WWT Martin Mere is a visitor centre open all year. Come and see the power of wetlands for yourself.
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WWT Martin Mere Wetland Centre is a wetland nature reserve and visitor attraction in Burscough, Lancashire. Open 364 days a year, our family-friendly site offers visitors of all ages and abilities a host of unforgettable and accessible wildlife encounters and beautiful scenery whatever the weather. Established since 1975, every season brings a host of wild experiences from the autumn goose spectac
ular when 40,000 pink-footed geese will roost on the reserve, the winter swan spectacular when up to 2000 whooper swans will feed everyday on the mere, to the spring new life as ducklings, goslings, chicks and cygnets spring up and the summer flora, forna and insects; meaning no two visits are the same. Supported by dedicated and knowledgeable staff and enthusiastic volunteers, we are committed to offering the best possible experience for our visitors. In addition to wildlife spotting, there is a canoe safari and boat tours, pond dipping activities, den building, a selection of daily talks including an otter talk and feed, hand feeding birds from around the world in our collection and the option to lose yourself in nature on our wild walks. Everyone from bird enthusiasts and animal lovers to school groups and families looking for a wild adventure can find something to enjoy here at WWT Martin Mere – it’s the perfect place to get closer to nature!
🎅 We're sorry for mentioning Christmas... but Sail to Santa tickets are now live!
Set sail to Santa's island, where you'll meet Santa and his elves, receive a gift, and join in on festive crafts!
Book early to avoid disappointment: https://ow.ly/Gmwb50TfqLt
🔭 Latest Sightings 🔭
The pink-footed geese have started arriving from Iceland! On Friday, 17 were seen from Gordon Taylor hide.
A Red Kite was spotted flying over the reedbed walk on Saturday.
At the Rees hide, there were 2 Green Sandpipers, 3 Wigeons, 2 juvenile Little Ringed Plovers, 5 Ruff, 1 Shoveler and 20 Black Tailed Godwit.
Also seen on the Mere were 2 Snipe, 10 Cormorants, 1 Teal and 1 Little Egret.
Yesterday, seen from Ron Barker hide, we counted 29 Cattle Egret (a record for us!), 1 Grey Heron, 1 Marsh harrier, and a large number of Lapwings and Coots.
At the Discovery Hide, there has been Snipe, Great Egret and Ruff.
View all latest sightings: https://ow.ly/oElk50Te3pS
📷 Wildlife Photography Workshop 📷
Join Heather for this beginner-friendly photography workshop, covering the basics of photography and touring the centre to take photographs with the help of Heather.
6 October. Book here:
Heather Beckett is delighted to offer this beginner-friendly photography workshop at Martin Mere. She’ll teach you everything you need to know to capture amazing images all year round, in any season, with any camera.
⚠️ Otter notice (UPDATE) ⚠️
Please note that from Mon 2 Sept to Sun 8 Sept the otters will be off show whilst we complete works on their habitat. We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.
The weather is improving, and we've got plenty on offer to enjoy the wonderful outdoors ☀️
Feed our birds, explore our Wild Walk, go pond dipping, venture on a canoe, meet our otters, and treat yourself to an ice cream!
Take a look at some of our family favourites: https://ow.ly/OlvV50T9uyT
📷 By Lisa Wilkinson-Gamble
Pectoral Sandpiper Sighting (28/08/2024) 🔭
There is currently a Pectoral Sandpiper at the back of our mere, with the best views seen from the Discovery Hide.
Oh to be as iconic as our Inca terns ⭐
See them in action as part of our daily WoW Aviary talk at 3pm! Watch the feed and learn about other fascinating species such as our spoonbill, comb ducks, and whistling ducks.
Photo by Lisa Wilkinson-Gamble
Happy birthday Kenai 🎂 Kenai, our Asian small Clawed otter has turned 7 today and as a special treat he has a paddling pool and balls to play with. Come and meet Penny and Kenai at their daily feeds at 11.30 and 2.30
Our Vikings will soon be leaving!
This Monday and Tuesday (26 & 27) is your last chance to join in our activities in Mere Tun. Get involved in willow weaving, felt making, weapons training, and discover some wetland recipes!
