News
Floating islands launched to help scoters
Artificial islands made of redundant materials from fish farms have been floated at two Scottish lochs as safe nest sites for common scoters. Common scoters are one of the UK’s rarest breeding birds. They nest at just a small number of Scottish lochs. R
24 May 2017
Royal Bank of Canada donates Chelsea garden to Martin Mere
UPDATE: The Royal Bank of Canada Garden won a showgarden Gold Award at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show. It's also up for a People's Award - you can vote for it online via the BBC website. WWT Martin Mere Wetland Centre staff have been to Chelsea to meet the d
22 May 2017
Rosier future for rarest duck on Ramsar wetland
The Madagascar pochard, the world’s rarest duck, has a rosier future today (International Day of Biodiversity) after the Government of Madagascar pledged to protect the wetland earmarked as its new home. A recent WWT audit of Madagascar’s wetlands id
22 May 2017
Attenborough pays tribute to Scott
Sir David Attenborough has visited WWT Slimbridge Wetland Centre to pay tribute to his old friend, WWT founder Sir Peter Scott. The two broadcasters became close in the 1950s and 1960s, when Peter presented “Look” and David presented “Zooquest” fo
12 May 2017
Fenland chicks good for godwits
First chicks mark fresh future for rare fenland wading bird
12 May 2017
Can swans and geese be aggressive?
Are some birds more aggressive than others? Not according to new research by WWT.
8 May 2017
Are swans more aggressive than other birds?
Are swans more aggressive than other birds? The rumour that 'a swan can break a man's arm' is well known, but is there any truth in the rumours that swans are dangerous? A new study investigates.
8 May 2017
Latest figures reveal current state of UK’s birds
More than one quarter of UK birds are in need of urgent conservation effort with curlew, puffin and nightingale joining the growing list of threatened species – but there is good news for some, according to a new report from conservation bodies includin
11 April 2017
Help find the missing ducks this Easter
Children visiting WWT’s Wetland Centres this Easter are being asked to keep their eyes out for some rather special ducks. A number of GIANT yellow ducks have gone missing and WWT’s own Dusty Duck is asking children to help him in Dusty’s GIANT Duck
31 March 2017
Ballast convention reduces mitten crab threat, but it’s not the end of the story
The risk to UK wildlife from invasive Chinese mitten crabs will be significantly reduced once the Government follows through on its commitment to treat ballast water from ships coming into UK waters. However, the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust (WWT) has jo
27 March 2017
Evidence sought to make wetlands the number one solution
The Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust (WWT) is asking designers and managers of man-made wetlands to complete a short survey that will help gather evidence for natural solutions to become the number one option for water management. The survey is available at
14 March 2017
Scientists invite you to the pub (or to Steart Marshes)
Somerset residents are being invited to the pub by a group of scientists who have come to the region from across the UK to study Steart Marshes. The scientists’ quest is to unlock the mysteries of man-made coastal wetlands, and they want to hear from th
7 March 2017
Pochard's last refuge gets international protection
The world’s rarest duck is one waddle closer to safety after its wetland home was designated a Ramsar Wetland of International Importance, by the government of Madagascar. Bemanevika is series of secluded lakes in the remotest corner of the highlands of
6 March 2017
Swan woman has tea with the Russian Ambassador
WWT’s ‘swan woman’ Sacha Dench had tea with Russian Ambassador, Alexander Yakovenko, yesterday, during which they discussed the protection of endangered wetland birds and possible future collaboration with Russian organisations. The invitation to Sa
3 March 2017
Avian Influenza - updated restrictions
WWT is urging everyone who owns birds to keep supporting national efforts to reduce the spread of avian influenza. The H5N8 strain of the virus has never transferred to humans. But it has caused many deaths in wild and farmed birds across the UK in recent
28 February 2017