Wwt Martin Mere Wetland Centre

With the summer holidays coming to an end and purse strings starting to get a bit tight – Become a WWT member, sign up to direct debit and you do not need to pay a thing to come and have more great days out at WWT Martin Mere Wetland Centre this summer.
For just £7.33 a month you can have two adults and up to six children (immediate relatives) on a membership to visit Martin Mere all year – on your third visit you are saving lots of money! #savemoney #bankholiday

One of the most popular events that Martin Mere does is back - Animal Magic on Sat 22 & Sun 23 September. Meet an armadillo, meerkats, reptiles, birds of prey and much more #animalmagic

Come and meet the animals - Exotic Zoo is bringing an armadillo, meerkats, a petting zoo, chameleons, scorpions and more - Take a donkey ride (£3pp) with Holly Fold Farm - Meet greyhounds with the Belle Vue Retired Greyhounds Trust - Meet owls, eagles and vultures with Corio Raptor Care... - Get up close to reptiles with Critters 2 You - Meet the Lancashire Badger Group and the Ormskirk Bee Keepers Association - You will never know what animals you will meet with Woodlands Animal Rescue (Sunday only)
Family activities
- Make your own animal ears in our craft room from 11am - 4pm (some crafts require a small charge) - Pond dipping: Pick up a net and see what creatures are lurking beneath the water. Everyday from 11am - 12.30pm and 1.30pm - 4pm - Otter talk: Meet our 3 cheeky Asian otters as you watch them forage, swim, rest, sleep and bath in the sunshine. 11.30am and 2.30pm. - Canoe safari & boat tours: Pick up a paddle and canoe your way around or drift along on a boat tour (£8 per canoe, seats 3. £3 per boat seat). - Feeding the birds: Get nose to beak as friendly ducks and geese scramble to feed from your hand. Pick up a bag of grain for £1. - Wild walk: Have a muddy adventure with wobbly bridges, mucky meadows, a reedy ramble & hidden treasures. - Swing, climb, fly, play and travel across our adventure playground ‘Rushes’ – suitable for all ages and abilities.
wwt.org.uk/martinmere for further information
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North West Bird Watching Festival - Sat 24 & Sun 25 November. Talk title confirmed for Miranda Krestovnikoff - 'A Wildlife in Television' - behind the scenes stories of 20 years filming wildlife. Book online today to secure your seat! #nwbwf

Come along for a great day out at the annual North West Bird Watching Festival
- 8am opening on the reserve (with full English breakfast served from 9am) - Seven guest speakers over 2 days including One Show presenter George McGavin, Miranda Krestovnikoff, the orchid hunter Leif Bersweden, wildlife photographer Alan Hewitt, Lee Schofield (RSPB), Speyside Wildlife talking about birds of Costa Rica and WWT James Robinson with Project Godwit... - Rooms full of exhibitors including wildlife holidays, clothing, books and charities - Otter feeds, white stork feeds, swan feeds and guided walks with Reserve Manager Louise Clewley and Miranda Krestovnikoff - Martin Mere's fourth annual bird race on Saturday 24 November. Collect your race form on arrival and start counting. Prize given to winning team at 3.45pm - Bird ringing demonstrations and floodlit swan feeds
For a full list of exhibitors, guest speakers and event details please go to www.wwt.org.uk/nwbwf
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A third of the way through August and over 10,000 people have enjoyed seeing the GIANT Bionic Bugs this summer. With another 23 days to go there is plenty of time to come and meet them :-) Thanks to Sarah Freeman for these photos.

Some lovely images here from our new media volunteer, Chris Short, which shows the diversity of what you can see when you visit WWT Martin Mere Wetland Centre in August. Thanks Chris and welcome to the team :-)

The North West Bird Watching Festival will be hosted on Sat 24 & Sun 25 November at Martin Mere. The website is now live and you can pre-book your activities on line this year.
Guest speakers this year feature George McGavin, Miranda Krestovnikoff, author Leif Bersweden and photographer Alan Hewitt. It is going to be a great weekend and one to get in the diary! #nwbirdfair

Don't you just love the imagination of a child! Some of the bugs we have had designed in the craft room, everyday 1pm - 4pm. Design your own and get them featured on our bug-tastic wall of fame #bionicbugs

In September, Martin Mere will be hosting 3 courses: Birdwatching morning, photography workshop and drawing & painting birds - there are still some places left on each course. Click on the link below for dates and prices!