Included in admission (WWT members go free): https://ow.ly/FE6a50T1Yqz
Thanks Aneeshwar Kunchala for this brilliant video of our Canoe Safari!
Aneeshwar, who you may recognise from Britain's Got Talent, visited us recently and has created this video to give you more insight into our canoe experience!
He is a young wildlife presenter with a very keen interest on nature and our planet - and we're pleased to hear that WWT wetland centres are some of his favourite places to go!
Thank you for sending this across! If you'd like to see more from Aneeshwar give him a follow on Twitter: https://x.com/Aneeshwar_K
It's Bank Holiday Weekend! 🙌
We're open as usual and here's what's on:
🦩 Crack our Summer Code Breakers trail. £1 per card, all day.
⚔️ Viking activities in Mere Tun (Mon & Tue only). Included in admission, 12-3pm.
🦋 Moth trapping session. 10:30am, included in admission.
🛶 Canoe Safari & Boat Tours. £12 per canoe (up to 3 people), £3.50 per seat on boat, 11-4pm.
🦟 Pond dipping. Included in admission, 1:30-3pm.
🖍️ Family craft room. 1-4pm, free and paid colouring and crafts.
🦦 Daily talks and feeds. Included in admission, 11:30 & 2:30pm for otters, 3pm for WoW Aviary.
You can also check out our family favourites for more: https://ow.ly/NfbB50T39uF
⚠️ Centre update ⚠️
Due to storm damage, we have closed our Wild Walk area today (24/08/2024). We are open as usual elsewhere. Please keep an eye on this post for any further updates before your visit.
The mallards stealing hearts ❤️
If you've visited our Chilean flamingos recently, you've probably come across this young bunch of friendly mallards.
If you've got a bag of food, they'll come running! And how can you say no to these cute faces?
Thank you Lisa Wilkinson-Gamble for these photos.
A little egret captured by 10 year old Harry!
Harry visits us at least once a week and saved up his pocket money for a new camera. Last week he got this photo of a little egret from Raines Observatory. We look forward to seeing more!
Did you see the fledgling swallows on the edge of our main building on Friday (across from the cafe)?
Five of them were seen together and these two in particular were inseparable!
Thanks to Lisa Wilkinson-Gamble for this photo.
Mere Tun is open today and tomorrow from 12-3pm. Come say hi to our Vikings and get involved in weapons training, weaving and more!
If you can't make it today, we'll also be running these activities next Monday & Tuesday.
We've got a new species of fungus at Martin Mere!
This is called the fluted bird's nest fungi. As the name suggests, they look like tiny birds nests with eggs in them.
When it rains, water will splash into the cups and send the spores into the air. It's mostly found on dead wood in woodland habitat.
Bittern chicks - a FIRST in reserve history!
We're extremely excited to announce the hatching of seven bittern chicks for the first time in Martin Mere's recorded history.
In an attempt to encourage a breeding pair to the reedbed, our reserve team completed works such as clearing scrub, cutting large areas of reed to create an area of different aged reeds and raising the water levels on the reedbed to allow fish to thrive so that the bitterns would have enough supply to feed their young.
Their work paid off, as after seeing an adult frequently flying in and out of the same spot of the reedbed, our team investigated and recorded seven chicks across two nests.
The chicks have now fledged, with sightings recorded from Ron Barker hide and the reedbed.
This video was taken during the nest visit under a schedule 1 licence.
Read the full story: https://www.wwt.org.uk/wetland-centres/martin-mere/news/bitterns-hatch-at-wwt-martin-mere-a-first-in-reserve-history
Black-necked grebe
A juvenile black-necked grebe has been appearing near harrier hide, and has still been showing well today.
These photos were taken over the weekend by our centre manager, Nick, and combined to create this image.
All latest sightings: https://ow.ly/Tbj550SVVKN
Is it a duck? Is it a goose? Is it more like a pheasant?
The Southern Screamer looks nothing like the other birds here. It is an odd-looking bird with a small head and large grey body. We think they look quite prehistoric!
📷 Submitted by Glyn Ellis into our photography competition (junior category).
