Snowy wetlands

It's cold! But this is one of my favourite times of year at WWT London Wetland Centre. To begin with, the Centre looks beautiful in the snow, as this lovely photo by my colleague Przemek Piotrowski demonstrates. But even when there’s no snow on the ground, there’s plenty to look at out on the reserve. Right now I’m watching some of the 300+ redwings and numerous fieldfares currently enjoying a seasonal mini-break around the entrance to the Centre: they’re feeding on holly and hawthorn berries, and when the ground’s clear they will be probing the soil for invertebrates.

But further out on the reserve visitors are getting regular sightings of bittern and water rail when they venture out from the reedbeds. We’ve also had occasional visits from woodcock and golden plover, and when there’s an ice-free spot on the main lake the local peregrine pair come down to bathe beside the long shingle island.

Now is also a good time to take photos – snow, ice, frost, tree silhouettes and those wonderful wintery skies. Don’t forget the deadline for entries in the winter “heat” (!) for the WWT Photography Competition is 29 February – see WWT Photography Competition for details.

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