conservation campaigns etc please call 028 9187 4146 or visit wwt.org.uk/castleespie. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter @wwtcastleespie.

Become a WWT member when you visit and not only will you get your entrance fee refunded, but you can then enjoy great days out for a full 12 months for FREE. Our centre is open 364 days a year and with annual family membership only £66 for two adults and up to six children (or just £5.50 a  month, plus a free book for joining by Direct Debit) it ‘pays for itself’ after just three visits. Members also receive an exclusive quarterly magazine, Waterlife, which keeps you up to date on what’s going on at all nine WWT UK wetland centres and has information about WWT’s exciting conservation projects saving species from extinction and caring for important wetlands around the world. Ask a member of staff.

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