BBC Countryfile features WWT Welney for World Wetlands Day

Presenters Matt Baker and Charlotte Smith joined the team at WWT Welney to find out about the wetland habitat, some winter species and the people working on and inspired by the nature reserve.

Matt Baker joined WWT Welney site manager Lizzie Bruce and senior research officer Kane Brides to learn more about the valuable role nature reserves play in increasing the survival rates of Whooper swans and to learn how we count the swans and why we count them twice in one day.

Since filming, the numbers have come in from the Fens-wide January count of a record-breaking 15,560 whooper swans, compared with 440 of the smaller, rarer Bewick’s swans.

(Image: Mark Peirson) Charlotte Smith joined UK Power and WWT’s head of reserves, Leigh Marshall, to discover more about how we work co-operatively together to install bird deflectors to benefit the swans and improve the reliability of electrical supplies.

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Reducing the potential collisions facing swans as they make daily flights between their wetland roosts and the surrounding arable land on which they feed during the day.

Wetland habitats are incredible for wildlife but are fast disappearing. Lady Fen is an example of wetland recreation and has inspired local farmers to partner with others and take action within the wider landscape.

(Image: Kim Tarsey) Charlotte spoke to local farmer Joe Martin about his experience as well as Jonathan Taylor from the RSPB.

Charlotte also spent an afternoon with Welney volunteers and Gill McCoy to learn about the creation of a new viewing screen for visitors.

Following a generous donation, ‘Gill’s Lookout’, will see the view overlooking Lady Fen wetlands enhanced for visitors, with a new accessible path linking it to the visitor centre.

Visit https://www.wwt.org.uk/wetland-centres/welney for more information.

(Image: Peter Woods) (Image: Nick Bowman Photography)

(Image: Simon Stirrup)