Sunday 14 June 2015

Day 14 Visit a Wetland Centre

This afternoon accompanied by my Wife and our two daughters I visited the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust's Wetland Centre at Martin Mere in Burscough, Lancashire.  

It was my third ever visit to the centre and I'd come to try and see my favourite bird the Kingfisher.  Unfortunately I didn't get to see one today but we saw lots of other great birds and on this occasion the Asian Otters too.

I took over 350 photos today but for this post you'll be glad to know that I managed to whittle down that number to about 80.  We all enjoyed the visit today and I'll definitely be coming back soon to spend more time in in the Ron Barker Hide watching for the Kingfisher.

The entrance

Peter Scott
Founder of the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust

One of many brooks

Plentiful amount of Wildflowers


Giant Puffballs

Young ducks in the Ducker

Small pond

The view from the
Kingfisher Hide

No Kingfishers in sight

We did spot an Heron though

It stayed very still

The view from the Kingfisher Hide

Blackbird singing away

Small pond by 
the Ron Barker Hide



View of the Kingfisher Pool
from the Ron Barker Hide

Kingfisher Pool
from the Ron Barker Hide

Kingfisher Pool


Continuing our tour

Puffball

Flamingo

More Flamingos

Duck teaching it's 
young to find food



Avocet



It started raining so we stopped under a shelter and a wren kept flying to and fro to a nearby fence with insects in its mouth.  We soon realised that we were standing right under it's nest! The photo above was the best shot I could get of it because it wouldn't stay still long enough.



Tufted Duck


Tufted Ducks

Bewicks's Swan

Bewick's Swan

Chaffinch
seen from the Janet Kear Hide

Reed Bunting
seen from the Janet Kear Hide

Blackbird
seen from the Janet Kear Hide

View from the 
Janet Kear Hide

Great Spotted Woodpecker
seen from the Janet Kear Hide

Great Spotted Woodpecker
seen from the Janet Kear Hide

View from the Harrier Hide

My Daughters in the Harrier Hide

The Harrier Hide


Eurasian Crane
(these bite, hence the fencing)

Mere tun 
Roundhouse

One of several Bug Hotels
along the Wild Walk path


Start of the Wild Walk Path

Moorhen 
It's nest in the lake
but right next to the path

Pigeon






Black Headed Gull

Bird tracks in the mud



Moorhen

Black Headed Gull

One of many ponds

Flamingo

Stepping stones

Young Moorhen

Mandarin Duck

Mandarin Duck

The Eco Garden

Wildflowers

A wall in the Eco Garden

Another Flamingo

It's fun to use the stepping stones

Moorhen

On my last visit I never saw the Asian Otters and today it looked as if we wouldn't see them again as we passed their enclosure but after backtracking to the Beaver Hide as we passed a second time we touched lucky.  

One of the centre wardens was throwing fish into the enclosure and quick as a flash the Otters were out.  In total there were five otters, the Mum, Dad and three young.  We stayed for a good while watching them feed and it was whilst chatting to the warden that we learned that the Beavers had been moved out due to them breeding like wildfire.  No wonder we didn't spot them today sat in the Beaver Hide!

Asian Otter 
waiting for a fish

"Come on, where's my fish?"

"Come on pass me a fish please"

"Look what I've found"

Both enjoying a fishy treat

A fish supper

My daughter watches them feed
from the glass viewing screen

Tearing it's lunch apart

5 comments:

  1. What a super post, Ian and such wonderful photos. Looks like a great place to visit. A shame you didn't see a Kingfisher but you certainly made up for that with all the other wonderful birds you saw and the otters too:)

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    Replies
    1. Thanks Rosie. Aye I would have liked to have seen the Kingfisher but seeing the Otters made up for that.

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  2. You saw some beautiful animals and flora! Wow, I love the otters and I too want to see a kingfisher. It's always been a wish of mine!

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    Replies
    1. I have loved the Kingfisher from an early age and was lucky enough to see one for the first time last year. It was a only a brief encounter but I will always remember it.

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  3. I'm glad you told me I'd missed this post - what a fantastic place - definitely one for my list! I'd love to see an avocet as I haven't seen one before. Those orange flowers that look like dandelions are orange hawkweed, also known as fox and cubs.

    The otters I saw were Asian short clawed and the book I did link to in the post but it's this one -- http://shopping.rspb.org.uk/rspb-365-outdoor-activities-you-have-to-try.html

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