The summer holidays are well underway at the Centre and the bionic bugs are proving very popular! All summer you can do 8 bug themed activities to gain stickers - one of these activities is to find our special bugs on the Canoe Safari bug trail whilst having lots of fun taking to the water on a canoe or boat tour #bionicbugs

This week on the reserve we have been doing our annual botanical surveys with Joshua Style, Dominic Rigby (CCNW) and Richard Bullock (LWC) – and we have had some great results.
They have found five new taxa for the site (including the rare Annual Beard Grass) and also stumbled across the regionally endangered Marsh Stitchwort, a new Vice County record for Bog Pondweed and a huge ‘dollop’ of Floating Clubrush (Eleogeton fluitans) - the species has had enormous declines in region in the past century and it has been 111 years since it was last recorded in West Lancashire making it very rare in locality. The map shows the distribution of Floating Clubrush in NW England - red dots = extant, white = extinct. #plantsurvey #wildflowers

Juvenile waterfowl rarely show any sexual dimorphism (a visible difference between males and females), but these young Brazilian teal are already colouring up nicely. The males lovely red bills have come through and will become more vivid as they approach breeding age, and the females delicate brown and cream facial spots are showing beautifully.

Our Roundhouse village: Mere Tun is open every Tuesday and Wednesday during the summer holidays offering living history experiences from 12 noon - 3pm. Pop along and step back in time..... #bionicbugs

They grow up so fast! This not-so-little flamingo chick is still trying to score a feed from mum, but by the looks of it she's not having any of it. This is an important stage in the chicks development, they have to learn to feed themselves and not rely on their parents if they're to fully fledge into adults.

GIANT Bionic Bugs has begun! Meet a 6ft long dragonfly, a 4ft buzzing bee, and a 6ft long hopping grasshopper amongst others, brought to life with state of the art animatronics and sound effects. Have a buzzing adventure at Martin Mere this summer. #bionicbugs #summerholiday #thingstodo
www.wwt.org.uk/bionicbugs

See the reserve at night and get a glimpse of the species that come out after dark in our special Bat and Barn Owl Nights every Friday in August.
Walk along the reserve spying for barn owls before searching for bats when it becomes dark. The event will also include a short talk about tracking, recording and identifying bats by our experts before getting a bat detector to hear the sounds of different bat species.
The event starts at 8pm prompt, with the three mile walk, finis...hing at approximately 11pm. The event involves walking over rough terrain.
Cost: £14 per person (ages 12 and over) - book online today following the link below.
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Our GIANT Bionic Bug event starts tomorrow! Don't forget to pick up your bug book from visitor services when you arrive for a bug-filled summer adventure... www.wwt.org.uk/bionicbugs #BionicBugs

What a fabulous day we had today! My 18 month and 3 and half year old loved it! From the den building, to the boat ride, park, feeding the birds, the animal Lego trail and the fantastic scenery, we couldn’t fault a thing! We were amazed at all the different bird species that we managed to see! We will most certainly be back! Thank you!

We visited for the first time on Saturday and what a fantastic day out!! We got there just after opening and only left about 5:30 ! So many wonderful things to do and the friendliest most knowledgeable staff I've experienced anywhere in quite some time!!! The bionic bugs were incredible - better than expected and the pond dipping was a real hit! We had lunch in the café and everything was absolutely delicious !!! I was so impressed that I signed up for a membership on the same day so that we can go back again and again!!! Thank you for a wonderful experience!!! I have told many people about what a great time we had and told them that they should visit too! :-)

We have been to the reserve several times over the years and I never get bored of it. I am a keen birdwatcher anyway and now I have kids and they adore it there as well. The visit this time was particularly good with the lego animal trial which the kids (and me loved). I have also been when the duck trial is on and that was another major hit with the kids. The park is great for kids as well. Went on Saturday and my 4 year old keeps asking when we can go back! The staff are always so helpful and the volunteers and great with the kids. It isn't the cheapest but it is a brilliant day out and it's clear to see how well the birds are cared for. Would highly recommend

My partner and I visited MM yesterday and as always we loved it. We've not been for a while so enjoyed the new reed bed walk and it was quiet in the hides with it being a Friday so not too busy. Even as an adult I adore being able to feed the birds, especially some of the geese who eat straight from your hand. We didn't go on the canoe safari this time but we have done so previously and it's a great thing for families to do. All in all a fabulous day out.

My partner and I hadn't visited since we were kids so thought it was time to bring our little one for an adventure. It was such a great day out from the beginning, we were greeted by pleasant & helpful staff, this was the same for all staff we spoke to. Our little one loved it and enjoyed feeding & seeing all of the ducks and other waterfowl, his favorite was certainly the flamingos! There is so much to see and do and we will be back to explore more, we also want to see the bionic bugs! Thank you for such a wonderful experience and we will see you again soon.

Loved it so much the whole family are now members. We have already been twice this half term holiday! Plenty to do and see for my 6 yr old and my 15 yr old also enjoyed it. A beautiful environment for the birds and a relaxing place for us too x

I love Martin Mere. Regardless of what season it is and what the weather is like it is always such a peaceful place to visit, always lots to entertain children and a bird watchers paradise. The talks are always interesting and it's lovely to be able to walk around the sanctuary at a slow pace to take in the views and to watch the many beautiful birds , otters and insects. The pond dipping is a must. A lovely day out.

