Bird Watching Festival at WWT Martin Mere

Went to the bird festival this afternoon and enjoyed listening to a 70 minute talk and presentation by Iolo Williams on the wildlife of Wales. He was funny, interesting and great to listen to. 

I am always in two minds about Martin Mere. It is a Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust site  and extremely important for many birds, including overwintering whooper swans. The WWT do a great deal of conservation work, and they have brought birds back from the brink of extinction. However, they keep some captive birds and I find it quite hard to support and justify this. I hate to see it but it could be a necessary evil. The captive birds encourage visitors and every penny made  is used for conservation. Not everyone is prepared to hang about in bird hides and it seems that the majority of people want the wildlife presented to them on a plate. Only then will they part with their hard earned cash. 

In addition to the conservation work,  the WWT do a lot to educate people. 

It is a while since I visited, and I was surprised to see an additional, well kitted out hide complete with bird identification books and binoculars for all.