News
Latest Sightings
This week the temperature has really dropped on the reserve. The first proper frosts have set in and large sections of the mere have frozen over. Wildfowl can be seen either gathering in the parts that haven’t frozen over or attempting to skitter across
8 December 2022
Latest Sightings
Wader visitation continues apace this week. Fourteen ruff were counted in front of Raines Hide at noon today along with three black tailed godwits on the mere. On Sunday there was a golden plover and two dunlin flocking with the lapwings at Gordon Taylor.
5 December 2022
Latest Sightings
It’s been a chilly couple of days on the reserve, and cold weather has pushed some of our Eastern migrants in. Large numbers of fieldfares from Scandinavia were bustling in the trees between Hale and Ron Barker hides. Higher numbers of pintails from Rus
1 December 2022
Latest Sightings
The blue flash of a kingfisher was seen darting along the sluice in front of Ron Barker this morning.Numbers of whooper swans continue to slowly build, with our latest count at 426. You can tell apart the newer arrivals from the ones who have been here fo
28 November 2022
Latest Sightings
Another exciting week here at Martin mere, with yesterday in particular having a few visits from some great birds! The first was an adult Bewick's swan that roosted on the mere with the whoopers, seen on the morning of the 20th but left shortly after firs
21 November 2022
Latest Sightings
The wildfowl over the past week has definitely been the highlight of the bird sightings. Our highest count of Whooper swans was around 350, with a number of birds having freshly arrived from Iceland. Shelduck, wigeon, pintail and pink-footed geese numbers
15 November 2022
Latest Sightings
Although the reserve has been closed and has been quiet with no visitors, the opposite can be said for our avian visitors! As migration continues the biggest change you'll notice on your return visits to Martin Mere is that our Whooper swans have returned
7 November 2022
Latest Sightings - Treecreepers and whoopers
The cows have been moved to the fields in front of Ron Barker, with Bruce the bull staring longingly over the fence. Four cattle egrets perch on the cows’ backs and yellow wagtails flit about them, feeding off the insects which the cows disturb.The juve
2 October 2022
Latest Sightings
Just when we thought things couldn’t get any more exciting, after the arrival of the juv purple heron, we’ve had another visitor from further afield turn up on the reserve. A pectoral sandpiper arrived on Woodend marsh at around mid-day on Saturday an
26 September 2022
Latest Sightings
Another day of plenty of bird life on the reserve, unfortunately the purple heron has not been seen since Wednesday but hopefully it will reappear! The 4 cattle egrets are still showing well on the backs of the cattle around the mere and can be seen catch
23 September 2022
Latest Sightings - Purple Heron!
A big part of the excitement of autumn migration is that you just never know what is going to turn up! Yesterday evening we had a great surprise at dusk when a juvenile purple heron flew over the reedbed to the left of the mere! It circled over the mere a
21 September 2022
Latest Sightings
The pink-footed geese have arrived! 4000 have been counted on the reserve today and they have been streaming in since Tuesday night when the first large skeins began to fly over the reserve. They are being heard and seen overhead all over the reserve at t
16 September 2022
Latest Sightings
Pink-footed geese numbers are on the rise! Flocks are being seen and heard increasingly frequently on the reserve as they arrive back from Iceland to spend the winter in the UK, having completed their autumn migration. A total of 71 had dropped in in-fron
13 September 2022
Latest Sightings
Migration continues here at Martin mere with numbers of waders moving through the reserve still high. There has been a noticeable increase in willow warblers and chiffchaffs on the reserve, particularly on the path towards harrier hide and around Reines h
6 September 2022
Latest Sightings
Autumn Migration is beginning to get under way now, with our first pink-footed geese flocks of the autumn being seen on the reserve over the past week. Today, 21 of them dropped in briefly in-front of Gordon Taylor hide. Some of our wintering ducks are al
2 September 2022