News
'Message in a bottle' bird found by friend over 3000 miles away
A spoon-billed sandpiper reared by a WWT conservationist in Russia was sighted by a friend in China just weeks later. The young bird was identified in Jiangsu over 3000 miles from the Russian east coast where it was raised by aviculturalist Jodie Clement
5 November 2018
First Bewick's swan returns to the UK heralding the arrival of winter
The first Bewick’s swan of the season has landed at WWT Slimbridge in Gloucestershire, having surfed the weekend’s first blast of winter winds from the Arctic. The bird, known as Indri, is making its third visit to the famous reserve, after arriving
30 October 2018
New handbook makes waves in the wetland world
Creating wetlands in cities around the globe just got easier, thanks to a new good practice manual launched this week at the Ramsar Convention in Dubai by WWT Consulting. The handbook, created with Nanjing University Ecological Research Institute of Chan
29 October 2018
WWT Snapshot September 2018
Thank you to the astounding 600,000 visitors who took advantage of the nice weather to visit our wetland centres over spring and summer 2018. Here’s just some of the good conservation work your support has enabled WWT to achieve in the last three months
26 October 2018
Conservation heroes given Marsh Award
Two unsung heroes of conservation were rewarded for their achievements today when they each received a Marsh Award for Wetland Conservation from the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust (WWT) in partnership with the Marsh Christian Trust. Colin Gray and Mark Smar
11 October 2018
"Can do" Kate is a President for WWT's future
Kate Humble today became President of wetland conservation charity, WWT. At the charity’s annual general meeting she promised to be WWT’s most active and most vocal supporter. WWT creates and protects wetlands to help wildlife and people to thri
11 October 2018
Vote Cambodia! Help save precious wetlands
The chance to help Cambodia’s endangered wetlands is open to a public vote. In just 15 years, half of Cambodia’s wetlands have disappeared. Bergans of Norway has kindly nominated WWT’s project to save two of the last natural seasonal wetlands in th
9 October 2018
New WWT study reveals what captive flamingos get up to when the lights go out
Captive flamingos are as active as their wild counterparts at night despite their different lifestyles, according to latest research. Although the birds were provided with food and protected from predators, footage shows that flamingos at WWT Slimbridg
5 October 2018
Enfield schoolchildren see designs for new wetland nature reserve become reality
The Prince of Wales Open Space was unveiled to the public this week after undergoing a dramatic makeover with the help of local kids. The event was hosted by Enfield Borough Council, Thames Water and WWT who teamed up to breathe new life into the negle
1 October 2018
The Global Wetland Outlook: Wetlands disappearing three times faster than forests
Wetlands are disappearing three times faster than natural forests, warns the Ramsar Convention's report ahead of a global meeting on protecting the world’s wetlands in 2018. Wetlands are as essential for our water as forests are for our air.
27 September 2018
Fish and chips: Eels microchipped to track species on the brink
Wild eels are being microchipped, similar to the way people microchip their pets, in an attempt by conservationists from WWT to better understand their activity. The study at Slimbridge in South Gloucester will allow scientists to monitor how eels are
27 September 2018
Look who's back!
The last few days of August, saw the first Light-Bellied Brent Geese recorded on Strangford Lough this season. So far more than a dozen completed their epic journey from the Arctic and landed safely on the Lough, lured back by the life giving eelgrass. A
7 September 2018
Sri Lankan Government announces wetland protection after WWT collaboration
Colombo’s citizens will reap the many benefits of healthy wetlands after the Sri Lankan government vowed to protect them. Thanks to WWT, and the local partners we work, with the capital’s wetlands have been formally recognised for the natural role th
6 September 2018
Recent Sightings €- 3rd September 2018
The following sightings were recorded today at Mid tide from the reserve at Castle Espie. They have returned! After flying over 2500 miles from their breeding grounds in Arctic Canada Brent Geese have returned to their wintering ground in Strangford Lough
3 September 2018
Bewick's cygnet numbers in Arctic early sign of bumper breeding season
Our experts made the exciting discovery during their annual 2000-mile trip to the Arctic to ring the critically endangered birds. After spotting just one cygnet last year, Conservation Scientist Kane Brides and Reserve Warden David Dinsley sighted 24 c
31 August 2018