News
Welcome to the flock!
Hi, everyone. My name is Charlie and I’m proud to be the new reserve warden at WWT Caerlaverock!My journey into conservation began five years ago back in Northern Ireland when I decided to change career because I wanted to make positive environmental ch
14 May 2024
His Majesty the King to remain patron of WWT
His Majesty the King has retained his patronage of WWT, the charity for wetlands and wildlife, following his coronation. The Royal Household opted to conduct a review of the King's patronages following his royal highness' accession, and we are very hap
13 May 2024
Wetland Word of the Week 11
The wetland words this week is...... mavis. In Southwest Scotland, mavis refers to a mistle thrush while in other areas it is used for a song thrush. So what is a song thrush called here? A throstle - two wetland words for the price of one this week!Our f
13 May 2024
Dragonflies galore
With summer approaching, invertebrates are becoming more abundant on the reserve each day. A particular group of invertebrates that I’m excited to see is Ordonata (the team here may even say that I’m a bit obsessed!) which is made up dragonflies and d
8 May 2024
100,000 nature activities completed by primary school children
Through Generation Wild, a project spearheaded by WWT, the charity for wetlands and wildlife, 100,000 nature activities have been completed by children who traditionally have fewer opportunities to make meaningful connections with nature. Over 35,000 c
7 May 2024
Wetland Word of the Week 10
This week's wetland word is...... deluge which is a severe flood or a heavy fall of rain. It can also be employed as a verb meaning to overwhelm with a flood. If you are the poetic sort, you could also put it to use as a metaphor: "I've got a deluge of em
6 May 2024
The Walk on the Wild Side is back!
The Walk on the Wild Side takes a meandering route through the wildflower meadow and along the Lochar Water. If insects are your thing, this is a spot you cannot miss. Below are some of our favourites.The azure damselfly is quite a common species and has
2 May 2024
WWT announces singer David Gray as its latest ambassador
David Gray, whose album White Ladder is one of the biggest sellers of the 21st century, has long supported wetlands and its wildlife, in particular the red-listed Eurasian Curlew, and is a committed supporter of the work of WWT. Explaining why he has b
1 May 2024
Wetland Word of the Week 9
This week's wetland word is...soggy meaning wet and soft. It comes from an old English dialect word, 'sog' meaning swamp or an obsolete verb meaning to become soaked. Either way, when it rains here at Caerlaverock, wellies are definitely needed to avoid g
29 April 2024
Finally it feels like spring!
As we near the end of April, we are finally feeling the spring weather! It is getting warmer here and the sky stays blue for more than a few hours. There is even warmth when the sun goes behind the clouds.The Peter Scott Trail is alive with birdsong: the
28 April 2024
Reminiscent Reflections
As I wander out onto our wild side meadow trail, I have mixed emotions and reflect on my time working here. Passing the now vacant Whooper Pond, where we fed the swans and I saw my first wild otters, I continue along the path. It follows the Back Pond,
28 April 2024
Spring explosion on the Peter Scott Trail: The Wilder, Wetter Caerlaverock Diaries no.2
Working on The Wilder, Wetter Caerlaverock project can be varied at times. Sometimes I’m working large amounts of the site all day to prepare future project work. Other times I’m sat at my desk working on maps, contracts and other admin based work. It
25 April 2024
WWT unites with wildlife and climate campaigners in what could be the biggest ever march for nature
WWT is urging everyone who cares for nature to unite and march through London to Parliament Square on Saturday 22 June, with a simple demand to all political parties: Restore Nature Now. This legal demonstration aims to be the biggest gathering of peop
24 April 2024
Wetland Word of the Week 8
This week's word is... ... fen. A fen is the kind of wetland that is characterised by having alkaline or neutral water and peaty soil. They have lots of dissolved minerals. What we know as 'the Fens', an area of East Anglia, has largely been drained for a
22 April 2024
Holy moly, it's holy grass!
You may be asking “why are you so excited about a kind of grass?” but as the name says, holy grass is pretty special. Found across Eurasia and the Americas, Hierochloe odorata, or holy grass as it is known in the UK, is a marshland species, particul
19 April 2024