Welney news
9-11 May Gift shop closed for stock take
From Tuesday 9 - Thursday 11 May the gift shop within the visitor centre at WWT Welney will be closed for the annual stock take. This will not affect admissions or entry to the reserve, and all other areas of the visitor centre such as the cafe, pond ro
26 April 2017
Main observatory works
Aerial view of centre by Sky Vertical On Wednesday 26 April there will be works to the entrance of the main hide as we install the electric all-access door. Access to the reserve will still be possible as well as to
25 April 2017
Kingfisher
Kingfisher by Bob Ellis All winter we had a male kingfisher as a regular sighting, particularly on the ponds around our visitor centre. This spring he has found a mate and they can regularly be seen from several of
21 April 2017
Great white egrets
Great white egret by David Owen Great white egrets are head and shoulders....and body above the little egrets. Look out for them on the pools and ditches throughout the reserve. This afternoon (Thurs 20 April) we had
20 April 2017
Robin chicks hatching
Robin chick Awww look at it's....'HAIR'!!! This newly hatched chick is sporting an impressive head of 'hair', some might say it is a baby only a mother could love. This was the first robin chick to have hatched in t
13 April 2017
Bearded tits in the reeds
Bearded tit by David Bradley Bearded tits have been spotted recently in the reed beds in front of our hides... It's always worth sitting and waiting to see what comes along....or what might be already sneaking through
27 March 2017
Insects become more active
Green socks peacock beetle by Kim Tarsey The insect activity is starting to pick up on the reserve, so make sure you keep your eyes peeled when walking along the footpaths, and not just for birds!! These images are of
24 March 2017
Golden plover migration spectacle
Numbers of golden plover have been increasing over the last couple of weeks to make an impressive flock of over 5,000 strong. They are using our wetlands as feeding grounds, for drinking water, a safe place to roost and to keep themselves in good condit
6 March 2017
Daisy Clarke makes it to Denmark before Storm Doris hits the UK
Our Bewick's swan, Daisy Clarke, is now in Denmark, having had a breif stop in the Netherlands and Germany as she moves further north east towards the breeding grounds in Arctic Russia. Good luck Daisy Clarke! Leho is yet to start her journey, so there ar
22 February 2017
Swans begin their spring migration
Hundreds of Bewick's swans were visible on our final two swan's awake mornings last week and seemed reluctant to fly out very early. This seems to be because they were resting up ready to migrate - as seen with one of our GPS tagged birds, Daisy Clarke, s
20 February 2017
Dawn swan count
This morning we conducted our February swan count and found there to be 1,829 Bewick’s swans and 2,000 whooper swans on the WWT section of the Ouse Washes. This indicates that the first few swans have started their spring migrations, we will soon see
14 February 2017
WeBS Count 13 Feb 17
Great Crested Grebe 1 Cormorant 2 Great White Egret 1 Grey Heron 6 Mute Swan 32 Bewick's Swan 91 Whooper Swan 88 Greylag 75 Canada Goose 3 Shelduck 6 Wigeon 4743 Teal 516 Mallard 670 Pintail 72 Shoveler 92 Pochard 555 Tufted Duck 74 Moorhen 9 Coot 615 Lap
13 February 2017
Reserve access
All hides and footpaths are open. There is some standing water on the path to Reedbed hide, resulting in no scooter travel along this one path and wellies needed or you can skirt around it with sturdy shoes.
9 February 2017
Aerial filming of WWT Welney
Very few people get to see a bird’s eye view of our wetlands for real. But thanks to our local aerial filming specialists Sky Vertical we’ve captured some fantastic clips of the landscape for you to enjoy. This clip shows you the visitor centre, Lady
28 January 2017
Water rail winter viewings
Water rail by Ray Mathias Easier to spot in cold weather, the secretive water rail has been out on show this week. These brilliant views were from the North Wing Hide (luckily this is right next to our heated hide).
27 January 2017