Wetland
wonderland  |
Martin Mere is one of Britain's most important wetland
habitats and is run by the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust, the largest international
wetland conservation charity in the UK. | Evening
delight - Martin Mere
Photo - WWT and Richard Taylor-Jones |
The reserve itself covers over 350 acres and is visited by thousands
of migratory wildfowl throughout the year, as well as being home to over 1,000
tame birds, many of which are on the endangered list.
In fact, Martin Mere
has its own Doomsday Book listing over 500 species of plant, 300 fungi, 1,500
invertebrates, nearly 300 types of birds as well as 28 different mammals and 19
types of fish. It's an ideal wildlife habitat, but to find out why and how
it became such a haven we have to travel back in time to the last ice age. Wetland
creation  As
the glaciers retreated from Northern Britain, the meltwaters carved a huge shallow
bowl in the landscape, just north of Liverpool.
When this became filled
with water, creating one of the largest lakes in the North West, Martin Mere was
born. Although the ancient lake was later drained by a local lord who wanted
to harvest the rich peat reserves underneath, its name lives on in the now-famous
nature reserve. The Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust reclaimed the land for wildlife
conservation in 1972, flooding huge areas of land across the site every year to
maintain this wetland habitat. Birds and bees  Although
Martin Mere is home to many different types of wildlife, it's famous for the varied
number of birds which can be seen here, with everything from Flamingos to Barn
Owls.
Recent visitors to Martin Mere include Black Winged Stilts, which
are rare visitors to Britain as they prefer a more Mediterranean climate. They
may have missed their original landing spot but they've got a safe home at Martin
Mere - there's 24-hour surveillance to watch out for predators and protect their
eggs. Little Grebes also live on the edge of the reeds and build themselves
little platforms from water-borne vegetation to support their nests. Sightings
of Little Grebes are becoming more common in Britain as global warming continues
to change our climate - so who knows what other tropical birds will turn up in
the future? In the dark  But
it's not just birds which attract thousands of visitors to the reserve every year
- visitors may also encounter one of the night's most elusive creatures, the bat.
Four
times a year the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust organises special walks around the
reserve, taking visitors through areas usually out of bounds during the day. Watching
birds from the safety of the hides is all well and good but the Bat and Barn Owl
Walk is a great opportunity to get out in the open with these creatures of the
night. Using a bat detector, wardens can pick out where the Pipistrelle
and Noctule bats are hiding - both of which love this wetland habitat for its
abundance of tasty insects. They can eat up to 3,000 insects in just one
night, so it's just as well that Martin Mere has a rich and varied feast on offer. Creepy
crawlies  The
many ponds here are full of Damselflies and Dragonflies, but they can be pretty
tricky to spot.
Summer is great for seeing the Four-spotted Chaser, one
of Britain's most common Dragonflies and a regular sight between May and August. Distinguished
by its spotty wings, this territorial insect loves lowland pools and can often
be found perched on a lookout post of a twig or reed, looking out for a mate. A
good way to attract them is to insert a stick at 45 degrees into the ground to
provide a perch for these colourful creatures.
A-Z of Martin Mere birds  There
are nearly 300 species of birds found at Martin Mere so why not tick off how many
you can see on a notepad or bird spotters' list?
Amongst the many species
on view are: * Barn Owl
* Dunnock
*
Firecrest
* Grey Heron
* Kestrel
* Lapwing
* Mallard
* Oystercatcher
*
Peregrine
* Robin
* Teal
Make
the most of summer bird and bug spotting - read Nature's
Calendar's top tips Photo credits Chaser
image courtesy of Wildlife Trust and James Lees. Photographs
of Martin Mere copyright and courtesy of Martin Mere and the Wildfowl and Wetlands
Trust. | 