I haven’t been here since I was on a school trip! Fab day with family and friends and the Lego trail was great. The trail map kept the kids engaged and it was a full day out. Look forward to visiting again in the future as I want to go on a canoe �

I absolutely love Martin Mere. Friendly staff, great atmosphere and good food when you're feeling peckish. So great to see that my grandson is a lover of nature even at his young age. I have been a member for more years than I care to remember, and relish every visit.

Had a thoroughly enjoyable day yesterday with the grandchildren. Lots to see and the Lego animals were amazing. Was going to buy an annual pass on the way out but had managed to somehow lose our receipt in the park. Despite obviously paying for a family ticket to get in by credit card and signing up for gift aid, so they had our name and address, we were not able to apply for the refund for the days entry off the annual membership as we didn't have the physical receipt. Staff not willing to help us out with that issue so we didn't bother with the annual pass. Disappointing end to the day, as i feel sure they could have found a way round it.

Had a fabulous afternoon at Martin Mere today which was made even more special by the staff and volunteers at the Canoe and Boat Safari the guys Alan, Tom & Paul were informative, friendly and absolutely superb with people young and old they made the whole experience brilliant and we will be back very soon. Thanks to everyone for a fab time.

A lovely day out with the family. 4yr old and 5yr old loved it and loved following the lego trail. Great variety of activities and they loved the park with water and sand at the end.

A brilliant day to share with the children and enjoy a picnic and fun in the playground but best of all checking all the different birds and feeding them and watching the otters having their food wonderful day out.

A WWT (Wetland & Wildfowl Trust) member, I visit Martin Mere Wetland Centre at least once a year & often 2 or 3 times.



Split into two main areas, the wetland nature reserve for wild birds & the captive bird region broken down into zones by continent. There are also some wild birds in this area too.



An outstanding place to visit, I saw over 70 species on the day & quite a few that I wouldn't or seldom see in Northern Ireland: Tawny Owl, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Barn Owl, Marsh Harrier, Pink-footed Geese for example. In focus optics provides excellent information on recent sightings, as does reception volunteers, something sadly lacking at Castle Espie WWT. Martin Mere has the balance right on looking after and encouraging casual visitors to get more involved & interested in conservation & nature, and ensuring that more experienced Birders are catered for. This modus operandi needs to be rolled out across the WWT reserves.



Toilets are clean, café well worth a visit on cold or sunny day; I'll be back.

Very good value for money. We spent 4hrs there, but could have spent longer if we’d arrived earlier in the day. Kids loved hand feeding the ducks, geese and anything else that would approach. Canoeing was a great addition to the day, kids loved it! Brilliant that there was so many varieties of birds to see, and the guide has really good images so you can identify what they are. Once the otters came out, they were charming. Only slight criticism, is that the description of the flamingo demonstration was that you could hand feed them which is what the kids really wanted, but we didn’t even get close and it was just a 5 minute talk. Everything else was great though, great idea to have birdseed vending machines as we ran out quite quickly! The Dumfries reserve could learn a lot from you guys!

I think it's wrong that a child with disabilities has too pay £10 entry fee too allow the carer too get in free there children and should pay childs rate! The place it self is amazing and the children really enjoyed it! Food and drink really expensive £2.50 for a coke is steep will defently bring pack lunch next time

Great day out for the family. The Lego trail is excellent. The boys started to look at the real birds that they had seen in Lego, learning through play. It was very busy when we went and couldn’t get a boat tour. As it is over an hours drive for us we probably won’t come back.

Gorgeous place, very clean, lovley family day out. didn't use the café, took a picnic, pretty glad about that when they cans of coke were £1.65 each! other than that a good day..... would of been a 5 star if the price of the drinks and ice creams weren't so expensive! and we go on lots of days out so have a great comparason

We went to M.M today just for the afternoon and I paid £20 for 1 adult & 1 child (aged 9). Senior citizens were £10. Under 4s free. We walked through to the back of the grounds and hired a canoe straight away which was great...until the last 500 metres when my nephew decided to fully capsize us. The staff had to pull us out and we were drenched head to foot. It was NOT M.M staff's fault in anyway however we've laughed all day about it and I'm still picking frog spawn outta my ear even after my 40 minute shower! The downside to M.M is there is nothing for young kids with disabilities to do and we had to leave as my 5 yr old nephew with autism had a meltdown as he couldn't join in on the playground as it's just not suitable for younger kids in general. There are 2 playgrounds but not much to do in them for little ones. I would say M.M is for older children and adults. I asked for a partial refund as M.M wasn't suitable for us as a family and we hadn't been there long at all; we were given a voucher to return which i was made to write my name and address on in front of the staff so that no one else could use it (understandable). The voucher is no good to us unfortunately but the pond water is an excellent vintage with a delicate algae bouquet - highly recommended with any fish dish.