Submit here: https://ow.ly/ntPE50SPU4j
Flamingo submissions 🦩
Here are just a few of the photos of our fabulous flamingos submitted to our wetland photography competition! Thank you to those that have submitted so far - entries close 16 August.
Photo credit:
Image 1 - Richard Ahern
Image 2 - Joanne Pelham
Image 3 - Alyssa Parker
Image 4 - Scott Norvaisa
Submit your entries: https://ow.ly/XFVg50SUJq2
Penny & Kenai enjoying a cuddle 🦦
Our daily commentated otter feeds take place at 11.30am and 2.30pm, come and learn more about them!
Species talks: https://ow.ly/M5La50ST3tq
There's lucky, and then there's this 👇
One of our visitors, Mick Taylor, had a very curious kestrel checking out his scope near Tomlinson Hide!
The third duckling is us trying to work out our Summer Code Breakers trail 😵
Plan a visit: https://ow.ly/oZeB50SFQxa
🌟 Meet our wetland stars 🌟
Looking for a fun day out? Come see our fabulous flamingos, adorable otters, wonderful white storks, incredible Inca terns, and more this summer!
Plan your day out: https://ow.ly/CA2250SPQSP
With wide-open spaces and wetlands full of the sights and sounds of nature, there's plenty to see and do.With so many wildlife encounters and inspiring activities, no two visits are the same. A visit also supports our vital work to restore wetlands and their wildlife.
Looking to do a guided boat tour? ⛵
The guided boat is popular this year, so be sure to book in advance to secure your place: https://ow.ly/RT8050SPQJZ
Junior photographers! 📢
Visited us recently? We're looking for more junior entries into our photography competition. They can be taken with a camera or smartphone and we're open to beginners!
Send us your pics: https://ow.ly/oShT50SPTxM
Give us your best captions for this photo below 👇
__
Photo submitted into our photography competition by Adam Grisedale. Submit here: https://ow.ly/1zu550SCZzP
A closer look at the juvenile tawny owl 🦉
Thanks to Gary Gray for this photo, taken on the pathway towards Ron Barker. Take a look around, as it keeps moving from tree to tree!
See all of our latest sightings: https://ow.ly/7yT350SOWNp
Fish Lane
Ormskirk
L400TA
| Monday | 9:30am - 6pm |
| Tuesday | 9am - 6pm |
| Wednesday | 9:30am - 6pm |
| Thursday | 9am - 6pm |
| Friday | 9:30am - 6pm |
| Saturday | 9:30am - 6pm |
| Sunday | 9:30am - 6pm |
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Happy birthday Kenai 🎂 Kenai, our Asian small Clawed otter has turned 7 today and as a special treat he has a paddling pool and balls to play with. Come and meet Penny and Kenai at their daily feeds at 11.30 and 2.30
Thanks Aneeshwar Kunchala for this brilliant video of our Canoe Safari! Aneeshwar, who you may recognise from Britain's Got Talent, visited us recently and has created this video to give you more insight into our canoe experience! He is a young wildlife presenter with a very keen interest on nature and our planet - and we're pleased to hear that WWT wetland centres are some of his favourite places to go! Thank you for sending this across! If you'd like to see more from Aneeshwar give him a follow on Twitter: https://x.com/Aneeshwar_K
Bittern chicks - a FIRST in reserve history! We're extremely excited to announce the hatching of seven bittern chicks for the first time in Martin Mere's recorded history. In an attempt to encourage a breeding pair to the reedbed, our reserve team completed works such as clearing scrub, cutting large areas of reed to create an area of different aged reeds and raising the water levels on the reedbed to allow fish to thrive so that the bitterns would have enough supply to feed their young. Their work paid off, as after seeing an adult frequently flying in and out of the same spot of the reedbed, our team investigated and recorded seven chicks across two nests. The chicks have now fledged, with sightings recorded from Ron Barker hide and the reedbed. This video was taken during the nest visit under a schedule 1 licence. Read the full story: https://www.wwt.org.uk/wetland-centres/martin-mere/news/bitterns-hatch-at-wwt-martin-mere-a-first-in-reserve-history
Hand feeding POV 🦆📷 ___ Hand feeding is available all summer, feed our friendly bunch for £1.50 per bag of feed! (admission applies) Take a look: https://ow.ly/9YbU50SFVyR
Adorable shelducklings snoozing in the sun ☀️ There are lots of shelduck broods around the centre at the moment, these were spotted near our stepping stones 📷 #cute #ducklings
Watch this - most patient cow award goes to our Wally 🏆🐄 Not only does Wally have to put up with cattle egrets all up in his space, but a cheeky jackdaw taking his fur directly from him for a nest too! Video taken by our Centre Manager, Nick 📷
EDIT: Now fully booked! Only 7 spaces remain on our Bat & Barn Owl Evenings 🦇🦉 Our first event on Friday saw barn owls hunting, extra wildlife treats such as marsh harriers, and plenty of activity from bats. We heard the calls of pipistrelle and noctule and saw lots of bats flying above us on the search for insects. These are our only sessions for the year, so book to avoid disappointment: https://ow.ly/HjKk50Sme9L
Who wants to see more cute gosling content? 🙋♀️ Our pink-footed goslings are enjoying the sun, and we just can't get enough of them.
