Reserve update - whilst we are closed let us bring the reserve to you.
Whilst our Welney Wetland Centre is closed to the public, our much reduced team continue working behind the scenes. Caring for the wetland habitat and wildlife, bringing the reserve to you the only way we currently can on the website and social media.
Water levels are continuing to drop on the reserve as any remaining winter water is pumped now, in addition to draining off. Below is an image of Welmore sluice, which is where the water exits the washes. The sluice is beyond where visitors can access from WWT Welney, further north along the washes from our Friends hide. Lots of flood water will have flushed through this sluice over the course of the winter, which is beneficial for carrying sediment further downstream so that we don't get too much silt build-up along the waterways.
The Hundred Foot Drain is directly linked to the Wash, with no sluices to break this link we see the tidal effect along this waterway even though we are far inland. The full moon this week, meant that we had very high spring tides. This is what the Hundred Foot Drain looks like when full to the brim, as viewed from the footbridge.
Spring
migrants are passing through and more summer arrival this week with
wheatear, sand martin, swallow, house martin, yellow wagtail, willow
warbler, sedge warbler, little gull (photo below), 36 ruff and spotted redshank……as
well as a good number of Icelandic black-tailed godwits preparing for
their migrations. As migration builds you may be able to watch and listen out for birds passing over your own garden, or whilst taking your daily exercise - on nice evenings look out for martins, swallows, wagtails and other migrants flying over - on warm
days check thermals for birds of prey high in the sky too.
Although our swan feeds had finished prior to the UK going into lockdown, we have been keeping our bird feeders topped up to keep the tree sparrows, house sparrows, goldfinches, blue tits, robins and others well fed.
How are you managing your own spaces for wildlife - are you enjoying seeing birds, insects and plants in your own patch now you have more time to devote to it? If you are looking for more ideas on how to encourage wildlife, how about planting wildflower pollinator patches or letting the lawn go a bit wild, and building bee and bug hotels….
Sadly this year as a result of the coronavirus restrictions we are unable to carry out the headstarting and engagement sides of Project Godwit. So in addition to the classroom pack launched last week, Project Godwit are asking you to submit an arty godwit creation to make an online flock whilst we can't get our usual fox of seeing the birds in the feather. If you create a godwit you can submit it to theteam@projectgodwit.org.uk or tag the Project Godwit accounts on twitter or facebook and use the hashtag #ohmygodwits to help us see your wonderful ideas. Our Project Godwit Engagement Officer, Jess Owen, has also written a blog about her work taking the project into schools, read about this here - https://projectgodwit.org.uk/2020/04/09/taking-project-godwit-into-schools/
