Welney news

Water supply update

Water supply update

**Important information - Monday 24 Spetember - Our water supply has come back on as of 4.45pm, so we intend to open as normal and resume normal service in the morning - we will post an update tomorrow as early as possible if this is not the case. 

24 September 2018

Pallid harrier and water supply update

Pallid harrier and water supply update

Today we are experiencing problems with out water supply, so facilities within the visitor cente are limited, but access to the reserve is open and will be open until 5pm today (last admissions at 4.30pm). Pallid harrier - 1 from Lyle hide at 11.40am Whoo

24 September 2018

Pallid Harrier

Pallid Harrier

Pallid harrier by Paul Nobbs A juvenile pallid harrier has been giving great views to visitors on the reserve since the weekend.  This particularly showy individual has been watched travelling the length of the reser

18 September 2018

Endangered beetle hides out at WWT Welney

Endangered beetle hides out at WWT Welney

Tansy beetle by Andy Brown     . The Tansy beetle was thought to exist at just two sites in the UK, but has now been recorded for the first time in Norfolk, at the Welney Wetland Centre. It may be one of the small

17 September 2018

A tale of triumph! Hand-reared godwits survive odds to fly the nest.

A tale of triumph! Hand-reared godwits survive odds to fly the nest.

21 black-tailed godwits were released in the Cambridgeshire Fens after being hand-reared by conservationists at WWT Welney. Many of the birds released today were not expected to hatch due to the terrible condition of the eggs as a result of the late spr

20 June 2018

Rare eggs hatch after spring flooding rescue

Rare eggs hatch after spring flooding rescue

A total of 15 godwit eggs rescued from muddy farmland in East Anglia have hatched successfully so far. Conservationists, trying to protect the rare black-tailed godwit, teamed up with local farmers to save the eggs, which were found in poor condition due

25 May 2018

Rescue effort saves rare eggs after spring flooding

Rescue effort saves rare eggs after spring flooding

Unseasonal April downpours have forced tens of thousands of birds to nest away from the safety of the wetlands after their habitat in the Fens, East Anglia became submerged. Conservationists, trying to protect the rare black-tailed godwit, discovered clu

10 May 2018

Crane chick growing up

Crane chick growing up

The pair of cranes which bred at WWT Welney are providing great opportunities to watch them.  The single chick is growing and will soon be taller than much of the vegetation around it.  We have only seen one chick, so it could be that the second egg did

4 May 2018

Project Godwit guided tours coming soon

Project Godwit guided tours coming soon

Due to a challenging spring this year there has been a delay in the headstarting process. We hope to be able to release details of this year's Project Godwit guided tours in the coming weeks, at which point we will be accepting bookings for the dates list

2 May 2018

First hand-reared godwit returns to UK

First hand-reared godwit returns to UK

A black-tailed godwit has returned to The Fens in East Anglia where it was hand-reared after migrating as far as Portugal for the winter. The bird is one of 26 black-tailed godwits raised at WWT Welney and released into the wild last summer. The wader, a

24 April 2018

Cause for celebration over crane chicks

Cause for celebration over crane chicks

Crane and chick by Roger Rawson The common crane Grus grus has successfully bred for the first time at WWT Welney Wetland Centre. The birds arrived on 21st March and to the delight of visitors, staff and volunteers th

20 April 2018

Local road closure due to resurfacing works

Local road closure due to resurfacing works

There are resurfacing works taking place in Welney village this week, Mon 22 – Fri 26 January.  A road diversion will be in place from A1101 taking the A1122 and A10 route via Downham Market.  If you are travelling from March or Chatteris it appears y

21 January 2018

Artist Ben Green features in the gallery this January & February

Artist Ben Green features in the gallery this January & February

Whooper swan evening by Ben Green Ben Green is a local artist who has spent many hours looking out across the Washes at the magnificent spectacle of wildfowl and waders, sketching them and painting them in watercolour

8 January 2018

Welney Sightings

Welney Sightings

Whooper swan Mute swan Bewick's swan Black-tailed godwit Mallard Wigeon Tree sparrow Reed bunting Pintail Pochard Lapwing Little egret Teal Shoveler Tufted duck Moorhen Coot Pied wagtail Greylag Canada goose Golden plover Cormorant Stirling Rook Magpie Ma

21 December 2017

Bewick’s swans slow to arrive this winter

Bewick’s swans slow to arrive this winter

Bewick's swans by Julia Eyles Swan counts have revealed that numbers of Bewick’s swans are very low for this point in the season at WWT Welney Wetland Centre.  The most recent count carried out in December has show

19 December 2017