North West Bird Watching Festival returns to Martin Mere

WWT Martin Mere’s annual extravaganza, the North West Bird Watching Festival, returns this October and it’s an event not to be missed. Join us in Lancashire on Saturday 16 and Sunday 17 October to hear from a wide range of guest speakers, speak to optic experts, discover waterfowl and bird ringing, browse exhibitors selling books, birdwatching holidays and enjoy the spectacle of the autumn migration.

Open from 8am, the event is timed to watch the spectacle of thousands of pink-footed geese leave the roost before heading for breakfast in Mere Side Café. The centre is open until 7pm on the Saturday to watch up to 30,000 pink-footed geese return to the roost, making this a full day out to enjoy from dawn till dusk.

There’ll be a range of talks on throughout each day, with topics including Dan Rouse's Brilliant and Bizarre birds, a Year in Extremadura, Spain: Surviving the Pandemic by David Lindo, from dream to reality: the creation of Gorse Hill Nature Reserve and 75 years of conservation with WWT.

Throughout the weekend, there’ll be guided reserve walks each day, a walk with David Lindo, photography workshops with Alan Hewittthat will be full of tips and tricks for getting the most out of your camera , waterfowl talks and feeds, guided boat tours and ringing demonstrations on both waterfowl and smaller species.

Optic demonstrators include Viking Optics, Leica, Kowa, Zeiss and Swarovski, all on hand to give you all the advice you need and the opportunity to try out products.

The weekend will be a great opportunity to network with like-minded people and meet some of the best experts in the industry.

Tickets for all speakers and activities are available to collect on the day. No pre-booking is required. Normal admission prices apply but the event is free to enter if you are a WWT Member.

For full details and a list of all the guest speakers visit: www.wwt.org.uk/nwbwf