Welney's Birds

About trip

The Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust (WWT) reserve at Welney Washes is tucked away in the south-east corner of Norfolk, on the border with Cambridgeshire. It covers 850 acres (344ha) of freshwater grazing marshland that floods regularly - the largest such area remaining in Britain. This unique habitat was formed when two massive drainage channels were created, leaving a strip of land between them that is about 0.5 mile (800m) wide. This area is known as the Ouse Washes. The Ouse Washes were not created with the intention of providing breeding areas for birds. Instead, they were designed to act as a reservoir to hold excess water when the main drainage system is unable to cope. Several attempts were made to drain the Fens - by the Romans and by medieval engineers - but it was not until the 17th century that this wilderness of sedge, reed and bog was finally vanquished. The wealthy Duke of Bedford owned a large expanse of fenland, and wanted to do more with it than graze sheep in the summer and watch it flood all winter. He employed a talented Dutch engineer called Cornelius Vermuyden to design a new river system that would allow flood water to be channelled more directly out to sea, rather than flowing into the meandering River Great Ouse. The cut between Earith in Cambridgeshire and Denver in Norfolk, was named the Old Bedford River and was completed in 1637. Although it vastly improved the duke’s summer grazing grounds, his land still flooded in winter. A second cut was made, running parallel to the first, and called the New Bedford River. The banks on both rivers were raised, so that the area between them could take surplus water during times of flood - the Ouse Washes. Today, the area between the two channels is much as it always was: grazed or cut for hay during the summer and flooded during the winter. A visit to Welney is magical at any time of year. The new eco-friendly visitor centre, built from local timber and opened in 2006, has interesting exhibitions and operates using solar power, undersoil heating and toilets flushed with rainwater. Best of all, the reserve provides some of the best birdwatching in the country. Try coming in November, when thousands of Bewick’s swans arrive from Russia and whooper swans come from Iceland before returning in spring. While you're there: Visit the Fenland World exhibition in the visitor centre, which explores the history and ecology of the Fens. There are displays on fenland traditions, including wildfowling and iceskating, and the floods which regularly devastate the area. What to look out for: Don’t miss a spell in the WWT’s observatory looking over the Bewick’s swan lagoon. Twenty wildfowl species have been recorded here, but most impressive are the sheer numbers of birds that arrive in winter. Counts have included 3,000 Bewick’s swans, 1,000 whooper swans and an impressive 30,000 wigeon. Where to eat and drink: The Wigeon Café in the visitor centre serves hot meals, sandwiches, cakes and drinks, and has a pleasant terrace overlooking the washes. Directions: Buy a ticket and climb the stairs or take the lift from the visitor centre to gain access to the reserve. Walk across the footbridge then follow the ramp down to the left to enter the observatory. Continue down another ramp and turn right at the bottom, following signs to the Summer Walk. The first section of the walk is known as the Screenbank Walk. Soon signs will direct you to the right to the Reedbed Boardwalk for your first taste of the Ouse Washes. When you finish the boardwalk, turn right along the Screenbank Walk until you see a sign to your right for the Summer Walk. This is the only walk anywhere with public access to the Ouse Washes. The path is closed during the nesting season and because of winter flooding it is usually only open between July and September. If it is open, turn right to walk beneath the telegraph poles. The route varies from year to year, but follow the waymarks and information panels for an easy self-guided trail through the reeds. The picnic benches beside the pond are a good place to observe dragonflies. After completing the Summer Walk, return to the Screenbank Walk, turn left and retrace your steps to the footbridge. At the footbridge, continue straight ahead, along the northern part of the Screenbank Walk. Eventually you reach Buxton Hide, Lyle Hide, Allport Hide and Friends’ Hide, all on your left. This part of the walk is linear, but you will see so many different birds that it won’t feel like it. At Friends’ Hide, retrace your steps back to the footbridge, cross it, and return to the car park.