Welney Wetland Centre

There is little doubt that one of the attractions of this part of the world is the Welney Wildlife & Wetlands Reserve at Hundred Foot Bank near (where else?) Welney. Each winter (encouraged, it has to be said, by regular feeds) thousands of Whooper and Bewick swans fly in to Welney from Northern Russia and Iceland to over-winter here.

There are more details of the reserve at www.wwt.org.uk/visit/welney/. Generally, the reserve is open from 9.30 until 5.00 from March to October, and from 10.00 until 8.00 in Winter, except that it closes at 5.00 on Mondays and Tuesdays. It is well worth consulting the website to check this, especially around Bank Holidays.

Although it is the swans that come immediately to mind whenever Welney is mentioned, this is a site worth visiting in all seasons. In Spring, rare wading migrants arrive and a variety of species breed here: Lapwing, Redshank, Plover, Avocet and Godwit. In Summer, the focus shifts away from birds (although you will still see many, including perhaps Kingfisher and Marsh harrier) towards voles, newts and water scorpions. In Autumn passage migrants such as Ruff, Greenshank, Curlew and Sandpiper pass through, while Winter is the season for not only the swans but also thousands of ducks, geese and other water birds.

Below is a map of the reserve in Summer 2007; for a printable full-size version, click here or on the map.

We have featured photographs from Welney several times in this website. These can be found in our 'Picture Galleries' but you can go directly there by clicking on the photos or captions below.

NEW BUILDINGS IN OCTOBER 2005	SWANS AT WELNEY

 

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