Blog
Wetland species to spot in your city
When thinking about cities, you may not imagine wetlands and wildlife. Yet woven between roads and buildings are pockets of water that quietly support life.
Weaving across the World: why traditional craft is vital for wetlands
The undulating song of a Cetti’s warbler rises and falls over the swaying reeds. A secretive bittern – heard but seldom seen – booms across a rippling landscape. Water rails and moorhens skirt the protection of the reeds at the water’s edge.
Clay, culture, and Castle Espie: an interview with resident artist Tracey Johnston
Visit the Bothy at WWT Castle Espie, you’re more than likely to see ceramicist Tracey Johnston at work behind her pottery wheel. Maybe a raven calls, or a robin flies in – every time, she’ll stop and invite you to listen.
What’s in a name? The hidden history flowing through Britain’s rivers
By Professor Christian Dunn, WWT Trustee and Associate Pro Vice-Chancellor at Bangor University
Top 9 rare birds 2025
Another top birdwatching year across WWT’s wetlands is in the bag and that means it’s time for a roundup. There’s been some phenomenal sightings including a huge influx of glossy ibis, along with only the second record of a special raptor for the UK.
2025: WWT’s wildlife roundup
As the festive period approaches and the year draws to a close, we’re reflecting on a fantastic 2025. Your continued support this year has, as always, been incredible and together we've achieved so much for wetlands and their wildlife.
The climate crisis is changing our wetlands – but you can help
What happens to our wildlife when the climate changes around them? When their once beloved habitats become water-logged by extreme rain, or their feeding grounds disintegrate under the rising temperature of the sun?
Autumn stories from WWT’s wetland reserves
Our wetland reserves have seen a vibrant mix of wildlife highlights this autumn. From Caerlaverock to Arundel, each site has had its own amazements and accomplishments.
Birds in the hand
For over 30 years, we’ve been studying the lives of songbirds in Slimbridge’s Decoy wood through ringing. Here's why it's crucial in providing us with insights into wild bird populations as the challenges they face increase.
How do migrating birds know where to go?
Migrating birds follow predictable routes. These routes are well known; we call the one that brings wintering birds to our shores the Northwest European flyway and the one that brings summering birds the East Atlantic flyway. You can’t see them, but they act like bird superhighways, inexorably funnelling migrants to the estuaries and wetlands of the UK and beyond.
Top 10 migrant birds to see at WWT reserves this autumn
Lively, noisy and often spectacular, birds arriving on our wetlands to spend the winter are a welcome sight as the nights draw in, bringing new life to the landscape.
One chick closer to success
Spoon-billed sandpiper mum and Conservation Breeding Officer Tanya Grigg reveals the emotional rollercoaster of rearing the world's rarest chick.
The spy in the flock: tracking birds around the world
Over the past decade, technology has revolutionised our understanding of bird migration. Today, new advances are poised to unlock the biggest and most cryptic secrets of some of our most threatened birds
Mapping the wetland genome: a team effort across the UK
Wetlands are more than habitats - they're living libraries of biodiversity. Thanks to a remarkable collaboration with the Darwin Tree of Life project and the Wellcome Sanger Institute, we're helping write the genomic story of the UK's wetland species.
Power and pandemonium: when peregrines attack
With survival a priority for wildlife in winter, your local WWT centre is a great place to see one of nature's great dramas. Enter, the peregrine falcon...