Happy #WorldOtterDay to our favourite otters, Penny & Kenai 💕 If you're visiting today, make sure to say hi to them. We'll be sure to spoil them with treats!
White Stork Chicks! 🐥 We're extremely pleased to announce four white stork chicks have hatched. Most are around two weeks old now, they can be seen peaking their heads above their nests from our white stork lodge. Take a look at this video of the youngsters bill-clattering, a way storks communicate with each other! Full story: https://www.wwt.org.uk/wetland-centres/martin-mere/news/white-stork-chicks-hatch-at-wwt-martin-mere
ONLY 1 WEEK TO GO! 🏁 The Annual Duck Race is almost here, have you bought your duck yet?! Our craft room will be open on weekends 1-4pm, and from 10am on the day of the races! Monday 6 May. Prizes up for grabs. Full details on our website: https://ow.ly/j6hY50Re6ch
Happy International Flamingo Day to our pink superstars! 🦩 We've got two flocks here - Chilean and greater flamingos. Our greater flamingos are a nosey bunch, so to celebrate Flamingo Day we've put together some clips of some of their cheeky moments. Take a look 👇
🐣 CAPE BARREN GOSLINGS! 🐣 Some of you may have noticed our cape barren geese were off show these past few weeks. We had a very cute secret - three cape barren goslings that hatched near the beginning of April. With the gosling trio doing well, they have now been relocated back to their enclosure in Weird or Wonderful. See photos and read the story here: https://ow.ly/UQfr50RnQNj
Wow take a listen 🔊 Wait for it... do you hear that pig-like squeal? That's the sound of two water rails calling, called 'sharming'. Video filmed at our reedbed this morning, by our Reserve Manager Louise Greenwood.
300 black-tailed godwits are currently calling Martin Mere home 🏠 Close-up views can be enjoyed from our Discovery Hide.
🐤 Lots of tiny feet are waddling around Martin Mere Spring is such a joyful time to visit, as we welcome plenty of new life across our centre. Here are some ducklings (and coot chicks) from this week ❤️
Our free pond dipping sessions are open school holidays and weekends from 1:30-3pm. That means you can join us every day of the Easter holidays to find all kinds of fascinating life in the pond! Standard admission applies (WWT members and under 4s go free) View our website to see what's on: https://www.wwt.org.uk/wetland-centres/martin-mere/whats-on/
🐤 Have you found all of our GIANT yellow ducks yet? 🕵️ They're still hiding around Martin Mere - come and help us find 25 of them and win a tasty treat! Event runs until 14 April. Find out more: https://www.wwt.org.uk/wetland-centres/martin-mere/whats-on/giant-easter-duck-trail-1 #daysout #lancashire
This week saw our first mallard ducklings of the year, just in time for Easter 😍🐤 We're open as usual this Easter weekend, 9:30am - 6pm!
Nature exploring… it’s a Bing thing! Join Bing and Flop, and become a nature explorer at WWT Martin Mere this spring, with activity trails, storytelling, and more starting 23 March. Find out more here 👇 https://ow.ly/sh6S50QOOmF
